Jane Fest Coming To Blue Dome District

Beginning Friday night, thousands of people will descend upon downtown Tulsa for the first year of Jane Fest.  Not everyone in the neighborhood is thrilled with the idea, so organizers have come up with some compromises.

A number of things were causing issues, but they seem to have worked things out on Wednesday.

More than 40 bands and DJs will be taking over the Blue Dome District this weekend.

There will be outdoor stages at the Fur Shop and an empty lot along Greenwood.

It’s all part of the Take Me Higher Tour.

As for what the name and date of the festival might imply:

“The name was ironic based on the start of the festival on 4-20,” said event organizer Ron Durbin.  “It is still illegal in the state of Oklahoma, so I would advise against doing anything that would violate any of the state or city laws.”

The festival has caused some contention between Durbin and some of the surrounding property owners.

“It is a neighborhood and it is evolving and there will be more housing in here over time, so there are other places to conduct something that will go until 2 a.m.,” said Steve Ganzkow, from American Residential Group.

Several compromises have been reached:

• Music cannot go past 11:30 p.m.,
• 24-hour security will be in place for the entirety of the event,
• and the stage will be facing west at 2nd and Greenwood, which is different than originally planned.

“We’re going to hope for the best and maybe it will turn out better than we anticipated, and our fears won’t be as great as they were, and everyone is going to be happy.  Wouldn’t that be nice,” stated Ganzkow.

“The vibrant music lifestyle we want to bring to downtown Tulsa is something that will drive us to be more like the music venue of Austin and places like that,” declared Durbin.  “Festivals like this are what support that kind of culture.”

Tulsa police are also planning a DUI checkpoint in the area beginning Friday, so grab an Uber or Lyft if you’re heading to downtown.