Spring is here, and with its arrival comes festival season. Browse art and artisans’ booths, listen to live music or get decked out in your Renaissance costume or kilt for a blast from the past. Here’s our guide to some of the best North Texas fests coming our way. See individual websites for schedule changes and other updates, and visit dallasnews.com/guide for more events.
DALLAS BLOOMS
The Dallas Arboretum’s spring flower festival is always as pretty as a picture. This year’s event is showcasing just that with the theme “A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words” and new selfie walls made for floral photo opps. Dallas Blooms features 120 varieties of bulbs bursting into 500,000 flowers, including 350,000 of the arboretum’s famous tulips. In addition to flowers, Dallas Blooms has live music and markets on the weekends, cooking demos, Mommy and Me Mondays, Tiny Tot Tuesdays and BOGO Wednesdays.
Through April 8, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. $13-$22, free for children under 2. Entrance to the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is $3 extra. $15 for parking, $11 if purchased online. Admission is buy one, get one free on Wednesdays. dallasarboretum.org.
DEEP ELLUM COMMUNITY ARTS FAIR
FREE Stroll along Crowdus Street in Deep Ellum to take in eight blocks of local and regional artwork, jewelry and crafts. There will be music on outdoor stages and roaming street performers at this family-friendly festival in the historic neighborhood.
April 5-7 in Deep Ellum, Dallas. Free admission. deepellumfair.com.
SOUTH STREET ART FESTIVAL
FREE Browse the work of local and regional artists including works in glass, fiber, jewelry, painting and more. Food and beverages will be available from a variety of vendors. Parking and admission are free for this festival, which takes place along the 300 to 600 blocks of East South Street in downtown Arlington.
April 5-7, East South Street, Arlington. southstreetartfest.com/ssaf.
SCARBOROUGH RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
Join in the mirth and merriment of the days of King Henry VIII at this festival, which features eight weekends with knights, villagers, jousters, birds of prey, the Mermaid Lagoon and 20-plus stages of entertainment. There are also rides and games of skill, along with food, pubs and taverns.
April 6-May 27, Saturdays and Sundays and Memorial Day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Scarborough Renaissance Festival Grounds, Waxahachie. $32 for single-day tickets, $14 for ages 5-12 when purchased online. srfestival.com.
MAIN ST. FORT WORTH ARTS FESTIVAL
FREE Billed as the largest four-day festival in the Southwest, this fair in downtown Fort Worth spans blocks of music, food and art, with hundreds of artists participating in this year’s show. The festival’s outdoor stages will host Southern rock, jazz, R&B and Tejano bands. Kids can get creative in the makers zone and Sharpie Markers station.
April 18-21, opening daily at 10 a.m. in downtown Fort Worth. Free admission. mainstreetartsfest.org.
ENNIS BLUEBONNET TRAILS FESTIVAL
FREE Photo ops abound along 40 miles of beautiful wildflowers on the bluebonnet trail that is officially open April 1-30. The three-day festival celebrating Texas’ state flower includes arts and crafts, food, a Taylor Swift tribute band and other live music, wine strolls, kid activities, and plenty of bluebonnet-themed souvenirs.
April 19-21, opens daily at 10 a.m. in downtown Ennis. Free admission. bluebonnettrail.org.
LONE STAR CELTIC FESTIVAL AND HIGHLAND GAMES
Scottish Highland Games athletes will compete in nine traditional field games. Listen to Celtic bands including Cleghorn, the Blaggards and more, and watch local dance students perform Irish dancing. There will also be a beer garden and marketplace.
April 20-21 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Myers Park, McKinney. lonestarceltic.org.
GRAND PRAIRIE MAIN STREET FEST
FREE The family-friendly festival takes place over three nights with live music including performances from Mark Chestnutt, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, and Michael Salgado. The street party also offers carnival rides, arts and craft vendors, food and beer gardens, a kids zone and more. Admission and parking are free, but some activities carry a fee.
April 26-28 at 200 W. Main St. and surrounding area, Grand Prairie. Free admission. mainstreetfest.com.
