25 Festivals In and Around San Antonio to Check Out This Summer

By San Antonio Current Staff and Alisa Pierce

        
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Summer is here, which means there's plenty of cool festivals happening very soon! We gathered the best things to do and sights to do right in your backyard (or pretty darn close) this season.

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Kerrville Folk Festival
$20-25, Thu May 24-Sat Jun 10, Quiet Valley Ranch, 3876 Medina Hwy, Kerrville, (830) 257-3600, kerrvillefolkfestival.org
The Kerrville Folk Festival has become the longest continuously running music festival in North America since its founding in 1972 by Rob Kennedy. This year’s schedule includes performances by Son of Town Hall, The Honey Dewdrops and The Peterson Brothers.
Photo via Instagram / kerrfolkfest

Boerne Berges Fest Cookoff & Auction
Free, Fri Jun 15-17, Kendall County Fairgrounds/Herff Park, 1307 River Rd, Boerne, bergesfest.com
This festival is a three-day celebration of Germanic culture through food, parades and tournaments. The event even has a dachshund race!
Photo via Instagram / boernebergesfest

DreamHack Austin
$30, Fri Jun 1-Sun. Jun 3, Austin Convention Center, 500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, dreamhack.com/austin
DreamHack is a Sweden-based festival heading to Austin to celebrate internet culture with cosplay, live music and 72 hours of nonstop gaming.
Photo via Instagram / dreamhack

United We Brunch
$35, Sat Jun 9, Jack Guenther Pavilion, 210 W Market St, unitedwebrunchsa.com
United We Brunch combines delicious brunch food and live music to create a fun-filled event. All proceeds benefit the Briscoe Western Art Museum.
Photo via Instagram / sacurrent

Fun Stop 5K & Fest
$31, Sat Jun 23, Auditorium Shores, 800 W Riverside Dr, Austin, (512) 524-2945, funstop5k.com
Formerly known as Keep Austin Weird Fest, this athletic event allows runners to stop at puppy kissing booths, foam pits and even a donut shop. Runners are encouraged to dress up in their wackiest costumes and enjoy alcoholic beverages along the course.
Photo via Instagram / paigejwagner

PRIDE Bigger Than Texas Festival
Prices vary, Sat June 30, Crockett Park, 1300 N. Main Ave, pridesanantonio.org
The official San Antonio LGBT Pride Celebration is pulling out all the stops this year to encourage everyone to “live now - forever proud.” The celebration will have food and merchandise available while guests enjoy an illuminated night parade, a rainbow dash and a family fun run/walk.
Photo by: Julian P. Ledezma

Austin Ice Cream Festival
$15, Sat Jun 23, Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St., Austin, austinicecreamfestival.com
This festival allows guests to taste samples from over a dozen Austin ice cream vendors while enjoying live music and games all day. After Dark tickets give access to late night musical performances by DJ Mel, Tameca Jones and Lee Fields & The Expressions,
Photo via Instagram / positivelycourtney

Republic of Texas Biker Rally
$30-$89, Thu Jun 7-Sat Jun 10, Travis County Exposition Center, 7311 Decker Ln, Austin, (512) 854-4900, rotrally.com
This event combines elements from a variety of attractions such as wrestling, tattoo art, roller derby and of course bike racing.The most notable event will be the 50-block bike parade which will cruise down the streets of downtown Austin to end in front of the Texas State Capitol.
Photo via Instagram / laurenvarnercreative

Illectric River Music Festival
$60, Sat Jun 2-3, Whitewater Amphitheater, 11860 Farm to Market Rd 306, New Braunfels, illectricriver.com
Illectric River combines art installations, live graffiti and music to create New Braunfels premier EDM experience.
Photo via Instagram / illecticriver

Bat Fest
$15, Sat. Aug 18, Congress Ave Bridge, 100 S Congress Ave., Austin, roadwayevents.com
1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the Congress Avenue Bridge, making Austin home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Bat Fest sets out to celebrate the bat’s nightly emergence from the bridge with three stages of live music, 75 arts & crafts vendors and a variety of other batty activities.
Photo via Instagram / outdoorfamilyadv_com

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Frida Fest
Free, Sat Jul 14-15, Wonderland of the Americas, 4522 Fredericksburg Rd, sanantonio.kidsoutandabout.com
Frida Fest is an indoor, family-friendly event celebrating the life and work of Frida Kahlo. Kahlo’s creations are shared through an interactive gallery to educate and inspire future artists.
Photo by: Jaime Monzon

Vans Warped Tour
$45, Sat. July 7, AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Pkwy, vanswarpedtour.com/
Time to get nostalgic, y’all. Warped Tour is back for its final year with acts by 3OH!3, Bowling for Soup, Mayday Parade and many, many others. Get ready to become emotional while listening to your favorite punk artists and reminiscing of Warped Tour’s lasting legacy.
Photo by: Jaime Monzon

