inauguration was good, better than expected. it is too bad there were so many people smoking and vaping and sharing their second hand smoke with the rest of the people, especially the young children. but the park is awesome, it does feel better and bigger than it looks and has a cosmopolitan vibe to it. once the convention center, omni hotel, ocura parking garage and blvd place apartments are complete that area will definitely be a hub for large crowds gathering like for concerts, thunder games and conventions. i would definitely like to have another pro sports team opposite the convention center on the other side of the park like a soccer or football team.

Walked around the park yesterday and was very impressed, but the location really puts into perspective just how important it is to get the development right on the four blocks of parking to the west of the arena. So much of this city's progress or lack thereof over the next several decades will depend on getting the best use out of that space as well as the Cox Convention Center site.

Walked around the park yesterday and was very impressed, but the location really puts into perspective just how important it is to get the development right on the four blocks of parking to the west of the arena. So much of this city's progress or lack thereof over the next several decades will depend on getting the best use out of that space as well as the Cox Convention Center site.

Agree. Those are the key development sites for creating a true 24/7 downtown OKC. These should be high density residential with a mix of retail/restaurants

Walked around the park yesterday and was very impressed, but the location really puts into perspective just how important it is to get the development right on the four blocks of parking to the west of the arena. So much of this city's progress or lack thereof over the next several decades will depend on getting the best use out of that space as well as the Cox Convention Center site.

Don't forget the REHCO site between MBG and Scissortail Park, and the site to the west of MBG!

If all of that is done, the basically, Walker to BNSF and SW 7th to NW 6th would constitute an Urban area that I would imagine competes easily with any Tier II city, and that area is already largely "haloed" by quality urban development all the way to Western, up to 13th and over to I-235. Still plenty of infill left to do in the "halo" area, but half a square mile of high quality urban development both old and new is an incredible foundation that will make OKC a place people remember and want to come back to and come live in.

Walked around the park yesterday and was very impressed, but the location really puts into perspective just how important it is to get the development right on the four blocks of parking to the west of the arena. So much of this city's progress or lack thereof over the next several decades will depend on getting the best use out of that space as well as the Cox Convention Center site.

It is kinda sad that there may not be any development there for years, given how much money the owners make on parking. Oh well...

Went down on Saturday for a bit to look at the new park and walk through it, what a fantastic new space for OKC with so much room for activities. I wonder if it will take the pressure off of the Myriad Gardens a bit considering how packed that often is over the weekends.

But yeah, we need a quality development between the Gardens and the new park to tie it to downtown better.

So do you see other big times acts coming say next spring or was KOL just a one time thing. I don't think too many "touring acts" are going to play in a park. I could be wrong but just don't see it. I could see someone like a Blake Shelton, Flaming Lips or a Toby Keith doing so though but they are local acts that might do the city a solid deal.

So do you see other big times acts coming say next spring or was KOL just a one time thing. I don't think too many "touring acts" are going to play in a park. I could be wrong but just don't see it. I could see someone like a Blake Shelton, Flaming Lips or a Toby Keith doing so though but they are local acts that might do the city a solid deal.

The Jones guys are programming this venue and they have lots of connections, which is how we got KOL in the first place.

So do you see other big times acts coming say next spring or was KOL just a one time thing. I don't think too many "touring acts" are going to play in a park. I could be wrong but just don't see it. I could see someone like a Blake Shelton, Flaming Lips or a Toby Keith doing so though but they are local acts that might do the city a solid deal.

Lollapalooza is at Grant Park every year and is arguably the biggest music festival in the country.

Lollapalooza is at Grant Park every year and is arguably the biggest music festival in the country.

Ok I'll give you that one but outside of the that I don't think Grant Park gets touring acts. It never did when i lived up there.

I wish we could get a Lollapalooza type music festival to come thru OKC every year at Scissortail. I mean we’ve got that great lawn for a reason

I wish we could get a Lollapalooza type music festival to come thru OKC every year at Scissortail. I mean we’ve got that great lawn for a reason

We could call it "The Oklahoma City Music Festival"!!! I really wish we could get something like this as well that would further enhance our image as well as possibly grow the tourism aspect.