DALLAS ARTS DISTRICT CHANGING PERSPECTIVES BLOCK PARTY
FREE Bandaloop Vertical Dance Company returns to the annual Block Party with an aerial dance on the side of an Arts District building. Other performers during the evening include Tejano music artist Monica Saldivar, entertainer Dezi 5 and Bruce Wood Dance. Visitors can enjoy fare from food trucks, help paint a community mural and more. The rain date is April 14.
April 13 from 3 to 8 p.m. in the Dallas Arts District. Free admission. dallasartsdistrict.org.
ART IN THE SQUARE
FREE The juried art festival also has live entertainment on several stages, including Free Fallin’ the Tom Petty Concert Experience. There will be games and crafts in the Kids Korner, food vendors, an ice tea stand, and beer and margarita tents.
April 26-28 in Southlake Town Square. Free admission. artinthesquare.com.
FESTIVAL OF JOY
FREE Celebrate Indian culture at the fifth annual Festival of Joy. The Ratha Yatra festival begins with a welcoming ceremony and parade and culminates with a performance by popular Indian artist Gaura Vani at 7 p.m. Presented by East Dallas restaurant Kalachandji’s, the event treats festivalgoers to a vegetarian feast, music, dance, and interactive holistic living and cultural exhibits.
April 27 at 11 a.m. at Klyde Warren Park, Dallas. festivalofjoydallas.com.
MAYFEST
Taking place along the banks of the Trinity River, Mayfest has activities for the whole family in Trinity Park. Live music, festival food, carnival rides, free children’s activities, a petting zoo, performing arts groups, paddleboats, rock climbing, people watching, an art and gift market, and a student art contest are part of the fun. Parking is $20 at Farrington Field and the Dickies Arena Yellow Lot.
May 2-5 at Trinity Park, Fort Worth. $7-$12, free for 2 and under, free admission for all on May 2. mayfest.org.
ASIAFEST
FREE The Plano Asian American Heritage Festival presents the 20th annual showcase of Asian culture. Along with performances representing all parts of Asia, there will be cooking demos, visual art, martial arts, origami, fashion shows and more. Vendors from area restaurants and food trucks will sell a variety of Asian favorites.
May 4 starting at 11 a.m. at Haggard Park, Plano. Free admission. visitplano.com/event/asiafest-2024.
COTTONWOOD ART FESTIVAL
FREE Shop museum-quality works by more than 190 artists during this juried show, which is held twice a year. You can also check out the ArtStop Children’s Area and plenty of local music and food. Live bands will play on the main stage. Food and drink options include wine, margaritas and craft beer from local breweries.
May 4-5 starting at 10 a.m. at Cottonwood Park, Richardson. cottonwoodartfestival.com.
40TH ANNUAL MAIN STREET FEST – A CRAFT BEER EXPERIENCE
A street fair in Grapevine’s historic downtown features craft beverages, live music, shopping and food vendors. Children can play in the KidZone, and everyone can enjoy the carnival midway.
May 17-19, opening daily at 11 a.m. in downtown Grapevine. $5-$9, free for ages 6 and under. grapevinetexasusa.com/main-street-fest.
MORE FESTIVALS:
BIG TEXAS BEER FEST April 6 from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Automobile Building at Fair Park, Dallas.
GARLAND BIG ART DAY April 6 from 2 to 9 p.m. at the Granville Arts Center.
DALLAS FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS April 13-14 at Kidd Springs Park, Dallas. dallasfestivalofthearts.net.
ARTS IN BLOOM April 12-14 in historic downtown McKinney. mckinneytexas.org/687/arts-in-bloom.
JAPANESE GARDEN SPRING FESTIVAL April 20-21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. fwbg.org.
ARTSCAPE April 27-28 daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. dallasarboretum.org.
ARBOR DAZE April 27 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Midway Park, Euless. Free. arbordaze.org.
LEWISVILLE COLORPALOOZA April 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Wayne Ferguson Plaza, Lewisville. Free. lewisvillecolorpalooza.com.
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