The Friday before the Red River Showdown is traditionally regarded as an “unofficial” holiday by both Texas and Oklahoma fans. The University of Oklahoma Student Congress had the chance to officially recognize this day on the student calendar.
However, the motion to declare the Friday before the Red River Rivalry as an official holiday did not pass in the Oklahoma Student Congress, and alumni and fans on social media have expressed their discontent with this decision.
They broke a 50 year tradition.
I hope the people on the student council realize that a sizable amount of people aren’t going to go to class anyway, regardless if they make it a holiday or not. https://t.co/HL6456MvEA
— Sidelines – Oklahoma (@SSN_Oklahoma) April 23, 2026
The kids are not all right in Norman, apparently. https://t.co/XocyOBNkpN
— Brian Davis (@byBDavis) April 23, 2026
The Student Congress instead opted to give students Election Day on November 4 as an official student holiday.
Telling the OU Daily paper, Henry Christiansen, an SGA Chief of Staff, said, “We believe not only is it just celebrating the tradition that is the Red River Rivalry, but this also gives people a chance to go down to Dallas for the game safely,” Christiansen said. “It’s busy traffic time down on I-35, so this gives people an extra day to go down… it gives them more leeway, especially in terms of assignments.”
Despite the support, the proposal failed to pass. It is unlikely to affect students who make the 2-hour-and-45-minute drive south to Dallas. The Red River Showdown attracts around 200,000 visitors to the State Fairgrounds on game day, with total attendance reaching 92,300.
Texas vs. Oklahoma is set for Saturday, October 11, at the Cotton Bowl.