We could call it "The Oklahoma City Music Festival"!!! I really wish we could get something like this as well that would further enhance our image as well as possibly grow the tourism aspect.

http://okcfest.com/

:Smiley122

I wish we could get a Lollapalooza type music festival to come thru OKC every year at Scissortail. I mean we’ve got that great lawn for a reason

Sounds great just not in the summer. Only outside events during OKC summers must include water slides.

http://okcfest.com/

:Smiley122

Right idea, they just jumped the gun... if they did the same thing next summer with the park being the main stage, you could build the other stages in the lots west of the arena, incorporate the stage in the myriad gardens and be very successful...Especially if you could do it in the beginning of the summer tour season or at the end and avoid June, July and August ...

I went to the Bourbon and Beyond music fest in Louisville on the 20th-22nd of September. It is part of a 3 weekend group of festivals of Country, Rock (ish) and Metal. It was held at the fairgrounds. My daughter and I camped for 4 nights. There is no way that Scissortail Park is big enough for something like this. A festival like this requires multiple stages to allow for the acts to play immediately after each other.
https://www.fevo.com/edp/Trifesta-Includes:-Hometown-Rising-Bourbon--Beyond-and-Louder-Than-Life-19liBHmo

Parks like Grant Park (Chicago) and Central Park (New York) cover more than 300 & 700 acres respectively. Large mega festivals like these have the space to put on many events & acts simultaneously.

Now, can OKC start an annual festival to fit our downtown park. Much of that will depend on the quality of groups, duos or single headliner you get to perform, whether its theme is country, rock, soul, jazz, blues or gospel or a sampling of a variety of music will depend on where we want to go with a fest.

Oh, let's not forget the food; always the appetite that puts the cherry on top of the festival.

30-40 acres is enough land to put on a good festival; first let's decide what we want to celebrate.

How full did it seem with 28,000 people on the lawn? According to what I found, attendance numbers for Bourbon and Beyond is listed at 70k and Lallapooza's average about 100k / day.

Obviously Grant and Central Parks are way bigger than Scissortail (couldn't find the actual size for Highland Festival Grounds, but I think the whole expo center, of which the festival grounds are a part, is on 300 acres) as a whole and can accommodate a lot more production wise, as well as more "side show" events, but they obviously don't use the whole park for main stage viewing (that would be insanely big, ha). So, I'm just kind of wondering what is considered the capacity of events for Scissortail Park....

There was PLENTY of space on the lawn even with 28K inside the park. I was very surprised and so made a mental note.

Last photo shows the tunnel in the south east section of the park. Doesn't lead to anything, but hopefully one day it will. Lot's of potential.
15634
15635
15636
15637
15638

How full did it seem with 28,000 people on the lawn? According to what I found, attendance numbers for Bourbon and Beyond is listed at 70k and Lallapooza's average about 100k / day.

Obviously Grant and Central Parks are way bigger than Scissortail (couldn't find the actual size for Highland Festival Grounds, but I think the whole expo center, of which the festival grounds are a part, is on 300 acres) as a whole and can accommodate a lot more production wise, as well as more "side show" events, but they obviously don't use the whole park for main stage viewing (that would be insanely big, ha). So, I'm just kind of wondering what is considered the capacity of events for Scissortail Park....

It still felt like there was a lot of room to roam around. I took this pic (testing my new iPhone 11 Pro's Night mode!) during the first few songs of KOL's set. Plenty of room towards the Promontory and pavement that splits the Grand Lawn from it.

As Pete said earlier in this thread, I totally had "this can't be OKC" feelings as I roamed around. Amazing.

15639

As Pete said earlier in this thread, I totally had "this can't be OKC" feelings as I roamed around. Amazing.


I think that feeling will only increase in the next 10 years or so. A completed Omni, convention center, maturation of the park, more stuff along the streetcar line... all those things are going to change downtown quite a bit.

It was a small thing but another sign of great change...

They had tons of beer tents ringing the great lawn. Like 8 big tents each with about 4-5 lines.

It was awesomely easy to get a beer, at least early on. It would have been nice to have some OK beer options, but that is nit-picking.

I was really impressed with how well the whole thing was organized.

It's hard to believe it's been such a long time, but these were taken in May of 2012, right after the Skydance Bridge opened:

15640

15641

15642

It was a small thing but another sign of great change...

They had tons of beer tents ringing the great lawn. Like 8 big tents each with about 4-5 lines.

It was awesomely easy to get a beer, at least early on. It would have been nice to have some OK beer options, but that is nit-picking.

I was really impressed with how well the whole thing was organized.

