January jam-packed with joyous multicultural events in OKC

Last Updated on January 9, 2024, 5:30 PM | Published: January 4, 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY — Let’s face it. January isn’t normally thought of as one of the “fun” months. 

It’s usually reserved for resting, drying out, and generally recovering from the endless holiday events and New Year’s celebrations that kept us all on the go throughout December.

But make no mistake. January 2024 came to play.

The next four weeks are absolutely loaded with events across the full breadth of Oklahoma City, with the city’s incomparable multicultural diversity on display in any direction you look, offering something for everyone, whether you’re hoping to party, learn, discuss, play, or even witness a truly revolutionary musical.

First Friday in the Paseo – Friday, January 5th

Obviously, the First Friday Art Walks in the Paseo District are practically an historical institution at this point, helping to pump the local, artistic lifeblood of the neighborhood for decades now.

But what could be better than a First Friday on the very first Friday of the year?

It’s a can’t-miss chance to get out and reconnect with the heart of the city’s arts culture and to set the scene for the community’s growth in 2024.

Friday’s art walk will also see the opening night of JRB at the Elms’ newest exhibition, “Cowboys and Indians,” featuring sculptures, paintings, and more from some of the biggest names in contemporary Native and Western art, such as OKC’s own Jack Fowler and Chickasaw Hall of Fame legend Mike Larsen.

For more information, visit thepaseo.org.

Folkloreada – Civic Center Music Hall – Saturday, January 6th

The art of traditional Mexican folk dancing is something to behold: graceful, colorful, and irresistibly rousing.

OKC’s Ballet Folklorico Mexicano Xochipilli is dedicated to preserving and presenting the magic of folkloric Mexican dance, and they’ll be celebrating their 8th year this month with Folkloreada at the Civic Center alongside an explosive lineup of dance groups from all over the country.

Joining in on the fun is California’s Proyecto Folklorico de Sacramento and the Ballet Folklorico de Alvaro Muñoz Academy of Abilene, Texas, as well as live musical accompaniment from Real del Alamo and Mariachi Los Caporales.

But of course, all eyes will be on the vivid, colorful traditional costumes and the eye-popping movement and elegance of the dancers themselves.

For showtimes and tickets, visit okcciviccenter.com.

Museum Book Club: ‘Fusion Notes’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – Thursday, January 11th

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art hosts a quarterly book club and discussion event designed to complement their exhibitions, and right now, that means it’s all about Preston Singletary’s “Raven and the Box of Daylight,” the powerful, culturally narrative showcase of the Tlingit glass artist’s works.

To coincide with “Raven,” and to get guests’ hearts and minds better primed for the deep well of heritage and emotion from which Singletary’s work draws, January’s book club selection is the artist’s own “Fusion Notes.”

Described as a “visual memoir,” the book tracks seamlessly and esoterically through Singletary’s intertwined loves of glasswork art, music, and his own Native Tlingit heritage, covering his early work and apprenticeships, his tutelage under Tlingit elders, and his boundary-pushing band  Khu.éex’.

The book club meeting will center on a guided discussion with OKCMOA’s Manager of Teacher and Scool Programs, Tori Waldron, and will of course feature a spread of snacks and drinks to help get the conversation flowing.

For times, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade and MLK Day Celebration – Downtown OKC and Eastpoint – RESCHEDULED to Saturday, January 27

The third Monday of January has become a deeply important day of celebration and reverence in honor of one of American history’s greatest activists and Civil Rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and in 2024, that designated Monday falls on Dr. King’s actual birthday, as well.

Oklahoma City’s annual parade honoring Dr. King actually ranks third in size and scale in the entire nation.

This year’s festivities were originally set for the holiday on January 15 but have been postponed until SATURDAY, JAN. 27 due to forecasts of extreme cold on the 15th.

Following the parade, Eastside-based violence intervention-focused LiveFree OKC will present a daylong slate of live music, food, and events along the Eastpoint hub of NE 23rd Street, organized with LiveFree OKC Executive Director, rapper, and community leader Jabee Williams.

For more information, including a complete schedule of the day’s events, visit okcmlkalliance.org and livefreeokc.org.

‘Les Misérables’ – Civic Center Music Hall – Tuesday, January 16th through Sunday, January 21st

One of the most acclaimed, most successful, and most groundbreaking stage musicals in history takes a run at the Civic Center stage this month in one of the most anticipated shows of the year.

Following a host of hopelessly marginalized and desperate characters weaving throughout the bloody French Revolution, this rapturously celebrated adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel marries some of Broadway’s most complex, soaring, opera-like musicality with the gritty, tragically relevant melodramas of poverty, war, morality, and the law.

Live on stage, the story is even more urgent and heart-swelling, and is bound to be an early entry into 2024’s most memorable experiences.

For showtimes and tickets, visit okcciviccenter.com.

Mario Kart 8 Tournament w/ Live Band – 51st Street Speakeasy – Tuesday, January 30th

Have you ever wanted to compete in a full-scale cartoon video game racing tournament in a bar with a live jazz band performing all of the music in real time?

If your answer is “no,” then that’s presumably only because you never knew something so awesome could exist.

Well, now that you do, you’ll probably want to get in on what’s sure to be a pretty wild, wacky race full of stiff competition, stiff drinks, and some of the most iconic video game music ever composed.

The Speak is presenting, singer/songwriter Deanna Gowland is hosting, and local jazz/indie maestros Nelson Gonzalez, Ethan Neel, and Collin Ferrell are holding down the tunes like you’ve never heard them before.

For times, tickets, and for entry into the competition (if you think you’ve got the skills,) visit 51st Street Speakeasy on Instagram at @the_speak.

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