Things to Do in Oklahoma This Weekend: October 2-4, 2026
Things to Do in Oklahoma This Weekend: Regatta Festival, Pumpkinville, Concerts and Theater
October's first weekend brings fall festivals, live music, competitive rowing and outdoor theater to communities across Oklahoma. Events scheduled Friday through Sunday include the Oklahoma Regatta Festival along the Oklahoma River, thousands of pumpkins at Myriad Botanical Gardens, contemporary Christian music in Bricktown and an outdoor production of the musical Oklahoma! along historic Route 66.
For anyone searching for things to do in Oklahoma this weekend, October 2-4 offers options ranging from free family events to ticketed concerts, with activities in Oklahoma City, Clinton and Fort Gibson.
Things to Do in Oklahoma This Weekend Include Regatta Festival and Pumpkinville
One of the weekend's largest events is the Oklahoma Regatta Festival, returning to the Boathouse District Friday through Sunday.
The three-day festival brings rowing and dragon boat competition to the Oklahoma River, with racing beginning Friday evening and continuing through the weekend.
A highlight is Friday Night Sprints, featuring short-distance racing under the lights. The weekend also includes championship rowing, dragon boat competition, food trucks and activities along the river.
Admission to the festival and races is free, although parking fees may apply.
The festival is based at RIVERSPORT, 800 Riversport Drive in Oklahoma City, and spectators can follow the racing from areas throughout the Boathouse District.
Schedules and weekend information are available through the official Oklahoma Regatta Festival page.
Just a few miles away, downtown Oklahoma City is fully embracing pumpkin season.
Pumpkinville: Road to Route 66 is underway at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave.
The annual family fall festival transforms the gardens using thousands of pumpkins, gourds, mums and other seasonal plants.
This year's theme celebrates the upcoming Route 66 Centennial, with displays inspired by landmarks and roadside attractions associated with America's Mother Road.
Pumpkinville includes children's activities, crafts, games and numerous fall photo opportunities throughout the grounds.
The attraction is open beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, with admission required. Children age 2 and younger are admitted free.
Families can find current hours, admission prices and special programming through the Myriad Botanical Gardens Pumpkinville information.
Anne Wilson and Paul Bogart Bring Live Music to Oklahoma
Friday night also offers two very different concert options.
Contemporary Christian and country artist Anne Wilson performs at The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave. in Oklahoma City, Friday at 7 p.m.
Wilson broke through nationally with "My Jesus," which became a major Christian radio hit and helped establish her as one of the genre's prominent young performers.
Her more recent music has increasingly blended contemporary Christian themes with country influences.
Australian singer and worship artist Aodhan King joins Wilson for the Oklahoma City performance.
The Criterion is located in Bricktown, making the concert an option that can be combined with dinner or other downtown activities before the show.
Tickets are required for the performance.
Eastern Oklahoma gets a country option Friday night when Paul Bogart performs at Cherokee Casino Fort Gibson.
Bogart is an Oklahoma native known for traditional country music shaped by ranching, rodeo and cowboy culture.
The performance begins at 8 p.m. Friday at Cherokee Casino Fort Gibson, 107 N. Georgetown Road.
Bogart's music has maintained a traditional country sound at a time when much of mainstream country has moved toward pop and rock influences. His songwriting frequently draws from his Oklahoma upbringing, family and Western lifestyle.
Concertgoers can check the Cherokee Casino Fort Gibson entertainment calendar for venue and performance information.
Outdoor Oklahoma! Production Celebrates Route 66 in Clinton
Western Oklahoma offers one of the weekend's more unusual theater experiences.
Southwest Playhouse is staging an outdoor production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! at McLain Rogers Park in Clinton.
Performances begin Friday evening and continue through Sunday.
The production places the classic musical outdoors as Clinton and other communities along the historic highway prepare for the Route 66 Centennial.
McLain Rogers Park itself is closely tied to Clinton's Route 66 history, making it a fitting setting for the production.
The musical debuted on Broadway in 1943 and helped transform American musical theater by more fully integrating songs and dance into the storytelling. Its depiction of Oklahoma Territory has also made it one of the most recognizable cultural works associated with the state.
The outdoor setting gives audiences a different way to experience songs including "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and the title song, "Oklahoma!"
Friday's performance begins at approximately 6 p.m. at McLain Rogers Park on Jaycee Lane in Clinton, with additional performances scheduled through October 4.
Because the production is outdoors, visitors should check with Southwest Playhouse for current performance and seating information, particularly if weather conditions change.
Between rowing under the lights in Oklahoma City, pumpkins downtown, concerts on opposite sides of the state and musical theater along Route 66, the first weekend of October provides plenty of reasons to get out of the house.
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