Weekly Events Calendar: January 6-12, 2025

Each week, Oklahoma Today staffers comb through their calendars to find a handful of great events happening across the state. Get out! See Oklahoma! And be sure to let us know what you find, either here or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @oklahomatoday.

By Ben Luschen
I love Mario Kart, just don’t ask me to play it. My reaction times aren’t anywhere near fast enough. Even when the game cheats to get me back into the fray by giving me some god-level powerup, I’ll still find a way to squander it and finish towards the bottom of the pack. But I’ll happily watch others play it all day. To the amusement of some and annoyance of others, I am much faster with a quip from the peanut gallery than I am on the controller. Similarly, the last thing anyone should want is for me to get behind the wheel at Shawnee’s Outlaw Motor Sports Indoor Kart Racing event this week, because I can promise you my reflexes won’t be any quicker in real life. But I will be happy to watch experienced drivers kick up dirt as they tear through the track at Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center. Running from Thursday, January 9, to Saturday, January 11, the event features a variety of competitive races, with top prizes awarded to the first-place finishers. Just please remember to dispose of any banana peels in an off-track waste receptacle. Spectator admission is $10. Call (405) 275-9780 or visit outlawmotorsports.net for more information.
January 9-11. Admission, $10. outlawmotorsports.net

The dirt track at Shawnee's Heart of Expo Center will host plenty of race cart action this week. Photo courtesy Outlaw Motor Sports

By Kiersten Stone
Every second Friday of the month from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Oklahoma City’s Plaza District hosts their exciting block party, LIVE! on the Plaza. Guests can wander the district and admire the works of local artists, listen to live music, view a deadCENTER film screening, and more. The outstanding retail stores will be keeping their doors open late to celebrate. You can even catch new events every month like performances from Lyric Theatre, holiday events, and CD releases. The Plaza District is located along Northwest 16th Street between Classen and Penn.
January 10. Admission, free. plazadistrict.org

By Ben Luschen
The 2025 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad lands in Oklahoma City January 10–11, and it’s ready to vault, tumble, and stick its way into your weekend plans. Featuring twelve of the nation’s top gymnastics programs, including five of last year’s NCAA semifinalists, this event is a gym-dandy. The Paycom Center will host this two-day spectacular, headlined by the reigning champs from LSU, top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners, and fan-favorites like Michigan, Utah, and UCLA. The lineup for each quad meet will be determined by the final rankings after the 2024 championship and, for the first time, the top four teams will duke it out live on ABC January 11. Be there for history and order your tickets online.
January 11-12. Tickets start at $29. paycomcenter.com

By Megan Rossman
One of life’s great joys is naming things. I love to name things. Boats, in particular, are fun to name. The Black Pearl, The Titanic, The Santa Maria, The Mayflower, and Sweet Cersei are some of the most famous ships today—even though some of them are not real. Unfortunately, I don’t have a boat to name, but if I go to the Oklahoma Boat Expo on January 10 through 12, I could change all that. After all, do I need to rent a house when I could just live on a boat? For these three days at the Cox Business Convention Center in Tulsa, more than a dozen vendors will display their finest boats and watercrafts for aspiring sailors to make their getaways to the sea and lake. For more information, visit okboatexpo.com.
January 10-12. Tickets, $12. okboatexpo.com

Guests at the Oklahoma Boat Expo in Tulsa just might find their next nautical love. Photo courtesy Oklahoma Boat Expo

By Karlie Ybarra
There are many disparaging rumors about reptiles and amphibians. For instance, snakes don’t eat humans—they kill to eat, and the vast majority of snakes will never grow big enough to harm a person. Also, that whole story about the snake measuring his owner up to eat her, it’s an urban legend that’s been passed around for years. Another erroneous assumption: snakes are evil. Reptiles may be very high maintenance pets, but they are no more villainous than any other creature (my friend’s rabbits caused their fair share of mischief). My favorite fact: snakes aren’t just lizards without legs, they have entirely different physiology. If you’d like to learn more about snakes, lizards, frogs, and other small critters you can keep in your home, check out the HERPS Exotic Reptile and Pet Show, January 11-12 at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center in Shawnee. There will be thousands of animals for sale along with all the supplies you need to take proper care of them. There also will be lots of educational opportunities, and concessions (for humans only). Admission is $10 for adults, and you can go to herpshow.net to purchase tickets or find more info.
January 11-12. Admission, $10. herpshow.net

A new snake (or iguana or gecko) could sliver into your heart at Shawnee's HERPS Exotic Reptile and Pet Show. Photo courtesy Pixabay

Written By

Ben Luschen

Luschen joined the *Oklahoma Today*’ staff as Research Editor in 2021 and currently works as the magazine's Web Editor, managing the website and social media fronts. His past *Oklahoma Today* stories have ranged in content from the state's bee and quail industries to its vibrant art and music scenes. Not adverse to a road trip, Luschen is always on the lookout for the next big adventure. He is never out of opinions about the current state of Oklahoma City Thunder basketball.