Celebrate everything from Cinco de Mayo and Mayfest to beer and berries throughout the month of May in these 10 Texas towns bursting with fun and flavor.
Held on the first weekend in May on 33 acres in Fort Worth’s Trinity Park, Mayfest is one fun event you won’t want to miss. Contributed by Mayfest
Fort Worth
May 5-8: Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Mayfest, Fort Worth’s premier family-friendly festival that takes place in Trinity Park along 33 acres of the Trinity River. At Mayfest, expect live music, festival food, carnival rides, bounce houses, free children’s activities, a petting zoo, performing arts groups, paddleboats, rock-climbing, people-watching, an art and gift market, student art contest and much more. 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.
Corpus Christi
May 5-15: Corpus Christi’s annual Buc Days Festival, a pirate-themed festival that commences with the Mayor of Corpus Christi walking the plank, brings 11 days of nonstop fun in the form of a rodeo, carnival rides, parades, fair food, a rodeo concert series featuring Flo Rida, Bobby Pulido, Clay Walker and Randy Rogers Band, and much more. Treasure Island, inside the American Bank Center, will host a variety of vendors, along with racing pigs, a petting zoo and pony rides. Don’t miss the Professional Bull Riding Velocity Tour Finals on May 6 and 7 and the much-anticipated Corpus Christi Rodeo from May 11 through 14. More at https://bucdays.com/.
Book it to Brenham for Maifest this year. Contributed
Brenham
May 6-7: Book it to Brenham for the 132nd annual Maifest –– a free, family-friendly historic festival celebrating the deep German heritage of Washington County. Maifest has highlighted Brenham’s German heritage since 1881 and is now considered one of the oldest German festivals in Texas. Expect a coronation, live music, delicious food, a carnival, a parade through downtown Brenham, home brew contest, beer tasting, children’s activities and more. More at www.maifest.org.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Historic Market Square. Photo credit Tracy Maurer
San Antonio
May 7-8: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in 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/.
This San Antonio festival draws thousands of Conjunto music lovers from near and far. Contributed
May 16-22: Head to the Alamo City for the 40th annual Tejano Conjunto Festival––the first and longest-running Conjunto music festival in the country. The five-day festival takes place at Rosedale Park and the Historic Guadalupe Theatre and celebrates San Antonio’s rich Tejano culture through music, visual arts, literature, film and dance. The festival draws thousands of Conjunto music lovers and features over 30 of the best bands in Conjunto music along with plenty of dancing, food and drinks in a family-friendly environment. Purchase individual day tickets for $10-$15, or get a four-day pass for $40. More at https://guadalupeculturalarts.org/tejano-conjunto-festival/.
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Plano AsiaFest ’22 will be held in-person Saturday May 7 in Historic Downtown Plano’s Haggard Park. Credit AsiaFest
Plano
May 7: The 18th annual Plano AsiaFest will showcase the rich cultures of Asia: Japan and Korea in the north; China, Taiwan and the Philippines to the east; Vietnam and Malaysia in the south; and Bangladesh, India and Nepal in the southeast. 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 and culturally rich American heritage festival. More at www.asianamericanheritage.org.
The annual Western Heritage Classic taking place in Abilene brims with all things Western. Contributed by Abilene CVB
Abilene
May 12-15: Gallop over to the annual Western Heritage Classic taking place in Abilene. Brimming with all things Western, this internationally recognized three-day event showcases cowboy lifestyle at its finest with everything from a Ranch Rodeo, Rhinestone Round-up, the world’s largest Bit and Spur Show, a chuck wagon cook-off, a stick horse rodeo, steer dummy roping and the Regional & National Finals of the RHAA Working Ranch Horse Competition. More at westernheritageclassic.com.
Main Street Fest is three fun-filled days in Historic Downtown Grapevine. Contributed by Grapevine CVB
Grapevine
May 20-22: The 38th 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 80 craft brews, live musical entertainment and street performers, children’s crafts, carnival rides and much more in 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.
Pasadena
May 20-22: It’s sure to be a sweet time at the 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.
Richardson
May 20-22: The annual Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival will fill your soul with a wide variety of tunes from more than 100 musicians and bands including Collective Soul, Toadies, The Wailers and more. 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. Three-day general admission packages are $75, daily general admission is $35 on Friday and Saturday and $20 on Sunday, and kids are free. More at www.wildflowerfestival.com.
Rockport
May 28: The 25th annual Rockport Wine Festival features more than 75 varietals of wines, craft beer, local cuisine, shopping vendors and live music 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.
If You Go
Getting there:
Fort Worth is 3 hours from Austin.
Corpus Christi is 3 hours, 15 minutes from Austin.
Brenham is 1.5 hours from Austin.
San Antonio is 1.5 hours from Austin.
Plano is 3.5 hours from Austin.
Abilene is 4 hours from Austin.
Grapevine is 3 hours and 20 minutes from Austin.
Pasadena is 3 hours from Austin.
Richardson is 3.5 hours from Austin.
Rockport is 3.5 hours from Austin.
