Dates have been announced and applications have been opened for this year’s Norman Music Festival, an annual live music celebration that transforms Main Street every April to a vibrant hub of art and community.
The festival will be from April 23-25, bringing in more than 300 local and national performers across four main stages. The free, three-day event draws in more than 50,000 attendees each year and is organized by nonprofit Norman Music Alliance.
Shari Jackson, executive director of Norman Music Alliance, said what she’s most excited for this year is the lineup of artists.
“NMF is all about the music, and we receive nearly 600 applications every year from bands throughout Oklahoma and all over the nation that want to play this festival,” Jackson said. “It is delightful every year to start with listening and discover the unbelievable talent that we’ve got here in Oklahoma.”
Applications for 2026 NMF artists are now open. Performers can submit recordings of their original songs for review by the festival’s selection committee.
Jackson said organizers look for a diverse mix of genres and musicians with strong stage presence.
“First, we’re looking for really great representations of all of those genres of music – really quality music,” Jackson said. “And we’re also looking for people that we think have done enough gigs so that when you put them on a stage, they’re gonna put on a great show for our audiences.”
Jackson said over the years this event has introduced her to many new music genres and talented musicians across the state.
“NMF is about letting people know that it doesn’t really matter what genre of music you’re talking about – there are extraordinary musicians playing it from Oklahoma,” Jackson said. “I think I have discovered since working with the festival for the last decade that there are at least 15 to 20 genres that I didn’t even know existed.”
In addition to performer applications, NMF is accepting applications for volunteers, sponsors and vendors. The free festival relies on community support and local business partnerships to operate each year.
“A free festival like this one means that it takes a whole community to come together to make it happen. We have unbelievable partners that give,” Jackson said. “If you’ve got energy to give some gifts, space to give, effort to give – this is where volunteers come in and sponsors that help pay for bands and production and fencing and portable toilets and generators.”
Jackson said she hopes there are more volunteers this year, as the festival runs almost entirely on volunteer work.
“And I wouldn’t forget that this is a community event, and if you’re a part of the community and you love the festival, sign up to volunteer,” Jackson said. “You get a free T-shirt. You get a lot of love, a lot of laughs and a chance to see NMF from the inside for a few hours.”
The festival costs about $280,000 to produce each year, primarily funded through sponsorships and donations. Jackson said those sponsorships also help highlight Norman’s growing downtown district.
“One of the things this year that we really want to focus on is just how amazing our downtown has become. Our downtown is a destination district year round, not just on festival weekend,” Jackson said. “We’re going to be putting together a lineup of all the places that you can’t miss when you’re downtown, attending the festival.”
Norman Music Festival will be from April 23-25 in downtown Norman. Information and applications can be found online.
This story was edited by Madisson Cameron. Andrew Higgins, Arthur Shamayev and Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
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