Saturday, June 1-Sunday, June 2

Pride is back and grander than ever – that’s what the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center hopes for the 31st Tulsa Pride Block Party & Parade, Saturday, June 1-Sunday, June 2, in the East Village District of downtown Tulsa. Look for several events leading up to the big weekend (including a pool party) before the street party festival (3-11 p.m.) and parade (5 p.m.) Saturday. Vendors with plenty to snacks and mementos will be on hand as the festival stage rocks into the night with all kinds of music. The pride will run from the Brady Arts District to the Blue Dome District to the East Village and end at the Neill Equality Center, 621 E. Fourth St. The celebration continues with Picnic in the Park, noon-5 p.m. Sunday at Centennial Park, Sixth Street and Peoria. Presented by the Tulsa Shock, the afternoon includes bounce houses for the kids, sports and fellowship. Vendors will not be at the park. Ice chests, food, canopies, leashed dogs, games and, of course, families are all welcome. Visit www.okeq.org/tulsapride to see a festival musical line-up, parade routes and other details about the weekend.

Saturday, June 1, 8 p.m.

If your notion of Celtic music is limited to green glades, leprechauns and flutes, the Dropkick Murphys will change your mind. The American Celtic punk group bears all the telltale signs of an Irish pub band with accordion, bagpipes and kilts, but the Massachusetts troupe plays hard with electric guitar and the kind of vocal rasp that makes you want to clear your throat. The rockin’ group hits the Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S. Eastern Ave., Oklahoma City, with a show at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, with guest acts Old Man Markley and the Mahones opening. Tickets are $23-$28 (additional fees apply), available online at www.diamondballroom.net.

The weekend

One of Oklahoma’s favorite home-grown acts turns 25 this year, and the Red Dirt Rangers are celebrating with a brand new CD and an Oklahoma World Tour. The trio of Brad Piccolo, John Cooper and Ben Han heads to all corners of the state beginning Thursday, May 30, with a show at the Oklahoma Territorial Plaza in Perkins, followed by shows in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley Ave., OKC, welcomes the Rangers at 8 p.m. Friday, May 31. Tickets to this CD release party are $20. The trio moves on to the Guthrie Green outdoor stage, 111 E. Brady St., at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2. The Brad James Band opens for the Rangers at Sunday's free show. Considered by the band as its best recording yet, the new album Lone Chimney contains the signature amalgam of traditional country, roots and rock for which the Rangers are esteemed. The band is so highly regarded, in fact, that the Oklahoma House of Representatives just honored the Rangers for its contributions to art, music and community. To say Oklahoma likes its Rangers is an understatement. To purchase tickets to the Blue Door party, go to www.bluedoorokc.com. For more on the Tulsa show, go to www.guthriegreen.com. To see the band’s complete touring schedule, visit www.reddirtrangers.com.

Saturday, May 25-Monday, May 27

The Oklahoma City district already known for its art galleries and creative groove gets even groovier with the Paseo Arts Festival, which runs Saturday, May 25-Monday, May 27. More than 80 visual artists will be out in the historic Paseo Arts District, roughly the swagging stretch from the corner of NW 30th Street and Dewey Avenue to NW 28th Street and Walker Avenue north of downtown OKC. Visitors will find original art from painting and sculpture to photography and jewelry along with live music, dance and theatrical performances on the outdoor stages around the district. With a food court and children’s area, the Paseo Arts Festival has all the markings of a summer festival with a decidely boho vibe. Festival hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday. Read more about this Memorial Day weekend event at www.thepaseo.com.

Monday, May 27, 8:30 p.m.

You just can’t keep a singer like Dierks Bentley off the road for long. Only last month, Bentley toured through Tulsa with Miranda Lambert at the BOK Center, which came on the heels of another big show at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. He’s back in town this time to play a concert at the Hard Rock Tulsa Hotel & Casino. Tickets are $40-$50, but he isn’t keeping it for himself. All proceeds from this performance go to the Folds of Honor Foundation, which helps the spouses and children of U.S. soldiers killed or wounded in action. Show is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 27, at the casino’s event stage, the Joint, 777 W. Cherokee St., in Catoosa. For more, visit www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com.

