OKLAHOMA CITY — Labor Day Weekend is upon us once again, inviting us all to bid farewell to this brutal summer with one last big weekend of outdoor events, raucous open-air concerts, and wet, watery fun all over town.
For lots of city residents, this weekend will forever be about hitting the lake one last time before the season changes. Though schools have been back in session for a couple of weeks, kids will be seeing the holiday weekend as a last chance for summer swimming, too.
But if you’re not the lake type, or if you’re hoping to join some crowds for some city fun instead of getting away into nature, then you’ll be looking for something special to celebrate the holiday weekend and send the summer off in style.
Well, each year in OKC (and also just outside of the city,) that means food fests, river sports, literary cons, and some ear-splitting, head-banging rock-n-roll.
So here’s your guide to the biggest, best, loudest, and wildest events that prove Labor Day is about more than just retail sales and packing all of your white clothes away for the year.
That’s assuming that it doesn’t rain all weekend, of course.
Riversport OKC – ½ off for Labor Day
If you want to get a bit of that lake experience without leaving the city limits – and with a wealth of modern improvements and toys – then the Riversport OKC complex will have you covered.
Rafting, kayaking, and even surfing are all on deck for the holiday weekend, perfect for dragging the whole family along for some late-summer outdoorsy-ness without needing to buy all the boats and equipment yourself.
As with every year, Riversport passes on Labor Day are half-price.
And as an added bonus, you can see firsthand what the recent Olympics fuss has been about, as Riversport OKC has been tapped to host an event as part of the 2028 Olympic Games, owing to its status as one of the nation’s most state-of-the-art water sport facilities.
For passes, hours, and more information, visit riversportokc.org.
Flaming Lips’ Summer Freak Out – Zoo Amphitheater – Friday, August 30th & Saturday, August 31st
OKC’s favorite drugged-out psych-rockers return to the Zoo Amphitheater for a free two-night stint performing a couple of their most influential and acclaimed albums.
Friday sees a full play through of 2002’s Grammy-winning “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” and the next night will see them blast through 1999’s seminal “The Soft Bulletin.”
It’s bound to be a couple nights harkening back to a simpler time in the Lips’ career, before public feuds from former members, cultural controversies, misguided collaborations, and an increasingly interminable run of releases steadily lowered the pedestal on which Oklahoma music fans had placed them.
Regardless, those two albums remain nearly untouchable, and the guys have a pretty remarkable history with the OKC Zoo.
Unfortunately, the free general admission tickets are long sold out, and the wait list is pretty well bursting at the seams, but there are still some paid two-night tickets available if you’d like to reserve a seat up front for the festivities.
For tickets, times, and more information, visit okczooamp.com.
Oktoberfest at Frontier City – Weekends from August 24th to September 8th
We can all hear the radio commercials right now: “Und plenty of ice cold beer!”
That’s right, it’s Oktoberfest time at Frontier City (even though it’s very clearly still summer outside) and that means all the pretzels, brats, and yes, beer that you can handle before jumping on some roller coasters in the 90+ degree heat.
It’s been a mainstay of the late-summer season in OKC for decades, and it’s easy to see why. Where else are you going to catch some dirndls and accordion music alongside bumper cars and a giant swinging boat?
For Oktoberfest event hours, park hours, tickets, and more information visit sixflags.com/frontiercity.
WriterCon 2024 – Friday, August 30th through Monday, September 2nd – Renaissance Waterford Hotel
So maybe you’re looking for something a bit more refined, a bit more literary, and a bit more indoors for your Labor Day Weekend activities.
Well, OKC’s WriterCon has you covered with a full weekend’s worth of speakers, workshops, contests, and more all centered on the writing industry and those looking to break in or get involved.
This year’s schedule sees some bestselling novel authors, video game writers, screenplay writers, podcasters, poets, and genre standouts in horror, romance, sci-fi, and more.
They’ll all be offering their insights into the writing industry, tips on composing and completing your own stories and projects, and even ways to get a foot into the industry through agents, pitches, submissions, and any other avenue toward publication.
It’s become something of an OKC tradition for Labor Day Weekend over the past few years, and this year’s slate looks to be particularly stuffed with more than 60 speakers and a packed schedule of activities and classes.
For registration and a full list of speakers, showcases, and events, visit writercon.com.
Rocklahoma 2024 – Pryor, OK – Friday, August 30th through Sunday, September 1st
Speaking of Labor Day Weekend traditions, there’s none bigger in Oklahoma than the weekend-long hard-rock mega-jam that is Rocklahoma.
Frequently called the biggest Labor Day Weekend party in the nation, the multi-day rock and metal fest has just kept getting bigger, bolder, and wilder every single year since its 1980 inception at Owen Field in Norman.
While some past years have boasted some (let’s be honest) less-than-stellar lineups, the 2024 bill is actually pretty stacked for modern hard-rock and metal fans, with headline slots for Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, and the unkillable Slipknot, who are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their modern classic debut.
Metal giants like Mastodon and Lamb of God will be on hand, as will next-generation you-should-knows like The Warning.
It’s bound to be an energetic and unrelentingly loud weekend – rain or shine – so maybe pack some earplugs and some shoes that you won’t mind getting muddy.
For passes, full lineup, and more information, visit rocklahoma.com.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
