GEORGETOWN, Texas — The Georgetown Red Poppy Festival is back for its 25th year, and there are plenty of events in store for the weekend.

What You Need To Know

  • The Georgetown Red Poppy Festival is back for its 25th year, kicking off on Friday, April 26 and ending on Sunday, April 28

  • Events include live music and artisan and food vendors

  • There is no admission charge for concerts or other activities. Attendees can bring their own lawn chairs and coolers

  • The festival is named after the red poppies that are a staple in the city’s history

The festival kicks off on Friday, April 26 and ends on Sunday, April 28. 

On Friday, live music is the main event with a performance from Dysfunkshun Junkshun from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. An artisan and food vendor market will also be available for attendees to shop from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday is jam packed with performances and events, starting with the Red Poppy Parade at 10 a.m. and a car show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Easton Corbin is the headliner for Saturday with a performance at 9:30 p.m. at the Red Poppy Stage.

The event is family-friendly and will have a kid’s zone open from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday features performances and artisan and food vendors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Events include a pet parade and performances from The Lockharts, Ballet Folklorico and the East View Steel Band & Jazz Ensemble.

There is no admission charge for concerts or other activities. Attendees can bring their own lawn chairs and coolers.

Free parking will be available at The Williamson County parking garage and the public parking lot on Austin Avenue. Public parking lots on Martin Luther King Jr. Street at West 8th and West 6th streets are also available. Handicap parking is available at the parking lot at 10th and Main streets.

On Saturday, free shuttles will run from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Shuttles will run from Georgetown High School, 1003 N. Austin Ave. and East View High School, 4490 E. University Ave. They will drop off at the Sunflower Parking lot located between 7th and 8th Streets and Rock and Martin Luther King Jr. Streets, a block from the Red Poppy Stage.

Streets around the Courthouse Square will start closing on Friday, so be prepared to take a different route if you’re in the area.

“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.”

The festival is named after the red poppies that are a staple in the city’s history. During World War I, a soldier from Georgetown sent poppy seeds home from Flanders’ Fields and the vibrant red blooms started to grow wild. Though they no longer grow wild in the area, residents of plant the seeds every year and continue to preserve the city’s history.

Red poppies typically bloom between March and April, just in time for the annual Red Poppy Festival.