Yeah. I went on Sunday for the Philharmonic, and it was funny because I didn't expect to be able to buy a beer and head back into he park to hang out. I assumed it would be a beer garden type situation. I just always assume there's going to be some OK law that won't allow me to have a beer where I want to... ha.

Sounds like it all went down very well. Everyone I know who went loved it. It's just anecdotal, but most of the people I know who opted out of Friday did so because they assumed it would be a cluster. But everyone who actually went said it was a breeze with zero troubles. They managed it very well.

28k obviously isn't even in the same ballpark of a lollapalooza / Coachella type event (but not too shabby for a single headliner show these days), but that's not a small event and based on what I saw of the layout of the park and what people are saying about Friday night, it could handle something much bigger and more elaborate. If someone wants to take it on, it could easily handle a main stage on the lawn and multiple stages / tents south of the berm, around the pond, and in / outside of union station. I felt the vendor areas on Robinson work very well, too (I'm sure there were a lot more on Friday and Hudson could easily do the same for the west side).

Overall, I know it's not as massive as the iconic urban parks in the nation, but it is set up to function similarly, just on an OKC scale. It has some programming, but not so much that it's limited to that programming. The "great lawn" may seem like the most boring part in any rendering, but it's probably its best facet, because people can bring to it whatever they want. It's basically OKC's backyard.

And, what I think is really cool is that it seems to have been finished out / landscaped for the future. That is, you can tell it will get better as it matures, as opposed to having to be revamped with a new layout and new landscaping every time some money is found to do it. It's built / planned as much for now as it is for the next generation(s) that will inherit it.

I think the attendance figure is inflated HIGHLY by the concert being free. Charge $15 for it, and the # is maybe 50% of that 28k. But still, having that many people there was a huge publicity event for OKC, and hopefully there will be more like it!

I think the attendance figure is inflated HIGHLY by the concert being free. Charge $15 for it, and the # is maybe 50% of that 28k. But still, having that many people there was a huge publicity event for OKC, and hopefully there will be more like it!

No doubt. I mean, I have no reason to believe it's an inaccurate figure, but it being free and the first event to open the park and I'm sure there were a lot of people there just to take it all in.

I'm just curious as to what it could handle. That is, what is its potential as a venue for shows / festivals in the future. KOL could probably charge $75 and get 10k+ at Chesapeake arena, but that's kind of a different animal. In this context, I'm just wondering what could STP handle if it was a good lineup, competent promoter, etc. Could you put 75k+ on that lawn for a show? It obviously matters what that show is as to if you could sell that many tickets, but could the park handle it if someone wanted to try and had the right bill for it?

No doubt. I mean, I have no reason to believe it's an inaccurate figure, but it being free and the first event to open the park and I'm sure there were a lot of people there just to take it all in.

I'm just curious as to what it could handle. That is, what is its potential as a venue for shows / festivals in the future. KOL could probably charge $75 and get 10k+ at Chesapeake arena, but that's kind of a different animal. In this context, I'm just wondering what could STP handle if it was a good lineup, competent promoter, etc. Could you put 75k+ on that lawn for a show? It obviously matters what that show is as to if you could sell that many tickets, but could the park handle it if someone wanted to try?

Would be interesting to see. 75k may be high. 32k or so would be tops (I would think, for safety reasons). But I am with you, and would like to find out!

Found this in an article about the contribution from Love's:


The Love’s gift will help pay for the operations and upkeep of the 6-acre stage and lawn, which has the capacity for hosting events from 1,500 to 15,000 guests for concerts, outdoor movies, symphonies and corporate events. The venue, adjacent to a new convention center and Omni-branded luxury hotel, can also accommodate festivals for up to 250,000 guests over multiple days.

Love’s contribution first of many for Scissortail Park (https://journalrecord.com/2019/06/19/loves-contribution-first-of-many-for-scissortail-park/)

Doesn't really give a definitive answer, since we already know the lawn can handle 28k+, or almost twice the figure given, and the 250k number is "over multiple days". I'm guessing the 15k number that was thrown out in press releases is more in line with the type of productions that the permanent stage can accommodate and the festival number is based more on what the space could handle (again, over multiple days) with temp stages and production space.

And from, well, the actual Scissortail website:


Love’s Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn is the heart of the Park in the northern section of the Upper Park.
Square Feet: 194,000
Capacity:
Up to 25,000 guests standing
750 – 1,500 guests reception style
450 – 1,000+ guests seated

https://scissortailpark.org/plan/loves-travel-stops-stage-great-lawn/

The 28k number would also represent total number of people who passed through the detectors - it's very unlikely that all of those people were on the lawn at the same time. I wouldn't be surprised if there was never more than about 20k on the lawn at any given time just given the way that people move.

