15th Annual Red Fern Festival

Wilson Rawls novel “Where the Red Fern Grows” was set in the Ozark hills in and around Tahlequah Oklahoma. The novel tells the tale of an adventurous young boy who saves his money to travel to Tahlequah, Oklahoma to purchase two red-bone hound hunting dogs.  The first film was made in 1974 and featured many locals from the Tahlequah community and surrounding areas and was remade in 2003, both filmed in and around the Tahlequah area. It’s only fitting that Tahlequah host the Red Fern Festival.

The festival spans seven blocks and hosts over 150 arts and crafts vendors and gourmet food trucks. There are many activities for all ages. The inflatables, petting zoos and kids games naturally attract kids, while the showcase of live music attracts the young and the young at heart. There is an annual Miss Red Fern Pageant that’s a hit with festival-goers and the rubber duck race through the Town Branch Creek is always a must. Coon Hunters come out to compete in the Hound Dog Field Trials to find out who’s top dog.  

The Red Fern festival continues to grow each year both in size and in heart. What once started as an event of under 1,000 attendees has grown to an estimated 15,000+ attendees with people coming from all over the United States.

Plenty of Fun for the Young and Young at Heart.

Live Music, Touch the Truck, Inflatables, Trackless Train, Gelly Ball, pony rides and much more!

Join in on the fun and visit with Local Heroes!

Take tours of helicopters, police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and more! Bounce on the inflatables, play Gelly Ball and take a ride around on an 18 person train!

Schedule:

Friday, April 28th, 2023

12:00 PM- 3:00 PM- Cherokee Traditional Games Demonstration and Cultural Craft Making -Cherokee National Capitol Square
12:00 PM - Arts, Crafts, and Food Vendors - Downtown
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Gelly Ball - Splash Pad
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Train Ride - Corner of Muskogee Ave & Delaware Ave
2:00 PM - Kids Zone - Norris Park
5:00 PM - Live Music - Katelyn Myers
6:00 PM - Live Music - Sister Stone
?7:00 PM - Live Music - Stonegate Fence
7:00 PM - Coon Hunt - N. 520 Rd (Look for signs)
Dark- Screening Movie (1974) - Where the Red Fern Grows - Roots Church 312 N. Muskogee Ave

?Saturday, April 29th, 2023

7:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Kiwanis Club of Tahlequah Pancake Breakfast- Emery's Grill 407 N. Muskogee Ave
9:00 AM - Downtown Arts, Crafts and Food Vendors
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM - Gelly Ball - Splash Pad
?10:00 AM - Cherokee County Safety Expo - NSU Parking lot (see map)
10:00 AM - Movie Screening (2003) - Tahlequah City Library
10:00 AM - Red Fern Festival Pageant - Pavilion
10:00 AM - Hound Dog field trials - Sequoyah Park (Registration begins at 9:00am)
10:00 AM - Kid Zone- Norris Park
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM - Train Ride - Corner of Muskogee Ave & Delaware Ave
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM - OverAll yoga in the park. Hosted by 108 Yoga studio- Cherokee National Capitol Square
11:00 AM- 2:00 PM - Cherokee Traditional Games Demonstration and Cultural Craft Making - Cherokee National Capitol Square
12:00 PM - Red Fern Pageant - Pavilion
2:00 PM - Movie Screening (1974) - Tahlequah City Library
4:00 PM - Rubber Duck Race - Sequoyah Park
5:00 PM - Live Music - James Robert Webb - Pavilion
6:00 PM - Live Music - Colton Kro and Murder - Pavilion
7:15 PM - Live Music - Ragland

Date: April 28 - 29, 2023

Time:

April 28th 12pm-9pm
April 29th 9am-8pm

Venue: Various Venues in Tahlequah, OK, 74464

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