The East Texas Weekend Preview — If you’re looking for fun things to do in East Texas this weekend, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our rundown of some fun things happening around the area!

If you know of another event, or see an inaccuracy below, please let us know here.

THURSDAY, 10/16

88th East Texas Yamboree

When: All Day
Where: Downtown Gilmer

A 4-day event held Downtown in Gilmer, TX with plenty of activities. FREE ENTRY - Wristbands or tickets are required for rides. Daily carnival and livestock shows. Parades Friday and Saturday.

Art 4 Fun

When: 5:30pm
Where: Tyler Public Library

Kids in grades 3 and up can sign up to join us for Art 4 Fun on October 16 at 5:30 p.m. to make a curiosity tin box using found objects! This program will meet in the makerspace room on the third floor

The Outsiders

When: 7pm
Where: Tyler Legacy High School - Tyler ISD

Join us for three unforgettable nights of talent, excitement, and community fun! 🚗 Thursday: Opening Night Spectacular + Special Vintage Car Show with Popcorn & Concessions at 6 PM before the 7 PM show 🎟️ Friday: 7 PM Show 🌟 Saturday: 7 PM Show

Texas Comedy Night: Casey Coleman

When: 7:30pm
Where: Rose City Comedy, Tyler

Texas Comedy Night returns this Thursday at Rose City Comedy with Dallas favorite Casey Coleman. Known for his sharp storytelling and fearless, relatable takes, Casey brings that signature Texas edge — smart, bold, and hilarious.

FRIDAY, 10/17

88th East Texas Yamboree

When: All Day
Where: Downtown Gilmer

A 4-day event held Downtown in Gilmer, TX with plenty of activities. FREE ENTRY - Wristbands or tickets are required for rides. Daily carnival and livestock shows. Parades Friday and Saturday.

Nativity Frame Class

When: 1pm-4pm
Where: Old Town Vintage & More, Palestine

Join us on Friday, October 17th from 1–4pm for a special hands-on class! Together we’ll create a beautiful Nativity Frame using Dixie Belle paints and finishes along with IOD products. Pictured is an example.

Piney Woods Wine Festival

When: 4pm-9pm
Where: Picker’s Pavilion at Blackberry Square, Lindale

The Piney Woods Wine Trail is a charming collection of wineries nestled in the scenic Piney Woods region of East Texas. To further enhance the visitor experience, the trail organizers host two exciting wine festivals each year, one in the spring and one in the fall.

NatureFest 2025

When: 6pm
Where: Mineola Nature Preserve

Join us for NatureFest at the Mineola Nature Preserve—a free, family-friendly event full of outdoor fun! Enjoy nature walks, wildlife exhibits, hands-on activities, and more in a beautiful natural setting. Come explore, learn, and enjoy the day with us! Completely FREE family fun!

The Outsiders

When: 7pm
Where: Tyler Legacy High School - Tyler ISD

Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical

When: 7:30pm
Where: Texas Theatre - Palestine

Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical is a thrilling and passionate retelling of the infamous lives of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Set during the Great Depression in the South, the story follows the young lovers as they rise from humble beginnings to become notorious outlaws. Fueled by dreams of fame and freedom, their crime spree of bank robberies and daring escapes captures the nation’s attention. As their love deepens, so does the danger, leading to a dramatic and tragic conclusion. With a powerful score by Frank Wildhorn and heartfelt lyrics by Don Black, this musical explores themes of love, ambition, and the cost of infamy.

SATURDAY, 10/18

88th East Texas Yamboree

When: All Day
Where: Downtown Gilmer

A 4-day event held Downtown in Gilmer, TX with plenty of activities. FREE ENTRY - Wristbands or tickets are required for rides. Daily carnival and livestock shows. Parades Friday and Saturday.

NatureFest 2025

When: 8:15am-3pm
Where: Mineola Nature Preserve

Tyler Rose Festival Parade

When: 9am
Where: Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium, Tyler

2025 Texas Rose Festival Parade Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium The parade is one of the community’s favorite events! It hosts more than 120 parade entries with custom parade floats for the Queen and her court, color guards, bands, car clubs, dance teams, Shriners and dignitaries. Reserved seating in the stadium.

Blue Moon Gardens Fall Festival

When: 9am
Where: 13062 FM-279, Chandler

Food trucks, live music, workshops & seminars!

