Tulsa on a Dime: Fun, Free Things to Do

Tap into everything from free concerts, horse racing, to self-guided art tours around Tulsa.

While Tulsa has a growing scene of free events, uncovering activities beyond parks, library programming, and seasonal festivals often requires stepping off the beaten path. This guide shares a vibrant calendar of free experiences to enjoy year-round.

To get started:

• Newsletters: Subscribe to newsletters from organizations like Downtown Tulsa, Experience Tulsa, and Tulsa Daily for curated lists of events (some free) around the city. Experience Tulsa will occasionally offer free tickets to paid events.

• Event Aggregators: Check websites like Eventbrite, Root Tulsa, and allevents.in that compile a vast database of local activities, often featuring free options.

• Facebook: Search for events near you based on your location and interests. Join relevant Facebook activities and community groups.

Free Events (Ad Hoc, Weekly, Monthly, Seasonal, Annual)

Fair Meadows Horse Racing at the Tulsa Expo. Family friendly. Note: you might need to pay for parking.

First Friday Art Crawl. On the first Friday of the month, visit open art galleries like Living Arts and 108 Contemporary, and watch performances at Guthrie Green during the summer and fall.

Fitness on the Green at Guthrie Green. They have boot camp, zumba, and yoga for all ages. Seasonal.

Free Annual Festivals:

• Saint Patrick’s Day Festivities (March)

• Tulsa LitFest (April)

• Cinco de Mayo festival in Deco District

• GermanFest (May)

• Mayfest (May)

• Black Wall Street Legacy Festival (May)

• Tulsa Tough (June)

• Pride (June)

• Juneteenth (June)

• FreedomFest (July)

• Dia de los Muertos Festival (November)

• Chistkindlmarkt (December)

• WinterFest (December)

Tulsa Creative Engine hosts semi-regular art and music events, and parties like Creative Frequency.

Guthrie Green Concerts and Events, including free movies at Flyloft. Concerts on the green during the summer and fall.

Check out Heirloom Rustic Ales’ Facebook Page and attend one of their free events:

• Make a poem from a page in an old book at Blackout Poetry.

• Bring your extra threads to a clothing swaps at Heirloom Rustic Ales and pick out a new outfit.

Free Improv Classes

• TCC McKeon Center for Creativity hosts free classes open play improv sessions.

• Third Space Tulsa hosts regular, free classes.

• Jackalope Theater occasionally hosts free Intro to Improv classes. The next one is on April 3rd.

Fulton Street Books & Cafe hosts free literary and community programming.

Network & Socialize in the Local Startup Scene

• Atento Capital’s First Friday, plus other open-to-the-public events.

• BuildIn Tulsa’s Female Founders Pitch Night

The Really Really Free Market

Summer’s Fifth Night free lawn concerts at Utica Square in the summer (May to August).

Sunset Social Hour at the Gathering Place. Free mixer for young adults to meet. Happens monthly.

Tiny Porch Concerts in Owen Park during the summer.

Art Deco Tour Boston Avenue United Methodist Church every Sunday at 12:15pm.

Tulsa Farmers’ Market in Kendall Whittier on Saturday morning.

TPAC’s Brown Bag It Concert Series

Free Ongoing Activities

Bike along Tulsa’s trails and waterfront

DECOPOLIS Tulsa Art Deco Museum

Disc Golf in Riverside Parks (you’ll need to bring your own disc)

Be in Extra in a Film

The Gathering Place

• Check out the museum

• Enjoy the fireplaces during the winter

• Feed the koi in the pond

• Go for a walk

• Have a picnic

• Kayak for free in the summer and fall

• Relax in the rocking chairs by the pond

• Bring your kids to play in the castles and jungle gyms

The Library

• Get a free library card and check out books!

• Enjoy the library’s free programming, including lectures and and movie nights.

• Take advantage of the tools in the Maker Space, like the 3D printer.

Hang out at a QT until something happens. Any QT. It doesn’t matter.

Visit a Park:

• Chandler Park

• Keystone Ancient Forest

• LaFortune Park

• Oxley Nature Center and Turkey Mountain

• River Parks

• Veterans Park

• Woodward Park and Gardens

• Zinc Park

The RiverWalk in Jenks: walk along the riverfront and enjoy the occasional free events.

Self-Guided Mural Tour

Self-Guided Art Deco Walking Tour

Site-Seeing in Tulsa & Along Route 66:

• Center of the Universe

• Golden Driller Statue

• Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza

• The Prayer Tower at Oral Roberts University

• Blue Whale on Route 66

For Active-Duty Military

• Enjoy Free Access to the Philbrook

This guide is a living document intended to help Tulsans enjoy all the free things available in the city. I’ll update it as I hear of new things. If you have something I should add, leave it in a comment!

Tulsa: It’s OK! is a labor of love, and your support, even a one-time donation of $5 helps me to keep it active and provide better researched and higher quality content. Thank you 🙂