Looking forward to checking out the Fall Farmers Market on Saturday at the park!

I got my first close up look at the park today. I am very concerned about how many distressed plants and trees there were. I know that some distress is to be expected with a transplant, but having experience in landscaping I was surprisedly the level of distress. It will be interesting to see how many plants and trees don't make it through the winter. Hopefully the upcoming rain and cooler temperatures will save many of them.

I got my first close up look at the park today. I am very concerned about how many distressed plants and trees there were. I know that some distress is to be expected with a transplant, but having experience in landscaping I was surprisedly the level of distress. It will be interesting to see how many plants and trees don't make it through the winter. Hopefully the upcoming rain and cooler temperatures will save many of them.

I know when I planted 2 large trees in the middle of a fairly hot summer, they looked like hell until the next spring and have been fine ever since. Hopefully that's the case here.

I just took a long walk through the park.

The grass on the great lawn looks really good apart from one small area to the east of the stage where they clearly had to bring in heavy equipment.

All the construction fences are down but much of the fencing, stands and sandbags are still in the parking spaces on the west side of the park.

I also noticed that construction workers have taken up most street spaces. There were still places to park, but I think the workers from the Omni and convention center are taking a lot of them.

David Holt posted a photo on his insta of the park that is frame worthy. It shows all 28000+ people in attendance with the CC and downtown in the background. I would post it, but I'm at work!

Fantastic evening at the park. Had dinner at social capital and then walked the park until dark. Huge number of people walking around/playing - as you would expect so soon after opening but still great to see. The more I see the small details throughout the park the more impressed I am.

15648

David Holt posted a photo on his insta of the park that is frame worthy. It shows all 28000+ people in attendance with the CC and downtown in the background. I would post it, but I'm at work!

That shot has a lighting affect that almost looks like it frames the top of a tower that could in theory be on the SE corner of the REHCO site...would be AWESOME!!!

David Holt posted a photo on his insta of the park that is frame worthy. It shows all 28000+ people in attendance with the CC and downtown in the background. I would post it, but I'm at work!

Here is that awesome photo!

15649

Aw, I'm not in it. I was off to the right a bit on that back edge of that hill :(

That picture is incredible. The park is one of the things I was most excited about when I moved to OKC back in 2012. Pretty cool to finally see the end product.

Check out the UFO's at the top of the photo

I went and walked through the park this morning. It's amazing how big it is walking through it compared to driving by. What's the deal with all the padlocks all over the Skydance Bridge? There are probably well over a hundred of them

I went and walked through the park this morning. It's amazing how big it is walking through it compared to driving by. What's the deal with all the padlocks all over the Skydance Bridge? There are probably well over a hundred of them

Probably the same crap that happened to the bridge in Paris:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/paris-padlocks-of-love

I went and walked through the park this morning. It's amazing how big it is walking through it compared to driving by. What's the deal with all the padlocks all over the Skydance Bridge? There are probably well over a hundred of them

It's a thing couples do. I saw a bridge in Paris that was getting so heavy they had to ban the practice and cut a lot off due to the weight.

Press release:

************

October 9, 2019
Scissortail Park lines up ongoing October events including a Fall Market, yoga and boot camps

OKLAHOMA CITY – With the success of Grand Opening Weekend now a part of Oklahoma City history, the events team at Scissortail Park has put together a line-up of ongoing, free events and activities with something for everyone in the Park this October.

Each Saturday join our horticulture team from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. near the Love’s Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn for a Fall Market. Nearly 40 local vendors will be onsite offering everything from alpaca yarn, to craft beer, honey, herb plants, fall flowers, fruit from a no-spray orchard and much more. Daffodil bulbs will also be on sale, along with other Park-related merchandise.

For health and wellness practitioners, Gold’s Gym is presenting a free yoga class on Mondays from 6 to 7 p.m. This great, all-levels class is designed for ages 18 and up and is led by instructors from Gold’ Gym. Participants should check-in at the Boathouse Pavilion each week, and bring a yoga mat and water. Class locations will vary and late arrivals are not accepted five minutes in to class.

In addition, an all-levels boot camp, also presented by Gold’s Gym, is offered on Saturdays from 9 to 10 a.m. Check-in is at the Boathouse Pavilion and participants are asked to bring mats and dumbbells, although equipment will be provided by class instructors. Put on your workout gear, bring some water and amp up your fitness at Boathouse Boot Camp.