Yoga & Coffee

When: 9am-10am
Where: The Gathering Cup, Tyler

Come stretch it out, then sip it out. Because balance = downward dogs ➡️ lattes. 😎✨

Arts in the Park

When: 9am-11am
Where: Marshall City Park

Come by and try a themed arts & craft activity for FREE!! All ages are welcome!

Rose Festival Arts & Crafts Fair

When: 9am-5pm
Where: Bergfeld Park, Tyler

Explore more than 100 vendor booths selling only handmade, created or authored by the vendor. Food Trucks, live entertainment and games. Enjoy family-friendly fun for free admission.

Kid’s Craft Drop-In

When: 10am
Where: Mission Dolores State Historic Site, San Augustine

When archaeologist excavated at Mission Dolores State Historic Site they uncovered thousands of ceramic sherds. Most were made by the Indigenous Caddo people while others came from Spain, France, and even China. The people of Mission Dolores used pottery for cooking, eating, and storing food. It played a critical roll in everyday life. Join us on October 18th from 10-12 to make your own pinch pot. This is a free event and reservations are not required. Intended for ages 5-12, but all are welcome to participate.

Free Make & Take

When: 10am
Where: Bricks & Minifigs Tyler TX

Stop by the store for a fun, FREE LEGO® make & take activity! Build the Werewolf Mini Build with us to take home! We’ll have a HOWLING good time!

Guided History Hike

When: 10am
Where: Mission Tejas State Park, Grapeland

Spend El Camino Real Day at Mission Tejas State Park with a guided history hike on Steep Ravine Trail as we dive into how roads like El Camino grow and still help us get to where we’re going!

Prowl-o-Ween

When: 10am-2pm
Where: Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary - Tyler, Texas

Get ready to prowl the grounds in your spookiest costume at Prowl-O-Ween - a Halloween event full of fun, fur, and treats!

Rise & Shine Market

When: 10am-2pm
Where: 15127 FM 2625W, Hallsville

Join us for a vendor market with fun activities for the whole family! We will have our market often from 10-2 every Saturday in October! We will also have our pumpkin patch open and available to shop. We have a wide variety of pumpkins displayed of all shapes and sizes.

Fall Festival

When: 10am-4pm
Where: Bob Wells Nursery at Sorelle Farms, Mineola

Join us for a day of fall family fun! Hay rides, live music, food trucks, kid’s activities, pony rides and petting zoo, games and more!

Fall in Love with Jacksonville, TX

When: 10am-8pm
Where: East Commerce St., Jacksonville

We’re welcoming visitors from near and far to join us for a day of Art, Music, and Family fun in our quaint and historic downtown! Expect to meet friendly folks, experience wonderful entertainment, meet vibrant artists, shop & dine at the most unique, locally owned boutiques and eateries in Texas!

Piney Woods Wine Festival

When: 11am-7pm
Where: Picker’s Pavilion at Blackberry Square, Lindale

El Camino Real Day

When: 2pm
Where: Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, Alto

✨ Gather with us in person at Caddo Mounds SHS or online to learn, listen, and reflect on the enduring Caddo pathways that continue to shape life and connection today. Join us in welcoming Lauren Toho-Murrow Haupt, citizen of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma and descendant of the Creek and Seminole Nations. Lauren is a professional anthropologist and Ph.D. candidate in Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico. Her work focuses on Tribal sovereignty, Indigenous resource management, and community-engaged research that supports cultural revitalization throughout ancestral Caddo homelands.

Artist Talk & Reception

When: 2pm-5pm
Where: Museum of East Texas, Lufkin

Join us on October 18th! At 2 pm, we will host an artist talk with Bill Walterman, Peter Brown, and Darrell Hancock. From 3 to 5, we will host a reception for the opening of Walterman’s exhibit and the closing of two shows in our main gallery, “Shape of Place” and “Patterns in Bloom.” Artists Carol Benson, Chris Powell, and Gary Freeman will all be in town to meet and greet! Come and go—no admission fee, thanks to our sponsors and Museum members.

Pints for Polio .5K

When: 3pm
Where: East Texas Brewing Co, Tyler

The South Tyler Rotary Club invites you to the Pints for Polio .5K — yes, that’s point five! Grab a pint, take the challenge, and help Rotary International work toward a world free of polio.

