When you are wondering where to head for your winter vacation, StayInTulsaOK can lead you in our direction, especially as winter in Tulsa may look different than the winters you are used to in your hometown. It may snow, but probably not, and if it does, the snow won’t last, nor will it be that frequent, and the temperatures that do drop a little will rarely fall below 30 degrees, ensuring that any adventures you have remain comfortable ones. And because the best way to get to know the place you are visiting is by attending the special events they offer each year, we have prepared this guide to our favorite winter events in our favorite place on earth, our hometown of Tulsa.
December Shines Bright
As you may expect, Tulsa is a bright and lively place in the month of December, offering a variety of events and festivals guaranteed to enhance your holiday escape to our charming abodes and some of our favorites are listed below.
Nutcracker Festival, Early December, Tulsa Expo Center, 4145 E 21st Street
Billed as Oklahoma’s most exciting holiday festival, the month starts out strong with the Nutcracker Festival. This event is a new one, but we already love it and if you do nothing else holiday related during your December visit, THIS is the one you should attend. Offering holiday themed activities, live holiday presentations that include music and theatrical performances that are guaranteed to elevate your holiday spirit, it is also home to an exciting array of culinary delights. Featuring an ice skating rink, and indoor train, and a 30-foot LED Christmas tree, Santa will make an appearance with his reindeer and if you haven’t started your Christmas shopping, THIS will be where you finish, crossing every person off your list with a tour up and down the aisles of its holiday market. This event lasts two days, so if you miss one day, you have a second chance on Sunday.
Philbrook Festival Night, Weekends through the Middle of December, Philbrook Museum, 2727 S Rockford Road
Starting the Friday after Thanksgiving and continuing on weekends through the middle of December, attending Philbrook Festival Night is a longstanding tradition in Tulsa households. The Philbrook Museum was once just the Philbrook house, an Italian Renaissance style villa built in 1927. Today it offers a peek into the past and is also the center of many local events, with Festival Night being our favorite. The entire home and gardens are lit with a dazzling array of thousands of twinkle lights, prompting oohs and ahhs at first sight, and then when you discover all there is to do, you will never want to leave. Santa takes time from his busy schedule to appear and the museum becomes his workshop as your kids work to create a one of a kind art piece, helped along by museum elves. (Santa’s elves are rather busy right now!) Offering food, drinks, and another opportunity to shop as the shops of Philbrook will stay open throughout the event, this is another shouldn’t miss Tulsa event.
Winter on BLVD Music & Arts Festival, Mid-December, 3306 Charles Page Boulevard
Winter on BLVD Music & Arts Festival isn’t really a holiday event, but we assure you, you will enjoy it anyway. Offering a revolving show of electronic music performers, live art installations, and a variety of vendors selling their artistic masterpieces, you can cross more names off your list as you wander the aisles of vendors all offering something spectacular that you and your recipients simply won’t be able to live without. Obviously, there will be food and drink, our Southern mamas raised us right, and because it’s not a party without dancing, a silent disco is sure to be the highlight of the event!
New Year’s at Roof Sixty-Six Bar, December 31, 121 S Elgin Avenue
Christmas isn’t the only December holiday, and when it comes time to celebrate the last day of the year, a rooftop party held at Roof Sixty-Six bar promises to light up your night and lead you to a new year filled with good luck, fortune, and all the love you deserve. The views are stunning from the rooftop and the $5 cover charge ensures you can save your vacation funds for more drinks and snacks, this party is one we recommend all attend!
More Fun to Be Had in January
We admit, we ease down the drama a bit in January, spending this midwinter month trying to recuperate from the stress and chaos of Christmas, but there are still plenty of low key events to attend, including the ones we have listed below.
Hangover Ball, Early January, Cain’s Ballroom, 423 Main Street
Having begun its life in 1924 as a garage for one of our local oil baron’s automobiles, Cain’s Ballroom was purchased in 1930. Dance instructor Madison “Daddy” Cain purchased the space and its existence has been all about the music ever since. The Hangover Ball starts the new year out on the right foot, offering the opportunity to dance away any remaining aches from your New Year’s Eve hangover. 13 performers sing for their supper at this fun event and as you sing along, dance along, and forget about your headache, you will know that the 12 months ahead of you are bound to be fantastic ones!
Chili Bowl Nationals, Mid-January, Tulsa Raceway Park, Tulsa Expo Center
While most car races are held outside due to necessity, the Chili Bowl Nationals, an indoor midget car race shows that we Oklahomans are a little bit different, and we are perfectly ok with that description! Offering a week’s worth of exciting races, the floor of the Tulsa Expo Center is covered in dirt and the colorful midget cars show off their mad skills, racing round and round the dirt track that is only about 1/5th of a mile long, all hoping for victory. Nicknamed the Super Bowl of Midget Racing, the event started all the way back in 1987 with just 52 midget cars and in the 2020s, as many as 341 cars will do their thing for your amusement. Also offering a Trade Show that takes up to 20,000 square feet of non-dirt covered floors, visitors can purchase all varieties of race related paraphernalia, including apparel and race gear from over 100 vendors.
