Hello Tourism Partners,
Can you believe it’s already the holiday season? This year has flown by and for your Tulsa Regional Tourism team, it has definitely been one to remember!
The Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts and Culture got an early Christmas present this week, finding out Tulsa was ranked no. 15 on the "Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker" list by MovieMaker Magazine! That's up four spots from the last ranking in just the third year of being included on the "Big Cities" list. More on that in the FMAC section below. Congratulations!
Talk about ending the year with a bang, and it's not quite over yet! There are still some great ways to celebrate the holidays, Tulsa-style.
Tonight, it’s family night at LowDown as they present “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Tommy Poole on saxophone, Dean DeMerritt on bass, Max Holm on piano and David Bown on drums will bring the Vince Guaraldi soundtrack of the iconic childhood favorite to life. Friday and Saturday, catch it again but for a 21-and-over audience.
Every night through Dec. 22, head to Guthrie Green for QuikTrip’s JollyTown. Free crafts, live music, movies, tons of activities... even meet Santa! It runs until 9:00 p.m. during the week and 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night.
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Ring in the new year at the racetrack with the Tulsa Shootout in the SageNet Center at Expo Square. The world’s largest micro sprint racing event starts racing on New Year’s Eve, with races every night until the Golden Driller is handed out on Jan. 4. And if you love racing, you don’t have to wait long for another chance—just nine days later, the iconic Chili Bowl Nationals begin at Expo Square. What the Tulsa Shootout is for micro sprint racing, the Chili Bowl is for midget racing. Over 200 teams will compete for the Golden Driller given on Jan. 18—and this year, NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch will make his first trip to Tulsa to compete.
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Photo courtesy Philbrook Museum, credit Phil Clarkin
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As you prepare to celebrate with family and friends, don’t forget about the incredible holiday light displays all around the region, from the breathtaking Philbrook Festival, the dazzling Tulsa Botanic Garden of Lights, or the brand-new, one-of-a-kind, mile-long drive-through light display at Admiral Twin theater, Jolly Lane Lights.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your continued support and partnership, without which, none of this would have been possible. And we’ve got even bigger plans for 2025!
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SavvyTulsa, an exciting new tourism ambassadorship program, is set to launch Q1 of 2025.
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Tulsa Awareness Group (TAG) will continue to grow and expand. Our next in-person meeting is Feb. 5 and we’d love to see you there. RSVP here, and be sure to sign up for the new TAG Monthly Snapshot newsletter.
- Convention Center Hotel progress will continue. We just entered the 60-90 day review process, during which proposals will be presented to the City, with a developer set to be chosen in Q2 of 2025.
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That’s just a taste of things to come in the next year, and we can’t wait to come back rested, refreshed and ready to make 2025 the best year yet. However you celebrate, we here at Tulsa Regional Tourism wish you the merriest, brightest, happiest holidays imaginable!
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Renee McKenney, President
+ Your Tulsa Regional Tourism team!
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Outsiders cast staying busy ahead of nationwide tour
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The crew from the Tony award-winning Outsiders musical has not slowed down! First, Brody Grant (Ponyboy Curtis) and the cast performed “Tulsa ‘67” at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with Sky Lakota-Lynch (Johnny Cade) even giving Tulsa native and Outsiders author S.E. Hinton a shoutout:
“Susie, we love you,” Lakota-Lynch said. “Thank you for everything. God bless you.”
Three weeks later, Grant and Lakota-Lynch, along with composers Jamestown Revival and Justin Levine, performed “Far Away from Tulsa” on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Momentum keeps building toward the musical’s nationwide tour next year, which will kick off right here in Tulsa in the fall!
The theme continued—literally—in Tulsa for the 98th Tulsa Christmas Parade: “Stay Gold, Merry & Bright!” Outsiders House Museum Executive Director Danny Boy O’Connor served as the grand marshal and recently appeared on an episode of “Behind the Scenes, Oklahoma” with Ana Berry and Tom Biolchini to discuss the lasting cultural and societal impact of the book, film and musical.
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Tulsa Tourism in National News:
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Tulsa Tourism in Local News:
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Visit Tulsa News
Leisure Travel
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Visit Tulsa helps judge OU public relations projects
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A semester-long partnership and project between Visit Tulsa and the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Mass Communication and Journalism came to an impressive end earlier this month when the four competing student agencies presented their final campaigns. VP of destination strategy and management Tim Chambers, VP of experience and events Sarah Inboden, senior director of data research and strategy Patti Krausert, marketing manager Heyden Smith and director of communications Jonathan Huskey helped judge the presentations, with Love Agency’s “Taking SavvyTulsa off the screen” taking the top prize, and Perspective PR’s “America’s Highway. Tulsa’s Story,” focused on Tulsa as the Capital of Route 66®, taking second place.
