With annual events and festivals already scheduled for 2024, plan your trip to Norman, Oklahoma! Between the Norman Must Do events in the first part of 2024 and the Oklahoma Sooner football schedule -- including three SEC opponents Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama -- it is never too early to plan a Norman Game Day! Check out those important dates below.
Save the date: Mardi Gras Parade takes place Feb. 10
Norman's first night parade began as a celebration of art and community in 1994. Drawing crowds of up to 6,000 people (depending on the weather), the 2024 edition of the Norman Mardi Gras Parade will begin at dark (about 7 p.m.) Feb. 10 with an awards ceremony following at The Depot, 201 S. Jones Ave. The parade and awards feature free admission. Dancing with Dragons is the 2024 theme.
Enjoy coffee, raise funds for Habitat for Humanity
Common Grounds Coffee Festival, taking place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 2 at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, 615 E. Robinson St., aims to build community by bringing people together to support a powerful local cause, while celebrating the unique blend of culture and commerce that makes Oklahoma so unique as it celebrates community through coffee.
Proceeds for this event benefit Rose Rock Habitat for Humanity.
Annual wine, craft festival stage at fairgrounds
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 9 at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, the annual Norman Wine and Craft Festival will take place.
Featuring free admission, the indoor and family friendly event presents more than 70 booths of wine, beer, food, home decor, woodwork, jewelry, art and much more.
NEW DATE: Norman Chocolate Festival makes return in January
The Norman Chocolate Festival returns from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 30 inside the Norman North High School gymnasium, 1700 Stubbeman Dr.
Join the Norman PTA Council as they bring back the festival. All proceeds from the event go towards helping fund scholarships and grants that directly benefit Norman Public Schools students and teachers.
This is a newly announced date as of Jan. 8.
Medieval Fair features exhibits, arts, crafts, food plus living fair demonstrations
April 5-7, the annual Medieval Fair stages in Reaves Park, 2400 S. Jenkins Ave. from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Admission is free.
Held annually since 1977, this living history fair features educational exhibits, arts, crafts, food, games, demonstrations and ongoing entertainment at seven stages.
Entertainment for the whole family includes minstrels, dancing, theater and reenactments, jugglers, knights jousting on horseback and human chess games. Brightly costumed characters include King Arthur, mermaids, and the fair's royal court of King Edward III.
Browse through the medieval village of over 200 art and craft booths offering unique and handcrafted wares. Offerings include pottery, wood crafts, stained glass, armor, costumes, fairy wings, jewelry, leather crafts, hair garlands, and much more. Watch master crafters demonstrating their skills.
NMF planned for April 25-27 in Downtown
Staging on three blocks of West Main Street in the Walker Arts District, the Norman Music Festival is a free, three-day event attracting tens of thousand of attendees hearing more than 200 performers on indoor and outdoor stages. The 2024 edition takes place April 25-27.
Jazz in June begins fourth decade in 2024
The 2024 edition of Jazz in June will take place June 13-15 at Andrews Park, 201 W. Daws St. each evening at 7 p.m. The annual event celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023 and looks forward to its fourth decade as a Norman Must Do event.
Originally a partnership between the Norman Arts Council and the Cimarron Circuit Opera Company, Jazz in June was formally created as a separate non-profit entity in 1990. For the past few years, more than 50,000 people have converged in Norman to enjoy Jazz in June.
Museum exhibits
Additionally, the Sam Noble Museum and Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art will kick off 2024 with the final month of ongoing exhibits.
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History will feature the Picturing Science exhibit through Jan. 28.
From creepy crawlies to far-off planets, scientists leave no stone unturned. Thanks to awesome tech like infrared photography, scanning electron microscopes, and CT scanners, Picturing Science unlocks secrets that were once hidden.
Presented by the American Museum of Natural History, Picturing Science lets visitors dive into over 20 jaw-dropping sets of larger-than-life images. You’ll witness the mind-boggling scope of research happening in museums all over the world, and get a sneak peek into the mind-blowing ways we use optical tools in groundbreaking studies! Get set for a wild ride.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Organized by the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, "Treasures of Tuscany" is the first international exhibition devoted entirely to the Aretinian Renaissance with artworks drawn from more than 20 Italian institutions and private collections. The Tuscan city has been the site of creative innovation for centuries. Between 1470 and 1530, Renaissance artists in Arezzo created magnificent paintings, textiles, and sacred objects for the Catholic church and wealthy patrons. Open through Jan. 28, the exhibit introduces visitors to Arezzo's major artworks, goldsmithery, textiles, and illuminated books, many of which have never been exhibited outside Italy. .
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Admission is complimentary.
Oklahoma Sooner 2024 football schedule
Also, go ahead and make your Norman Game Day (and weekend!) plans for the 2024 season. Check out the schedule and more here.