Tulsa Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8 AM – 12 PM, 1 S Market
The fully equipped kitchen of your StayInTulsaOK winter sanctuary lacks one thing: the food and drinks you will need to nourish yourself and keep hydrated. Fortunately, that is an easy thing to fix with a quick trip to the grocery store. Reasors is one we recommend, but you can also make a Saturday visit to the Tulsa Farmers Market. Winters aren’t cold enough for this outdoor market to shut its gates, but they do open an hour later to increase the time for the sun to do its thing. Buying our produce, flowers, and a variety of other foods and gifts has been a local tradition since the first farmers market opened in April of 1998, back when it was held in the parking lot of Jason’s Deli. Although some things have changed, including its location, many of its original vendors still set up shop in its new location. As with most farmers markets, there may be live music playing during your visit, special events occurring at various times throughout the year and even as Tulsa continues to grow in size and in importance, the feel of a small town, the closeness of neighbors who have become friends, remains strong.
Dotting our I’s with Hearts in February
February is the month of romance, with Valentine’s Day falling in the middle of the shortest month of the year, but there is more to be enjoyed than a romantic meal at Bodean (3376 E 51st Street) or a box of chocolates from Cricket & Fig Chocolate (5800 S Lewis Avenue #129). The events listed below are sure to enhance your Tulsa adventures.
Tulsa Anime Fest, Early February, 6110 S Yale Avenue
First there was Comic Con, followed by Pop Con, and here in Tulsa in February, the exciting and colorful Tulsa Anime Fest invites people from all over the world to celebrate their love of anime in Oklahoma. Offering special guests (often the actors that provide the voices for your favorite anime characters attend), cosplay contests, anime and Japanese culture vendors, cosplay contests, and even gaming championships, this event never fails to please. Also offering panels that discuss the anime world and trivia contests, every minute of this one day event is chock full of fun and color.
Tulsa OK Vintage Show, Mid-February, Exchange Center at Expo Square, 4145 E 21st Street
Shopping while on vacation is a time honored tradition that we know will never fade away and the Tulsa OK Vintage Show will give you the opportunity to fill up the empty spaces in your luggage. (Aren’t you glad there is a washer and dryer in your StayInTulsaOK escape, allowing you to pack light and save room for treasures?) Vintage shopping, however, is a trend that is growing in popularity, and this two-day event takes advantage of that fact while also offering some new merch for your perusal. Offering 55,000 acres of space in which over 150 vendors have taken over, setting up booths and tables that sell not just vintage clothing, but antiques, jewelry, collectibles, and all manner of fascinating wares that will demand to be chosen as your own. Also selling food and drink, you may find yourself returning for day two, as you simply won’t be able to explore everything offered in just one day!
Dark Mode Beer Fest, February, Archer Street in the Tulsa Arts District
Sometimes you just need a beer, and if one of those times takes place during your February visit to Tulsa, a visit to the Dark Mode Beer Fest will definitely satisfy your need! Our local hot spot, Welltown Brewing, is the host of this hoppy event, and as some of Oklahoma’s biggest breweries gather under the tent that will encompass this event, a good time is promised to be had by all. Live music performed by local bands will keep your toes tapping, food vendors will ensure that you don’t go too crazy, and firepits will keep you warm as you play a variety of games including cornhole and axe throwing. VIP tickets will include access to rooftop igloos for a fun addition to this event.
All Roads Lead Back to StayInTulsaOK
The fun you have during your winter visit to Oklahoma will linger in your hearts long after you return to real life, but while you’re here, our StayInTulsaOK seasonal sanctuaries will immediately feel like home. Warm your toes in front of roaring fires in our fireplaces, get off your feet and sink into plush sofas while watching your favorite shows on state of the art televisions. Offering a comfortable way to celebrate winter, we have a few suggestions for you listed below that will allow you to stay in and revel in all that our homes offer!
Stay in, stay safe, and stay cozy on New Year’s Eve, celebrating at home. Put on your comfiest jammies, pop a bottle or three, and dine on appetizers you bring out at different times throughout the night. At 11:30, turn the television over to Ryan Seacrest hosting Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve and watch the crystal ball drop in Time’s Square.
Celebrate your Valentine with a takeout dinner from Juniper Restaurant and turn off the television to celebrate the love you share. Maybe you can enjoy it picnic style on a blanket spread out in front of a fire and share a box of chocolates you purchased from Glacier Chocolates in Utica Square.
Contact us to reserve your favorite StayInTulsaOK winter retreat today!
