located in neighboring Colorado County, population of four thousand and something, puts on quite the shindig. Columbus is an easy 25-mile drive, depending on where you start in Austin County.
If you love a good local fair, this one’s for you. Here’s everything you need to know about how to get ready for Magnolia Days Festival 2025. Food, fun, music, and more are waiting for you down the road in Columbus. It’s big-time fun in small-town Texas.
The best thing about the Magnolia Days Festival? It’s Free!
The Magnolia Days Festival is held on the grounds of the Columbus courthouse square, which contributes to the wholesome small-town gathering feeling. Friends and neighbors gather in the city under the shade of magnolia and live oak trees to socialize and catch up on news and local gossip. Visitors from the surrounding area are heartily welcomed because, after all, strangers are just friends we haven’t met yet. The anticipated attendance at the 2025 Magnolia Days is 5,000 to 6,000 people over a day and a half of festivities, surpassing the number of people living in Columbus. Come one, come all!
The 2025 Magnolia Days Festival will happen on Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17. Friday’s festivities start at 5:00 p.m. and run until 11:30 p.m. The party continues on Saturday from 12 noon to 11:30 p.m.
And doesn’t everyone love a good freebie? Magnolia Days Festival has no admission fee, so come and enjoy the festive atmosphere and live music. There’s an extra charge to get tickets to exchange for food and beverages, and certain activities require an additional fee to participate, but the friendly vibes are free.
Parking is free on the streets of downtown Columbus - just don’t block anyone’s driveway!
History of Magnolia Days Festival
Magnolia Days Festival goes way back to 1961 when ten Columbus citizens started the Magnolia Homes Tour, born out of interest in preserving the traditions and culture of the area’s historic homes. Four homes were open to the public in conjunction with the Live Oak Art Club’s annual show, which was held on - you guessed it - the third weekend in May. Over the years, the Magnolia Homes Tour became a full-fledged festival, completed with music and entertainment, games and rides for the kids, and food. The festival stopped in the early nineties but was revived again in 2016 as the Magnolia Festival. The celebration took on its current name, Magnolia Days Festival, in 2018 and has been going strong and growing ever since.
Different events, such as a car show and art contests, have been added over the years. The 2023 festival, marking the city’s 200th birthday, which Shelley Janik of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce calls “A heck of a party,” included the unearthing of a time capsule buried in 1973 and the placement of a new one to be opened in 2073. Each year’s festival is just a little different to keep things interesting but also offers familiar Columbus Texas-style nostalgia and a chance to reminisce and celebrate.
An exciting new addition for 2025 is the airboat ride down the Colorado River and the historic property tour, an integral part of the Magnolia Days Festival history, is back! Which sadly, was not available in recent years.
Magnolia Belles
While taking in the sights of Columbus, you’ll likely see young women dressed in billowy throwback gowns reminiscent of another time. The Magnolia Belles are an essential part of local tradition, adding a touch of graceful antebellum nostalgia to the festival and the historic sites on the trolley tour. If you’re tempted to call the Magnolia Belles beauty queens, don’t. They’re ambassadors of the city and the Columbus Historical Preservation Trust who must meet several requirements, including serving as a docent for the Trust. The Magnolia Belles will be officially presented as part of the Magnolia Days Festival on Friday, May 16, at 7:00 p.m. in the Stafford Opera House and again on Saturday, May 17, at 1:00 p.m. on the courthouse square.
What to do at the Magnolia Days Festival
The 2025 Magnolia Days Festival includes a 5K fun run, a car show - typical entry is 80 cars, and tours of Columbus’ most historic homes via trolley. If fair food is your love language, this is the spot where your cup will run over. Shrimp po-boys, turkey legs, corndogs, little corn, churros, funnel cakes, brisket nachos, and more goodies are available in abundance. If you’re thirsty or just want to sit for a spell in the shade, grab a glass of Texas wine or craft beer and hang out in the beer and wine garden.
Fun for kids includes carnival games, inflatables, train rides, a mechanical bull, a dunking booth, pony rides, and a petting zoo. Live music happens throughout the day. Check the festival website for information on the artists. And yes, dancing in the streets is not only allowed but encouraged.
Some activities incur a charge and require ticket purchases. Tickets will be on sale in the courthouse square. The 5K and kids one-mile race has a fee to participate and requires advanced registration. Adult participants receive a performance fabric tee shirt and a pint of local favorite Hound Song craft beer, and kids will receive a non-alcoholic drink and a cotton tee shirt.
Shop ‘till you drop
Most businesses in town will be open to take advantage of the Magnolia Days Festival crowds, but there will be vendors exclusive to the fair on hand, too. Find a wide range of unique merchandise, such as art, jewelry, western wear, local honey, handmade soaps, and more for sale. And no, May is not too early to do your holiday shopping.
See you down the road in Columbus on the third weekend in May. It will be a heck of a party.
For more information, visit MagnoliaDays.org or contact the Columbus Chamber of Commerce at (979) 732-8385.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Jill Robbins is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel, The Independent, The Saturday Evening Post, and more. Jill served 26 years in the Air Force, which sparked her love of travel. She has visited 39 countries and 44 U.S. states and has lived in England, Germany, and the Azores. She is an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers, the North American Travel Journalists Association, and the Texas Auto Writers Association. Jill lives in the San Antonio area with her husband and two teenage sons, but she is usually somewhere else.
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