Labor Day Weekend signifies a time to honor all who “labor” with a day off, but to many, it also marks the end of summer. Either way, it’s worth celebrating with a lot of family fun! My family begins a countdown to Labor Day as soon as school begins until our first 3-day weekend of the school year.
Find a list below of fun activities to enjoy during Labor Day weekend and other links to MetroFamily resources that will help you plan a great time together.
- Plan a fun weekend trip. Oklahoma lakes and their beaches will keep you cool while you make memories together.
- Find something totally free on our list of the top free events happening in OKC.
- See our searchable calendar of events
- Visit an area splash pad or pool. Many in the area will close after the holiday weekend.
- Spend time outdoors at these popular spots to explore nature in the OKC metro and beyond.
- Plan a playdate at a metro park. Here are five favorites highlighted in our Hashtag GRANDParents blog.
- Kick back and relax for a movie night. Check out a new flick or introduce your kids to a childhood classic.
- Fill an afternoon touring the metro’s urban core discovering the many reasons our city was picked twice as the Best City for Street Art!
[Editor’s Note: This is a working list last updated on July 22, 2024. Know of a great place or event that is not included here? Send us an email and we might include it!]
Community events during Labor Day weekend
Aug. 27-Sept. 1
Payne County Free Fair at the Payne County Expo Center (4518 Expo Circle E, Stillwater) features livestock shows, a wide variety of agricultural exhibits and more. See website for schedule.
Aug. 29
FREE Rock the Route in Downtown Yukon (Main St between 4th & 5th St, Yukon) features live music, food trucks and family-friendly activities. Free to attend but some activities are pay-to-play and prices vary. 6-11 p.m.
Aug. 31
FREE Fishing Days at OKC Lakes & Ponds (various locations). The City of Oklahoma City offers FREE fishing on the first Saturday of each month. No city permit is required, however, a State license is for anyone 16 and older. Regular fishing regulations apply
FREE Guided Gallery Tours at Oklahoma Contemporary (11 NW 11th St) features a free guided tour of the museum’s exhibitions. Gallery Guides lead inclusive, conversational tours that encourage curiosity. Preregister. 1-2 p.m.
Sept. 1
Core to Shore 5K at Scissortail Park (300 SW 7th St) features a certified course through the park to experience the gardens, lake, playground and other attractions, in honor of the park’s 5th anniversary. $35 before Aug. 1; $45 after. 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Beats & Bites Festival at Riverwind Casino (1544 W State Hwy 9, Norman) features an outdoor concert by Dylan Scott and Connor Smith, plus food trucks and more. $10; kids (12 & under), free. 6 p.m.
Museum Exhibits in the OKC metro:
On the Air in Edmond at Edmond Historical Society & Museum
The exhibit explores FM radio stations that originated in Edmond in the 1960s, diving into station history and equipment, along with some of the DJ personalities. The Edmond Amateur Radio Society (EARS) is also featured.
Chef Loretta’s Garden at First Americans Museum
Discover First American food traditions at the museum’s latest attraction, Chef Loretta’s Garden. In collaboration with Shape Your Future, FAM Consulting Chef Loretta Barrett Oden (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) has cultivated a vibrant teaching garden that features edible plants indigenous to the Americas, such as corn, tomatoes and peppers.
Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
Organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, this exhibition considers the diverse ways contemporary artists use animal imagery to address humanity’s interconnectedness with the natural world. This exhibition offers a wide range of works in a variety of media.
Breaking the Rules: Works of Art by Ike Bennet and Scott Gordon at Myriad Gardens
Naïve art emerged as a style in that it went against the formal rules of art education and technique, especially not respecting the rules of perspective. The style, popularized by the French post-Impressionist artist Henri Rousseau, is characterized by its use of bright colors, simplified forms and shapes, and often a lack of perspective.
Edith Head: The Golden Age of Hollywood Costume Design at Oklahoma City Museum of Art
This exciting retrospective of award-winning costume designer Edith Head will feature over 70 costumes that span the six decades of Head’s career and were worn by stars such as Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Shirley MacLaine, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Kim Novak.
Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California at Oklahoma Contemporary
Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California considers the works of a group of architects who were educated and mentored in Oklahoma in the 1950s and 1960s, and later developed groundbreaking design practices in California.
Shelter at Oklahoma Contemporary
The exhibition by artist Lisa Karrer explores the experiences of displaced people seeking shelter in refugee communities across different parts of the world through oral interviews and video projections, displayed within miniature ceramic structures inspired by global refugee camps.
Into the Mirror at Oklahoma History Center
The exhibit provides a view of Indigenous people from the perspective of Indigenous artists. It challenges concepts and allows the artists’ work to speak for itself. The works range from 1878 to the present and were chosen because they are Native Americans representing other Native Americans. Since the beginning of colonization, representations of Indigenous peoples have been controversial, ranging from overly romantic and idealized to racist caricatures.
