The end of summer is approaching.
Labor Day is September 2 and celebrations are planned across Ohio. In addition to the new high school and college football seasons, the holiday weekend is also lined with live music, Native American festivals, rodeo action and more.
If you're looking to enjoy one more summer celebration before autumn arrives, check out these events taking place across Oklahoma over Labor Day weekend.
Henrietta Labor Day Celebration
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One of the largest Labor Day events in the state, the Henrietta Labor Day Celebration brings festivities to town with a carnival, parade, barbecue lunch, horseshoes, disc golf, cornhole tournaments, live music, fireworks, the Jim Shoulders Living Legends Rodeo and more.
“Summer Freak Out” by The Flaming Lips
- when: August 30-31, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.
- where: Zoo Amphitheater, 2101 NE 50, Oklahoma City.
- information:Please visit https://okczooamp.com.
Formed in Oklahoma City in 1983, the psychedelic art rock band will celebrate the band's 40th anniversary and the lasting impact of their two classic albums at the venerable local outdoor venue where The Lips performed their first live concert film, “UFOs at the Zoo: The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City,” in 2006.
At the Aug. 30 concert, the three-time Grammy Award-winning band will perform their pioneering 2002 album, “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” in its entirety. At the Aug. 31 concert, the experimental rock band will perform their 1999 masterpiece, “The Soft Bulletin,” in its entirety at a newly renovated Oklahoma City venue.
Rentiesville Dusk Till Dawn Blues Festival
The Rentiesville Dusk Till Dawn Blues Festival lives up to its name each year, bringing three days and nights of blues music across three stages in Rentiesville, one of Oklahoma's historically black towns. This year's event will feature 50 musicians from seven states and throughout the region.
Rocklahoma
- when: It runs from August 30th to September 1st, with the Rocklahoma pre-party taking place on August 29th.
- where: Rockin Red Dirt Ranch, 1421 W 450 Road, on U.S. 69 north of Pryor.
- information: Please visit https://rocklahoma.com.
Rocklahoma's record-breaking music and camping festival, which drew a record-breaking 70,000 fans in 2023, will return in 2024 with headliners Avenged Sevenfold, Evanescence, Disturbed, A Day to Remember, Slipknot and Lamb of God.
Billed as “America's Biggest Labor Day Weekend Party,” this year's lineup also includes top rock and metal bands such as Halestorm, Mastodon, Anthrax, Skillet, Clutch, Nothing More, Kerry King, Coal Chamber and Tom Keifer. Doors open at 11am each day.
All festival-goers with weekend passes are invited to the Rocklahoma pre-party on August 29th at The Roadhouse on the festival grounds. The pre-party will feature performances by Keifer, Faster Pussycat, Skarlett Roxx and Eyebolt.
Mayor Bruce Ball at Medicine Park
The historic resort town's 18th annual Blues Ball will feature Sweet & Dirty All-Star Blues Revue, Mulford Milligan & Tin Cadillac, Rachel Ammons, Dirty Redd & the Soulshakers, Sweet Brenda & Sour Mash, Amanda Howle & the Big Bad Wolves, Shevon Tiger Band and more. Admission is free.
72nd Cherokee National Day
This annual event attracts more than 100,000 visitors from across the country and includes an intertribal powwow, traditional games, a Holiday Veterans 5K and Fun Run, cornhole and fishing tournaments, a quilt show, sporting events ranging from softball to stickball, a new youth livestock show and more.
Cherokee National Day commemorates the signing of the Cherokee Nation Constitution in 1839, which re-established the Cherokee nation's tribal government in Indian Territory after their forced removal from their original homeland in the Southeast.
Now in its second year, the celebration will include Dalalapalooza, a two-day bluegrass and folk-themed music festival, taking place at One Fire Field (17475 S Muskogee Ave) from 6-10pm on August 30 and 31. Performers include Agalisiga Mackey, Klondike5 String Band, Sister Stone, Amber Watson & Friends, Cody Brewe and King Cabbage Brass Band.
Tulsa's Big Damn Party
The four-day event celebrates the grand opening of the three-mile Zink Lake and rushing waterfall, a new pedestrian bridge and the riverfront expansion at the Gathering Place. Free festivities at various locations include a free concert by Grammy-nominated band Hanson, originally from Tulsa, the World's Largest Rubber Duck, the “Outsiders” experience with C. Thomas Howell, the return of Tulsa's Great Raft Race, a parade, art exhibits and more.
Jana Jay Fiddle Camp & Music Festival
This year's Jana Jay Fiddle Camp & Music Festival is hosted by country music instrumentalist and former “Hee Haw” star and features western music standard-bearer Cowboy Jim Girling, renowned boner Barry Patton and fiddle champion Junior Marriott. The festival features small group music instruction during the day at Groves Foundation Free Will Baptist Church, followed by a free public event with live music and a country dinner at Snyder's Camp.
Elk City PRCA Rodeo of Champions
- when: Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.
- where: at Beutler Brothers Rodeo Arena in Elk City.
- information: Please visit https://www.elkcityrodeo.com.
The 86th annual Elk City Rodeo of Champions, a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event, will include bull riding, barrel racing, tie-down roping, bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping and saddle bronco riding.
The rodeo parade is scheduled for Aug. 31 at 10 a.m. in downtown Elk City.
Choctaw Labor Day Festival
A celebration of faith, family and culture, this long-running festival returns with cultural activities, classes and games, gourd dancing, a quilt show, a princess contest, sports tournaments, a 5K run, carnival rides, buffalo tours and more.
The 2024 concert lineup includes country hitmakers Rodney Atkins and Rhett Akins, Christian music acts Casting Crowns, Jason Crabb, and Gold City, and Choctaw acts Joey Green Band and The Crows. The concerts, like the rest of the festival, are free and open to the public. (Country artist Mark Chesnutt was originally announced as a festival performer but canceled after undergoing emergency surgery earlier this summer.)
Also as part of this year's festival, the Choctaw Nation and the Government of Ireland will celebrate the bond between the two nations with the unveiling of a new public sculpture, “Eternal Heart,” on the Choctaw Nation Capitol grounds at 1 p.m. on August 30.
The Dam Quails at Beale City Music Hall
Acclaimed Oklahoma red dirt music group The Damn Quails are returning to their hometown for a concert at Beer City.
Conquer the Yukon Route
Downtown Yukon's annual pre-Labor Day weekend celebration will feature live Oklahoma Red Dirt and Texas Country Music from Corey Kent, Grant Gilbert and Cam Allen. The celebration will also feature food trucks and activities for all ages.
Riverwind Casino's final Beats & Bites Festival of 2024
- when: September 1st at 7pm. Doors open at 6pm.
- where: Riverwind Casino West Parking Lot, 1544 W State Highway OK-9, Norman,
- information: Please visit https://www.riverwind.com.
The fourth and final concert in Norman Casino's 2024 Beats & Bites outdoor music series will feature country music artists Dylan Scott and Conner Smith. The event will also feature about 15 local food trucks, mobile boutiques and community partners. Tickets are $10 per person and free for children 12 and under.
Labor Day at Riverport OKC
Riversports OKC is open Saturdays and Sundays, as well as Labor Day, through Oct. 6, offering thrill-seekers the chance to take part in rafting, tubing, surfing, flat-water paddling and land adventures. On Labor Day, Riversports day passes are available for $40, half the usual price of $80.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor OKC closed weekend
Labor Day weekend marks the last splash day of the year for the venerable Oklahoma City water park.