OKLAHOMA CITY – Despite what the oppressive, stifling heat outside would have you believe, we’re actually nearing the end of summertime in Oklahoma, and that means nearing, also, the end of festival season.
It’s already been a pretty wild and inarguably memorable summer of music across the OKC metro, with a loaded Norman Music Festival, an absolutely massive PrideFest, a brand new two-day fest at Scissortail Park, and an historic live music lineup for the Canoe Slalom World Championships.
But as ever, the summer festival season is set to close out with a bang on Saturday, September 26th at Plaza Fest, the Plaza District’s annual blowout celebrating the full range and diversity of the district and its demographics.
This year’s lineup is shining a brighter light than ever on that diversity and on the primed-to-explode artists that represent it, with some major local players in the R&B and indie-rock scenes hitting the stages and sending the summer off right.
So while the full day-long, two-stage lineup is stacked with can’t-miss acts and varied, vital energies, let’s take a look at just a few of the standouts that’ll be burning just as hot as the pavement this year.
Bella Burns – Main Stage – 10:00pm
Plaza Fest is doing it absolutely right every year by taking a rising local and elevating them to undisputed headliner status, rather than shipping out for a national or regional headlining name.
This year, that reigning local champion is Bella Burns, the funk-soul queen that’s been taking Oklahoma by storm all year, even in this very column:
She’ll be bringing her trademark smoky intensity and sultry charisma to the Main Stage to close out the fest and claim her crown as one of the most exciting artists on the scene today.
Colliding – ACM@UCO Stage – 7: 30pm
One of the hottest emerging bands in OKC of late, the gauzy, grungey quintet Colliding is already carving a path of earnest, atmospheric hard rock and heavy-hitting indie-gaze.
Barely a month on from their debut EP “Navigator,” the young band can already add “festival stage headliner” to their resume, thanks to a seemingly relentless work ethic and a refined, tightened sound that marries passionate, swirling indie with bursts of near-hardcore rocking.
Late Night Messages – Main Stage – 9:00pm
Another act being appropriately elevated to the heights they deserve is Late Night Messages, who’ll be bringing their unique blend of grooving backbeats and synthy electronicism mixed with post-punk guitars and indie-rock attitude.
Jonathon Martinez and his LNM crew have been paying their dues for awhile now, dropping singles and culminating in last year’s standout “Imposter Syndrome” EP, a wonderfully eclectic and catchy collection of indie tracks that’s enough to get anyone excited for the energy and emotion they’ll be bringing to the Plaza Fest stage.
Isa Rose – Main Stage – 2:00pm
Bridging the gap between soul and indie, the powerfully voiced young Isa Rose will be belting out her heart on the fest’s main stage under the mid-afternoon sun.
An OKC-based singer-songwriter on the rise, Rose blends the high drama of wind-swept southern-tinged soul with a rootsy, rocking foundation recalling the 70s heyday of forebears like Linda Ronstadt and Carly Simon.
Zabu Tones – ACM@UCO Stage – 12:30pm
Some of the newest newcomers to be featured at the fest, instrumental jammers Zabu Tones will be kicking off the ACM stage and the local band slate for the day.
Utilizing a wide range of instrumentation – including sax, melodica, and creative percussion – the Zabu crew bring an unexpected grooviness and a jazzy, fusion-y mentality that’ll set off the festivities in style.
Everything Goes Dance – Main Stage – 12:05pm
It’s a time-honored tradition for community favorite dance school Everything Goes to kick off Plaza Fest, and 2026 will be no different.
Even as EGD has moved out of the Plaza in recent years and set up shop a little further down Classen to expand their space, their offerings, and their community reach, they’ll always be a part of the Plaza family, and they’ll be back once again to get the 27th annual Plaza Fest in gear first thing in the afternoon.
The 27th annual Plaza Festival takes over the Plaza District on NW 16th on Saturday, September 26th.
For more information, visit plazadistrict.org.
You can find out about local music and performance happenings in the OKC metro weekly in this music column by Brett Fieldcamp. | Brought to you by True Sky Credit Union.
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