The Visit Tulsa team will now use elements from all four presented campaigns to promote the upcoming SavvyTulsa tourism ambassadorship program and Tulsa’s standing as Capital of Route 66®. Congratulations to all the students on a job well done!
LOVE Agency:
(Maria de Asis, Emory Brink, Brooke Bryant, Emilie Fidelie, Sydney Kudlac, and Selena Simmons)
Perspectives Public Relations:
(Kathlyn Foster, Luke Hackett, Caleb Hicks, Haleigh Hurst, and Sarah Cate Lay)
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Is Your Visit Tulsa Listing Accurate?
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Convention & Visitors Bureau News
Meetings & Conventions
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- Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence
Nov. 29-Dec. 6
720+ room nights
$228.3k estimated Direct economic impact | $399k estimated Total economic impact
Hyatt Regency Tulsa Downtown
- Crossland Construction Holiday Dinner
Dec. 5-7
750+ room nights
$479k estimated Direct economic impact | $823k estimated Total economic impact
Cox Business Convention Center
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- Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals
Jan. 13-18
6,300+ room nights
$13M estimated Direct economic impact | $22.76M estimated Total economic impact
Expo Square
- OkMEA Annual Winter In-Service Conference
Jan. 15-18
2,000+ room nights
$1.4M estimated Direct economic impact | $2.48M estimated Total economic impact
Cox Business Convention Center/Tulsa Performing Arts Center
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Sports Commission News
Professional & Amateur Sports
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- Adidas Oklahoma Showcase
Nov. 21-24
2,900+ room nights
$6.5M estimated Direct economic impact | $11.35M estimated Total economic impact
Mohawk Sports Complex
- USA BMX Grand Nationals
Nov. 26-Dec. 1
16,700+ room nights
$8.7M estimated Direct economic impact | $15.09M estimated Total economic impact
Expo Square
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- World of Wrestling Tulsa Nationals
Jan. 16-19
1,700+ room nights
$1.93M estimated Direct economic impact | $3.36M estimated Total economic impact
Expo Square
- Sooner State Midwestern Classic
Jan. 17-20
1,800+ room nights
$999.5k estimated Direct economic impact | $1.73M estimated Total economic impact
WeStreet Ice Center
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Tulsa FMAC News
Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture
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Tulsa listed at no. 15 in Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker list
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In just the third year after moving up to the “big cities” list, Tulsa was named the no. 15 best place to live and work as a moviemaker according to MovieMaker Magazine, up four spots from its ranking in 2023 and 2024.
- Citing productions like Killers of the Flower Moon, Sarah’s Oil, Reservation Dogs and Tulsa King, the publication said Tulsa is “having a big moment as a film and TV hub.”
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“This is a validation of the hard work of everyone involved in Tulsa’s film production industry,” said Meg Gould, executive director of the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts and Culture. “Ranking ahead of cities like Charlotte, Fort Worth and Boston shows that Tulsa is continuing to make a name for itself. Thanks to incredible production locations, a thriving community of creatives and a rapidly expanding local workforce, Tulsa is a fantastic filming location for projects large and small. Congratulations to Oklahoma City as well for debuting at number 13 on the list, further solidifying Oklahoma as a premiere film location not just in the country but around the world.”
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Zach Bryan Sells Out Three Nights at BOK Center
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- Country music superstar and Oklahoma native Zach Bryan performed three sold-out shows at BOK Center on Dec. 12-14, bringing audiences from around the country to Tulsa.
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On night two, Bryan—a Navy veteran—announced a $1 million donation to Folds of Honor along with Bud Light, totaling $2 million to the Owasso-based organization.
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Tulsa’s King Cabbage Brass Band performed several songs with Bryan and accompanied him at his year-ending show in Brooklyn, NY on Dec. 18.
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Cain’s Ballroom Ending Centennial with Local Performances
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Capping an incredible 2024 celebrating the 100th birthday of The Home of Bob Wills, Cain’s Ballroom will feature a number of local artists.
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Tulsa-based punk rock band Cliffdiver will perform just after Christmas, on Dec. 27. The following day, Tulsa’s JD McPherson joins Samantha Crain for a 7:30 p.m. show.
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The year ends with a special book signing event on Dec. 29 with rising country star Wyatt Flores and the author of Red Dirt Unplugged, Josh Crutchmer for “an intimate evening” featuring a Q&A and acoustic performances from Flores. The next two nights, Flores will take the stage at Cain’s for two sold-out shows.
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