More events needed downtown

[Jack]

Folks, we need more events downtown. I don't mean more restaurants, theaters, etc. We need more people like Jim Brewer to step up to the plate with bigger and better entertainment. Someone needs to set up outside entertainment before every Hornets game. We must do better for the Bricktown 4th of July. The same stage, the same food vendors, etc. Getting very old. We need to have more events to create foot traffic downtown.

Ideas?

[metro]

yes, step up to the plate

[shane453]

I really think it's fun to walk around when there are free outdoor concerts and events going on. There are plenty of bands in the metro that are just happy for an audience and being asked to do an outdoor free show in Bricktown would make their day- They could promote their homemade record and would get to perform.

[The Old Downtown Guy]

If you have the same ol' producers, i.e. Jim Brewer, planning more events downtown, you are likely to just get more of the same kind of events. Do we really need another Blues, Barbeque, Beer etc. festival downtown? In any case, there are several downtown events that didn't exist a couple of years ago. The Christmas Parade on the Oklahoma River and several rowing events to name a few. This year, a snow tube venue has been added at the Brick to compliment the very successful ice skating on the Civic Mall.

I don't disagree that, down the road, more events will need to come on line, but the first question is what market do you want to appeal to? Then the second question is obviously, what will attract them. Over the next couple of years as some of the new housing is occupied, more people will be in downtown 24/7 which is what really makes up "urban street life". Staged events are only a way of simulating that missing downtown ingredient.

Finally, the venue that often gets overlooked is The Oklahoma City Art Museum. The recently opened "Mexican Masters" exhibition is absolutely WORLD CLASS and if it were at the Kimble in Fort Worth, the lines would be around the block. It is only being presented at one location in the world. OKCMOA. Check it out.

[Patrick]

I think we have an amphitheater outside the doors of the Sonic Building that never gets used. Ever. What was the point in building this if we weren't gonig to use it. Who owns it? If Sonic does, they need to coordinate some events out there,a nd invite bands to come down and play on the weekends.

[shane453]

Maybe more use will be made of that amphitheatre when retailers move into the Sonic building. Right now there's no reason to go that far on that side of the canal in the first place.

But if the events there became popular, Sonic could use it as a selling point and hike up the prices on those first floor suites.

[Jack]

You have to start somewhere.