The North Texas Irish Festival is produced by the Southwest Celtic Music Association and is held each March at Fair Park in Dallas. The festival celebrates the seven Celtic nations--Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, Cornwall, Brittany and Galacia--with music, food and fun. Kilts and canines are welcome.
The state’s rich Czech and German heritages are celebrated in October with a number of Oktoberfest events, but one of the most popular is in Fredericksburg, which has an Old World feel and is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. At this festival, visitors can enjoy German food and drink as well as the polka and the chicken dance.
The Scarborough Renaissance Festival, a six-week event that takes place only on weekends April through May, is held in Waxahachie and offers a glimpse into the 16th century. Turkey legs, jousting, jugglers and wenches abound.
The National Championship Indian Pow Wow is held in September in Grand Prairie. This September festival features tribal dance contests, a tepee exhibit and Native American foods, such as fry bread and corn soup.
North Texas Irish Festival
1920 Abrams Parkway, No. 382
Dallas, TX, 75214
214-821-4173
ntif.org
Oktoberfest
100 W. Main St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
866-839-3378
oktoberfestinfbg.com
Scarborough Renaissance Festival
P.O. Box 538
Waxahachie, TX 75168
888-533-7848
scarboroughrenfest.com
National Championship Indian Pow Wow
2602 Mayfield Road
Grand Prairie, TX 75052
972-647-2331
tradersvillage.com
Texas is famous for its rattlesnakes and roses, but it's also becoming known for its vineyards and berries. GrapeFest, held each September in Grapevine, is one of the largest wine festivals in the United States. It includes a grape stomp, after which the winner receives the Purple Foot Award.
The Poteet Strawberry Festival is held each April in Poteet--the “Strawberry Capital of the World”--and is the state’s largest agricultural festival and one of the oldest. The festival includes music, puppets and strawberries.
The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup is held each year in March. The world’s largest rattlesnake roundup includes a rattlesnake hunt, a pageant and snake milking.
Tyler is host to the Texas Rose Festival, an October event that features the coronation of the Rose Queen, tea with the queen and a parade.
GrapeFest
Main Street
Grapevine, TX 76051
817-410-3185
grapvinetexasusa.com
Poteet Strawberry Festival
P.O. Box 227
Poteet, TX 78065
888 742-8144
strawberryfestival.com
Rattlesnake Roundup
Nolan County Coliseum
1699 Cypress St.
Sweetwater, TX 79556
325-235-3484
rattlesnakeroundup.net
Rose Festival
Tyler Rose Museum
420 Rose Park Drive
Tyler, TX 75702
903-597-3130
texasrosefestival.com
Texas is famous for its wide open spaces and special brand of music, including artists such as Willie Nelson, Robert Earl Keen and the Dixie Chicks. It also is known for its music and film festivals. The Kerrville Folk Festival is an 18-day music festival held in May and June in the Texas Hill Country. The longest running music festival in the United States, it features traditional folk, bluegrass, acoustic rock, blues, country, jazz and Americana artists and is held on the Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville.
Austin hosts the South By Southwest SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Conference and Festival each April. The event features live music, film screenings and venues for other media outlets over a 10-day period.
Although Willie Nelson’s picnic left Texas briefly in 2007, the country singer now hits the Lone Star State’s roads again to celebrate Independence Day. The daylong picnic/music festival floats throughout the state from year to year, but diehard Willie fans never fail to make the trip.
Kerrville Folk Festival
Quiet Valley Ranch
3876 Medina Highway
Kerrville, TX 78028
830-257-3600
kerrville-music.com
South By Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conference and Festival
P.O. Box 4999
Austin, TX 78765
512-467-7979
sxsw.com
Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic
12400 Highway 71 W., Suite 350
Austin, TX 78738
512.263.4146
willienelson.com
