Texas Blueberry Festival
For the past 30 years Nacogdoches has welcomed visitors from all across the country to it's annual Blueberry Festival! This year it will take place on Saturday, June 8th in the streets of Downtown Nacogdoches. There are a ton of events that are sure to get the whole family excited like the: Mr. and Miss. Blueberry pageant, blueberry 5k run/walk, pie eating contest, live entertainment, and much more! Keep reading to find out more about this small town tradition.
This blueberry inspired event is the only state-sanctioned festival in all of Texas! Over 24,000 people flock to Nacgdoches to take a bite into this fun filled weekend. While the main events and competitions don't happen until Saturday, you should get into town on Friday, June 7th, to enjoy a bluegrass concert from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Festival Plaza in Downtown Nacogdoches. This night of family-friendly entertainment will feature four bluegrass acts: Catahoula Drive, the Purple Hulls, the Jeff Robertson Band, and El Camino Real de Nacogdoches.
Saturday, June 8th is when the real fun begins. From 8 a.m to 4 p.m. in the heart of Downtown Nacogdoches get ready to enjoy all things blueberry! Let's start with the competitions. The event for the early risers is the 5k Run/Walk. Registration starts at 6:30 a.m. and you will want to be on time because only the first 300 people will be able to participate. Or register today here. T-shirts will be given on a first come first serve basis. One of the biggest competitions of this festival is the Mr. and Miss. Blueberry pageant. Beginning at 10:30 a.m. kids and teens from babies to 22 year olds will put on their best blueberry inspired outfits and wow the judges with their stage presence and talent. The pageant will take place in the student center at SFA and the winners will be introduced later in the day in Downtown Nacogdoches.
Two competitions that involve eating blueberry treats are the the Blue Pies Smiling at Me Pie Eating Contest and the Blueberry Cupcake Battle. The pie eating contest will begin with registration at 9 a.m and then the feasting will begin an hour later at 10. Participants 12 and younger will have three contests at 10 and 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. The adult contests will be at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Get a taste for what's in store by watching this short clip here. The next scrumptious event is the cupcake battle. Amateur and professional bakers are asked to bring 6 cupcakes for the judges to try and the winners of each category/age group will win some amazing prizes. All contestants will need to pay an entry fee of $5 and entries are due by 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. For more information and the registration form click here.
Now besides competing their is still a lot of things for the entire family to enjoy at this blueberry event. Entertainment includes: a True Blue Pet Parade at 10 a.m. that will have four-legged friends dressed adorable berrylicious costumes, shopping from over 100 vendors, a unique car show, and a super fun kids zone that includes an obstacle course, petting zoo, and a splash/bounce park. Let's not forget about the wide variety of tasty treats like: fresh blueberries, a blueberry pancake breakfast, barbecue, and a soda and sweet shoppe!
Grab your RV and friends and head to Nacogdoches this weekend for what is bound to be a berry exciting time. For more information visit the festival website here. Share your blueberry experience with us on social media by tagging us and using the #OnTheGoWithRVO. As always thanks for reading this blog and happy travels and blueberry tasting!