Where to find some of the most unique summer festivals in Texas

TEXAS (KAMR/KCIT) – From drone and fireworks shows to community barbecues and eating contests, communities around Texas welcome the summer season each year with classic festivals and Fourth of July celebrations.

However, some festivals can’t be found anywhere else than in some specific corners of the Lone Star State. Whether you’re a tourist in Texas or a born-and-raised local, there are a number of events in the upcoming months that can offer a particularly unique set of summer memories for families.

Here are a few of them, as well as how they got to be a thing in the first place.

Route 66 Festival – Amarillo

Recently ranked among the USA Today’s Best New Festivals of the Year, the Texas Route 66 Festival in Amarillo began in 2023 as a new annual attraction for visitors and locals alike.

Held in June, the Route 66 Festival is a 10-day event featuring live music, classic car shows, exclusive bus tours, a cattle drive and a parade to complete the event. The festival was originally started by the city as part of the run-up to the 100th anniversary of the historic Route 66, which will be celebrated in 2026.

Amarillo stands as the middle-most major city on Route 66, and its metro area and the surrounding Texas Panhandle continue to maintain historic attractions from the prime of the road as well as modern draws for those seeking entertainment. The towns featured along historic Route 66 across the Texas Panhandle – Shamrock, McLean, Groom, Amarillo, Vega, Adrian and Glenrio – take part in the festival as well as its related bus tours, while also continuing to offer the “mother road” experience to travelers throughout the year.

CritterFest – Lubbock

In the latter half of June, the City of Lubbock hosts its most popular annual animal event at its Science Spectrum and Omni Theater, known as “Critterfest.”

Well-known for its numerous museums and schools such as Texas Tech University, Lubbock hosts many educational and family-oriented entertainment events throughout the year. For Critterfest, community members are able to experience multiple “headliner” events including the Pork Chop Revue and Crocodile Encounters, and learn about the Brazos River in the city’s only public aquarium exhibit.

Children’s Art and Literacy Festival – Abilene

As part of its celebration of its status as the Storybook Capital of America, the City of Abilene hosts its annual Children’s Art & Literacy Festival each summer.

Abilene received its designation after building a first-of-its-kind museum in the US called the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, and installing statues of iconic children’s books characters throughout its downtown area.

In 2015, the Texas Legislature designated Abilene as the official Storybook Capital of Texas for its celebration of children’s literature. Since that time, according to the city, the Children’s Art & Literacy Festival has drawn people from around the country each year.

To assist locals and visitors participating in the event, the city offers a website as well as a free Storybook Capital of America Adventure Guide with information on the festival, the sculptures and other attractions in Abilene.

Chisholm Trail Roundup – Lockhart

Always held in Lockhart in the second week of June, the Chisholm Trail Roundup has held its place for more than 50 years as the community’s largest annual festival.

One of many annual community festivals including rodeo events, carnival attractions and a parade, the Chisholm Trail Roundup celebrates the historic trail-bound heritage of the region as well as modern vendors and tourist attractions. As described by the Lockhart Chamber of Commerce, the event also features the crowning of its own CTR Queen and Court as well as live music and a grand parade.

Each year, noted the city, the event features food, vendor booths, rodeo activities, gun fights, live music and entertainment, and other attractions for the families attending from around the Lone Star State.

Texas Shakespeare Festival – Kilgore

Highlighted as “indisputably the best Shakespeare festival in Texas,” by The Austin American Statesman, the annual Texas Shakespeare Festival in Kilgore has been known as one of the state’s best community opportunities to experience the works of the legendary bard.

As described by the festival itself, the idea was developed at Kilgore College in the early 1980s by its founder, Raymond Caldwell, to establish a professional summer theatre for East Texas. Housed in the Van Cliburn Auditorium, the festival aims to have broad appeal to professional theatre artists and offer professional actors and theatre students the opportunity to work on plays “from the world’s storehouse of dramatic literary masterpieces.”

