May 13th-16th is guaranteed to be a good time downtown. Mayfest and Blue Dome Arts Festival will be out in full force. Both Festivals are outdoor tributes to the arts and music. They are family-oriented events created to promote a broader knowledge of and appreciation for arts and humanities among serious, as well as casual art lovers.
Since 1978, Mayfest has been bringing entertainment to the “main mall” of downtown. The festival will have a wide variety of dance, food, music and visual arts, attracting over 350,000 people. If you are music fan, you will find lots to choose from to enjoy. Everything from country, rock and jazz to bluegrass, funk and reggae. There are lots of local musicians scheduled to play so I suggest checking out Mayfest’s website to make sure you don’t miss one of your favorites. Cherry Poppin’ Daddy’s will be headlining the event Saturday night at 9:30 on the Williams Green Stage.
Mayfest is committed to “Going Green”. The food vendors have been asked to use environmental friendly serving products this year and even the souvenirs are green. The commemorative posters are printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink. There is also a “green” t-shirt made of 100% organic cotton. A bicycle valet, where you can park and lock your bike, is available courtesy of The Tulsa Hub. Also, the toilet tissue and blue water in the holding tanks used in Mayfest port-a-potties are certified earth friendly by Federal Government’s Research Foundation. New for 2010, The Mayfest "Green" Gallery which features artwork created from reused, recycled and repurposed materials. Be sure to visit the gallery in the Park Centre Building at 6th & Main.
May 2010 will be the 7th year for the Blue
Dome Arts Festival which runs May 14th-16th. The theme for this year is “Come Explore the Blue Dome” resulting from all the new retail, restaurants and night life businesses the Blue Dome district has to offer. This festival focuses primarily on local artists. This will be the biggest ever with over 120 artists and bands scheduled to be at the Blue
Dome Arts Festival. I had the pleasure of attending this festival last year for the first time. It has a very grass roots-Indie vibe to it. There was a section that had old cars covered in…… well, art. Anything from Barbie dolls to old cameras. They were very interesting to look at. There is sure to be lots of jewelry, sculptures and paintings among other unusual finds. Make sure you make your way over to the Blue
Dome Arts Festival if you are going to be downtown at all this weekend. Both events are free and family friendly. For more information on both festivals, visit: http://www.tulsamayfest.org, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Dome-Arts-Festival/