ARMA FestAllegheny River Music, Art & Outdoor Festival
Three days of live music, local art, food trucks, and outdoor recreation in downtown Oil City. It kicks off with Friday's wine walk and closes out with Sunday's half-marathon.
Fri–Sun, Sept 11–13, 2026Kicks off Friday at 5 PM, wraps up Sunday afternoon
Justus Park & Town SquarePlus both sides of downtown & the Venango Campus
Free to attendOil City Uncorked (Fri) is $30 adv. / $35 at the door
Three days, banks to bandstand
Join us for three days of music, art, and outdoor fun along the Allegheny.
Friday
SEPT 11 Oil City Uncorked is ticketed
ARMA Fest kicks off with a wine & tasting stroll through the North Side storefronts.
The Oil Region Alliance presents $10,000 and $5,000 awards to two winners of the Elevating Outdoor Recreation Business Contest.
Arts Oil City runs its Artist Relocation videos on the big screen. Then stop into the Transit Building and meet the Annex artists in person.
Presented by OCMS, Oil City Arts Council, and Clifford's Carpets and Rug Gallery. Free concert, and the People's Choice winner takes home a $500 prize.
Beer tent on site (21+).
Saturday
SEPT 12 The big day: 11 AM to 9 PM
1st annual bike ride along the river trail. Registration at 8, riders roll at 9 (or register that morning). Best 5-card hand wins an $1,800 electric bike from Friedhaber's.
Open to all ages and talent ranges, plus a free bouncy house and mermaid hair extensions.
Food trucks (11–8) and a Beer Garden (2–8) alongside The Fallen Shoppe's Kaleb Lewis live-sculpting the 2026 "Guardian of the Allegheny" and 60+ other makers and artists along the river.
The Southside Neighborhood Association brings out the Oil City Fire Department for a live demonstration.
Kids build, paint, and decorate their own cardboard car, then "drive" it into the Library ballroom at 2 p.m. for a movie and popcorn with the OC Library and the Fatherhood Initiative.
Guided by Robin Moon, OCMS Public Art Chair.
Explorers journey to a remote plateau where dinosaurs still roam in one of cinema's earliest adventure spectacles. With live organ accompaniment.
Readings, workshops, and an open call to participate.
Sunday
SEPT 13 Half-marathon, then a full day at Justus Park
You can also sign up that morning.
Free children's activities with the Fatherhood Initiative and the Oil City Library, plus DJ Jimmy Juke Box hosting the acts below.
Dance performances.
Dancing and drumming.
Signature moments
A few things worth building your weekend around.
Oil City Uncorked
Friday, 5 to 8:30 p.m.: a wine & tasting stroll through the North Side storefronts that kicks off the whole weekend.
1st Annual Battle of the Bands
Presented by OCMS, Oil City Arts Council, and Clifford's Carpets and Rug Gallery. Free concert, Friday 7 to 10 p.m., and the People's Choice winner takes home a $500 prize.
Beer tent on site (21+).
Friedhaber's Family Friendly Poker Run
Ride the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail Saturday morning. Best 5-card hand at the finish takes home an $1,800 electric bike from Friedhaber's. Register ahead or that morning.
Food Truck Frenzy & Art Demonstrations
Food trucks and a Beer Garden fill Justus Park Saturday, with The Fallen Shoppe's Kaleb Lewis carving the 2026 "Guardian of the Allegheny" alongside 60+ other makers and artists along the river.
Bridge Literary Arts Festival
Readings, workshops, and an open call to participate, all day Saturday at the National Transit Art Building on Seneca Street.
ARMA Fest Pathways 1st Half-Marathon
The first-ever ARMA Fest Pathways Half-Marathon starts Sunday morning from the Venango Campus. Register ahead or sign up that morning.
Vend, ride, or run
Paperwork for the weekend's three signature sign-ups, straight from Oil City Main Street.
Set up as a vendor
Artisans and makers: apply for a spot in Justus Park or along the North & South Side art walk.
Run the half-marathon
ARMA Fest Pathways' first half-marathon. Registration opens 6 a.m. Sunday at the Venango Campus.
Ride the Poker Run
Saturday, 8 a.m. registration in Town Square. Best hand on the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail wins an e-bike.
A whole town's worth of partners
Questions about the weekend? Call 814-677-3152 or email srosen@oilregion.org.