Things to do in Oklahoma for Labor Day weekend, in one minute
From music festivals to professional rodeos, Oklahoma is full of Labor Day festivities.
The unofficial end of summer is almost here.
Labor Day is coming up Monday, Sept. 1, and festivities are planned across Oklahoma, from the sprawling three-day cultural celebration at the 73rd Cherokee National Holiday in Tahlequah to the winding down of the inaugural season for the outdoor beach and lagoon at the new OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark in Oklahoma City.
Labor Day weekend always brings the blues in the historically Black community of Rentiesville, which is hosting this year its 35th annual Dusk ’til Dawn Blues Festival. This year’s event is expected to feature a potent combination not only of blues performances but also of human emotions, as organizers are carrying on after the recent tragic death of the festival’s co-founder, Selby Minner.
For those eager for one more summertime celebration before autumn makes its anticipated arrival, be sure to check the weather conditions and your chosen event’s social media to make sure the potentially soggy forecast doesn’t rain on your parade or other plans.
35th Annual Dusk ’til Dawn Blues Festival, Rentiesville
The Dusk ’til Dawn Blues Festival annually lives up to its name, with opportunities to hear the blues all night long over three days on three stages in Rentiesville, one of Oklahoma’s 13 remaining historically Black towns. This year, nearly 50 musical acts will perform to mark the festival’s 35th anniversary.
In 1988, Selby Minner and her husband, renowned bluesman D.C. Minner, moved to his hometown of Rentiesville, where they converted his grandmother’s Prohibition-era speakeasy, the Cozy Corner, into the Down Home Blues Club. Two years later, they started the Dusk ’til Dawn Blues Festival, which showcases musical acts from across the region.
Selby Minner kept the blues club and festival going even after her spouse died in 2008 at age 73.
Selby Minner, 75, was found slain in her Rentiesville home and blues club June 10. Her brother, Louis Carl Guenther, 68, was charged June 12 in McIntosh County District Court with first-degree murder, but criminal proceedings were suspended later that month so that he could get a mental health evaluation.
“We’re all still trying to pull ourselves together after that … but we’re honored to be able to carry this on for Selby and DC,” said Nanette Robertson Carr, who serves on the board of directors for Friends of Rentiesville Blues Inc., the organization that produces the festival.
“We wanted to keep the music the same and the atmosphere and the food. … We want everybody to come out and enjoy it and not feel like they’re missing anything — except, of course, for Selby and DC.”
Rock the Route, Yukon
Downtown Yukon’s annual pre-Labor Day weekend celebration will feature live music from Texas-born singer, songwriter and guitarist Tanner Usrey, Alabama-bred band Them Dirty Roses and Oklahoma country singer Caroline Grace. The free festivities also will include food trucks and all-ages activities.
Henryetta Labor Day Celebration
One of the biggest Labor Day events in the state, the Henryetta Labor Day Celebration boasts festivities all over town. Activities include a carnival, parade, barbecue lunch, car and bike show, horseshoe and volleyball tournaments, live music and the Jim Shoulders Living Legends Rodeo.
Rocklahoma, Pryor
- When: Aug. 29-31, with the DEB Concerts Thursday Night Throwdown Aug. 28.
- Where: Rockin Red Dirt Ranch, 1421 W 450 Rd., off U.S. 69 north of Pryor.
- Information: https://rocklahoma.com.
Five Finger Death Punch, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, 311 and more are on the bill for the music and camping festival.
What’s known as “America’s Biggest Labor Day Weekend Party” returns for its 19th year with a lineup of about 40 rock and metal acts, including Oklahoma City-based multiplatinum-selling band Hinder, Knocked Loose, Tom Morello, The Darkness, Marky Ramone (plays the Ramones), Orianthi and Saliva.
Kicking off Rocklahoma at the DEB Concerts Thursday Night Throwdown will be Dee Snider, Trixter, Sebastian James, Rocket Science and Crimson Love.
73rd Cherokee National Holiday, Tahlequah
The event, which typically draws more than 100,000 visitors from across the country, includes the Inter-Tribal Powwow, traditional games, Holiday Veterans 5K and Fun Run, horseshoe and fishing tournaments, quilt show, sporting events ranging from softball to stickball, youth livestock show and more.
The Cherokee National Holiday commemorates the 1839 signing of the Cherokee Nation Constitution, which reestablished the tribe’s government in Indian Territory after the tribe’s forced removal from the Cherokees’ original homelands in the Southeast.
For the third year, the celebration will include Dalalapalooza, a two-day music festival set for 4 to 10 p.m. Aug. 29-30 at One Fire Field, 17475 S Muskogee Ave. Performers will include Agalisiga Mackey, 6 Mile Band, Kalyn Fay, Sister Stone, Disrespectfully Yours, Amber Watson, John Paul Hodge and John Fullbright.
87th PRCA Rodeo of Champions, Elk City
- When: 8 p.m. Aug. 29-31. Gates open at 6 p.m.
- Where: Beutler Brothers Rodeo Arena, 417 Ackley Park Road, Elk City.
- Information: https://www.elkcityrodeo.com.
A Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event, the 87th annual rodeo includes bull riding, barrel racing, tie-down roping, bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping and saddle bronc riding.
The rodeo parade is set for 10 a.m. Aug. 30 in downtown Elk City.
Mayor’s Blues Ball, Medicine Park
The 19th annual blues ball in the historic resort town will feature the Sweet & Dirty All-Star Blues Review, Kalo, Dirty Red & the Soulshakers, Sweet Brenda & Sour Mash, Amanda Howle & the Big Bad Wolves, Chebon Tiger Band and more. Admission is free.
Jana Jae Fiddle Camp and Music Festival, Grove
This year’s Jana Jae Fiddle Camp and Music Festival, hosted by the country music instrumentalist and former “Hee Haw” standout, will feature Western music standard-bearer Cowboy Jim Garling, well-known bones player Barry Patton, fiddle champion Shane Keys and more. The festival offers daytime small group music instruction at Grove’s Foundation Free Will Baptist Church, followed by free public evening events with live music and downhome dinners at Snider’s Camp.
Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival, Tuskahoma
Celebrating faith, family and culture, the long-running festival returns with cultural activities, classes and games, gourd dancing, a quilt show, princess pageants, sports tournaments, a 5K run, carnival rides and buffalo tours. Also, the tribe will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Choctaw Capitol Museum at 2 p.m. Aug. 29.
The 2025 concert lineup includes Oklahoma Music Hall of Famer Stoney LaRue; Texas country outfit Josh Abbott Band; Christian music performers Cain, Gold City and Katy Nichole; and Choctaw act The Close. Concert attendance, like the rest of the festival, is free and open to the public.
OKANA Beach’s inaugural season
- When: Seven days a week through Sept. 1; weekends only through Sept. 14.
- Where: 639 First Americans Blvd., OKC.
- Information: https://www.okanaresort.com.
The popular new OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark is keeping the splashy fun going inside year round with its features 11 pools, 15 slides, an array of rides and a lazy river where visitors can float in inner tubes. But the outdoor waterpark, OKANA Beach, is winding down its inaugural season in September.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor OKC closing weekend
Labor Day weekend is the last splash of the year for the venerable OKC water park.
Labor Day at Riversport OKC
Through Sept. 21, Riversport OKC is open on Saturdays and Sundays, plus Labor Day, and thrill-seekers can participate in rafting, tubing, surfing, flatwater paddling and land adventures.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.oklahoman.com ’
