Red Earth Festival

What it is

Red Earth Festival is a multi-day celebration of Native American culture held in Oklahoma. A nonprofit organization, Red Earth, Inc., runs it. At the heart of the event is an art market, and the rule for sellers is clear: only Native American members of tribes recognized by the federal government or by a state may take part in it. In 2010, an estimated 27,000 people attended, which shows the size the festival can reach. Art, teaching and performance sit side by side over the days.

Origins and history

The festival dates from 1987. That year, people working to support Native art drew up plans for an art market and a powwow, a gathering with dancing and drumming. Their organization had roots in an earlier body, the Center of the American Indian, which Native people ran from 1978 as a museum and a place for cultural work. In 1992 the two came together under the name Red Earth. Since then Red Earth, Inc. has continued as the nonprofit behind the festival and its programs.

Dance and demonstrations

Not everything at the festival is for sale. Demonstrations are part of the program, and so are booths run by nonprofit and educational groups; these sit alongside the market. Dance also has a place of its own, with a showcase on the schedule. Together these parts make the festival more than a place to shop. Visitors can watch and ask questions, and Native artists, dancers and organizations take part in person.

The art center

Red Earth, Inc. also ran the Red Earth Art Center, which stood in downtown Oklahoma City. It held two kinds of display: temporary exhibitions that were replaced over time, and a permanent collection of Native American art kept in the building. The center gave the organization a presence in the city beyond the days of the festival, and it carried the same name, which kept the two closely linked. The sources used here say little more about the center, its size or its opening times.

How Red Earth Festival is kept

Native American artists who belong to federally or state-recognized tribes take part in the market, and dancers perform in a showcase. Nonprofit and educational organizations set up booths. Demonstrations are part of the program. The festival lasts more than a day, so visitors can move between the market, the booths and the dancing and return later. Red Earth, Inc. organizes the whole event.

When and where

The festival is a multi-day event and usually falls on the first weekend of June. The organizers have sometimes shifted it: in 2022 it was held in July, and in 2024 in March. Red Earth, Inc. sets the dates each year, and the sources used here describe no fixed rule beyond the June norm.

The festival belongs to Oklahoma. Its base is Oklahoma City, where Red Earth, Inc. is established and where the organization's art center was located. The event itself is held at the Grand Casino Hotel Resort in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on the eastern side of that city's downtown.

What Red Earth Festival means

Red Earth puts Native American artists and performers at the center. The market admits only Native members of tribes recognized by the federal government or by a state, and Native dance and demonstrations fill the program. The same name covers the nonprofit, the festival and the art center it once maintained, so a single title links a summer gathering with year-round gallery work. The sources used here describe the shape of the event rather than the feelings of those who attend.

Questions people ask about Red Earth Festival

See also

ChristmasA festival of Jesus's birth, kept on 25 December with gifts, lights and shared mealsHalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageLabour DayA day honouring workers, kept on 1 May in most countries and on other dates elsewhereFather's DayA day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwide

Good reading and sources

• Red Earth Festival on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-11.