8 Weirdest Festivals You Can Visit in Texas This Year

Texas doesn’t do boring, and that goes double for its festivals. Somewhere between the rodeos and bluebonnets, you’ll find events where people toss Spam, crown a yam queen, or host mosquito-calling competitions like it’s completely normal. And in Texas, it kind of is.

These festivals aren’t trying to be ironic. They’re the real deal, oddball traditions that towns take seriously in the most endearing way. Some are decades old.

Some were started as jokes that stuck. Either way, they pull in crowds, raise money for local causes, and turn parking lots and fairgrounds into something unforgettable.

If you’re up for goat BBQ, drum circles, or watching oatmeal enthusiasts run a 3K in costume, you’re in the right state.

1. Spamarama – Austin, TX

Spamarama is Austin at its most delightfully weird. What started in the late 1970s as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to canned meat has grown into a beloved, offbeat celebration of all things Spam.

Held in the spring, usually around April, the festival brings out the creative, the curious, and the downright chaotic.

The centerpiece is the Spam cook-off, where local chefs and backyard grill warriors turn the humble can into wild, sometimes gourmet, creations, from Spam tacos to deep-fried Spam sushi. There’s a Spam-eating contest, a Spam-tossing competition, and live music that keeps the backyard-party atmosphere rolling.

Nobody shows up to take themselves seriously, and that’s kind of the point. If you’re into food festivals but tired of the usual artisanal cheese and wine pairings, Spamarama flips the script completely.

2. Great Texas Mosquito Festival – Clute, TX

Clute has figured out what most Texas towns haven’t: if you can’t beat the mosquitoes, throw them a party. The Great Texas Mosquito Festival has been going strong since 1981, bringing thousands of people together in July to laugh in the face of the state’s most notorious pest.

At the heart of the event is the mosquito-calling contest, a mix of costume, vocal performance, and total silliness that somehow works. The festival also features a full-blown carnival, a barbecue cook-off, live music from regional acts, and appearances by “Willie Man-Chew,” the oversized mosquito mascot.

It’s equal parts family event and local joke, with enough games, food, and music to keep everyone entertained. You’ll leave with bug spray in your bag and a story no one will believe back home.

3. World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off – Brady, TX

Barbecue is practically a religion in Texas, but in Brady, it comes with a twist: goat. Every Labor Day weekend, this small town hosts the World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off, drawing pitmasters and meat lovers from across the state to see who can serve up the best goat under a white-hot sun.

The event isn’t just about the food, though that’s the main attraction. There’s live music, a beauty pageant, arts and crafts vendors, a washer pitching tournament, and plenty of cold beer.

The cook-off itself is a serious competition, with well-seasoned teams battling it out for bragging rights. It’s one part county fair, one part tailgate, and one part culinary adventure. If you’ve never tried barbecued goat before, this is the place to start.

4. Eeyore’s Birthday Party – Austin, TX

What started in 1963 as a University of Texas student picnic has become one of Austin’s longest-running and most unconventional festivals. Eeyore’s Birthday Party — yes, named after the gloomy donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh- is held each April in Pease Park and celebrates joy, community, and weirdness in equal parts.

The day-long event features drum circles, costume contests, local food vendors, and live performances from artists across the musical spectrum. Families bring kids for face painting and games in the morning, while by afternoon, the scene becomes a little more free-spirited, think hula hoops, fairy wings, and plenty of tie-dye.

It’s unstructured, it’s inclusive, and somehow it just works. There’s no corporate sponsor, no heavy advertising, just a community celebration that lives on word of mouth and the rhythm of a few hundred drums.

5. East Texas Yamboree – Gilmer, TX

In Gilmer, they take their sweet potatoes seriously. Since 1935, the East Texas Yamboree has honored the yam with a four-day festival that blends small-town pride with a whole lot of charm. What began as an agricultural celebration now draws tens of thousands every October.

Parades, pageants, a yam pie contest, livestock shows, a barn dance, and a full-blown carnival fill the downtown and fairgrounds with energy.

The Yam Queen coronation is a major event, with local high school students competing in a scholarship-driven contest that goes back generations.

But it’s not all tradition, there are also classic car shows, concerts, and an arts & crafts market. Whether you’re there for the funnel cakes or the yam-themed decorations, you’ll get a solid dose of East Texas hospitality.

6. Burning Flipside – Near Austin, TX

@firespin83 Burning of the #effigy at #Flipside ♬ We’ll Meet Again – maruwhat

If you’ve heard of Burning Man, you’ve got a rough idea of what Burning Flipside is about — just imagine it with a Texas twist. Held on private land near Austin in May, this week-long festival isn’t open to spectators. Everyone who attends contributes in some way, building art, hosting events, creating costumes, or helping run the pop-up community.

There are no vendors, no sponsors, and no spectators. Attendees build themed camps, interactive art installations, and “mutant vehicles” to roam the site. At the end, a large effigy, different every year, is burned in a dramatic, communal ritual.

If you want structure, skip it. But if you’re into radical creativity, open expression, and the kind of people who bring their shade structures and light-up tutus, Flipside is unforgettable.

For people drawn to unconventional gatherings and alternative forms of entertainment, the culture around events like Flipside overlaps with other off-the-beaten-path communities, including online platforms that offer unique gaming experiences. If you’re curious how digital spaces are reshaping entertainment outside the mainstream, you can learn more.

7. Bertram Oatmeal Festival – Bertram, TX

What do you do when your town is near a community called Oatmeal? You throw a festival. That’s what Bertram has done for nearly 50 years with its Oatmeal Festival, a tongue-in-cheek salute to whole grains, small-town spirit, and having fun with names.

Held every September, the festival kicks off with the “Oatmeal 3.3” fun run, followed by a parade through downtown Bertram.

The rest of the day includes oatmeal-themed games, live music, local food vendors, and crafts. There’s even a ceremonial stirring of the oatmeal pot and the sale of limited-edition oatmeal-themed mugs that have become collector’s items among locals. It’s silly in the best way, and exactly the kind of tradition that brings people back year after year.

8. Old, Weird Houston – Houston, TX

Every city has its odd history, but Houston embraces it. Old, Weird Houston is a festival dedicated to celebrating the Bayou City’s strangest people, places, and moments — the kind of things that don’t make it into glossy brochures but stick in your memory.

Hosted by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the event includes live storytelling, performances, panel discussions, and visual art displays that highlight everything from forgotten buildings to fringe art movements.

You might stumble across a talk on the city’s history of outsider architecture, or a pop-up museum exhibit full of strange local memorabilia. If you love niche culture, urban oddities, and stories that feel just a little surreal, this one will hook you.

Final Word

Texas isn’t short on big festivals, but the real magic happens at the edges, where tradition meets eccentricity. These events might sound offbeat, but they’re packed with personality, local pride, and a surprising amount of heart.

So if you’re looking for something different to do this year, skip the usual and try something a little weirder. You might just love it.