A variety of story times for children called ScissorTales are planned at the Playground and Play Pavilion. Bilingual ScissorTales are on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. and feature stories, sing-a-long songs and a related, free craft. This activity is best for children ages 5 and under and they must be accompanied by an adult. On Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and Thursdays at 4 p.m. children of all abilities can spend an hour hearing stories, singing songs, moving around and participating in a free craft. The Del City Puppet Theater will make a special appearance on Thursday, October 24 at 4 p.m.


For information on all of the events described above, go to scissortailpark.org.

The new Scissortail Park is in the heart of a revitalized downtown Oklahoma City. This public space is part of the MAPS 3 program that envisions a healthy and vibrant quality of life for our city while serving as an investment in the future. Every detail is designed for connection – with nature, neighbors and ourselves. It is a place for play, culture, celebration and inspiration.

Scissortail Park features a variety of engaging experiences within 70 urban acres ranging from ornamental gardens and woodlands, to a lake and boathouse, children’s playground, grand promenade, water features, outdoor roller rink, an enclosed dog park, interactive fountain and much more.

Designed by one of the foremost landscape architecture planning firms in the world, Hargreaves Associates, the Park is also a horticultural tapestry of native prairie grasses, lush flower gardens and tree-lined walkways. Together we have created something spectacular. For everyone.

Went to the market last Saturday. It was awesome. Bought some pears and cheese. I can see it getting bigger every weekend. Tons of families out too.

Only negative was the streetcar experience but that is for another thread.

I stopped by the market over the weekend when I went by the park on Saturday, it was neat. I wasn't really prepared to actually shop at it (I was parked a long way away), but I may go back with that in mind now that I know this will be a reoccurring event.

There were a pretty good number of vendors and lots of people around having a look at the merchandise and at the alpacas.

I've ridden my bike through the park every day since it opened. Always good crowds. Would be interesting to know if attendance has impacted use at MBG and Wiley Post park.

Is parking currently free around the park? I saw no signs or meters

Is parking currently free around the park? I saw no signs or meters

Yes.

Yes.

Any clue for how long. Good parking for Thunder Games if it's free

I suspect meters are coming but even those are free after 6PM.

That hill is gonna be popular when it snows.

Took this yesterday afternoon from Social Capital.

I kid you not, there were hundreds of people in the park. I sat on that deck for two hours and there was a constant stream of people; I wouldn't have believed the volume had I not seen it myself.

Hundreds of cars parked on the vacant lots west of the park.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/scissortail101319a.jpg

It's very clear that this was a big unanswered need for the city. I've gone by every weekend since it opened so far, and the park has been packed with people on every visit. It honestly reminds me of the park usage you see in other big city central parks.

Now we just need some residential developments on the west side of the park, get people living in the area and keep the progress going.

It's one of the few places where you can just go and take a long walk and that's what almost everyone was doing.

That will really be enhanced once the lower park is finished and you can easily walk from downtown all the way to the river.

You may have seen us wandering around then, Pete. We finally had a chance to go by the park and it is really amazing to see and wander around. I'll echo your astonishment at the volume of people; the kid's play area was absolutely packed. The top of the hill is quite the view of the whole park and there were many many families figuring out how to roll down the hill while not hitting any of the trees. @d-usa we definitely had the same thought about when it does snow and finding the straight sledding lanes through the trees.

Here's (https://photos.app.goo.gl/mRUYDurDMK3DnWhaA) a full 360 photo sphere I took last night from atop the hill and here's the flattened version too.

15661

Took the opportunity to visit the park before we left for the OU-Texas game weekend. Impressed with the activity and vitality of our new central downtown park. Once the trees, plants & foliage comes into play, Scissortail will be a very nice downtown park. Wish we could devise a master plan to merge it with the existing Wiley Post & Wheeler Parks as we develop the lower park.

Took the opportunity to visit the park before we left for the OU-Texas game weekend. Impressed with the activity and vitality of our new central downtown park. Once the trees, plants & foliage comes into play, Scissortail will be a very nice downtown park. Wish we could devise a master plan to merge it with the existing Wiley Post & Wheeler Parks as we develop the lower park.

Yep, and we need someone (CR, maybe?) to consolidate the land ownership west of the park and install a powerblock consisting of several 30 to 40 story towers.