Events in Deep East Texas

Across seven towns, the calendar in Deep East Texas is nearly as plentiful as the pine trees. As long as you're a fan of festivals, chances are there's going to be one to suit your taste. Are blueberries your favorite fruit? Have a daily hankering for maple syrup? Did you spend your last paycheck on a new hi-fi setup so you can properly listen to those Muddy Waters reissues you have? Or maybe you're a blueberry-loving, syrup-on-everything bluesman. In that case, you'll be spending a lot of time in the Piney Woods. For your convenience, we've listed below some of the most popular events in Deep East Texas.

March

Azalea Festival

Held the third weekend of March at Sandy Creek Park, Jasper's spring festival brings local color with craft and food vendors, regional musicians, and, of course, a tide of blooming azaleas. Better yet, it's free to attend!

Sandy Creek Park
350 Marvin Hancock Drive
Jasper, TX 75951

April

Camp Street Blues

If April finds you at a crossroads, figure out which way Camp Street Blues is and take off in that direction. This is Crockett's annual blues festival that celebrates the memory of the city's most famous bluesman, Lightnin' Hopkins. Along with two full days of live blues—electric and acoustic, alike—the festival features local art sellers, food that will have your taste buds howlin', and family activities for all those future masters of the slide guitar.

Downtown Crockett

May

Fair on the Square

Sometimes, the community just needs to get together and have some fun. That's the spirit behind the Fair on the Square, Rusk's biggest annual event. Everyone gathers around town square on Memorial Day weekend for a full day of vendors, food trucks, and family-friendly activities. Bring the kids!

Downtown Rusk
Main St
Rusk, TX 75785

June

Texas Blueberry Festival

Ah, the blueberry. Both nature's candy and one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. We don't appreciate you enough, blueberry. But they do in Nacogdoches, where they hold the Texas Blueberry Festival every second Saturday in June at the height of blueberry season. The city rings in the harvest with a classic car show, live bluegrass, blueberry-themed competitions, and locally-made blueberry treats. Never doubt the bottomless charm of small town America. In case you're wondering, entry is free to all.

Downtown Nacogdoches
200 E Main St
Nacogdoches, TX 75961

July

Fourth of July Celebration

Hanging out by the water is as good an Independence Day tradition as you can have. With Lake Sam Rayburn so close by, that makes Jasper's Fourth of July celebration an easy choice to attend. Fireworks are a definite, but every year brings new activities for the family. In the past, there has been water slides, dunking booths, watermelon eating contests, and much more. Water slides and watermelon. Sometimes, the simple things remind you just how great you have it.

Sandy Creek Park
340 Marvin Hancock Dr.
Jasper, TX

October

Fall Butterfly Festival

Jasper didn't earn its title as the Butterfly Capital of Texas for nothing. Timed to the monarch migration and going for more than 40 years, the Fall Butterfly Festival brings with it arts, crafts, food booths, and the always-popular butterfly release. This is an especially popular event for kids, as past years have included a virtual reality ride, bounce house, dedicated area for the very little kids, and GellyBall (a safer alternative to paintball).

Courthouse Square
Jasper, TX

Scare on the Square

Come Halloween, work up the courage to visit Scare on the Square in Rusk. Always happening right before Halloween, the event is famous around the region for its costume contest, putt putt, axe throwing, and cornhole. It's like a big neighborhood block party for the entire town, with a generous helping of spooky. Local businesses, churches, and organizations bring candy, so make sure you bring your tricker-or-treaters.

Downtown Rusk
Main St
Rusk, TX 75785

Fall Harvest Lunch Train

While there are many themed train rides at the Texas State Railroad, one of the more special ones is the Fall Harvest Lunch Train. As you might've guessed, this is because it's timed to the changing of the colors. It's a 4-hour rount trip complete with a catered lunch that will be served outside on the grounds of the Rusk Depot. On the ride itself, before the lunch, you'll receive a complimentary Sparkling Cider to really get you in that cozy autumn mood. Have family coming into town? This train ride is a great idea for a weekend adventure.

Rusk Depot
535 Park Rd 76
Rusk, TX 75785

November

World Championship Fiddlers' Festival

Need a little fiddle? Find your way to Crockett, TX where the World Championship Fiddlers' Festival goes down on the courthouse square every November. And this isn't some manufactured event designed to get some headlines and attract eyeballs, either. This competition goes back to 1936. If you want to hear the fiddle make sounds you didn't even think were possible, you know where to be this November.

Ritz Theatre
620 E Houston Ave
Crockett, TX 75835

Heritage Syrup Festival

One of the sweetest festivals in all of Texas, the Heritage Syrup Festival takes place on the second Saturday of November. Syrup maestros run the Depot Museum's antique, mule-powered mill to produce ribbon can syrup like they did in the olden days. All the while, folk artists demonstrate lace making, rope making, blacksmithing, basket making, and wood carving. All in all, the festival is a dedication to the slow-and-steady, showing that there's still value in doing things the right way rather than the fast way. The festivites stretch out across six blocks from the museum into the downtown historic district, with typically over 150 craft booths and multiple stages for live folk music. They call themselves the only "folk life festival in East Texas." You can make up your own mind, but they've convinced us.

514 N High St
Henderson, TX 75652

December

The Polar Express

Few Christmas events light up the eyes of children as much as the Polar Express. This is probably the Texas State Railroad's most popular train ride all year, and the speed at which tickets sell out is the proof in the proverbial pudding. The ride includes hot chocolate and cookies, readings of the The Polar Express book, and a meeting with Santa and his elves. Don't be the mom or dad who waited too long to buy tickets!

Rusk Depot
535 Park Rd 76
Rusk, TX 75785

Christmas in Crockett

For many decades, Christmas in Crockett has been the holiday celebration families in the Piney Woods look forward to. It kicks off the holiday season with a festival of over 300 vendors selling handmade goods, holiday decor, and gifts you can't get anywhere else. Oh, and did we mention all the homemade festival foods? Fun activities will be available for kids, too, so let the babysitter take this one off.

Downtown Crockett

Christmas in the Park

Not every Christmas celebration has its very own drone show, but that's exactly the kind of thing you can expect at Jasper's annual Christmas in the Park. Going farther than simply lighting a single Christmas tree, Jasper's celebration has a "lighting of the park," instead. Festival-goers get to see someone flip the switch on Sandy Creek Park, turning it from woodsy getaway to winter wonderland. You'll also be able to partake in arts and crafts booths, meet Santa, take train rides through the park, and even some ice skating. Parking is free, transportation is free, and admission is free. If that's not the Christmas spirit at work, we don't know what is.

Sandy Creek Park
340 Marvin Hancock Dr.
Jasper, TX

Hometown Christmas

If you could somehow harness all that wholesome small town energy that reaches its pinnacle during the holidays, and concentrate that energy into a single event, you'd have Rusk's Hometown Christmas. It comes with a tree lighting at dark, towns of vendors, bounce houses for kiddos who've had too much candy, a live nativity scene, and train rides. In a one-two holiday punch, Hometown Christmas is routinely followed by Rusk's big Christmas parade just a few days later.

Downtown Rusk
Main St
Rusk, TX 75785