The Church Studio announces Carney Fest

A live music festival is scheduled for April 15 at 3rd & Trenton Ave., in Tulsa

On April 15, Tulsa’s The Church Studio will present Carney Fest ‘23, their first annual cultural music festival from 11 am to 11 pm. The event, named after Leon Russell’s 1972 album “Carney,” which rose to #2 on the Billboard 200, will promote live music with a fun carnival-style theme, including food, exhibitors, art, a children’s area, and hourly tours of The Church Studio. The festival’s mission is to produce, promote, and perform a family-friendly outdoor experience that enriches our community’s cultural landscape through the power of music.

On the 15th, Trenton Avenue in Tulsa will be blocked from Third Street to Fourth Place, with a large, covered stage at the southern end hosting ten local, regional, and national artists. Eight well-known or up-and-coming bands will perform starting at 11 am. The Queen of the Tulsa Sound, Ann Bell with the Tulsa Sound will be the opening act at 7:50 pm and the legendary Reverend Horton Heat as the headliner at 9:30 pm.  

Benefits of Carney Fest

• Pay industry rates to 10 bands and over 60 musicians
• Use the services of 30 local businesses from sound and lighting, to security, rentals, and food/beverage
• Provide family-friendly entertainment to over 1,000 attendees
• Give a platform to 25 artisan exhibitors to reach more customers
• Lean into Mayor Bynum’s and Lieutenant Governor Pinnell’s strategic goal of Tulsa being a nationally and internationally known “music city” 
• Measure the positive financial impact of the festival on Tulsa’s local economy

The Church Studio was renovated from a church to a world-class recording studio and home to Shelter Records in the 1970s by native son, Leon Russell. As a historic landmark and one of the few recording studios in America listed on the National Register of Historic Places; The Church Studio, by way of Carney Fest, gives us an opportunity to celebrate Tulsa’s rich music history while blazing a trail for a creative and bright future for locals, tourists, and creatives.

General Admission tickets for the day’s events start at $35, and children 10 and under are free. VIP tickets are also available. Proceeds from Carney Fest will benefit The Church Studio Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

Carney Fest Line Up

• Zac Wenzel 11-11:45 am
• Travis Kidd 12-12:45 pm
• Brent Giddens 1-1:45 pm
• Dante & The Bird Dogs 2-2:45 pm
• Jake and the Idols 3-3:45 pm
• Until Now 4-4:45 pm
• Brad Absher & the Superials 5:45p-6:30 pm
• Insider: A Tribute to Tom Petty 6:45p-7:30 pm
• Ann Bell & The Tulsa Sound 7:50p-9:05 pm
• Reverend Horton Heat 9:30p-11 pm