Home2023-05-09T14:03:36+00:00

Big time fun in small town Texas!

Head over to Columbus, TX on May 19-20 and join the Columbus Chamber of Commerce for the 2023 Magnolia Days Festival presented by Todd & Morgan Barten! Held on the Courthouse Square, under the shade of 100-year-old live oak and magnolia trees, the Magnolia Days Festival is fun for the whole family.

While you’re here, step back in history and take a self-guided walking tour or guided shuttle tour to view many of Columbus’ most historic buildings. Take your photo with the Magnolia Belles on the Courthouse Square. Shop ‘til you drop in the Vendor Marketplace. Sample tasty food and beverages, ranging from sweet and savory. Enjoy a frosty brew or delicious glass of vino in our Biergarten and Wine Garden. Bring the kids and make lasting memories in our Family Fun Zone. Dance the weekend away to our fantastic lineup of free live concerts. There’s a little something for everyone to enjoy!

Admission to Magnolia Days Festival is free and parking is plentiful. So mark your calendar and tell your friends…you won’t want to miss the fun! Columbus, the city of “live oaks and live folks”, looks forward to seeing you at the 2023 Magnolia Days Festival!

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Things to See & Do

Treasure hunters are sure to find something wonderful in our Vendor Marketplace! Sweet smelling soaps and candles, beautiful handmade jewelry, fashionable clothes and accessories, special gifts for loved ones, and unique decorations for your home can all be found at the Magnolia Days Festival.

Along with our vendors on the Square, many of our Downtown merchants will be open for business as well. Whether you’re searching for something new to wear or a special antique to add to your collection, you never know what you might find during the Magnolia Days Festival. It’s a shopper’s paradise!

During the 2023 Magnolia Days Festival, guests may take a self-guided walking tour or guided shuttle tour to view many of Columbus’ historic properties. Trolley tours will depart at the top of the hour starting at 2:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m. Some of the properties on the tour include:

  • 1886 Stafford Opera House
  • Dilue Rose Harris House Museum
  • Alley Log Cabin
  • The Antique Tool Museum
  • Santa Claus Museum (featured on The Texas Bucket List and YOLO TX)
  • The Carriage Step
  • Colorado County Courthouse

*Guests will not be allowed access inside private homes.

Keep your cool under the shade of 100-year-old live oak and magnolia trees with an ice-cold beer in our Biergarten. Along with many of the much-loved domestic beers, the Magnolia Days Festival will feature unique craft brews from Texas breweries.

For wine lovers, we will have wineries on site offering a wide selection of delicious reds, whites, and rosés sure to please your palette. So no matter what vino you’re in the mood for, we’ve got you covered!

The Magnolia Belles are an important part of the Magnolia Days Festival. They add a touch of Southern grace and antebellum nostalgia to the festival and the historic sites on tour. They are ambassadors of goodwill for the Columbus Historical Preservation Trust and the City of Columbus.

The 2023 Magnolia Belles will be presented to the public in the Grand Hall of the Stafford Opera House at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 19. A second presentation will be held on the Courthouse Square at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 20. The Belles will visit the sites on tour on Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart, there are plenty of fun things to do in the Family Fun Zone!

  • Train Rides
  • Petting Zoo
  • Characters on the Square
  • Laser Tag
  • Mechanical Bull
  • Dunking Booth
  • Bounce Houses
  • Inflatable Games
  • Carnival Games

Whether you’re craving something sweet, salty, chocolatey, or crunchy, you’ll find something satisfying at the Magnolia Days Festival. We’ve got all of your festival favorites…from BBQ to burgers and cotton candy to crawfish. Plus, our vendors will be serving up a few out-of-the-ordinary dishes to tempt your taste buds. Bring your appetite and your stretchy pants!

The Magnolia Days Festival, in conjunction with the Live Oak Art Center, is hosting an art contest to celebrate Columbus’ Bicentennial. $600 in cash prizes will be awarded to the top three winners, plus Fan Favorite. The public is encouraged to stop by LOAC to vote for their favorite art piece from May 10-19 during regular business hours.

  • No cost to enter
  • Winners announced on May 20 during the festival

For more information, click here.

Listen to the peaceful clip-clop of hooves as you ride through the streets in an old-fashioned horse-drawn wagon. Sip sweet tea as you roll by, waving to the children playing underneath the magnolia trees on the Courthouse Square. Soak in the beauty of Columbus from a different perspective.

Horse & Wagon Rides will be available on Friday, May 19 from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, May 20 from 2-7 p..m. Tickets may be purchased for a small fee throughout the festival.

Rev your engines and shine your tires…a bevy of classic and custom beauties will be cruising into town for the Magnolia Days Festival Car Show! Held on Saturday, May 20, the vehicles on display will definitely be a sight to see!

Entry is open to cars, trucks, motorcycles, and custom-modified vehicles. Check-in and registration will begin at 9 a.m. and judging will begin at 12 p.m. Awards in multiple categories will be presented at 3 p.m. Register by May 12 for $30 or on the day of the show for $35. Download the entry form here.

Magnolia Days 5K and Kids’ Mile

NEW IN 2023! The Magnolia Days 5K and Kids’ Mile will kick off our Saturday festivities. The run starts and finishes at Hound Song Brewery. All ADULT runners receive a free beer courtesy of Hound Song and a performance fabric event t-shirt. Kids will receive a cotton t-shirt.

The Kids’ Mile will begin at 8:45 a.m. and the 5K will begin at 9:00 a.m. Register early for the best pricing. Military/first responder discounts are available with proper ID.

The 5K is a timed event and awards will be given to top finishers.

