Texas Country Reporter Festival: food trucks, crafts, live music and more
- Charity Fitch
- Aug 8, 2023
- 2 min read
On Saturday, Oct. 29, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., the 26th annual Texas Country Reporter Festival returns to historic downtown Waxahachie with crafts, food, live music and more.
The festival takes place a couple weeks after the 50th anniversary of the weekly “Texas Country Reporter” television show. Hosts of the show, Bob and Kelli Phillips, said the festival, like the show, was created to celebrate the ordinary people of Texas.
“Our goal has always been to reach the everyday people,” Bob said. “We think this festival hits that goal squarely on the head. It brings out all kinds of people from all over the state, even now beyond the state, who travel to Waxahachie just to attend this event.”
More than 350 artist and craftsperson booths will surround the courthouse square, with many of these vendors having been showcased on the Phillips’s show.
“Everything is handmade, one-of-a-kind items,” Kelli Phillips said. “It’s the perfect place to do all of your Christmas shopping because you’re going to get that individualized, one-of-a-kind item for all your loved ones.”
Bob explained how each year they see an increase in attendance at the festival and have run out of food in the past. This year, they will have 34 food trucks, doubling the previous year’s amount, in hopes to prevent the same problem from happening again.
“It’s the biggest variety of food anywhere in one place,” Bob said. “You can get German food to lobster to Mexican food to fried pies. Everything you can think of you can find there. No matter who you are and what your taste is, you’re going to find something you like at this festival.”
Along with the food court, the festival will have a Texas Monthly Taco Trail, which will feature four taco trucks and give people a taste of the top tacos in Texas.
The festival will include two stages for live music.
Located by the courthouse on Franklin and Rogers streets, the main stage will feature their house band from Amarillo, a group of ladies who will be quilting and singing songs about quilting during the days of slavery, and more. The headliner Diamond Rio, known for their hit singles “One More Day,” “Love a Little Stronger” and “Meet in the Middle,” will play at 6 p.m.
Located at Railyard Park, the grown local stage will feature entertainment from Ellis County.
Bob and Kelli said the entire event is free and family friendly, and they encourage everyone to come out and experience the largest one-day arts and music festival in Texas.
“It will be nonstop all day long,” Bob said. “There will be entertainment on both stages all day. There will be food. There will be great shopping and great people to meet there. It’s dog friendly, kid friendly, grandma friendly. There’s something for everyone.”
“Bring a hearty appetite and a loaded pocketbook,” Kelli said.
For the Phillipses, the festival has brought great relationships with the people of Waxahachie, and they said they are thankful for the opportunity to host it in Waxahachie.
“We just love doing the TCR festival in Waxahachie,” Kelli said. “The folks in Waxahachie are the salt of the earth type of people and that’s why we love doing it there.”
For more information about the festival, visit https://texascountryreporter.com/festival.
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