Annual Bob Wills Day at the Oklahoma Capitol to honor the music icon

Bob Wills Day will be celebrated at the Oklahoma state Capitol on March 9 with live Western swing music.
The annual event honors the “King of Western Swing” and will feature a Western fashion contest.
Arts & Culture Day will take place on April 30, serving as the state’s primary arts advocacy event.

Events to celebrate the “King of Western Swing” and to showcase the Sooner State’s film, music, arts and cultural sectors are coming soon to the state Capitol in Oklahoma City.

An annual tradition at the state Capitol, Bob Wills Day is set for 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday, March 9. Co-sponsored by state Sen. Jo Anna Dossett and state Rep. Jay Steagall, the event will feature live performances by Western swing musicians in the Capitol’s second-floor rotunda.

The public is invited to attend the free event, which annually takes place around Wills’ birthday.

Born March 6, 1905, in Texas, Wills helped popularize the danceable music genre known as Western swing during the 1930s and ’40s. Wills’ band, the Texas Playboys, had a daily program on the Tulsa radio outlet KVOO and were regular performers at Tulsa’s venerable Cain’s Ballroom, where they showcased the genre’s distinctive blend of swing jazz, Dixieland jazz, Mexican folk music, blues, polka and more.

Returning to the stage this year will be Jana Jae, Oklahoma Swing, Jay Steagall and the Part-Timers and Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys under the direction of Jason Roberts.

Presented through a partnership of the Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Historical Society, this year’s celebration will spotlight some newcomers to Bob Wills Day, too: Katie Shore, vocalist and fiddle player for the Grammy Award-winning band Asleep at the Wheel, and Hank Thompson’s Brazos Valley Boys, under the direction of Morey Sullivan, will perform.

The festivities also will feature a Western fashion contest. Attendees are invited to come dressed in their Western best for the chance to earn prizes in categories including Best Boots, Western Shirts, Western Swing Skirts and Ties (which includes the bolo and bow varieties).

Prizes for the Western style contest will be provided by Oklahoma Film + Music Office. Tulsa’s Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts provide support for Bob Wills Day, too.

Plus, the event will include special recognitions for Wills — who died May 13, 1975, at the age of 70 — in the state Senate and House of Representatives.

Oklahoma Film and Music Day returns to the state Capitol in April

Plus, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office has announced plans for its 2026 Oklahoma Film and Music Day at the Capitol, which is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 7.

Also free and open to the public, the industry showcase will feature live music, more than 50 film and music exhibitors, networking opportunities and more.

“We’re already at capacity with our vendors … so we’re super excited. It’s a great time,” said Oklahoma Film + Music Office Director Jeanette Stanton.

Oklahomans for the Arts is planning Arts & Culture Day at the state Capitol

In addition, the nonprofit arts advocacy group Oklahomans for the Arts is hosting next month its annual Arts & Culture Day at the Capitol, billed as the state’s only arts advocacy event.

Arts & Culture Day 2026 is planned for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30 at the state Capitol. The event is free and open to the public.

During Arts & Culture Day, “artists, educators, nonprofit leaders, and advocates will meet directly with lawmakers to demonstrate the reach and impact of the arts in their districts,” said Danielle Ezell, executive director for Oklahomans for the Arts, in an email.

Attendees also will receive advocacy training, learn about key legislative issues impacting the arts and celebrate the transformative role of the arts in our communities.

‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’