Blanco Lavender Festival
Free, Fri Jun 8-10, Blanco, (830) 833-5101, blancolavenderfest.com
Blanco City is nestled on the banks of the Blanco River and is home to the beautiful Blanco State Park. This June the city will welcome festival-goers who wish to visit local lavender farms, sample speciality foods and attend gardening seminars on lavender growth and bee keeping. The festival is perfect for horticulture lovers within the Texas Hill Country.
Photo via Instagram / aftpgallery

Float Fest
$139, Sat Jul 21-22, 601 Dupuy Ranch Rd, Martindale, floatfest.net
Float Fest is a unique experience which gives concert-goers the option to float the San Marcos river before listening to performances by their favorite bands.The lineup includes big names such as Snoop Dogg, Tame Impala and Modest Mouse.
Photo via Instagram / floatfest

Tequila, Taco & Cerveza Fest
$30, Sat Jun 9, La Villita Historic Arts Village, 418 Villita St, facebook.com
This festival is in its third year of showcasing San Antonio’s best authentic Mexican food and tequila. The festival will have live Lucha Libre & Mariachi performances to keep guests entertained while they chow down.
Photo via Instagram / ttcfest

Texas Folklife Festival
$12-$15, Fri Jun 8-10, UTSA’s HemisFair Park Campus, 434 S Alamo St, (210) 458-2300, texasfolklifefestival.org
This three-day event highlights Texan diversity through food, music and art. Attendees can expect a rich variety of ethno cuisine hailing from the multiple cultures Texas is home to.
Photo by: Ismael Rodriguez

Texas Water Safari
Free, Jun 9, San Marcos, texaswatersafari.org/
Texas Water Safari is comprised of several events including an information seminar, two short races and a 260-mile canoe race known as the Safari. The Safari, which has been called the “World’s Toughest Boat Race”, will begin in the waters of the San Marcos River and conclude at the shrimping town of Seadrift.
Photo via Instagram / kathryntart

Peach JAMboree & Rodeo
Free, Fri Jun 15-16, 250 Peach St, Stonewall, (830) 644-2735, stonewalltexas.com
Peach enthusiasts should head over to Stonewall to experience the joys of rodeo, peach judging, pageantry and even a peach-themed parade.
Photo via Instagram / kenzie.l.c

Annual LBJ Fishing Day
Free, Sat Jun 2, Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site, 199 Park Rd. 52, Stonewall, (830) 868-7128, nps.gov/lyjo
Celebrate Free Fishing day on the Pedernales River with free-to-use poles and bait provided by the LBJ Park staff. Guest are encouraged to bring picnic lunches to enjoy with their families while exploring the park, and to of course enjoy the water.
Photo via Instagram / biglife_magazine

Food Truck Fest
$15, Sat Jun 23, 412 Luckenbach Town Loop, Fredericksburg, visitfredericksburgtx.com
The Luckenbach Food Truck Fest will feature 14 regional food trucks and 12 Texas Hill Country wineries. Proceeds will benefit the Texas Center for Wine and Culinary Arts.
Photo via Instagram / fredericksburgfarms

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Balcones Heights Jazz Festival
Free, Every Friday in July, Wonderland of the Americas Amphitheater, 4522 Fredericksburg Rd, reachfortheheights.org/jazz-festival
The Balcones Heights Jazz Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a spectacular lineup of jazz musicians and area vocalists. The event’s headliners, which include Grammy nominated guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. and saxophonist Phillip “Doc” Martin, are sure to provide a diverse musical experience. Jazz lovers are urged to get to the event early as festival-goers are known to camp at the venue days in advance.
Photo via Instagram / balconesjazz

Classic Soap Box Derby
Free, Fri June 15-17, Historic Downtown, Marble Falls, (830) 385-9289, adultsoapboxderby.com
Celebrate Father’s Day by building and racing your very own derby car, or enjoy dancing and watching parades with your family at this weekend-long event.
Photo via Instagram / taylorweldon

San Japan
$61.50, Fri Aug 31 - Sun Sep 2, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E Market St, san-japan.org
Anime lovers unite! San Japan is a Japanese culture and anime convention where Texan Otaku’s can cosplay, listen to guest speakers (PROZD, Deadlift Lolita, etc.) and purchase an abundance of character merch.
Photo via Instagram / sanjapan

Waterloo Music Festival
$119, Fri Sep 7-9, Carson Creek Ranch, 9507 Sherman Rd, Austin, waterloofest.com
Waterloo is a three day, camping experience celebrating Austin’s music scene. Headliners include The String Cheese Incident, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Railroad Earth.
Photo via Instagram / waterloofest

River City Rockfest
$69.50, Sat Sep 22, AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Pkwy, rivercityrockfest.com
This event boasts performances by multiple rock legends, such as Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots and Bush. You can’t get a lineup much better than that.
Photo via Instagram / ralpharvesan