Chalk It Up!

When Main Street Becomes a Gallery

For one weekend each fall, Main Street in Broken Arrow changes. The streets of the Rose District become a temporary outdoor gallery. Original artwork covers the pavement, artists work in the middle of the street and people walk from one piece to the next. When the festival is over, the art is gone. That is part of what makes Chalk It Up special.

Chalk It Up returns September 11-12 for its 14th year. The free, family-friendly festival is produced by ARTSOK. We do it because we believe access to the arts makes a community a better place to live. The arts give people opportunities to create, express themselves and experience something together. They also bring people into our community and help make a downtown feel active and welcoming.

Chalk Art Competition

The centerpiece is the chalk art competition. More than 50 artists of different ages and experience levels create large 10-by-10-foot works directly on Main Street. Some are professional artists. Others are emerging artists or people who simply want to try something new. They all have the same canvas: the pavement.

The chalk is only part of the weekend. The Rose Festival takes place alongside Chalk It Up, adding another reason to spend time in the Rose District. Visitors will find local artists selling handmade work, a community gallery art contest at Arts@302, food trucks and live entertainment. People come to see the chalk art and the roses, but they often stay to shop, eat, listen to music, and visit with friends.

A Free Community Event

Although Chalk It Up takes place in Broken Arrow, it is not just a Broken Arrow event. Artists, vendors and visitors come from throughout the Tulsa region and beyond. People travel here to participate in the chalk competition, sell their work and enjoy the festival. That regional participation is important to us. It shows what can happen when a community creates something people want to be part of.

Keeping the festival free is an important part of our mission. Chalk It Up is made possible through partnerships with businesses and organizations that sponsor the festival or participate as exhibitors. Their support helps pay for the festival and allows anyone to come and experience it without buying a ticket.

Main Street becomes a place where people gather around art. Artists are working, families are walking through the streets and thousands of people are sharing the same space. Then the festival ends, the streets are cleaned and the chalk disappears. Main Street goes back to normal. But for two days, people get to see what happens when a community makes room for the arts.

CHALK IT UP 2026 FREE and FAMILY-FRIENDLY Event Details

Friday, Sept. 11 – 5:00–8:30 p.m.

• Festival opens
• Chalk artists at work
• Artist vendors
• Food trucks
• Live entertainment

Saturday, Sept. 12 – 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

• Chalk competition continues
• Artist vendors
• Gallery art contest at Arts@302
• Food trucks/ Beer Garden
• Live entertainment
• Chalk artists complete their work for judging (by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday)
• Chalk competition awards Main Street, Rose District, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

More Information: 

artsok.org/chalk-it-up

Presented by Oklahoma Central Credit Union