Festival Season
It's finally festival season in Waco! We are slowly creeping into the approximate 6 weeks of good weather before the scorching heat sets in. While we have this window it's the perfect time to get out and go enjoy something outdoors or out and about in our community.
The Levitt AMP Waco Music Series is a free, 10-week music series to "Waco's Front Porch" at the Bridge Street Plaza and Amphitheater.
The Levitt AMP Waco Music Series will feature original songs by local, regional and national performers and highlight a variety of genres including Jazz, Blues, Zydeco, Gospel, Pop, Hip-Hop, Latin, and more!
Mark your calendars! The music series kicks off at Bridge Street Plaza on April 22, 2023, and will feature a new lineup of performers each Saturday through July 1, 2023. This event is free, family-friendly, and open to the public.
Waco received a three-year grant that provides the opportunity to coordinate this music series throughout 2025. Stay tuned!
Upcoming:
May 13, 2023
Market & Activity Hours: 5-9pm
Concert Hours: 6-9pm
The fourth Levitt AMP Waco Music Series concert will feature live music by the Sean Anderson & Friends, Ashley Artisan & The Flat 7 and more! Each concert will feature original songs by local, regional and national performers and highlight a variety of genres, local vendors, food trucks, a family fun zone and local artists.
May 20, 2023
Market & Activity Hours: 5-9pm
Concert Hours: 6-9pm
The fifth Levitt AMP Waco Music Series concert will feature live music by the Migzavier, Zamora County Line and more! Each concert will feature original songs by local, regional and national performers and highlight a variety of genres, local vendors, food trucks, a family fun zone and local artists.
This music series is brought to you by Creative Waco, Levitt Foundation and local partners. Find more information at creativewaco.org/levitt.
Also- Head over for the Bridge Street Farmers Market! Every Wednesday, the Waco Downtown Farmers Market is hosting a 2nd weekly farmers market from 5-8pm.
Enjoy the stage and spacious lawn of newly developed Bridge Street Plaza, 2 blocks from the Suspension Bridge and Brotherwell Brewing.
Support your favorite Saturday farmers market vendors - and get prepared to meet some new businesses. Farmers, prepared food vendors, and many more local businesses will be attending. Stay tuned for more details!
Rain location: Brotherwell Brewing (400 East Bridge Street)
Saturday, May 13 ART ON ELM 10am – 8pm
Art on Elm Avenue is a free pop-up art exhibition on historic Elm Avenue featuring local ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, CRAFT & FOOD VENDORS and CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES.
The weekend begins on Friday night with a colorful preview party, Splash on the Color!, which is the opening of the juried Artist Exhibition.
On Saturday there is an abundance of art, handcrafted goods, great music to vibe to and a smorgasbord of food. Come to admire the art; stay to enjoy the rest!
For more information, visit the Art on Elm website: artonelm.org
The preview party "SPLASH ON THE COLOR"
FRIDAY MAY 12th, 6:30pm @ Brotherwell Brewery
Tickets $25 each. https://artonelm.org/aoe2023/
Over the past few years, talented Waco artists from our community have chalked streets and buildings in Downtown Waco. Now some of them are unleashing their creativity on…couches! Unique, painted couches will be showcased at the first ever "Waco Couch Potato Festival". These gems will be offered for sale over Baylor Graduation weekend with proceeds benefitting Creative Waco’s ARTPrenticeship Program. This life-changing program provides mentored work experience to talented high school students in art and filmmaking.
Bring the whole family to enjoy the art couch extravaganza and sale, vendors, food trucks, live music, and kids’ paint zone! FREE EVENT
The two-day festival & market is open Saturday, May 13 from 9am-5pm and Sunday, May 14 from 11am-5pm.
The festival will take place downtown on an entire block (between Austin Avenue and Washington Street & between 5th and 6th Streets)
The Waco Couch Potato Festival is Presented By: LuluBelle's Market, Waco Downtown Farmers Market, & The Waco Trolley
Waco's Premier Annual Shakespeare in the Park
Set against the backdrop of the Brazos River, Indian Springs Amphitheatre is the perfect place to enjoy this unique theatrical experience.
Free to the public, this is Wild Imaginings’ gift to the Waco community each year, and we hope that you’ll be able to join us next summer for one of our performances!
As always, Shakespeare in the Park is completely FREE, our gift to the Waco community, but we need your help in order to keep it free!
Fancy the royal treatment? Purchase one of our VIP packages for Shakespeare in the Park! We are offering picnic packages or 2 or 4 people! Enjoy reserved seating and snacks upon arrival while helping support this awesome Waco tradition and enjoying some Shakespeare in the atmospheric Indian Springs Park!
The beauty of Shakespeare is that the stories he wrote are timeless and universal. It's for good reason that he is often considered the greatest writer in the English language. And each year, Wild Imaginings brings one of his scripts to life, presenting them within a contemporary context for the Waco community to enjoy. In this way, these stories are reimagined in ways that make them relevant and relatable.
Committed to innovation, our version of Shakespeare in the Park is one which is perfect for the whole family. Whether you're a classic theatre expert or it's your first time seeing a live show, seeing a show on the hillside with a picnic is the perfect way to spend a summer evening.
Join us every summer and make it an annual tradition of your own!
You can find more information here: https://www.betterunite.com/WildImaginings-shakespeareintheparkjuliuscaesar
Juneteenth Family Fun Day
Head to Brazos Park East on this holiday celebrating the end of slavery for live music, food, kids’ activities, health services, parade, and more.
Brazos Nights and Fourth on the Brazos have been cherished Waco traditions for 35+ years, attracting more than 30,000 people to downtown annually. The concert series provides free family fun and entertainment in downtown Waco and concludes with the annual H-E-B Fireworks Extravaganza during Fourth on the Brazos.
Waco's annual Fourth on the Brazos celebration, featuring fireworks, food and music again takes center stage on the Baylor campus on July 4. Touchdown Alley, just outside McLane Stadium, will host a music, including headlining Motown legends The Commodores, food trucks and family fun activities leading into the fireworks display.
Fourth on the Brazos is a free event that always enjoys large crowds, so plan ahead to make the most of your evening. Official transportation options and parking lots across campus will available; learn more below and from the City of Waco's Fourth on the Brazos website.
The City of Waco’s Fourth on the Brazos celebration takes place annually on July 4 at Touchdown Alley next to Baylor’s McLane Stadium, located at 1001 S. MLK Blvd., Waco. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the H-E-B Fireworks Extravaganza kicks off at 9:15 p.m.
Schedule of Events:
6 p.m. – Gates Open
7:30 p.m. – Artist TBA
9:10 p.m. – Patriotic Ceremony by the Waco Community Band
9:15 p.m. – H-E-B Fireworks Extravaganza
ADMISSION
Fourth on the Brazos is FREE, thanks to sponsors like H-E-B and the City of Waco!
THE H-E-B FIREWORKS
The H-E-B Fireworks Extravaganza will begin at 9:15 p.m.
The fireworks will be shot above the river between Touchdown Alley and the Ferrell Center.
The fireworks will be visible along both sides of the river, the Ferrell Center and from areas around Baylor Campus
Deep in the Heart Film Festival
The Deep in the Heart Film Festival brings filmmakers and film lovers together to experience movies, educational sessions, and networking parties. The festival showcases the best in independent short films and features from Texas, the US, and the world. With over 10,000 film festivals in the world, it takes a lot to get noticed. That’s why Waco is proud that this festival is recognized by Film Freeway as one of the Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals in the World.
FILM FESTIVAL 2023
JULY 20 - 23, 2023 IN PERSON
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