Columbus Chamber of Commerce to host annual springtime festival May 16-17 on historic courthouse square
COLUMBUS — Excitement is brewing in Columbus as the Columbus Chamber of Commerce finalizes prepa rations for the 2025 Magnolia Days Festival presented by Todd and Morgan
Barten. Visitors are invited to the court - house square on Friday and Saturday, May 16 and 17, to enjoy two fun-filled days of festival activities, including a Family Fun Zone with activities for both
the young and "young at heart" featur - ing a petting zoo, pony rides, inflatables, trackless train rides, and carnival games. Festival guests can also prove their salt on the mechanical bull or take aim at the dunking booth. Magnolia Days Festival has something for everyone to enjoy.
A fantastic lineup of free, live concerts will keep everyone dancing in the streets well into the night. Carson Jeffrey, VHS: A 90s Party Experience featuring Zack Walther, The Bandits, and Darrel Appelt & Songbird Phil will kick things off on Friday, May 16, and Bri Bagwell, David Lewis, Southbound 955, Bayou Roux, and Joey McGee will keep things mov -
ing and grooving on Saturday, May 17. Along with a great selection of de - licious festival food, ice-cold beer, and tasty local wines, the Magnolia Days Festival will be home to dozens of ven - dors offering a variety of arts and crafts, jewelry, candles, clothing, soaps, and other unique wares for sale. In addi - tion to the vendors on the square, many downtown Columbus merchants will be open during the festival. The Magnolia Days Festival Car Show will begin at noon on Saturday. Awards in multiple categories will be presented at 3 p.m. Admission to the car show is free and open to the public. In partnership with Columbus Histor - ic Preservation Trust (CHPT), Magnolia Days Festival guests are encouraged to kick off their holiday celebrations early with a visit to the Santa Claus Museum, the ONLY Santa Museum in the South.
The museum will be open Friday and Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 per person (children under 5 are free).
Festival guests can jump on the air-conditioned MDF Trolley, hosted by CHPT, and tour several of Columbus' most historical properties. Trolley tours will begin at the Stafford Opera House on Saturday at 2 p.m. and will run at the top of every hour until 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, and will be avail - able for purchase on the courthouse square.
The annual presentation of the Mag - nolia Belles will take place on Friday,
May 16, at 7 p.m. in the District Court - room of the Colorado County Court - house with a reception immediately fol -
lowing on the first floor. The Belles will be presented on the lawn of the court - house square at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. Both presentations are free to attend and open to the public. The Magnolia Belles, high school seniors who dress in Victorian-era dresses, have been a beloved tradition in Columbus for over 60 years. The Belles are ambassadors of goodwill for the festival, CHPT, and the City of Columbus.
Lace up your running shoes and kick off Saturday's festivities at the 3rd An - nual Magnolia Days 5K and Kids' Mile. Registered participants will receive lots of great goodies, including a free beer from Hound Song Brewery (21+ only). The race is stroller and dog-friendly, so bring the entire family. For registration information, visit https://magnoliadays. org/festival-info/fun-run/. The Columbus Chamber of Com - merce is excited to announce that this year's festival will feature a Wine & Art Tent where guests can meet four fan -
tastic local artists Dan Pore, Svitlana Parks, Cathy J. Marberry, and Toni Con -
ner. Purchase a glass of wine and watch these amazing artists create new master - pieces right before your eyes.
"We are so excited about this year's Magnolia Days Festival and look for - ward to welcoming families and music lovers from all over Texas," said Peggy Harrison, festival chair. "With free ad - mission, live music, family-friendly fun, historic property tours, and amazing shopping on the square, there is some -
thing for everyone to enjoy. It's definitely 'big time fun in small town Texas'!"
More Magnolia Days Festival infor- mation can be found at www.magnolia - days.org or on Facebook at @Magnoli -
aDaysFestival. The fun begins at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 16, and at noon on Satur -
day, May 17.