Register Now

FESTIVAL MAP

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

CLICK TO VIEW THE COLUMBUS 200 PROGRAM

CONCERT LINEUP: Friday, May 19

All concerts are open to the public and free of charge.

CONCERT LINEUP: Saturday, May 20

https://www.midnightriverchoir.com/

Get Involved

The Columbus Chamber of Commerce is excited about the 2023 Magnolia Days Festival! We are actively accepting applications for sponsors. We invite you to join us!

Our festival committee has approved a strong marketing strategy and healthy marketing budget to ensure people across Southeast and Central Texas hear about the 2023 Magnolia Days Festival. We will run heavy print, radio, online, and social media advertising and the festival will be highlighted in several print publications reaching thousands across the region.

The Magnolia Days Festival is a rain or shine event. For questions or more information, call the Chamber office at 979-732-8385 or email Janet Hollmann.

Food and Beverage Vendor Packet: Chamber Member

Food and Beverage Vendor Packet: Non-Chamber Member

Merchandise Vendor Packet: Chamber Member

Merchandise Vendor Packet: Non-Chamber Member

If you’re looking for a fun and cost-effective way to promote your business or company to a large concentration of people at once, sponsoring the Magnolia Days Festival is the perfect option! We offer several different sponsorship packages to meet all marketing budgets.

Our festival promotions will hit major markets throughout South and Central Texas. We’ve built a strong strategy including print, digital, radio, outdoor, and social media advertising to ensure thousands of folks throughout the region know about Magnolia Days Festival.

For questions about sponsorship, contact the Chamber office at 979-732-8385 or email Janet Hollmann.

Magnolia Days Festival depends on volunteers to help make it a success. It takes many hands on deck to coordinate and staff a two-day festival. The Chamber is actively seeking dedicated volunteers to work two-hour shifts from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. on Friday, May 19 and from 12:00 p.m. until 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 20.

If you’d like to join the fun and sign up to be a volunteer, call the Chamber office at 979-732-8385 or sign up online. Those who sign up for more than a two-hour shift will be considered extra AWESOME!

Volunteer responsibilities include:

  • Beer Ticket Sales
  • Beer Booth
  • Fun Zone Ticket Sales
  • Carriage Rides Ticket Collection
  • Kids Activities Ticket Collection

FAQs

Is the Magnolia Days Festival really free?2019-04-18T15:25:11+00:00

The Magnolia Days Festival is free to attend and open to the public. There are many things to do and see while at the Fest, some activities are free and some charge a fee. Kids Carnival Games tickets are $1 each and each game ranges from 1 to 5 tickets to play. Food vendors will be onsite selling food and drinks.

All live music performances are free to attend.

Where do I park?2019-04-18T15:26:20+00:00

Free parking is available on all streets in the Downtown area, but please respect business and residential driveways. If a car is blocking a business or residential driveway, it could be towed at the vehicle owner’s expense.

For those needing ADA-accessible parking, there will be 6-8 designated handicapped spaces along Milam Street.

Can I bring my dog to MDF?2019-04-18T15:27:53+00:00

While we LOVE our furry friends, we don’t recommend bringing pets to the Magnolia Days Festival. Many dogs aren’t comfortable with large crowds, loud noises, or lots of activity/movement going on around them. With all of the commotion, dogs can become frightened and slip out of their collars and run away. Not to mention, it can get quite messy if dog owners aren’t responsible and pick up after their pet’s bathroom breaks on our grounds. Nothing ruins a great day or a great pair of shoes like stepping in a pile of dog poo. Please leave Fido at home.

Can I purchase beer/wine/carnival game tickets with a credit card?2019-04-18T15:23:33+00:00

No, the Magnolia Days Festival accepts cash only for all ticket purchases. There are banks very close to the Courthouse Square that have ATMs should you need access to quick cash. Our food and/or merchandise vendors may be set up to accept credit cards for their sales but we encourage festival guests to bring cash for easy transactions.

I’m a vendor for MDF. Where do I unload to set up my booth?2019-04-18T15:23:01+00:00

Vendors may load and unload in the Vendor Loading Zones located on Walnut and Milam Streets. You will be given information on both locations in your Vendor Information Packet. Please be aware many vendors will be utilizing these zones during setup and tear down so it is important you load/unload quickly to avoid delays.

Lodging

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Magnolia Days Festival Sponsors

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Entertainment Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Watering Hole Sponsor

Mechanical Bull Sponsor

Shopping Bag Sponsor

Koozie Sponsor

Koozie Sponsor

Car Show Sponsor

Portable Toilets Sponsor

Food Village Sponsor

Art Show Sponsor

Hand Fans Sponsor

Cooling Fan Sponsor

Cooling Fan Sponsor

Bicentennial Play Venue Sponsor

Pest Control Sponsor

Festival Activity Sponsors

Pony Rides

Slam Jam

Petting Zoo

Barn Yard Bouncer

Trackless Train

Wagon Rides

Magnolia Days 5K

Carnival Frenzy

Home Run Derby

Characters on the Square

Back the Blue Sponsors

Shuttle Sponsors

Magnolia Sponsors

Live Oak Sponsors

Festival Photo Gallery – 2022

Support the Magnolia Days Festival

The Magnolia Days Festival is a community event steeped in years of tradition.  We rely on grants, donations, sponsorships, and volunteers to make it happen year after year. We appreciate any and all donations to help make this event a continued success for Columbus.

To support the Magnolia Days Festival, please click below. 

DONATE NOW

Contact

Questions? Need more info? Please submit this form and someone from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce office will contact you as soon as possible.

 

The Magnolia Days Festival is proudly hosted and organized by the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

For more information about the Columbus Chamber, please visit our website.

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