Downtown Festivals Bring In Art, Fun, Money To Tulsa

It's a big weekend for downtown Tulsa fun. Mayfest and the Blue Dome Festival are well underway, and on Sunday, there’s Hop Jam.

With so much going on, a lot of money will be circulating.

Saturday marked Day 3 of Mayfest and the crowds are going strong. Organizers say Saturday is the busiest day. About 100,000 guests are expected to attend.

Mayfest is a time for fun and art. For 43 years, the festival has given artists like John Bramblitt a platform to share their work.

“A non-visual, visual artist... it's an oxymoron,” he said.

Bramblitt is a painter. But unlike many of the other vendors, he's blind. With the help of his dog Echo, he's able to make it all work.

“When I draw with lines thicker and raised, you can actually feel them,” Branblitt said. “And with all my paints, I change the way they feel, so a white feels different than a black and a red feels different than a blue."

This is his third year at Mayfest. He's one of about 150 artists who see huge success during the event.

"We know there are lots of artists who look forward to it,” organizer Michael Patton said. “This is money that helps keep them an artist. The money they make in four days helps them all year long."

Tulsa also gets a boost. Thanks to the wide range of vendor and downtown restaurant sales, an average $6 million is raked in.

And with more 100,000 people visiting every day, that's an easy number to reach.

Organizers say the other festivals around town just add to the success.

“We love it,” Patton said. “Are you kidding? We feel we inspire more festivals, and we feel we are a fine arts festival and there’s room for all kinds of art. My daughter was just here. We are heading to Blue Dome next."

Mayfest and the Blue Dome Festival continue through Sunday.