Welcome to the Celebration & Festive Events of All Things Oz

Oz-Stravaganza 2023 | June 2–4

The magic of a cyclone. The mystery of munchkins, peeking through your fingers at the Wicked Witch of the west, or the curiosity of a talking scarecrow. Whether you came to the World of Oz through the original L. Frank Baum books, the 1939 MGM Movie, The WIZ on Broadway or the big screen, or Wicked at the theater one thing is for sure…once you get a peek behind the curtain, there is no going back!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the ever-expanding OZ Universe have delighted fans in many forms since 1900, and now we welcome you back to the Birthplace of Lyman Frank Baum…the man who started it all.

The annual Oz-Stravaganza Festival is the largest and longest running Wizard of Oz themed festival in the world. The magic lives on for a weekend every year in Chittenango, NY (just outside Syracuse). 

Join us the weekend of the first Saturday in June for a trip down the Yellow Brick Road. There will be new friends to meet, entertainment to amaze, Emerald City shopping at its finest with vendors from near and far, as well as rides, games, a silent auction, and entertainment on the stage. There is also a costume contest, coloring contest, writing contest, and photography contest, and special guests from across the OZ universe!

In addition to the festival; (complete with Friday night fireworks and a Saturday afternoon parade, and evening shows featuring the special guests), Baum’s birthplace features yellow brick road sidewalks that take you to the All Things Oz Museum, a Creek-walk along Chittenango Creek, and the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum. Visit the shops and eateries throughout the village and take some extra time for nearby attractions like the Matilda Joslyn Gage Center (where Baum was married), the WILD Animal Park, Chittenango Falls State Park, and the YBR Casino.

Whether your slippers are silver or ruby red, take three steps, or click your heels three times and remember…there’s no place like home!

IN THE BEGINNING. . .

In 1978, Librarian Clara Houck set out on a mission to acknowledge the history of the Village of Chittenango as the Birthplace of author L. Frank Baum. Baum would go on to write the American fairy tale- “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to the delight of children around the world.

Clara organized the very first celebration. Local children dressed up as OZ characters and paraded around the library parking lot on May 15th. Then they went inside, had birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to L. Frank Baum.

A lot has changed since then. The festival became a multi-day event. Changed names from Oz-Fest to Oz-Stravaganza, and saw crowds increase from a few hundred for the parade to several thousand for the festival. The event is now run by the International L. Frank Baum & All Things Oz Historical Foundation. A non-profit, 100% volunteer led organization that does it all for the love of Oz.

We are getting ready to celebrate our 46th festival. The longest running and largest Wizard of Oz themed festival in the world is getting ready to dazzle thousands of fans, young and old alike in the birthplace of its creator, Lyman Frank Baum. 

This year, whether you are a first time visitor or a well-traveled Ozian, we invite you to join us in the Syracuse suburb of Chittenango, NY. Special guests, live music, costume contests, festival food, rides, games, authors and artists, vendors galore, fireworks, and a museum dedicated to All Things Oz. 

Come to Chittenango the first weekend of June. Join us for the whole weekend or just a day. And as for transportation- Syracuse has service by train, bus, and air. Of course…you can always arrive by broomstick, bubble or horse of a different color, if you choose.

No matter how you get here, we’ll be waiting to celebrate the OZ universe with you. Whether you fancy the MGM film or the books, Wicked, the WIZ, OzLand, Emerald City, Return to Oz, Oz: The Great and powerful or any other version of OZ- we have something for everyone. If you are an OZ fan…you definitely belong because after all…there’s no place like home!