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, 11/20

Christmas in the Pineywoods

When: 9am-4pm
Where: Longview Convention Complex

Get ready for the MOST magical shopping event of the season! Join us for our 3rd Annual Christmas in the Pineywoods Holiday Shopping Experience presented by Junior League of Longview! We’re kicking things off in style with Girls Night Out and the much-anticipated release of our Christmas in the Pineywoods Holiday Cookbook on Thursday, November 20, 2025 — it’s the perfect recipe for fun with friends! The festivities continue with a full day of fabulous shopping on Friday, November 21, 2025 - grab your list and check it twice! We guarantee to have the perfect gift for everyone on your list! Saturday November 22, 2025 is all about family fun — enjoy a magical morning at Breakfast with Santa Flavious, meet Santa, snap the sweetest holiday pictures, and spend the rest of the day shopping for those perfect gifts!

Gilmore Girls Trivia

When: 6pm
Where: Zen Kitchen, Kilgore

Grab a post it note and stick it on your fridge! We are ending the Fall season with GILMORE GIRLS trivia ☕️ ☕️ ☕️ So grab the Sookie to your Lorelei, the Lane to your Rory and join us for a fun night 📕

Holiday Candle Making

When: 6pm-8pm
Where: Bear Creek Smokehouse, Marshall

Join us for an evening of candle making with The Pink Candle at Bear Creek Smokehouse, where you’ll learn to craft unique scents and designs. With coffee and cake!

J’s Dueling Pianos

When: 7pm
Where: Blackhawk Creek Grill, Whitehouse

Enjoy a night of dueling pianos at Blackhawk Creek Grill & Venue! This is an fun and engaging performance with songs you will want to sing along with! 18 years and up for this event.

FRIDAY, 11/21

Mother Daughter Movie Night

When: 6pm
Where: First Baptist Church of Kilgore

Join us for some girl time, a movie, and all the snacks that go with it. We hope to see all our mamas and their sweet girls as we come together for a sweet movie and an altogether sweet time. This event is good for our girlies of all ages, birth through 5th grade.

Star Party

When: 6:30pm
Where: Tyler State Park - Texas Parks and Wildlife

Come and enjoy a night under the stars and get a close-up view provided by our local astronomy specialist from TJC and ASET.

Derek Gaines Comedy Show

When: 7pm | 10pm
Where: Rose City Comedy, Tyler

Born in California and raised in Lindenwold, NJ, Derek Gaines found his comedy while growing up in the Philadelphia area. He currently calls New York City home where he has honed his craft and performs nightly as a standup comedian. Derek’s first big break came as a semi-finalist of Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes. From there Derek was inevitably destined for stardom. He was chosen as a New Face of comedy at the Just For Laughs Festival in 2014. Derek appeared on several MTV programs including Joking Off and Guy Code, eventually hosting his own series called Broke Ass Game Show.

SATURDAY, 11/22

Holiday Cars & Coffee + Toy Drive

When: 8am-10am
Where: 1700 S Southeast Loop 323, Suite 402, Tyler

Join us for a special holiday meet up and toy drive with our friends at High Octane Cars & Coffee and Racers Edge Coffee. Bring a toy to donate and be entered into a raffle to win a Detail Bucket packed with products valued at over $100. All toys will go to the East Texas Crisis Center to help make Christmas brighter for kids in need. Enjoy a morning filled with giving, great company, cool rides and the chance to win some top-notch detailing products.

Mineola Farmers Market

When: 8am-1pm
Where: 101 W Front St, Mineola

Come shop some amazing vendors. We have so many items from cutting boards, earrings, essential oil handers, serving trays, knives, mini purses, and so much more that can all be custom engraved while you shop. Other vendors have plants, amazing baked goods, jams, relishes, jewelry, pens, farm fresh eggs and meat, and so much more.

Pride Family Benefit Car Show

When: 8am-2pm
Where: Bubba’s 33, Tyler

Tyler PD officer’s 18 month old daughter is fighting against brain cancer. Let’s everyone in the car community come together and help this family!!!

