These 6 Texas Towns Have The Most Unique Festivals

As a state that was once an independent nation, Texas does things a little differently. That extends, of course, to its festivals. Across Texas's massive, diverse landscape are fascinating celebrations of everything from wiener dogs to seed spitting to Bigfoot to fire ants to calf testicles. Unsurprisingly, such strange fests are held in small communities far from the judgmental eyes of city slickers. Whether rural or urban, use your eyes and possibly your wallet on these six Texas settlements with unique annual events.

Buda

You have probably heard of horse races. Maybe even greyhound races. But have you ever heard of wiener dog races? Buda is called "The Wiener Dog Capital of Texas" and hosts a yearly festival/competition for the most adorkable breed of dog. Inspired by dachshund races she saw in Savannah, Georgia, Buda resident Diane Krejci suggested that the Buda Lions Club put on a similar event. After understandable trepidation, the Club agreed and kicked off the Buda Wiener Dog Races in 1998. Roughly 35 dachshunds competed in the inaugural event. By 2001, and with publicity from CBS Sunday Morning, over 600 dogs entered. Modern editions see approximately 400 canine competitors and 30,000 human spectators. Proceeds go to local causes, especially helping visual impairment. As a lighthearted and charitable festival, betting is frowned upon. The 28th Annual Buda Wiener Dog Races are set to run at the Buda Amphitheater & City Park from April 26 to 27, 2025.

Believe it or not, Buda is not the only Texas community with wiener dog races. McKinney, a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth, hosts "Weenie Dog Races" and "Wiener-Be Dog Races" (featuring other breeds) as part of its annual Oktoberfest.

Luling

Lulling you into a false sense of security before thumping you with melons is Luling. Since 1954, this tiny Texas city has hosted the Luling Watermelon Thump. Initially a quaint celebration of local melon farmers, the Thump has grown into a four-day, 30,000ish-person event, collecting celebrity endorsements and Guinness World Records along the way. The likes of Johnny Carson and Ronald Reagan have profiled winners of such in-Thump contests as watermelon growing, watermelon eating, and watermelon seed spitting. At last update, $500 is awarded to the annual farthest spitter, and another $500 is given if the spitter breaks the 68-foot, 9-and-1/8-inch Thump record set in 1989. See if you can be the new record holder at 2025's Luling Watermelon Thump, which is scheduled to run from June 26 to 29.

Jefferson

Even Bigfoot is bigger in Texas. The remote city of Jefferson, population ~1,800, is considered the "Bigfoot Capital of Texas" and annually hosts the Texas Bigfoot Conference. Each October, Bigfoot hunters and enthusiasts from across the state arrive in Jefferson to talk 'Squatch. In addition to presentations and meet-and-greets, the conference features food, merchandise, and a raffle. Moreover, guests can try to get a glimpse of the namesake creature that locals have been glimpsing—or imagining—for decades.

If wanting to attend another October fest for another scary (but verified) creature, head about 20 minutes south to Marshall. This big brother of Jefferson has been hosting the FireAnt Festival since the early 1980s. Although real fire ants were once part of the festivities, modern iterations keep those incendiary insects abstract.

Port Aransas

Most people like sand, but most people do not want to celebrate sand. Yet the Texas beach town of Port Aransas found a way to honor those granular rocks and convert thousands of people into sand-worshipers. Since 1997, Port Aransas has hosted Texas SandFest, which began as a local contest and now claims to be the "Largest Beach Sand Sculpture Competition in the USA." Each April, veritable sand-wizards wield their magic on Port Aransas Beach, shaping the dunes into elaborate figures for spectators from around the world. Solo pros, duo pros, semi-pros, and amateurs sculpt everything from Abraham Lincoln to King Kong to sea creatures to classic sandcastles (though weighing a ton). Besides providing entertainment, sculptors compete for prizes, namely a $2,000 grand prize. 2025's SandFest is set to run from April 25 to 27 and debut a pre-event demonstration called "The Science of Sandcastles," which is led by master sculptor Andy Hancock.

Fredericksburg

If Granbury is the "Celebration Capital of Texas," Fredericksburg should be called the "Festival Capital of Texas." Sure, Granbury hosts an extraordinary amount of celebrations for a city of its size, but Fredericksburg, with an almost identical population, trounces Granbury with more than 400 yearly festivals and special events. That number may be self-proclaimed, but dozens of fests are marked on Fredericksburg's 2025 calendar. They include the Fredericksburg Car Fest on June 7, the Gillespie County Fair on August 21-24, and the Fredericksburg Trade Days on various dates. Some of the weirder ones are the Fredericksburg Crawfish Festival on May 23-25 and Knights of Columbus Bestfest on October 18. The weirdest, bar none, is the Texas Testicle Festival (AKA Texas Testicle Bash), which serves sacks upon sacks of rocky mountain oysters. It is held at various times in the Bankersmith Saloon & Dance Hall just outside Fredericksburg proper.

Sweetwater

Unique does not always mean ethical. Although Fredericksburg's Testicle Festival gets some flak for its liberal use of calf balls, Sweetwater hosts arguably the most unique and controversial Texas fest. According to a decade-old estimate, over 250,000 rattlesnakes have been slaughtered for the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup since the late 1950s. Organized by the Sweetwater Jaycees, this annual event aims to control a rattlesnake population that might not need controlling—at least not in the way the Jaycees do it. The rounding up of wild rattlers is followed by displaying, milking, killing, butchering, and sometimes butchering without killing. Prizes are awarded to roundupers with the biggest yields (2024's winner brought in 389 pounds of snakes). Although designated snake-whacking days were once commonplace (even parodied by The Simpsons), most have folded due to public and legal pressure. Georgia's Claxton Rattlesnake & Wildlife Festival switched from elimination to education in 2012, while Louisiana's Lake Providence Snake Rodeo can no longer lawfully occur because of a 2025 amendment. As one of the last whackers whacking, the 67th Annual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup is to run as planned from March 14 to 16, 2025.

Everything is weirder in Texas is you go by its small town festivals. Each year, Buda races wiener dogs; Luling thumps watermelons; Jefferson honors Bigfoot; Port Aransas sculpts sandcastles; Fredericksburg fries testicles; and Sweetwater rounds up rattlesnakes. You do not have to participate in such strange events, but you should admire the improbability that such strange events happen at all. For better or for worse, that is Texas for you.