Click here to see the Okeechobee County events calendar
Family Friendly Events in Okeechobee
Okeechobee is host to a number of fun and family friendly events. These events do not include the number of events held throughout the year by our civic and local groups. These events can be found via the Lake Okeechobee News community event page which also includes other communities around the lake and a quick drive to enjoy your time at Lake O.
This Events Calendar lists the annual events that cater not only to residents but visitors looking to live like a local. The American Legion Free Fair is held each year in January at the American Legion Hall grounds, off State Road 70. Carnival rides, fair food and great daily specials bring the thrill seekers to this great event. January is also the month for the long running Yee Haw Music Fest. This festival offers blue grass lovers days of great music and entertainment. This event is a rain or shine event with the entrance at 4601 State Road 710 at Okeechobee’s Agri Civic Center.
February continues the fun with fantastic events such as the Top of the Lake Art Fest and Taste of Okeechobee. This is Okeechobee’s only art festival with a weekend long showcase of fine artists, artisan crafters, chalk artists, sand sculpture and tents for local galleries and emerging artists. Don’t forget the children’s art zone and live entertainment. This evening rounds out with the Taste of Okeechobee, in which visitors stroll Park Street sampling flavorful dishes at various downtown businesses for only $25.00. Let the fun continue with a trip back in time to the Reenactment of the Battle of Okeechobee. This event is held annually the last weekend of February with presentations, artisans, Seminole exhibitors, alligator demonstrations, children’s activities, folk music and more!
March is a busy month where Okeechobee’s calendar fills up! The Speckled Perch Festival is the oldest celebration in Okeechobee. This festival hosts a variety of vendors that allow for a weekend full of shopping for unique and handmade treasures, live entertainment and a parade through the center of town. There is always the possibility for a cattle drive to meander through the downtown area. This festival accompanies the Cow Town Rodeo which is the only PRCA sanctioned event in Okeechobee! From bucking broncs to the toughest bulls there is never a dull moment at the rodeo! These events are always the second weekend in March. Then once you have your fill of rodeo action and downtown leisure make time to visit the Okeechobee County Fair. This event is host to the Okeechobee Youth Livestock Show where visitors and residents are invited to get up close and personal with animal projects raised by the Okeechobee youngsters ranging from dairy cows to rabbits and much more! Exciting rides, fabulous fair fare and daily specials make this event one not to miss!
Main Street Arts and Culture Alliance hosts the Okeechobee Art and Wine Walk held in July. Don’t let the summer heat dry up your fun! Join artists and local businesses throughout downtown in this casual stroll event! Take your time to visit our downtown shops that will satisfy your shopping craving and support a local non profit! Businesses will offer guests wine sampling and promotional offers that can’t be beat.
September heats up with the Labor Day Festival held in the downtown area. This long weekend offers guests and locals a lot of opportunity to visit with family and friends as well as shop with unique and interesting vendors of all kinds. Kid’s activities and live entertainment complete the festival along with a parade that hosts local businesses and groups. Don’t forget to check out the going on’s at the Cattleman’s Arena where typically cowboys are working hard at a livestock event such as bull riding or rodeo events.
October offers some uniquely German themed events downtown at the Oktoberfest City Walk event hosted by Okeechobee Main Street which includes beer tasting and other delights as well as the Oktoberfest hosted by the Okeechobee KOA which includes great deals, dachshund races, live entertainment and more.
November kicks off the beginning of holiday shopping with the Chamber of Commerce supporting the National Shop Local initiative through the Small Business Saturday event. This event held each year the Saturday after Thanksgiving puts our small businesses in the spotlight! Great deals and offers are available at all participating businesses as the holidays are quickly approaching! Don’t forget the free breakfast and random food vendors to get your motor’s running!
As the calendar year comes to a close no Okeechobee year is complete without the annual Top of the Lake Christmas Festival. No better way to really feel the spirit of the holidays. This event hosted by Okeechobee Main Street is the second weekend of December with a wealth of vendors ready to make your holidays one to remember with beautifully unique gift ideas. Holiday music fills the air along with childhood laughter! Don’t forget to stroll along Park Street and view the wonderful displays by the businesses. Then the finale, the lighted night parade featuring the one and only Santa Claus! Mark your calendar and we will see you there!
Okeechobee is filled with things to do for everyone. We look forward to having you here!
There’s no shortage of things to do in Florida.
From natural wonders to fantastical journeys of imagination, visitors to the Sunshine State will discover a long list of things to do in Florida. There’s no U.S. state quite like Florida, where strawberries grow in winter and beaches beckon year-round.
But, oh, Florida is so much more. Shopping, museum-going, tropical rambles, historic stops and all manner of water sports showcase the state’s versatility from big-city experiences and small-town fun to the planet’s most beautiful landscapes. There are more than 1,000 golf courses, too.
Florida has more than 1,300 miles of coastline, and much of that is made up of sugar-sand beaches. Each region’s beaches have their own personality. The laid-back Keys are often called America’s Caribbean and the azure water surrounding the string of islands certainly backs up that claim. South Florida’s beaches dance to a Latin beat and the Space Coast offers wide, packed sand that is perfect for bike riding or perching to watch surfers and rocket launches. The Gulf Coast beaches are among the nation’s most lauded with unparalleled sunset views. The Northwest beaches are deep and inviting, playing host to visitors from far and wide, all on the hunt for things to do in Florida.
Visitors looking for fun water things to do in Florida’s interior will find it at various lakes and tributaries just as good for fishing as they are for kayaking and canoeing. The natural attributes of Florida attract thrill-seekers as well as those who want to kick back. Some 20 state parks are a draw for campers and hikers to diverse locations around the state.
The state’s natural wonders are complemented by family-friendly fantasy at Florida’s theme parks and attractions. From the Walt Disney World and Universal complexes in Orlando to Busch Gardens in Tampa, and many more zoos and botanical gardens, there is no end of ways to entertain the family (and adults who act like kids) north to south, east to west.
The fun activities and things to do in Florida continue into the night with the pulsating clubs of South Beach, Orlando and Jacksonville and at concert venues around the state. Florida is a major stop on the concert circuit and acts such as Beyonce, Justin Bieber and Bruce Springsteen make the Sunshine State a destination, too.
For many travelers, dining out and sampling authentic local cuisine is high on their to-do list. Florida doesn’t disappoint with its wide array of local seafood, including grouper, shrimp and the legendary stone crab, available from mid-May to mid-October. Even the locals rejoice when the hard-shelled crabs show up on menus in the spring. Key lime pie, Cuban delicacies and even Greek food, a specialty of Tarpon Springs, are just some of the popular food choices. The craft beer movement has exploded in Florida and visitors will find local brew in most cities with names like Crooked Can, Cigar City, Funky Budha, Oyster City, and Veterans United. A brewery tour is a delicious way to cool off on a hot day.