CHI Health Center Omaha – Local Festivals
No matter what time of the year you visit Omaha, Nebraska, there’s probably a festival happening. When you visit the CHI Health Center Omaha, there are many festivals taking place in the area, so get ready to have a ball with the local community.
Annual events include celebrations of sports, culture, art, music, food, and more. Omaha knows how to throw a party, so you’re guaranteed to have an amazing time at any festival you attend. If you are in Omaha attending an event at the CHI Health Center Omaha, check if one of the below festivals is taking place while you’re in the city.
College World Series
The College World Series is the longest running sporting tradition in the United States. Omaha is lucky enough to host the College World Series annually. The city’s devotion to sports is made clear during this 10-day event that happens every June. To take part in this multi-day festival, take a six-minute walk from CHI Health Center Omaha to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
During these 10 days, fan festivals and tailgating happen near the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. To accommodate the many guests, food trucks and street vendors line up along the streets, so stop by a food truck for some creative dishes while you enjoy live music. In addition to food, drinks, and music, you get to watch some of the best college baseball in the nation!
Fort Omaha Intertribal Powwow
The Fort Omaha Intertribal Powwow takes place in September at the Fort Omaha Campus, which is five miles from the CHI Health Center Omaha. This festival is free to attend and open to everyone.
The purpose of this powwow is to honor the Native American culture of tribes across Nebraska, including the Ponca, Omaha, Santee Sioux, and Winnebago. During the event, guests will be able to watch traditional dances and listen to live music. If you’re interested in Native American history and myths, listen to the oral histories and stories being shared throughout the festivities. While you’re there, be sure to try some customary Native American food.
Greek Festival
Opa! Don’t miss out on this three-day Greek Festival at the St. John Missionary Baptist Church. The location for this celebration is a seven-minute drive from the CHI Health Center Omaha. Tickets are three dollars each day for adults. Children 12 and under get in for free. If you are military, police, fire personnel, or a student with an ID, you can also attend for free.
You’ll be immersed in Greek culture the moment you enter the festival. Authentic Greek music is featured with folk dancing in full Greek attire. Make sure you come with an appetite for homemade Greek cuisine during your visit. There will also be an agora, or marketplace, set up for shopping. For thrill seekers, carnival rides and games are also part of the festivities.
Santa Lucia Festival
Grazia Bonafede Caniglia founded the Italian Santa Lucia Festival in 1925. When Grazia immigrated to Omaha, she would walk to the now St. Frances Cabrini Church in Omaha to pray every day. Her faith led her to recreate Carlentini’s Santa Lucia Festival. As an immigrant from Sicily, Grazia wanted to create a sense of community and faith for other Italian immigrants. Today, Omaha’s Santa Lucia Festival is one of the few organizations supported by the local Italian community.
Every June, guests can come to the Lewis and Clark Landing in Downtown Omaha to enjoy this festival. It is only about a mile from the CHI Health Center Omaha. The festivities last for five days. Guests can take part in a cannoli eating contest, listen to live music, dance, witness the coronation of the Santa Lucia Festival Queen, and more.
Oktoberfest
If you are 21 and over and in Omaha during the last week of September, stop by Crescent Moon and Huber-Haus to take part in Oktoberfest. These two bars are a seven-minute drive from the CHI Health Center Omaha.
For two days, you can indulge in German food, beer, and music. Food includes brats, schnitzel, pretzels, and traditional desserts. There will also be a large selection of Oktoberfest glassware for sale. And we can’t forget to mention that the admission ticket includes a giveaway entry for a trip to Munich, Germany.
Taste of Omaha
Over three days at the end of May and into June, the Heartland of American Park and the Lewis and Clark Landing are transformed into grounds for a massive food festival called the Taste of Omaha. Both parks are within a mile of the CHI Health Center Omaha, so there’s no good reason to pass up on a visit to this foodie heaven.
Throughout these two riverfront parks, six stages are set up for popular bands and musicians to perform during the festival. All of these shows are free to attend. Other than live entertainment, there will be food sold from Omaha’s top restaurants. The cuisines showcased will include American, Mexican, Italian, Greek, Polish, Asian, and many more. To see specific eateries participating, check out the festival’s website.
Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival
The Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival isn’t in Omaha, but it is only a half hour drive from the CHI Health Center Omaha. The two-day event takes place in Gretna at the Leo Royal Park. It’s well worth the drive if you love wine and want to witness breathtaking views of colorful hot air balloons in the sky. This annual festival takes place in August.
During the day, guests can enjoy award-winning wines and delicious food while listening to live music from local bands. As the evening comes, there are two hot air balloon launches. In addition to the wine, food, and hot air balloons, there will be a marketplace and pony rides and activities for kids.
