You’ve already pointed excitedly at perfect Bluebonnet patches along the side of the road and wandered into full fields of blue, camera in hand, but have you put the Burnet Bluebonnet Festival on your calendar yet? The 34th annual Bluebonnet Festival will take place April 7 – 9, 2017. Festivities include live music, the Bluebonnet Festival Grand Parade, a 5K and 10K run, a pet parade, the Bluebonnet Scholarship Pageant, a classic car display, a food court with more than 25 vendors, rubber ducky races, a children’s bicycle decorating contest, a wiener dog race, more than 150 art and craft vendors and a carnival with rides and games for the whole family.
Courtesy of The Burnet Chamber of Commerce
Things to Do
Attend the Burnet Bluebonnet Festival 2017
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Photo: Courtesy of the Burnet Chamber of Commerce
“A stellar line-up of local artists and performers coupled with a few well known Texas performers will take the Main Stage on Washington Street, as well as the Jackson Street Stage,” the festival website says. “The live music begins Friday evening and jams through Sunday afternoon. Concerts on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon are free. A $10 admission fee will be charged for Saturday night headliner band performances, which includes a street dance.”
Photo: Courtesy of the Burnet Chamber of Commerce
The parade takes place on Saturday and consists of marching bands, antique cars, horses, fire trucks, and special performing groups such as the Sunrise Beach Lawn Chair Brigade and Hill Country Plungettes. The parade lasts for about an hour, and the newly crowned Bluebonnet Festival Royalty are always a highlight. “Approximately 150 entries will line up and head downtown to the heart of the festival,” the website says. “After going around the square, the parade will head east on Jackson street, back to the Burnet Cemetery staging area.”
Prizes will be awarded to the best walking group, most creative float, best automobile, best commercial entry and best overall entry. There is a $10 fee to enter the parade, and entry forms are available online.
Photo: Courtesy of the Burnet Chamber of Commerce
The separate pet parade typically includes dogs, cats, hamsters, snakes, birds, goats, and pigs. “Some pets are wearing the latest fashions, some pets and their owners share a theme, but most come as they are, ready for lots of tail-wagging excitement,” the website says. “There is no age limit on pets or their owners and many entrants make it a family affair. There is no entry fee for the parade and prizes will be given away for a variety of categories.”
A full list of event details and more information can be found online.
Photo: Courtesy of the Burnet Chamber of Commerce
The Burnet Chamber of Commerce proudly lists the town as one of the best places to enjoy Bluebonnets. “The town officially gained recognition to the well-known fact in 1981, when the Texas State Legislature officially designated Burnet the ‘Bluebonnet Capital of Texas,’” the website says. “Community leaders decided to make the most of both the beautiful wildflowers and the recent state designation and created the Bluebonnet Festival.”
Photo: Courtesy of the Burnet Chamber of Commerce
The first festival was a success, and now more than 30,000 attend every year. “Burnet is easily accessible from all directions, located at the intersection of Highways 281 and 29,” the Chamber of Commerce states. “Surrounded by sparkling lakes and rugged hills, it’s a scenic drive from all directions. But there is a special magic to the Hill Country when bluebonnets carpet the roadside, hills and pastures in blue at the height of the wildflower season.”
