GUIDE: The Best Things to Do in Oklahoma This Weekend

by This Land

12/05/2013

Biblical satire. Film festivals and art openings. Radio plays, live nativities, and Christmas events galore. Here’s your guide to the best things to do in Oklahoma this weekend.

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Looking for holiday lights? Here’s your list of the best displays in Oklahoma.

Want to go ice skating? Here’s your guide to the best outdoor ice rinks in the state.

It’s a Wonderful Life. Take in a live radio play at Oklahoma City University. Presented by TheatreOCU and Oklahoma Children’s Theatre. Dec. 5-14. More about the show.

Tulsa! A Radio Christmas Spectacular. An original production, presented by Playhouse Tulsa. Dec. 5-8 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. More about Tulsa!.

Home for the Holidays. The best Broadway-style dance Christmas holiday extravaganza west of New York City. Presented by American Spirit Dance Company. Dec. 5-8 at the Kirkpatrick Auditorium on the campus of Oklahoma City University. More about Home for the Holidays.

Journey to Bethlehem. A 3-D Christmas experience without the glasses. An outdoor journey  through a wooded, re-created Bethlehem, boasting 300 costumed actors. Presented by Forest Hill Christian Church in Oklahoma City. Dec. 5-8. More about Journey to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem Walk. A free, 45-minute guided tour through Tulsa’s most realistic Nativity scene. Presented by Christview Christian Church. Dec. 5-8. More about Bethlehem Walk.

TEDxOCUWomen. “What does it mean to be a woman in 2013?” TEDxWomen events around the world will commence with that question at the root of their speeches. 12:15-4:30 p.m. More about TEDxOCUWomen.

Pop-Up Shops. Explore 20 pop-up shops from various vendors and retailers in downtown Tulsa’s Deco District. Live music Friday & Saturday nights, along with $2 deals in the district on Wednesdays. Through Dec. 28. More about the Pop-Up Shops. 

Survivors Speak. Two survivors of the World War II atomic-bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki will visit Tulsa Community College’s Southeast Campus and share their experiences related to the events of August 1945. 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. More about the lectures.

The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. A satirical take on selected Bible stories, featuring the first humans, Adam and Steve. At the Oklahoma City Civic Center Dec. 5-21. More about the play.

The Christmas Show. The Oklahoma City Philharmonic, starring George Dvorsky and Gwendolyn Jones. At the Oklahoma City Civic Center. Dec. 5-7. More about The Christmas Show.

Christmas Vespers. A holiday ensemble of more than 250 Oklahoma City University singers and orchestral musicians whose performance culminates in a candlelight finale. Dec. 6-7 at Oklahoma City University’s Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel. More about Christmas Vespers.

Nutcracker Dream Ballet. An annual tradition in Stillwater, presented by the Art of Dance Studio. 7 p.m. at the Oklahoma State University Seretean Center. More about the Nutcracker Dream Ballet.

First Friday Gallery Walk. The Paseo’s monthly event takes on the holidays with lights, music, holiday exhibits, ornament-making, and refreshments. 6 p.m. More about the gallery walk.

United Film Festival. Watch this. Circle Cinema hosts a screening of independent, award-winning films. Dec. 6-8. More about the United Film Festival.

Christkindlmarkt. Peruse this German market for holiday goodies, including (but not limited to) homemade wurst, hot apple cider, and cocoa. Hosted by the German-American Society in Tulsa, Dec. 6-8. More about Christkindlmarkt.

Arvest Winterfest. “Skate beneath the Skyline” in the heart of downtown Tulsa. Marvel at Oklahoma’s tallest Christmas tree—a staggering 44 feet in height—and enjoy free entertainment. More about Winterfest.

I AM ART. Paint away your stress in a zen environment while marveling at the art of Gabrielle Howell. Paint, brushes, canvases, and easels available for $10. 7-10 p.m. in Tulsa. More about I AM ART.

RAWartists. Operating in more than 32 cities around the country, RAW prides itself on providing artists in the first 10 years of their career with the tools needed to cultivate creativity. At the Vanguard in Tulsa, 8 p.m.-12 a.m. More about RAWartists.

Julianna Barwick at The Womb. A vocalist from Tulsa by way of Brooklyn who recorded her last album with Sigur Ros performs at The Womb in OKC. Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. More about the show.

Toast ’22. Jazz, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, silent auction, and a raffle. Topeca Coffee Roastery , 7-10 p.m. More about Toast ’22.

Mounting the Whale. Colleen McCarty’s launches her new novel at the Phoenix Café in Tulsa. 8-10 p.m. More about Mounting the Whale.

The Four Elements. The four elements of the ancient world are re-interpreted using the mediums of wood, metal, fiber, and clay by three individual artists and two artists working collaboratively. Living Arts of Tulsa.  More about The Four Elements.

Edmond Community Chorale Holiday Concert. Handel’s Messiah performed with the University of Central Oklahoma choirs and a full orchestra. 7:30 p.m. at the Edmond North High School Auditorium. More about the concert.

Downtown Holiday. Carolers, a living Nativity, Santa, and decorations provide the backdrop for shoppers in downtown Durant. 11 a.m. More about Downtown Holiday.

Not So Silent Night. Rock against child abuse. An unwrapped gift for a child in need gets you in the door. At the Tulsa Little Theatre. More about Not So Silent Night.

Kaleidochromatic. Featuring the “explosively colorful” works of Jeff Ham, Erika Pochybova and Benjamin Cobb. Lovetts Gallery in Tulsa, Dec. 7-31. More about Kaleidochromatic.

Tulsa Christmas Parade. A Tulsa tradition for three years running. Tulsa Hills, 6 p.m. More about the Tulsa Christmas Parade.

Philbrook Children’s Party. Take your children to Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum of Art for decoration and homemade gift-making for the holidays. Santa will be available for pictures, along with milk and cookies for refreshment. Members only; $30 for one adult and one child. More about Philbrook Children’s Party.

Sensory Sensitive Santa. Specifically adapted for autistic children, this Santa event allows children with autism and their families to experience Santa in a calmer, quieter environment. Promenade Mall in Tulsa, 7-11:30 a.m. More about Santa.

What are you doing this weekend?