Shakespeare on the Green
Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, Inc., is a nonprofit organization that started in 1986. This organization believes that Shakespeare’s work explores what it means to be human and is essential to broadening cultural beliefs. They strive to find a way to bring Shakespeare outside of the classroom and into the community.
A year after their founding, they began annual productions called Shakespeare on the Green. This free festival runs for three weeks in June. They pick two Shakespeare plays and alternate performances of them over the three weeks. The shows take place at Grace Young Park, which is a 14-minute drive from the CHI Health Center Omaha. Show up early for pre-show entertainment and games. Stay after to take part in nightly forums.
Jazz on the Green
On Thursday nights throughout the summer, take a six-minute drive from CHI Health Center Omaha to Turner Park at Midtown Crossing for the free Jazz on the Green festival. This event is great for music lovers of all ages.
Jazz musicians from around the nation are featured in this outdoor jazz festival. To stay comfortable during the event, make sure to bring blankets or chairs. You can even bring outside food and beverages, including beer and wine. So if you’re in Omaha during the summer, pick a Thursday to hang out in a beautiful park with amazing music.
Omaha Fashion Week
In August, Omaha is home to the nation’s fifth-largest fashion event, Omaha Fashion Week. This is the Midwest’s premier fashion event. It supports independent fashion designers. This upscale fashion festival takes place at the Omaha Design Center, which is less than a mile from the CHI Health Center Omaha.
Doors to the event open at 6 p.m. Buy your ticket and show up early to take part in the Pretty in Patina Pre-Party, VIP lounge and bar, live entertainment, Pop-Up Shop Market, and Omaha Fashion Week Carpet Experience. All this leads up to the main show on the runway.
Omaha Summer Arts Festival
The annual Omaha Summer Arts Festival, or “OSAF,” takes place every June. It typically takes place at Gene Leahy Mall, which is five minutes from the CHI Health Center Omaha. However, due to renovations, it will not return to this destination until 2022. The alternate festival site is alongside TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on Mike Fahey Street. This is actually even closer to CHI Health Center Omaha.
Over the course of three days, there are hundreds of visual artists gathered to share their artwork. There are also two stages that will have continuous music performances throughout the event. If you are attending with children, there is also a hands-on Children’s Fair to keep them entertained. All concerts and galleries are free, but bring some cash to spend to buy artwork, merchandise, and food.
Sand in the City
Want to bury your toes in the sand but you’re not near a beach? No problem, because during the Sand in the City festival, you can do just that. From the CHI Health Center Omaha, take an 11-minute drive to Baxter Arena to get your hands dirty as you have fun in the sun.
During this multi-day festival in June, 350 tons of sand is brought to Omaha to create giant sandboxes for guests of all ages. There is a section just for kids to play, but there are also areas that used by sand artists from across the country. They create stunning sculptures and castles, and the public will vote for their favorite. Additionally, there is live entertainment, games, and food to enjoy during the event.
Railroad Days
All aboard! Over a weekend in July, two locations in Omaha take part in Railroad Days. This festival celebrates the region’s railroad heritage at railroad-themed attractions. The ticket price includes transportation via bus and trolly between all five locations, two in Omaha and three in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The first location in Omaha is at the Lauritzen Gardens, which is three miles from the CHI Health Center Omaha. At these gardens, guests can view model railroads that show replica train lines winding through Omaha’s landmarks. Visitors can marvel at the Centennial No. 6900 and Big Boy No. 4023. Small children have the opportunity to go on free train rides and see a working rail yard made from Legos.
The Durham Museum is the second location in Omaha and is less than two miles from the CHI Health Center Omaha. Model trains and railroad experts are at the House of Trains exhibit. In addition to the train exhibits set up for this event, guests will also be able to see the regular exhibits at the Durham Museum while they’re there.
Holiday Lights Festival
Many of the aforementioned festivals have been during spring and summer, but the Holiday Lights Festival takes place during the holiday season. So if you find yourself at the CHI Health Center Omaha between the months of late November through early January, you’ll be able to take part in these festivities.
Over these holiday months, Omaha celebrates the with family-friendly activities. Over 40 blocks of Downtown Omaha are illuminated by dazzling light displays. Events taking place during this festival include the Thanksgiving Lighting Ceremony, Lincoln Financial Group Making Spirits Bright Holiday Concert, Sounds of the Season, The Capitol District Ice Rink, KETV Family Festival, and New Year’s Eve Fireworks Spectacular. These events run throughout the month, so check out the festival’s website for specific dates, times, and locations.