Don’t miss the Bluebonnet Festival in Burnet this weekend!
BBF Decorated Bikes Layla Schuetz (front) leads a procession of children on a 'tour' of winners in the bicycle-decorating contest at the 28th annual Burnet Bluebonnet Festival. Photo by Diana Cox
The Bluebonnet Festival returns April 11-14 in Burnet. Most of the events will be found on the Historic Burnet Square, with a few scattered about in other parts of town.
The festival draws thousands of folks to Burnet to watch the wiener-dog races, compete in the bike-decorating contest, take in the 5K runs and dog-house racing (yeah, you read that right). You might also find yourself in an Old West shootout. There’s even a rubber ducky race.
The festival cranks up April 11 when the Mighty Thomas Carnival is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the corner of Boundary and League streets just east of the square. The carnival keeps spinning, turning and tossing throughout the festival.
Officials kick off the 30th annual Bluebonnet Festival on April 12 at 5:30 p.m. on the Historic Square. KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune will host a live remote from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the square, so be sure to stop in and say howdy to disc jockeys Ed Chandler and Kay Baker. There even will be a Highland Lakes Commemorative Air Force flyover to make it all official. Vendors and booths will be lined up around the square offering shopping opportunities throughout the weekend.
There’s lots of live music and an authentic destruction derby in which people actually try to hit each other’s cars with their own. (Do they practice on the Austin highways?)
The live music begins with Tommy Hooker on the main stage 8-11 p.m. April 12 for the kick-off street dance. Jerry Martin and Kyle Park headline the April 13 performance on the main stage 8:30 p.m.-midnight. For the April 13 show, there is a $10 cover charge.
The big day is April 13 when things start running, literally, with a Kids K at 8 a.m.
For more, go to www.bluebonnetfestival.org or call the Burnet Chamber of Commerce at (512) 756-4297.