Oklahoma City Announces Exciting NYE Party in the Park for 2025

Oklahoma City is gearing up for a vibrant New Year’s Eve celebration with the announcement of the inaugural NYE Party in the Park, set to take place on December 31, 2025. This free, family-friendly event will be hosted at Scissortail Park and aims to bring together residents and visitors for a festive countdown to the New Year.

The festivities will kick off at 21:30 and will feature live music, food trucks, a drone light show, and the official countdown to midnight. This marks a significant return to large-scale New Year’s Eve celebrations in downtown Oklahoma City, a tradition that had been interrupted since the discontinuation of the long-running Opening Night event in 2022.

At a press conference held on October 29, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt emphasized the importance of this new celebration. He noted that for the past few years, Oklahoma City had been one of the few major U.S. cities without a dedicated New Year’s Eve gathering. “We have every aspiration of being a great American city that offers all of the entertainment options and all of the community gathering options conceivable,” Holt stated.

The NYE Party in the Park is presented by several organizations, including the Inasmuch Foundation, the Scissortail Park Foundation, and the Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership. The event’s programming will center around the Love’s Travel Stops Stage in Scissortail Park, where the popular local band Drive will perform and lead the countdown to midnight.

Bob Ross, CEO of the Inasmuch Foundation, expressed his enthusiasm for the event, highlighting the innovative 100-drone light show that will be a key feature. “The wonderful thing about the drones is that, certainly, it’s fascinating and it’s beautiful. But it’s also safe,” Ross explained.

The NYE Party aims to recreate the communal spirit that characterized the previous celebrations in Oklahoma City. “We will have a band; we will have gathering. We will have some kind of something pyrotechnic; still working out the details,” Mayor Holt remarked. He noted that the return of this event is a chance for the community to come together and celebrate the New Year as they once did.

In addition to the New Year’s Eve celebration, Scissortail Park will also feature a seasonal event called the SPARKLE Holiday Walk. This immersive experience will showcase a dazzling display of holiday lights, whimsical vignettes, and will be open for ticketed entry starting from November 21 through January 4, 2026.

Visit OKC President Zac Craig shared his excitement about the upcoming holiday season, noting that the NYE Party will fill a void in the city’s festivities. “Just last year alone, we welcomed over 24 million visitors to our great city. You think about it, for those that are coming over the holidays, you know they’re planning and they’re excited to come to our destination,” Craig remarked.

The new celebration reflects a broader effort to revitalize community engagement in Oklahoma City, particularly during the holiday season. The Arts Council Oklahoma City, which organized the previous Opening Night event, decided to discontinue it to focus on expanding their broader art offerings. Executive Director Angela Cozby explained that the organization aims to redirect resources into initiatives such as Art in Schools and Creative Aging programs.

As the countdown to the New Year approaches, Oklahoma City is poised to embrace a fresh chapter of community celebrations, culminating in a festive night at Scissortail Park. For more information about the NYE Party in the Park and upcoming events, visit the official website at https://www.scissortailpark.org.