25th annual Red Poppy Festival in downtown Georgetown on April 26-28
Celebrate the City’s signature event on the most beautiful town square in Texas at the 25th annual Red Poppy Festival on April 26-28. The festival kicks off on Friday night and runs through Sunday with three days of music, entertainment, and family fun, and features more than 100 artisan vendors.
The City is offering a variety of options for visitors to get to this year’s Red Poppy Festival. Several free public parking lots are available throughout downtown, as well as a shuttle option Saturday.
“We are really excited to celebrate the 25th year of the Red Poppy Festival,” said Sharon Parker, Senior Special Events and Marketing Coordinator. “We have a lot of great things planned for the weekend and want to remind everyone who is coming to be patient and prepared for large crowds on and around the Square.”
Event schedule
Easton Corbin is the headliner Saturday night and takes the stage at 9:30 p.m. The Walburg Boys and Silverada (formerly Mike and the Moon Pies) will open for Easton Corbin at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Longtime festival favorite Dysfunkshun Junkshun is back for the Friday night concert at 7 p.m. There is no admission charge for the concerts or other festival activities. Feel free to bring your own chair and cooler if you are coming for the day.
Other festival highlights include the Red Poppy Parade at 10 a.m. followed by the Car Show at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Wrap up the weekend on Sunday, April 28, with the Red Poppy Festival Pet Parade at 11 a.m. along with an aerialist show at 1 p.m.
The Red Poppy Kids Zone is open 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The Kids Zone is free and includes an obstacle course, carnival games, basketball, peddle carts, and so much more!
Event parking
The Williamson County parking garage at Rock and Fourth streets and the public parking lot on Austin Avenue between Fifth and Fourth streets (next to The Monument Cafe) will be open during the festival. Public parking lots on Martin Luther King Jr. Street at West Eighth and West Sixth streets are also available. There is no charge for parking.
Attendees are asked to be courteous when parking on neighborhood streets and avoid blocking driveways or parking in No Parking Zones. No Parking Zone restrictions will be enforced. Parking in a No Parking Zone can result in a citation as well as your vehicle being towed.
Handicap parking is available at the parking lot at 10th and Main streets.
The City parking lot at Sixth and Main streets will be closed starting at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 25.
Free shuttles on Saturday
Free shuttles will run 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27.
Shuttles will run from Georgetown High School, 1003 N. Austin Ave., and East View High School, 4490 E. University Ave., and drop off at the Sunflower Parking lot located between Seventh and Eighth Streets and Rock and Martin Luther King Jr. streets, a block from the Red Poppy Stage.
Street closures
Austin Avenue closes Friday morning: Starting at 6 a.m. Friday, April 26, Austin Avenue will be closed from Sixth to Ninth streets. Traffic will be detoured to Rock Street. This is to allow the placement of the main festival stage. Austin Avenue will be closed through 11 p.m. Sunday, April 28.
Other streets around the Courthouse Square will close at 6 a.m. Friday, April 26, to allow for vendor set-up. Streets around the Square will remain closed through 10 p.m. Sunday, April 28.
Where are the poppies?
For a map showing the locations of red poppies in Georgetown, stop by the Visitors Center at 103 W. Seventh St. Or see a map at poppy.georgetown.org/things-to-do/red-poppy-tour.
For a complete schedule and more details, including information on parking and road closures, visit RedPoppyFestival.com.
