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As River Parks began to take shape,
public events became an integral part of the park, giving Oklahomans
and visitors a great venue for family fun and entertainment. Located
on the west bank of the river, the River West Festival Park, 2100
S. Jackson, is the site for most major events, but runs and various
smaller activities are held throughout the park. Spring, summer
and fall, Tulsans can enjoy free and paid-admission events such
as the River Shops Bike Ride, the Starlight Concert series and one
of the nation's outstanding festivals, Oktoberfest. The park's annual
holiday light display, "Christmas Lights the Park," illuminates
the Zink Dam area each December. All events are privately funded
through
the generosity of many Tulsa businesses and organizations, aided
by hundreds of dedicated volunteers.
Many runs, walks and cycling events occur on the 20+ miles of paved
trails that wind through River Parks, as well as on the miles of
dirt trails on Turkey Mountain. Riding events range from the River
Shops Bike Ride, a multi-distance touring event, to challenging
off-road competitions on Turkey Mountain. Runs are the most numerous
annual events in the park and range from short fun runs to marathons.
The Reynolds Amphitheater and floating stage host numerous concerts
throughout the year with seating that looks out on the downtown
Tulsa skyline. Larger concerts are staged nearby on the lawn areas
of the 16-acre River West Festival Park.
Celebrating the Fourth of July in River Parks is a Tulsa tradition.
Families line both banks of the Arkansas River with lawn chairs
and picnic baskets for "Freedom Fest" which includes musical
entertainment and Tulsa's largest free fireworks show. As night
falls, hundreds of spectacular aerial fireworks are launched over
the water from the 21st Street Bridge, choreographed to a soundtrack
of patriotic favorites that are broadcast by a local radio
station.
Oktoberfest annually attracts over 55,000 visitors who participate
in Tulsa's authentic German heritage celebration the third weekend
of October. The European entertainers, authentic food, fine arts
and crafts, and German collectibles help make Oktoberfest one of
the world's best.
Various food, merchandise and commercial vendors participate in
many River Parks events. If you are interested, please fill
out the appropriate "Forms"
to be added to our vendor list so we can try to incorporate you
into our events.
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