Happy (very, very belated) New Year!
The start of 2026 picked up right where the end of 2025 left off: tons of Tulsa momentum and keeping our foot on the gas!
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We kicked off the year with an announcement that made waves around the world: Tulsa’s Route 66 Capital Cruise will be an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ attempt. Dozens of spectators, including city councilors, Route 66 Commission members, and Oklahoma Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell gathered at the incredible Stokely Event Center for the Jan. 9 event, and just hours later the news had traveled all 2,448 miles of Route 66: from WGN in Chicago to KTLA in Los Angeles, people around the country were talking about Capital Cruise. Find more information at capitalofroute66.com, and if you have a car model year 1996 or older, register to be a driver and help us set the record!
Speaking of cars and records, we had another fantastic Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl Nationals at Expo Square. These two events combine to make a more than $27 million impact to Tulsa’s economy. This year was the 40th running of the Chili Bowl and the event set records for both attendance and total drivers. Congratulations to Emerson Axsom for winning this year!
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We also got the news we were all waiting for: The Lowdown is returning for season two! The first season of Sterlin Harjo’s show was incredible, and I can’t wait to see more of Ethan Hawke as “Tulsa truthstorian” Lee Raybon. Production is set to begin in the spring right here in Green Country.
More on this in the FMAC section below, but the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture officially announced the start of the Tulsa Film Incentive on Jan. 28. Tulsa continues to prove it is “Hollywood on the Prairie,” and with this new incentive, filmmakers around the world will now have even more reason to base their productions right here in Green Country.
Congratulations are in order for the cast and crew of Outsiders: A New Musical, as the Tony-winning show based in Tulsa recouped its $22 million capitalization, meaning they have covered all their production costs—which is extremely rare for new shows! The Broadway production has played 746 performances in front of more than 770,000 audience members, and became the first show in the history of Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre to gross more than $2 million in a single week. Stay gold!
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Finally, an early happy Valentine’s Day to you all, our incredible tourism partners. We couldn’t tell Tulsa’s story without your continued collaboration and support so once again, thank you!
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Renee McKenney, President
+ Your Tulsa Regional Tourism Team!
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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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Don’t Miss Visit Tulsa’s New Events & Visitors Guide!
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Tulsa’s momentum has never been hotter—don’t miss your chance to take advantage with a spot in the Official Spring/Summer Tulsa Events & Visitors Guide!
With 25,000 copies distributed to hotels, attractions and TravelOK centers—as well as digital versions available everywhere—this is the most effective way to reach visitors. The deadline to reserve your spot is February 17, and space is filling up fast! Act now to ensure your business is included.
Contact Lisa Saturday of Miles Partnership to reserve your space: Lisa.Saturday@MilesPartnership.com | 303.867.8301
Click here to view the media kit
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Is Your Visit Tulsa Listing Accurate?
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Convention & Visitors Bureau News
Meetings & Conventions
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- Chili Bowl Nationals
Jan. 12-17
6.300+ room nights
$13.6M estimated Direct economic impact | $23.8M estimated Total economic impact
Expo Square
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- OkMEA Annual Winter In-Service Conference
Jan. 21-24
2,000+ room nights
$1.4M estimated Direct economic impact | $2.5M estimated Total economic impact
Arvest Convention Center
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Sports Commission News
Professional & Amateur Sports
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- World of Wrestling Kickoff Tulsa Nationals
Jan. 15-18
1,700+ room nights
$1.1M estimated Direct economic impact | $1.96M estimated Total economic impact
Expo Square
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Tulsa FMAC News
Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture
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Tulsa FMAC Announces Tulsa Film Incentive
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- The Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture made city history with the establishment and announcement of the Tulsa Film Incentive, furthering Tulsa’s reputation as a premier destination for filmmaking and filmmakers.
- The Incentive will offer financial assistance to film, television and digital media productions that use Green Country as a home base, with amounts given as rebates if productions meet certain criteria, including:
- Use of local music
- Hiring local crew who reside within 45 miles of Tulsa City Hall
- Use of local vendors
- Production office space in the Tusa Production Zone, defined as a 30-mile radius from City Hall
- Productions with between $100,000 and $5 million in local spend will be eligible for a 5 percent rebate, capped at $50,000. Projects that spend more than $5 million will be eligible for $75,000.
- Applications will be accepted beginning Feb. 1 and rewarded on a quarterly basis.
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Tulsa Room at Folk Alliance Draws a Crowd
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- For the second straight year, Tulsa artists stole the show at the Folk Alliance International Conference, held this year at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans.
- Tulsa FMAC brought local musicians Chris Combs, Amber Watson and Agalisiga “Chuj” Mackey, with Jared Deck, Summer Rigby, Cassie Latshaw, Josh Westbrook and Official Showcasing Artist and Folk Alliance Scholarship Recipient Casii Stephan appearing in the Tulsa room as well.
- A year after an unprecedented, shared room with Fort Worth, the two cities occupied connected rooms, allowing each to exclusively feature their city’s artists over the four-day event.
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MovieMaker Magazine again Honors Tulsa as Top Place to Live and Work
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- Tulsa was named among the best places to live and work as a moviemaker by MovieMaker Magazine for the fourth consecutive year, coming in at no. 18 on the “Best Big Cities” list, ahead of cities such as Cleveland, Ohio, Kansas City, Mo. and Portland, Ore.
- The city “keeps building on its success,” says the magazine, citing the success of smash hit The Lowdown, as well as the CBS Series The Road, which filmed an episode at Cain’s Ballroom.
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