Colors of Oklahoma City - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

One of the main features of Oklahoma-City is national diversity as the city is home to people of different nationalities and cultures. Annually the city witnesses various ethnic holidays and festivals devoted to Scotch, Irish, Chinese, Italian, Jewish, Czech, Mexican, Arab and Afro-american cultures. Each yeah the city of Oklahoma holds a bright and remarkable event being the Great State Fair of Oklahoma which is a “can not miss” family event. The fair starts in the second part of September and lasts for 11 days being followed with exciting entertainments.

Each year the great event is visited by more than a million of foreign tourists. The guests of the fair have a chance to visit bright market places and buy original crafts of local masters. Various exhibitions showing the cultural peculiarities of different communities are as well of great interest for the fair visitors. As it was mentioned above Oklahoma-City is home to natives of different countries. This fact determines the diversity of the events and shows held within the fair.

The same original and exciting event of Oklahoma-City is the Festival of Norman Culture which was first held in 1976. The main distinguishing feature of the festival is a specific medieval genius peculiar to the event. Since 2003 the Reaves park has been an established place for holding the festival. Various fairs, music and theatrical shows as well as culinary battles and gastronomy events, bright costume parades and marches are taking place within the festival. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The Red Earth Festival can undoubtedly be called the most ethnic event among other national holidays and fests. The Red Earth Festival is devoted to the culture of American Choco Indian culture. Aborigines often call themselves red nation. The matter is in the color of the earthen land being bright red. This peculiar feature gave the festival its unusual name. The festival is held in the end of May. A major part of events and entertainments within the Festival takes place on the premises of the Fair Park.

Over the past few decades the festival has developed into a scale event. Now more than a hundred of Indian tribes take part in the festival. The participants of the event compete in dance and music skills, demonstrate their crafts know-hows and gastronomy talents. The Festival opens with a bright and exciting march in which all the Indians of different tribes take part. Musicians with weird ethnic instruments, thespians and beauties of the tribes wearing inimitable folks’ costumes turn the event into impressive grand show. The festival offers various entertainments for the participants of all ages. Thus kids and youth will discover great exciting events and shows to be amused. Another peculiar feature of the festival is an exhibition of art works of amateur painters and sculptors.

The two-month Prix De West starting in early June and ending in early August is another great event ready to delight fans of event tourism. At this time, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum opens a temporary exhibition of fine and sculptural art. It enjoys great popularity with both locals and tourists. Besides the exhibition, seminars and master classes, as well as gastronomic events are held as part of the festival. For fans of sports events, it is worth mentioning the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon taking place in late April. The total distance is about 42 kilometers, and everyone is invited to participate.

Fans of colorful sights will surely enjoy the Oklahoma Regatta Festival, which is organized at the end of September in Regatta Park. Besides the spectacular regatta, the audience can admire colorful fireworks, try local food and beer. Among other things, the festival provides a special venue for the youngest tourists. The end of September is marked by another wonderful event - namely, the Plaza District Festival. As the name implies, the venue is Plaza District where musical concerts, dance performances, and theatrical shows take place at this time. The festival lasts one day, and visitors will surely remember it for a long time.

In early June, Oklahoma hosts a great cinema event. This is about the deadCENTER Film Festival, which ranks the top 20 film festivals in the world according to MovieMaker Magazine. At this time, the audience is invited to watch movies in the open air at specially equipped venues. There are lots of them, otherwise, the film festival would not have earned such recognition from MovieMaker. An Affair of the Heart taking place in early February and early October will be of great interest to travelers. At this time, State Fair Park opens a craft and antique fair where they sell all kinds of unique products.

Another interesting festival can be attended at the end of May in Paseo area, and its name is the Paseo Arts Festival. The event itself is a fine art exhibition by local artists. Apart from the main events, you can enjoy a special menu in restaurants and cafes, as well as interesting exhibitions prepared by art galleries and museums. The New Year is widely celebrated in the city, and the OKC Arts Council's Opening Night is held within its framework too. The streets of the city are beautifully decorated, interesting activities are organized for children. You can also witness musical concerts, and on the night of December 31 to January 1, they launch colorful fireworks - the most important part of the festival.