Bluebonnet Festival blooms in April

The 42nd annual Bluebonnet Festival blooms April 11-13, 2025. The festival is Burnet’s largest event, drawing an estimated 35,000 people each year. It celebrates the beloved state flower, the Texas Bluebonnet, which grows wild and free in the Highland Lakes. 

Always the second weekend in April, the Bluebonnet Festival has something for everyone and is free to attend.

Most activities take place around Burnet’s historic courthouse square, which officially opens Friday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m. with a ceremony. The fun includes a carnival, parades, fun runs, a car show, a 42 tournament, arts and crafts vendors, live music, a biergarten, gunfighter Wild West shows, and a wiener dog race. As these activities wrap up, the music begins. 

Enjoy a free concert and street dance with Departure ATX and Diamond Days on Friday night. The 2025 Bluebonnet Festival headliner is country music band Lonestar, which performs a ticketed show Saturday evening with The Steel Belts. Tickets for Saturday’s concert may be purchased in advance online or at the gate. 

The Mighty Thomas Carnival opens the evening of April 10 and continues each day through Sunday, April 13. Wristbands for rides may be purchased prior to the festival at the Burnet Chamber of Commerce, 101 N. Pierce St., or at the carnival’s ticket booth during the festival. 

A demolition derby is 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Burnet County Fairgrounds. Derby tickets should be available online the week before the event or purchased at the gate, cash only. 

Find the complete schedule of events for the Bluebonnet Festival online. Festival parking is allowed on the streets surrounding downtown Burnet.