May is bursting with festivals celebrating everything from Cinco de Mayo and culture to beer and berries. Here are 10 Texas towns ripe with fun festivals this month.
Fort Worth
May 4-7: Mayfest, dubbed the biggest party in Fort Worth, brings four days of live music, festival food, carnival rides, performing arts, pet adoptions, 60-plus vendors, free children’s activities and more to 33 acres in Trinity Park. Admission is free on Thursday. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, tickets are $12 for ages 13 and up, $7 for seniors and children 3-12, and free for kids 2 and younger. More at mayfest.org.
Buc Days Festival is a pirate-themed festival that commences with the Mayor of Corpus Christi walking the plank. Contributed by Visit Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi
May 4-14: Corpus Christi’s annual Buc Days Festival kicks off with the town’s mayor walking the plank and brings 11 days of nonstop fun in the form of a rodeo, carnival rides, parades, fair food and a rodeo concert series featuring musical talents including Carly Pearce and Tracy Lawrence. The pirate-themed festival will take place at the American Bank Center and feature a slew of family-friendly activities like the Stripes Carnival, racing pigs, a petting zoo, pony rides, an indoor shopping event coined Treasure Island, multiple parades, BBQ on the Bay Competition, the Robotics Rodeo and more. More at https://bucdays.com/.
Book it to Brenham for the annual Maifest celebration. Contributed
Brenham
May 5-6: With roots dating back to the German Volkfest in 1874, Brenham’s Maifest bills itself as the oldest festival in Texas. Make a beeline to Brenham to experience this free, family-friendly historic festival celebrating the deep German heritage of Washington County. At the 133rd annual Maifest, expect a parade, coronations, live music, delicious food, a carnival, beer tasting, children’s activities and more. More at www.maifest.org.
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Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Historic Market Square, the largest Mexican Market in the country. Contributed
San Antonio
May 5-7: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo throughout the weekend at Historic Market Square from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. At this celebration commemorating the Mexican Army’s defeat of the invading French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, you’ll find live bands, Folklorico dance performances, Mariachis, working artists and food booths –– all sponsored by the City of San Antonio. More at https://www.marketsquaresa.com/.
May 17-21: Head to the Alamo City for the 41st annual Tejano Conjunto Festival –– first and longest-running conjunto festival in the country. Internationally recognized as the most influential event for this Texas musical tradition, the highlight of the 41st Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival (TCF) is the opportunity to hear the very best in Conjunto music across a variety of styles. Tickets are available online and a 3-day pass is $45. More at https://guadalupeculturalarts.org/tejano-conjunto-festival/.
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Plano AsiaFest is an annual celebration of various Asian cultures and traditions. Contributed
Plano
May 6: The 19th annual Plano AsiaFest is a longstanding cultural festival in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex celebrating culture and heritage through performances, food, and art. Experience everything from Asian dance, music and food to a fashion show, martial arts and cultural booths unfolding in Historic Downtown Plano’s Haggard Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at this free, family-friendly and culturally rich Asian-American heritage festival. More at www.planoasiafest.com.
The Pasadena Strawberry Festival is celebrating 50 years. Contributed
Pasadena
May 18-21: It’s sure to be a sweet time at the 50th annual Pasadena Strawberry Festival, which bursts with fun in the form of 2,000 pounds of strawberries, the world’s largest strawberry shortcake, a parade, carnival rides, a kid’s adventure zone, a car show, mud volleyball, food, live musical entertainment and more. General admission is $15, children 6-10 and seniors are $5; and ages 5 and younger are free. Buy a three-day weekend pass for $30. More at www.strawberryfest.org.
Main Street Fest brings three fun-filled days to Historic Downtown Grapevine. Contributed by Grapevine CVB
Grapevine
May 19-21: The 39th Annual Main Street Fest is a family-friendly festival that’s one of the longest-running annual events in North Texas. Main Street Fest brings three fun-filled days of breathtaking shows, a Craft Brew Experience featuring more than 100 craft brews from 50 breweries, live musical entertainment and street performers, children’s crafts, carnival rides and much more to the heart of Historic Downtown Grapevine. General daily admission is $9 for adults, $5 for seniors and children 6 to 12, and free for children under 6. Weekend passes are $20. More at www.grapevinetexasusa.com/main-street-fest.
Richardson
May 19-21: The annual Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival is the largest music festival in North Texas. At this three-day festival unfolding at the Galatyn Park Urban Center, festivalgoers can also expect fun in the form of a Battle of the Bands, Budding Talent vocal competition and a songwriter contest and workshop and kids’ zone. This year’s headliners include Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, X Ambassadors, Judah & The Lion, Little River Band, Jimmie Vaughan and The Tilt-A-Whirl Band, and The Romantics and more. Three-day general admission packages are $75, daily general admission is $35, and kids 12 and under are free. More at www.wildflowerfestival.com.
Bandera
May 26-28: If you’re looking for a Memorial Day getaway with a big scoop of Western swagger, spend the weekend with wall-to-wall rodeos and boot scootin’ in the Cowboy Capital of the World. This year’s Memorial Day Weekend Stampede features PRCA-sanctioned rodeos every night at the historic Mansfield Park Arena, dancing at Bandera’s legendary 11th Street Cowboy Bar and a parade in downtown Bandera on Saturday at 11 a.m. Rodeo tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for kids 6 to 12, and free for kids 5 and under and active military and veterans with valid I.D. More at www.banderaprorodeo.org.
Rockport
May 27: The 26th annual Rockport Wine Festival features more than 75 varietals of wines, craft beer, local cuisine, shopping vendors and live music with this year’s headliner the Spazmatics and more. The festival takes place from 2 to 11 p.m. on the grounds of the Texas Maritime Museum. Find more and purchase tickets ($25 general admission) at www.texasmaritimemuseum.org/rockportwinefestival.
