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Chickasaws from across the globe will gather to celebrate cultural pride during the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival, Sept. 27 through Oct. 5.

A wide array of activities will be conducted in communities throughout the Chickasaw Nation.

Each year, friends and family travel from near and far to attend the weeklong event, which is highlighted by Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby’s State of the Nation Address, set for 9 a.m., Oct. 5, at the Aiitafama' Ishto “large meeting place” on the Chickasaw Capitol grounds in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.

The tradition of Chickasaw Annual Meeting began in 1960, when more than 100 Chickasaws met at Seeley Chapel near Connerville, Oklahoma, to discuss the state of their nation and a vision for the future. The Chickasaw Nation pays tribute to this historic event each year by celebrating Chickasaw pride and progress during the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival.

This year marks the 64th Annual Meeting of the Chickasaw Nation and 36th Chickasaw Festival.

Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival features a wide array of events and celebrations including the coronation of tribal princesses, stickball games, a 5K run and 1-mile fun walk, archery, senior and junior Olympics, golf, horseshoe and cornhole tournaments, and more.

The hub of activity is the capitol grounds, where activities from cultural demonstrations, educational tours, stickball, children’s activities, and the Southeastern Art Show and Market (SEASAM) are located. Other events planned for the week include a parade, arts and crafts vendors, food booths, a health fair, a parent/child fishing tournament, archery tag, storytelling, live entertainment, and more.

Activities kick off Friday, Sept. 27 with a golf tournament in Tishomingo, a two-day women’s and men’s fast pitch softball tournament in Ada, and a social stickball game and stomp dance in Kullihoma.

A 1-mile fun walk, 5K run, pickleball tournament, junior and adaptive junior Olympics, and a golf tournament are set for Sept. 28 in Tishomingo. A stickball tournament at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur, and the Pontotoc Pursuit bicycle ride, Ada, will also take place Sept. 28. Tishomingo Golf Course will host the annual golf tournament beginning at 1 p.m., Sept. 29.

Three young ladies will be crowned Chickasaw Princess, Chickasaw Junior Princess and Little Miss Chickasaw during the Chickasaw Princess Pageant, 6 p.m., Sept. 30, at the Ada Cougar Activity Center, Ada. Princesses serve for one year as ambassadors of the Chickasaw Nation at events across the U.S.

Chickasaw elders will gather for the Chickasaw senior Olympics Oct. 2 in Tishomingo and the Mitchell Memorial Church tour will take place in Ada.

Thursday, Oct. 3, Chickasaw Cultural Evening and the Arts and Cultural Awards will be conducted from 4-8 p.m. at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur. The event includes cultural demonstrations, a Chickasaw Press author reception and book release, SEASAM awards ceremony and art preview, as well as a traditional meal. Presentation of the prestigious Silver Feather Award, an elite award for Chickasaws who dedicate themselves to the preservation and revitalization of Chickasaw language, culture and lifeways, is included in the evening’s festivities.

The Southeastern Art Show and Market opens 9 a.m., Oct. 4 on the capitol grounds, where attendees may browse and purchase artwork created by artists of Southeastern tribes.

Planned activities following Governor Anoatubby’s Oct. 5 State of the Nation Address include food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, SEASAM, Chickasaw Press book signing, cultural demonstrations, a health fair, children’s activities, a parade, live music, Chickasaw craft classes, and more. A complete list of events, locations and schedules is available online at AnnualMeeting.Chickasaw.net. The event schedule is subject to change.

Follow Chickasaw Nation social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram for updates. For more information, call (580) 371-2040.