Pine Tree Fall Festival

When: 3pm
Where: Pirate Stadium, Longview

🍂Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 18th from 3–6 PM at Pirate Stadium for an afternoon packed with fun for all ages. Enjoy student performances, grab a FREE hotdog, and check out 50+ booths loaded with games, prizes, and activities!

Oktopurrfest

When: 3pm-8:30pm
Where: True Vine Brewing Company, Tyler

OKTOPURRFEST ~Presented by O’Malley Alley Cat Rescue and True Vine Brewing!! The event is free to the public, but an entry fee to participate in the contests is required and a ticket for the Oktopurrfest meal by Sola Bread Co. is required. Be there by 5:00 to enjoy the pet costume contest and the car show & vote for your favorite pick in both. The Oktopurrfest meal and event begins at 6:00 with entertainment by HoJames Band and the on-line silent auction ends at 7:30..do not have to be present to win.

Boo in the Park 2025

When: 5pm
Where: Lake Tawakoni State Park, Wills Point

Welcome to our annual “Boo in the Park” celebration. Bring the family out for a campsite decorating contest, pumpkin carving contest and trick or treating.

Historic Haunts & Legends of Longview

When: 6pm-8pm
Where: Gregg County Historical Museum, Longview

Discover the haunted side of Longview! Take a guided ghost tour through downtown and hear the stories that make our city legendary.

3rd Annual Fall Fling

When: 6pm-8pm
Where: Palestine Farmers Market

This is a FREE Community event open to everyone. Come play some fun games, win some cool prizes and meet some awesome people doing business in our area.

The Outsiders

When: 7pm
Where: Tyler Legacy High School - Tyler ISD

Sip, Sabi & Sound Mushroom Edition

When: 7pm-8pm
Where: Thousand Cranes Gallery, Longview

A cozy, creative twist on our beloved Sabi and Sound! Join Sacro Wellness for an evening of sound meditation paired with a nourishing Reishi mushroom elixir!

Arsenic & Old Lace

When: 7:30pm
Where: Cherokee Civic Theatre, Rusk

Classic!!! Mortimer Brewster returns home to announce his engagement, leading to a series of comedic and chaotic events as he tries to manage his eccentric family and prevent further murders.

Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical

When: 7:30pm
Where: Texas Theatre - Palestine

SUNDAY, 10/19

The Junior Battle at Blackberry Pines

When: 10am
Where: BlackBerry Pines - Disc & Camp in Pittsburg, Tx.

Event Website ⬇️ sites.google.com/texasjunio.../blackberry-pines/home | This will be a 1 round sanctioned C Tier event for Juniors only (18 & under) It will be played at BlackBerry Pines - Disc & Camp in Pittsburg, Tx. 18 year olds will play the Blue tees(longs) 15 & 12 year olds will play Red tees (shorts) 10 and under will play Purple tees (beginners) The pond hole (hole 😎 18 year olds will play the long tee. Every other division will play the purple tee on hole 8. Register using the link below www.discgolfscene.com/.../The_Junior_Battle_at...

Jocelyn’s Donuts 10th Anniversary Celebration

When: 11am-1pm
Where: Jocelyn’s Donuts, Palestine

Come and watch Jocelyn perform blessing dance with her cousin Emma and best friend, Sofia!! Join us for some fun food and family time!!

Rose Festival Arts & Crafts Fair

When: 11am-5pm
Where: Bergfeld Park, Tyler

Explore more than 100 vendor booths selling only handmade, created or authored by the vendor. Food Trucks, live entertainment and games. Enjoy family-friendly fun for free admission.

Arsenic & Old Lace

When: 2pm
Where: Cherokee Civic Theatre, Rusk

Classic!!! Mortimer Brewster returns home to announce his engagement, leading to a series of comedic and chaotic events as he tries to manage his eccentric family and prevent further murders.

Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical

When: 2pm
Where: Texas Theatre - Palestine

*All dates and information are subject to change. Contact us if there are changes to the schedule or if we left anything out

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Our mission at The East Texas Weekend is to show you that you’re never too far from FUN!

Things to Do - Special places to visit and activities to do around East Texas.

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Events Around East Texas This Weekend!

THURSDAY, 10/16

FRIDAY, 10/17

SATURDAY, 10/18

SUNDAY, 10/19

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