Saturday, May 25, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

What has happened to Tulsa? There’s so much live music playing at free venues around downtown that other cities might get the idea that we do nothing but listen to the stuff around the clock each weekend. And so we do, which makes us pretty luck to have places like the Guthrie Green, 111 E. Brady St., in the Brady Arts District of downtown Tulsa. The stage, which stays kicking beginning this time of year, is host to the Tulsa Music Festival from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Bring out your chairs, blankets and sun block to the green lawn for a line-up that includes headliners Admiral Twin plus Pop Machine, Black Kat Benders, the David Castro Band, Briana Wright, Cold Case, the Blazer Band and Tulsa Rock Quartet. Remember, it’s free, but it’s also a benefit for Project Reach Tulsa, providing aid to underprivileged children, families, single mothers and widows. For more about the festival, go to www.tulsamusicfestival.com.

Opens Thursday, May 23

The Arts and Humanities Council’s Hardesty Arts Center (AHHA) reveals the story and process of its design by Tulsa firm Selser Schaefer Architects through a unique exhibition in which the design firm shares how it gathered information about the center’s use from administrators, artists, galleries, engineers, museums and individuals and used that information as the keystone – or the “sweet spot” – the design. Sweet Spot: Red Candy Bar and Other Design Tales also includes design interpretations in photo and video created by Tulsa artists Don Emrick and Geoffrey Hicks. The exhibition opens at the center, 101 E. Archer St., from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, May 23. Sweet Spot runs through July 5. Admission is free. For regular visiting hours and other information, visit www.ahct.org.

Begins Thursday, May 23

The name gives it away every time: Summer’s Fifth Night is something to look forward to every week throughout summer. Utica Square holds the 22nd annual concert series in the heart of its shops at 21st Street and Utica Avenue every Thursday night through Aug. 29 (except July 4). The outdoor location means it’s the perfect opportunity to bring a picnic basket and meet up with friends for some of the area’s finest musicians and acts. LOOK Musical Theatre opens the 2013 series with selections from its musicals Hello, Dolly!, The Drowsy Chaperone and Side by Side by Sondheim – the three shows it will present at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in June. One thing is sure, the music – whether pop, rock, country, jazz or roots – is sure to get you moving. Shows are 7-9 p.m. Find the schedule for download at www.uticasquare.com.

Friday, May 24-Sunday, May 26

There are so many giant acts coming to the Rocklahoma 2013 stages that each deserve to have the feature spot. Lucky for you, ticket holder, they can be found at one place on one hot weekend. This year’s outdoor rock festival has booked Guns N’ Roses, Alice in Chains, Korn, Bush, Cheap Trick, Bullet for My Valentine, Papa Roach, Skillet and so, so many more to play under the sweltering sun at Pryor’s Catch the Fever Festival Grounds, 1421 W. 450 Road, best accessed off of Interstate 44 at Oklahoma 20 (east of Claremore) and north on U.S. 69 north of Pryor. The yearly anthem to rock and free-wheelin’ liberty has campgrounds, a lot of parking, three stages, food and merchandise, and plenty of beer and drinks on tap. Check, check and check – it’s the stuff awesome rock and roll stories are made of. Single day tickets start at $79 and weekend passes run $185 for general admission to $400 for weekend VIP reserved tickets. Other fees may apply. Go online to see more special packages and campground fees. Rocklahoma runs Friday, May 24-Sunday, May 26. Get the rest at www.rocklahoma.com.

Closes Sunday, May 26

Gods are immortal. Art exhibits about them are not, and Philbrook Museum of Art is about to end its run with mythology this weekend. Aphrodite and the Gods of Love concludes its showing at 2727 S. Rockford Ave., on Sunday, May 26. This exceptional survey of antiquities contains more than 120 sculptures, ceramics, artifacts and jewelry pieces from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The works focus on mythology, history and all-things related to the goddess of love, her followers and legacy. Museum visitation hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday (open until 8 p.m. Thursday), and admission is $7-$9. Find out more at www.philbrook.org.