During 2024, which will be the festival’s 37th season, the festival noted that it will not only host performances of Shakespearian classics such as “Much Ado About Nothing,” and “Julius Ceasar,” but also more contemporary works like “Sweeney Todd,” “Tinker Bell” and “Jane Eyre.”

Water Lantern Festival – Waco

Hosted by One World in Waco, the Water Lantern Festival is based on the tradition of community members gathering to write messages and hopes or honor loved ones on paper lanterns before sending them to drift along a local body of water.

Although the presenting company for the event noted that it is for profit, it does donate to charities including Water.org for each of its events. Those gatherings, including the June festival in Waco, include live music, food trucks, activities and the evening lantern launch at the water’s edge.

Shrimporee – Aransas Pass

Marking its 76th year in 2024, the Aransas Pass Shrimporee Festival was described by the Chamber of Commerce as “a true celebration of all things shrimp, showcasing the culinary diversity of this popular crustacean.”

Organizers noted that the Shrimporee Festival includes a parade as well as a festival, featuring “a wide array of delicious shrimp dishes” as well as live music, vendors, contests and carnival rides.

As noted by local news outlets and organizers, the festival has been labeled the “Largest Shrimp Festival in Texas” and began when the town was considered the shrimp capital of the world, initially known as the “Shrimp-O-Ree.” It has historically been held a few weeks before the opening of the shrimp season, and has grown into one of the larger summer festivals to attract visitors from around the region.

Jim Bowie Days – Bowie

A central attraction in the quiet city of Bowie, the Jim Bowie Days Rodeo and Celebration has been a community staple for 58 years.

Now one of the largest events in the largest city in Montague County, festival organizers noted that the Jim Bowie Days Rodeo, Parade and Festival was the brainchild of area businessmen during a coffee break at the local Bowie Drug in 1967.

“These men wanted to bring folks to Bowie and began exchanging ideas. Along with groups such as the Jim Bowie Saddle Club, who was the driving force behind the rodeo for the event, and the Bowie Chamber of Commerce, it has become one of the most popular festivals in the North Texas area,” said festival organizers on the event website, “But, unlike the festivals of today, the Jim Bowie Days Festival had literally no money or sponsors. What you see today is the result of small town community, ingenuity and the plain ol’ hard work of good hearted and generous volunteers!”

The event currently features multiple rodeo attractions as well as a parade, bass tournament, golf tournament, cornhole tournament, artifact show and vendors for its community visitors.

Watermelon Thump – Luling

In 1954, the principal of the Luling Elementary School proposed the idea of a celebration to honor local growers and promote the Luling watermelon market. According to festival organizers, a contest was held to name the event, which was then named the “Luling Watermelon Thump” by a high school student. The four-day annual event has been a community staple of Luling for the decades following its inception.

As noted by organizers, the Luling Watermelon Thump has gained national recognition by naming champion watermelons – such as one in 2019 that weighed 141 pounds – and gained recent recognition by sending the champion melon to celebrities. Johnny Carson was sent the 1972 winning melon, President Ronald Reagan received the 1981 melon, and “spitting champions” from the event have also been featured as guests on the Tonight Show.

The festival currently includes watermelon rankings and watermelon seed-spitting contests as well as a carnival, live music concerts, food booths and an exhibitors market.

Visitors in Luling during the summer will also be able to visit the largest Buc-ee’s travel center in the world, which opened in the community in June. The new travel center replaced the city’s original Buc-ee’s that was built in 2003.

Crape Myrtle Festival and Parade – Waxahachie

The Texas legislature designated Waxahachie as the “Crape Myrtle Capital of Texas” in 1997 to celebrate its historic streets and summer-blooming crape myrtles. In light of the designation, city officials noted that the community has since designed its July 4th festivities around the Crape Myrtle Festival and Parade.

Now in its 26th year of operation, the festival and parade event is expected to last multiple days at the beginning of July and feature fireworks, family activities and events, a parade, food trucks, vendors and other offerings.

Sesquicentennial Celebration – Rockdale

The City of Rockdale is expected in 2024 to celebrate its 150th birthday with a 12-day celebration throughout the community.

