Things to do Memorial Day weekend (2024)

Scene Staff Reports

Summer is just getting started when Memorial Day weekend rolls around.

The weather is usually still tolerable, and it is perfect for a barbecue at home with family before or after observances honoring the veterans in your life.

And while the family is gathered, there are plenty of other things to do, whether you prefer heading to the lake, a rodeo or festival.

Will Rogers Stampede PRCA Rodeo

May 23-26

Make your way to Claremore for the excitement of the annual Will Rogers Stampede PRCA Rodeo. Rodeo events include bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, mutton bustin’ for the kids, rodeo clowns and a dance following the nightly performance. See area cowboys compete in steer wrestling, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and more. Vendors will be on site to sell western wear and goods to the crowds.

WHERE: Will Rogers Stampede Arena, 13653 E 480 Road, Claremore

Memorial Day Weekend Summer Kickoff

May 25-27

This Memorial Day, load and head to Bernice for a family road trip. Launch your summer at this event featuring hands-on scientific experiments, nature crafts and animal encounters with the park’s charming animal ambassadors.

WHERE: Bernice Area at Grand Lake State Park, 54101 E Hwy 85 A, Bernice

Tim Meadows

May 23-25

Actor and comedian Tim Meadows will perform four shows at Bricktown Comedy Club. Meadows broke through with “Saturday Night Live,” staying in the cast for 10 seasons. He starred in “The Ladies Man,” based on his SNL character, and had supporting roles in “Mean Girls” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”

WHERE: Bricktown Comedy Club Tulsa, 5982 S. Yale Ave.

Floral Haven Avenue of Flags

May 23-27

Floral Haven’s annual Memorial Day weekend observance returns for the 52nd year. The program begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and is free and open to the public. U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern is the featured speaker.

On Friday, 4,395 casket flags of veterans donated in years past will be raised by local JROTC Cadets, and local Scouts BSA members will retire the colors Monday evening. The many waving flags, flying as far as the eye can see, is always a stirring sight.

All weekend, the Broken Arrow Blue Star Mothers Chapter 5 will collect items for freedom boxes for troops serving in war zones.

Youth On Guard will reenact the “Changing of the Guard” at the replica of the Tomb of the Unknowns west of Floral Haven Funeral Home. They will be performing this solemn ceremony 24 hours a day (every half hour during the day and hourly at night) beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Floral Haven Memorial Gardens, 6500 S. 129th E. Ave., Broken Arrow

Films on the Lawn: ‘Napoleon Dynamite’

May 24

Join Philbrook Museum of Art as it kicks off the season, Rex Kwon Do style, with a crowd favorite, “Napoleon Dynamite.” Arrive early for pre-show activities and picnicking on the Film Lawn.

Activities include an art station, face painting, food trucks and a costume contest.

Ticket information for general admission, reserved spots and premium multi-person “Garden Bubbles” (with s’mores kit and fire pit) is available online.

WHERE: Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road

Mavis Staples

May 25

The Bob Dylan Center presents an evening with the legendary Mavis Staples, who returns to Tulsa for a rousing evening of raise-the-roof R&B classics. Hailed by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” Staples marched with Martin Luther King Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, sang at Barack Obama’s White House and has collaborated with Bob Dylan, Prince, Hozier and Bon Iver. This special event will benefit the Bob Dylan Center’s education programs. The concert will be preceded by a ceremony featuring the recipients of the inaugural Mavis Staples Freedom Highway Essay Award, for which students reflect on the ways in which music can serve as a catalyst for positive change.

WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St.

Field of Heroes

May 25-27

Join AARP Oklahoma to honor our fallen military veterans. Tulsa’s VFW Post 577 and Survivor Outreach Services will display a field of military boots honoring Oklahomans who died while serving. The event offers a visual representation of the real meaning behind Memorial Day with a formation of empty boots donning ID tags and American flags representing fallen heroes’ individual lives.

WHERE: Veterans Park, 1028 E. Sixth St.