Breakfast with Santa Flavious

When: 9am-10:30am
Where: Maude Cobb Convention Center, Longview

It’s back! After last year’s incredible success, BREAKFAST WITH SANTA returns for another magical morning of Christmas fun. Join us for a festive breakfast with Santa Flavious, complete with fluffy hotcakes, laughter, and holiday cheer under the pines.

Pancakes with Mrs. Claus

When: 9am-10:30am
Where: Home Grill Steak House, Palestine

Kick off the holiday season with a warm, delicious breakfast and a sprinkle of Christmas magic! Join Mrs. Claus for a fun and festive pancake breakfast the whole family will love.

Arbor Day 2025

When: 9am-12pm
Where: Lindsey Park, Tyler

Help us plant the future — literally! We’re celebrating Arbor Day by planting over 50 new trees at Lindsey Park, and we’d love for you to be part of it.

Rose City Dad Bowl 2025

When: 9am-2pm
Where: 2050 Shiloh Rd., Tyler

Welcome to the 2025 Rose City Dad Bowl! Compete for top Dadliness AND benefit Rose City Wellness, our non-profit that assists local families with health, wellness, and prenatal/postpartum care. Dads will compete in 5 events per “Heat.”There will be 3 Heats.The winner of each Heat will receive an incredible prize from local businesses and sponsors! BBQ - DAD GAMES - PRIZES - DAD GLORY Become the Dadliest Dad in town! $10 registration per Dad. Stroller Sprint Relay. Diaper Dash. Baby Bottle Chug. Speed Dress. Pacifier Hunt.

Marshall’s Main Street Outdoor Christmas Market

When: 9am-4pm
Where: Downtown Marshall, Texas

Come be a part of downtown Marshall’s Christmas Market with great retail shops, some of the best restaurants you’ll find and over 100, one of a kind vendors and food trucks. The perfect place to cross off every name on your Christmas list.

Sip & Shop - The Patio Pop-Up

When: 9am-4pm
Where: 145 Beaulah Street, Hawkins, TX

Shop small, support local, & discover treasures in charming downtown Hawkins, TX! Grab some coffee ☕️, ice cream 🍦, and of course, do some shopping 🛍️ 🛶🪴👜 on your #DetourToHawkins!

Fall Herb Faire

When: 10am
Where: Widdershin Cottage, Nacogdoches

Celebrate the magic of the season with a day full of herbs, healing, art, and connection. This gathering is about more than plants—it’s about building community and finding your people.

Crafts at the Creek

When: 10am-12pm
Where: Bear Creek Smokehouse, Marshall

It’s that time of year again! Bring your Baker friends and get ready for a night of learning how to bake cinnamon rolls.

Step Back Saturdays: Scented Spice Sachets

When: 10am-12pm
Where: Starr Family Home State Historic Site, Marshall

Celebrate the scents of the season with our Step Back Saturdays program: Scented Spice Sachets. Discover how families in the past freshened up their homes by handcrafting sachets filled with warm autumn spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and fragrant herbs like lavender and rosemary.

Christmas in Crockett

When: 10am-4pm
Where: Downtown Crockett

Crockett Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for our Annual Christmas in Crockett taking place on Saturday, November 22nd from 10 am to 4 pm. This is the largest and most exciting event of the year! We are celebrating a long-standing tradition of 44 years on the Square and are preparing to host over 300 vendors. Join us that day and stay to explore all that East Texas has to offer.

Tyler Comic Con 2025

When: 10am-5pm
Where: 4511 Briarwood Rd, Tyler, TX

We’re back, bigger & better than ever! Lots of Special Guests from a slew of different Fandoms, tons of unique Vendors, Cosplay Contests, Gaming galore and more! Stay tuned each week for a Highlighted Announcement of Talent, Vendors, etc.!

JR Lightfoot Book Signing

When: 11am-4pm
Where: Grim’s Fiction, Nacogdoches

Come meet JR Lightfoot and get copies of his faith based fantasy novels for your collection.

