Big Ride & Big Bite hit Tulsa Tough

FLYWHEEL LAUNCHES PARTY OF THE YEAR

BIG RIDE & BIG BITE HIT TULSA TOUGH

Ghostland Observatory to Headline Two-Part Event Featuring Best of Tulsa Culture

Coming This June During the City’s Most Anticipated Weekend

Tulsa, OK (April 20, 2023)- Local non-profit Flywheel Tulsa has announced today its inaugural event Flywheel Presents: Big Ride & Big Bite taking place on Saturday, June 10th during Saint Francis Tulsa Tough – the city’s most anticipated and celebrated weekend of the year. In recent years Tulsa has undergone a major revival, claiming the spotlight as a music, cultural and culinary hub in America’s heartland. Born of a desire to celebrate Tulsa’s renaissance and showcase the best that the city has to offer across music, food, art and tech, Big Ride & Big Bite is more than the party of the year; it’s a love letter from the Tulsa community to its beloved city.

Every year in June, Tulsa welcomes thousands of people from across the nation to its downtown streets during the three-day Tulsa Tough cycling fest. Racers, spectators and party-goers are no strangers to the city-wide bash that culminates in the festival’s most grueling course and costume party – Cry Baby Hill. This year, newcomer Flywheel Tulsa is making a statement and shifting the celebrations up a gear by throwing a massive street party during Saturday’s Arts District Criterium: Flywheel Presents: Big Ride & Big Bite. Part free concert, part ticketed mini food fest, the event is meant to help Tulsans and visitors alike take a bigger bite out of Tulsa Tough weekend and experience the best from some of the city’s local favorites.

At 8:00 pm, Big Ride takes the party to the streets of downtown with a free, general admission outdoor concert on a festival-scale outdoor stage. The Big Ride lineup features national headliner Ghostland Observatory, Tulsa favorite Sports, local up and comer DJ ECOG, and a late-night EDM after party hosted by SubSonix. Lasers, drone shows and light displays will forever erase the days when Tulsa’s vibrant music scene flew under the radar. Big Ride is the block party of the year, and an ode to Tulsa’s music moment.

The all-inclusive VIP Big Bite ticket is the best way to get the most out of the festivities and will be available for purchase at a discounted pre-sale for $185 beginning April 20th. From experimental newcomers to fine dining restaurants spanning a range of cuisines, the Big Bite food and art event, sponsored by 84 Hospitality Group, features an all-inclusive tasting passport to a handpicked lineup of local culinary talent, including James Beard Award semifinalists like Et Al, FarmBar and American Solera, and newcomers like Alley Cat Ranch. Starting at 4:00 pm inside OKPOP, Big Bite ticket holders will get a sneak peak of the forthcoming and hotly anticipated OKPOP Museum (set to open in 2024), where they’ll enjoy private viewings of art, tech and pop culture exhibits from OKPOP, the Bob Dylan Center, Leon Russell’s historic Church Studio, and artists from The Tulsa Artist Fellowship. In addition to the curated, multisensory experience that is Big Bite, the VIP ticket also offers indoor, air-conditioned race viewing to beat the heat (a godsend during Tulsa’s hot June temps) free parking, shuttle service to and from the event, access to clean restrooms, and VIP access with prime stage viewing at the Big Ride concert, plus cocktails from Inner Circle Vodka Bar and late night bites from Empire Slice House, amongst additional perks.

“The flagship Big Ride event is the first in what we hope will be many more events inside and outside of Tulsa Tough from Flywheel in years to come,” said Flywheel Co-Founder, Scott Carr.

“Flywheel’s concert on Saturday will take the Saint Francis Tulsa Tough to the next level. Our fans better come into the weekend fresh because between the kick off on Friday, the live music and the drone show on Saturday, and the usual shenanigans on Cry Baby Hill Sunday, there will be no time to rest!” said Executive Director Malcolm McCollam.

“Our organization has its sights set on a full-scale, city-wide festival for Tulsa, and Big Ride 2023 during Saint Francis Tulsa Tough represents the first stop on that journey,” added Flywheel Co-Founder, Phil Kaiser. “As Tulsa continues to position itself as a city ripe with innovation and big ideas, Flywheel aims to create landmark events that elevate and celebrate the best of the city with a spotlight on music, food, art and tech.”

For more event information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.bigridetulsa.com.

About Flywheel Tulsa

Flywheel is a non-profit organization on a mission to enhance Tulsa’s profile as a renowned cultural hub by supporting and fueling the next batch of big ideas. Established in 2022, it aims to create landmark events that elevate and celebrate the best of Tulsa, with a spotlight on music, food, art, and tech. For more information about Flywheel, visit bigridetulsa.com, or ride along on social @FlywheelPresents.

Contact

Meg Shepherd – Head of Marketing, Communications and Programming

[email protected]