Family Camping Night

Experience Family Camping Night at Chandler Park, surrounded by the stars and the beauty of nature. Registration ends at 8 a.m. May 20. Cost is $60 per registration, allowing for up to 6 people per campsite. Hot dog dinner and light breakfast are included in the cost. Enjoy live bluegrass by Redbud Hill, a night hike, s’mores around the fire and storytelling and more. Chandler Park Splash Park opens for campers Sunday morning.

WHERE: Chandler Park, 6500 W. 21st St.

State park activities

May 24-27

Find outdoor activities and family-friendly events this weekend at several eastern Oklahoma state parks. Crafts, nature center activities and Critter Meet-n-Greets are on tap, as well as the usual swimming, fishing, boating, golf and hiking. Go online to see the full schedule of what’s happening at Greenleaf, Sequoyah, Lake Eufaula and Tenkiller state parks this weekend.

WHERE: Various locations

Black Wall Street Legacy Fest

May 26-June 1

The Black Wall Street Legacy Festival seeks to elevate and amplify the hard work and voices of Black Tulsans over the past 100 years by offering opportunities to reflect, learn and inspire through community curated experiences.

Grammy Award-winning artist Anthony Hamilton is this year’s major headliner, ensuring a soul-stirring celebration the entire community will enjoy.

This is a free event featuring a family-friendly African street fest, a block party with Tony Mason, Gerald Albright and Club Nouveau. There will be author appearances and book signings. See the full schedule online.

WHERE: Multiple locations

Boley Rodeo & BBQ

May 25

The Boley Rodeo includes exciting rodeo events, a car show and annual parade.

The annual Boley Open Rodeo include bareback riding, bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, a pony express, barrel racing, calf roping, bull riding, junior bull riding and mutton bustin’.

This annual festival celebrates the historical significance of Boley, an all-Black town representative of many towns established by African Americans who migrated from the South to northern and western communities after slavery.

WHERE: Main Street & Rodeo Grounds, Boley

Celebrity Boxing Comic Con

May 24-26

Comedian and actor Andy Dick is coming to Grand Lake to co-host the first Celebrity Boxing Comic Con alongside Tami Erin, an Oklahoma resident who starred in the 1988 film “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking.”

Celebrity meet-and-greets and autograph signings will take place throughout the weekend in addition to live music. A fight card of three celebrity boxing matches will arrive Saturday featuring EJ “Skullcrusher” Snyder (“Naked and Afraid”) vs. Patrick Kilpatrick (“Minority Report”). Chad Tulik (“A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila”) vs. Rich Manley (“Knight and Day”) and Damon Gillespie (“Rise,” “The Society,” “Tiny Pretty Things”) vs. Hasaan Rasheed (“Black Panther”).

Former heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer will serve as a celebrity guest referee. Actor Zack Ward, who played Scut Farkus in the 1983 holiday classic “A Christmas Story,” and former super middleweight champ Allan Green of Tulsa will be special ringside commentators.

WHERE: Lakeshore Bliss Resort, 32100 S. Hwy 85, Afton

Galaxy Con

May 24-26

A major pop culture event, Galaxy Con, will take place in Oklahoma City over Memorial Day weekend.

The guest list includes actors from the “Star Trek” franchise (George Takei, Denise Crosby, Gates McFadden, John de Lancie, Terry Farrell, Brent Spiner), actors from the television series “Psych” (Maggie Lawson, Timothy Omundson, Corbin Bernsen, Kurt Fuller) and actors from Marvel and DC projects (Vincent D’Onofrio, Charlie Cox, Stephen Amell, John Wesley Shipp).

That’s just a sampling of a guest list that includes comic creators (including former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooters), professional wrestlers and voice actors.

WHERE: Oklahoma City Convention Center

Two Door Cinema Club

May 27

Two Door Cinema Club, a music group from Northern Ireland, will perform on Memorial Day with support from Day Wave.

The group has released five albums since 2010. Among singles are “Sleep Alone” and “What You Know,” which cracked the top 40 on the U.S. rock chart.

WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St.

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