Christmas Market

When: 11am-5pm
Where: 175 N. Capitol Street, Unit 102, Canton, TX

The most magical market of the season is coming to life at The Art Parlor, and you don’t want to miss it! Shop Small. Sip & Snack Hard. Snap with Santa.

ETXFS presents ‘New Hollywood’

When: 11:45am
Where: The Historic Select Theater & Lake Country Playhouse, Mineola

Join us for our New Hollywood film series, running from August through December! Entry price is a donation of your choice to East Texas Film Society All entry donations go directly to East Texas Film Society to fund these fantastic screenings.

Gamer’s Market

When: 12pm
Where: Dragon’s Nest, Kilgore

We’re looking to get the community together and get some goodies into the right hands! Anything gaming or hobby related items are welcome. If you want to sell your new or gently used items, such as games, tcg’s, rpg’s or hobby related items, bring them up and grab a table for free from noon-5PM to sell your stuff to customers for store credit at the Dragon’s Nest.

Open Sketch Saturday

When: 1pm-4pm
Where: Thousand Cranes Gallery, Longview

Join us on November 22nd from 1–4 PM for Open Sketch! Come relax in the gallery, draw, read, create, and enjoy a peaceful afternoon surrounded by art.

Lego Ornaments Class

When: 2pm-4pm
Where: Museum of East Texas, Lufkin

Create 4 ornaments from Lego with builder Corry Lankford, who recently displayed his “Journey to a Brick Galaxy” exhibit at the Museum of East Texas this summer. Learn to build a snowflake, wreath, poinsettia, and classic round ornament. Register at metlufkin.org/classes 🎄 *This class is designed for both kids (ages 9 and up) and adults. For kids under 16 years of age, parents must remain with their child for the duration of the class. If the parent plans on both attending AND participating by making their own Lego ornaments, those parents will also need to register.

Open Makerspace

When: 2pm
Where: Tyler Public Library

Kids and families, join us for Open Makerspace on Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. in the makerspace room on the third floor for activities, games, and arts and crafts!

Pioneer Tracking

When: 2:30pm
Where: Mission Tejas State Park, Grapeland

Come join park staff on a short hike (a mile or less) on San Pedro Spur and Nabedache Loop as we look for animal tracks and explore how pioneers pursued their food and read the land (and the signs wildlife left behind) as they explored. Discover how to ID wildlife tracks and scat and maybe hear some animal calls!

Beyblade Store Tournament

When: 4pm-6pm
Where: The Chadderbox Hobby Shop, Lufkin

Come and battle it out to see if you can be the top Beyblader around! $5 entry fee.

Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting

When: 4pm-7pm
Where: 219 E Methvin St, Longview

Get ready for the Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Lighting in Downtown Longview, presented by Texas Credit Corp. Enjoy free photos with Santa Flavious, live music, rides, food, vendors, and more

Game Night

When: 4pm-10pm
Where: Life Church Tyler

We’ll have board games, card games, snacks, and plenty of room for epic victories (and dramatic defeats). Whether you’re a strategy mastermind, a dice-rolling risk-taker, or just in it for the snacks—this night is for YOU!

Be Merry Paint Night

When: 6pm-8pm
Where: Everything Honey, Canton

Come paint this adorable festive bee at Everything Honey! Your ticket includes: •Choice of Beverage •Charcuterie Bites •Pre-Traced Canvas •All Needed Supplies •Step-by-Step Guidance •Unforgettable Memories!

Derek Gaines Comedy Show

When: 7pm | 10pm
Where: Rose City Comedy, Tyler

SUNDAY, 11/23

Tyler Comic Con 2025

When: 10am-5pm
Where: 4511 Briarwood Rd, Tyler, TX

Holiday Card Decoration

When: 2pm-4pm
Where: Museum of East Texas, Lufkin

It’s never to early to start spreading holiday cheer! Grades 2-5 are invited to create holiday cards by painting & embossing with artist Becky Fleck. Learn how to create these fun cards to share with friends and family!

Hanging of the Greens

When: 4pm
Where: Westminster Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches

Help deck the halls! Bring the whole family for decorating, music, and light refreshments as we prepare our sanctuary for Advent.

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

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