Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend at the Broken Arrow Rose Festival

Courtesy of Keep Broken Arrow Beautiful, the Broken Arrow Rose Festival returns Sept. 11 through 13!

Every September, the historic Rose District comes alive for a three-day celebration championing the local arts and gardening scene and honoring the city’s legacy as the “City of Roses.” This year, the Rose Festival is once again combining with Chalk It Up! An Art Festival and Rose Kites Over Broken Arrow to provide a free, fun, and fantastic weekend for family and friends.

From street artists transforming blacktop into vibrant canvases to hundreds of colorful kites filling the sky, here is your step-by-step guide to experiencing the perfect weekend at the Broken Arrow Rose Festival.

Friday: Kick Off the Festivities in the Rose District

Start your weekend on Friday evening as the Rose District Plaza warms up for the festivities.

Arrive early to find a good parking spot along Main Street. Then take a casual stroll down brick sidewalks, pop into a boutique or two, and watch as our local chalk artists begin prepping their pavement spaces for the weekend’s competition.

Grab dinner at one of the Rose District’s tasty pubs and eateries or browse the fare from the lineup of food trucks arriving on site. As the sun sets over the Rose District and the promising weekend ahead, enjoy a little live music and maybe even a street performance as the first day of the Rose Festival winds down.

Saturday: Chalk It Up

Saturday is a big day, bringing a packed schedule of art and floral exhibits in their many varieties, live music and entertainment, and plenty more good food and drink to keep the energy up.

In the morning, grab a fresh coffee and take an early work through Chalk It Up competition space. Morning is the best time to watch artists of all skill levels work in real-time as they transform empty Main Street pavement squares into wondrous masterpieces.

Before lunch, head over to the floral exhibits to take in the sights and smells of the Annual Rose Show. Chat with local growers to get insider tips on rose care, native pollinators, and gardening.

Refuel with lunch from the food truck court, listen to local bands, and start thinking about which chalk creation is going to get your vote when awards are announced later this afternoon.

After a bite and a beverage, browse the outdoor Artist Market and get a head start on some holiday shopping perusing the market’s handmade artisan crafts. Should you need a little break from the sun, step inside Arts@302 to appreciate this year’s indoor gallery competition entries. 

Stick around for the winners of this year’s Chalk It Up and marvel at and reflect on just how creative and talented the Broken Arrow community can be.

Sunday: High-Flying Fun at Rose Kites Over Broken Arrow

Cap off your weekend by trading the brick streets of downtown for the wide-open green fields at Broken Arrow Events Park.

If you’re traveling with kids under 12, you’ll want to arrive right when the park opens at 10 AM. The first 500 children receive a free kite, complete with art supplies so they can decorate, personalize, and fly their own creation.

At noon, unfold a lawn chair or spread out a picnic blanket to watch the Tulsa Wind Riders fill the sky with massive display kites, ranging from colorful geometric designs to even giant sea creatures.

Keep your eye in the sky all afternoon for high-speed kite-fighting and periodic “candy drops” launched high above the park for kids to chase and find down on the grass. A perfect preamble to the trick-or-treating coming later this fall.

What better way to close out a memorable weekend in Broken Arrow than the sight of hundreds of kites flying overhead?

Fly a Kite, Smell the Roses

Join us Sept. 11 through 13 for some free family-friendly fun at three of Broken Arrow’s most beloved fall festivals. See you in the park!