OKEECHOBEE -- Labor Day weekend brings annual community traditions in Okeechobee, as residents and visitors celebrate the holiday with a festival in Flagler Park, a parade in downtown Okeechobee, and two rodeos featuring extreme bull riding.

Festival Sunday and Monday

Okeechobee Main Street’s Labor Day in the Park festival is a two-day event in Flagler Park off State Road 70 in downtown Okeechobee. This year’s festival will be Sept. 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The festival will feature arts and crafts booths, plenty of festival food choices, and entertainment. Admission to the festival is free. Main Street encourages festival visitors to support the vendors.

The annual Labor Day Parade will once again be sponsored by the Building Relationships Amount Teens (BRAT) Club. The parade will be held on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, following the regular parade route. The parade will start at the Aldi supermarket on Parrott Avenue (U.S. 441), travel north on Parrott Avenue to the main intersection, and then west on State Road 70 to the end of Flagler Park. Parade watchers often bring their own folding chairs to line the parade route. Get there early to secure a good spot!

Bull Bash Saturday and Monday

The Okeechobee Labor Day Bull Bash, a sanctioned Southern States Bull Riders Association (S.S.B.R) professional event, will take place Saturday, Sept. 2 and Monday, Sept. 4 at the Okeechobee Cattlemen’s outdoor grandstand arena on U.S. 441 North.

The event will commence at 2 p.m. with a flag ceremony to honor rodeo sponsors and arena sponsors, followed by a tribute to the flag of the United States of America and the national anthem.

The Okeechobee Labor Day Bull Bash promises fun for the whole family, including rodeo clowns and professional bull fighters.

Gates open at noon with onsite vendors, beverages and concessions. The opening ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. Tickets for admission are $12 in advance and $15 at the gate. Kids 12 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at Eli’s Western Wear in Okeechobee or online at TheOkeechobeeRodeo.com.

Okeechobee Cowtown Hoedown

Following the rodeo on Saturday, Sept. 2, the Okeechobee Cattlewomen will host the “Okeechobee Cowtown Hoedown” steak dinner and dance, featuring Lee Allcorn & The Long Shot Band. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and dinner is at 7 p.m. The dance will be held from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. at the Okeechobee Shrine Club, 1855 S.W. 53rd St. Tickets are $20 in advance/$25 at the door and can also be purchased at Eli’s Western Wear.

The historic Okeechobee Cattlemen’s grandstand rodeo arena is located in the heart of Okeechobee County at 1885 U.S. 441 North, about a mile north of the intersection of State Road 70 and U.S. 441.