Throughout the year, Texarkana residents celebrate the city's diversity with special events and celebrations.

Cinco de Mayo— Local restaurants like On the Border and clubs/bars like Fat Jack’s Oyster and Sports Bar traditionally celebrate Cinco de Mayo with food and libations, while post-secondary educational institutions like Texarkana College also celebrate this holiday honoring Mexican heritage with various events.

Day of Pride— Equality Texarkana organized Day of Pride celebrates the LGBTQ community. The Second annual 2018 festival in June featured Texarkana native and “The Voice” contestant Stephanie Rice in concert, along with a parade. drag shows, vendors and more at Front Street Festival Plaza.

Fiesta Fest— UA Cossatot’s Fiesta Fest in De Queen, Ark., honors Hispanic culture with Mexican folkloric dancing, speakers, a talent contest, kid’s activities, live music, a cultural celebration and more. Formerly known as Diversity Fest, Fiesta Fest was held in May 2018 at the UA Cossatot De Queen Amphitheater.

Juneteenth— Various groups celebrate Juneteenth in June. In 2018, they included community organizations in Atlanta, Texas. Local churches have hosted Juneteenth picnics, while DeKalb, Texas, has hosted a Juneteenth celebration at DeKalb City Park that includes a parade, barbecue, softball games and more. Juneteenth commemorates the day slaves were freed from slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865,

Keeping History Alive— Annual celebration of African and African-American culture with dancing, drumming, spoken word, Afrocentric fashions. Billed as a pre-Juneteenth celebration, the event was organized in June 2018 by the local educational group The Scholars and the Texarkana College Black Student Association.

Mardi Gras— Depending on when Mardi Gras is observed each year, a local celebration is planned for Front Street Festival Plaza with a grand parade (floats and beads/ throws included) and a parade for pets and children, vendors, street performers, live music and a street dance, carnival rides and traditional Mardi Gras food like po’ boys and king cake.

Martin Luther King Day— Traditionally, MLK Day is celebrated in various venues by several groups in Texarkana and the surrounding area, including an annual parade in downtown Texarkana. The Greater Texarkana NAACP, Ozan-Inghram and Iron Mountain Neighborhood Development Corporation, Southern Arkansas University, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, AfricanAmerican Committee of the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council and other groups honor Dr. King with events in January.

Kiamichi Owa-Chito Festival of the Forest—

Held the third weekend of June annually at Beavers Bend State Park north of Broken Bow, Okla., the Kiamichi Owa-Chito Festival of the Forest celebrates both the local ties to the forest industry and the heritage and culture of the Choctaw and Native American community in Southeast Oklahoma.

Texarkana College— TC’s Cultural Awareness Student Association organizes various events throughout the year, such as Black History Month, Native American awareness and celebrations for Cinco de Mayo and Cesar Chavez. Events typically consist of a speaker and food. For 2018, a large Cinco de Mayo festival was spearheaded by the college’s Educational Opportunity Center.

Texas A&M University-Texarkana— The A&M-Texarkana campus hosts a number of cultural events, including a Hispanic Heritage Celebration by the Multicultural Association in October, Black History Month events in February, and an International Education Week in November. An Eagle Explorer Series brings world awareness to campus with events in the fall and spring, including cultural cafes, international films and guest speakers. Countries include Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Ireland, Nepal and China.