The hometown festival for the Rockdale Sesquicentennial Celebration, according to organizers, will not only feature a drone show, food, music, family activities and vendors, but also historical presentations and the creation of a community time capsule.

Will Rogers Range Riders Rodeo – Amarillo

Set amid the July 4th celebrations around Amarillo, the Will Rogers Range Riders Rodeo is expected to hold its 83rd rodeo in 2024.

Standing as the oldest continually operating riding club in the United States, the Will Rogers Range Riders opened its riding club in the wake of the opening of the Will Rogers Memorial Highway US 66 in 1938. As described by the club, its members hold its annual rodeo as well as a community Easter egg hunt each year, and its members have historically aided area law enforcement officials with search and rescue missions in more remote areas of the Texas Panhandle.

As previously noted on MyHighPlains.com, the rodeo and other local events have been staples in the Amarillo community from the glory days of Historic Route 66, which was also celebrated in June with its second-annual Route 66 Festival.

Fishin’ Fiesta – Freeport

The Fishin’ Fiesta in Freeport is expected to celebrate its 77th year in 2024, organized by the Brazoria County Hispanic Lions Club and featured as a highlight event of the community since 1947.

As described by organizers, anglers “from far and wide” gather each July in Freeport to hook redfish, barracuda and other offshore and inshore catches. Alongside the fishing tournament, community members also experience live music, food, vendors and a fireworks display.

The Great Mosquito Festival – Clute

On the Gulf Coast directly south of Houston, visitors and locals alike can expect to find a few things: Picturesque wildlife refuges, lively beaches, stifling humidity, and mosquitos.

Big ones.

Sometimes, such as in the case of the community of Clute, a mosquito standing 26 feet tall.

While he doesn’t reach the heights of his other looming Lone Star brethren, such as Big Tex in Dallas and Tex Randall in Canyon, Willie-Man-Chew still claims the title of the world’s largest mosquito mascot and tips his hat to visitors to Clute Municipal Park in the last days of July every year.

According to the festival organizers, otherwise known as the “SWAT” Team, the Great Texas Mosquito Festival began in 1981 as a way to promote tourism to the Clute area. Standing as one of the more iconic instances in Texas of a community viewing a prevalent pest with a sense of humor, the festival has garnered a literal swarm of publicity throughout its four-decade existence from residents, tourists, travel writers, and even a Texas reading textbook.

The festival also features unique events that match its mosquito mascot, including the “Mosquito Calling” and the “Mosquito Legs” contests.

Kolache Festival – Caldwell

Known for featuring a pageant, brunch, eating contests, and heritage celebrations, the 39th annual Kolache Festival is expected to be held in Caldwell in the second week of September.

After free admission, Burleson County officials noted that community members will be able to enjoy attractions and homemade kolaches throughout the day, as well as polka music, arts and crafts, a quilt show, museums and an activity zone for children.

Texas Gatorfest – Anahuac

Whether they’re based on mythical creatures, cryptids, horny toads, or swarming ‘skeeters, Texas communities love to host events focused on their local mascots. However, in Anahuac, the celebration is less about a particular lizard and instead about the neighbors that outnumber the local humans nearly three to one.

Anahuac began its annual Texas Gatorfest in 1989, the same year that the State Legislature designated the community as the official “Alligator Capital of Texas.”

The designation shouldn’t be a surprise since Anahuac and its historic Fort Anahuac Park are settled at the mouth of the Trinity River and Lake Anahuac, amid an area noted by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to have one of among the highest concentrations of American alligators in the Lone Star State.

As described by the festival organizers, the event and its “Great Texas Alligator Roundup” coincide with the opening of the 20-day core habitat alligator season in Texas. Meanwhile, while hunters are able to bring in their “harvest” from the season and compete for cash prizes in the roundup, the Alligator Education Tent is also set up to provide information and awareness focused on the alligator and the coastal wetlands of Texas.

Altogether, the community of Anahuac has promoted the festival to celebrate its people as well as its wildlife, bringing in funding as well as raising awareness for its attractions alongside its wildlife refuges, historical sites, rare animals, and scaly neighbors.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com.