Friday begins the seventh Texas Reds Festival in downtown Bryan.
Mayor Jason Bienski says there will be more than 70 vendors, which is a record. Vendor booths are open Friday from 5 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.
According to the festival website, 28 wineries are participating.
This is the second year the festival is being held in the fall, but the first where visitors can shop without paying admission.
This is also the first year without a steak tent, designed to increase traffic at downtown Bryan restaurants with steak-inspired menus.
However, the annual steak cookoff does return. According to the festival website, 19 teams have registered for Saturday’s competition.
Other Saturday activities include the high school culinary competition and chef demonstrations.
Also returning is the grape stomp in front of the Carnegie Library. The celebrity competition begins Saturday morning at 11, followed by the two-person team contest from noon to 6 p.m., and the grand champion stomp-off at 6:30.
The festival will also have a kids zone and sports zone, where A&M football fans can watch the Arkansas game.
Entertainment is scheduled on three stages. There are two free stages on Saturday, one featuring artists from the Bryan school district and the other sponsored by the Downtown Bryan Association.
There is also free entertainment Friday night on the main stage north of William Joel Bryan Parkway with a concert the David Whiteman Band.
Saturday night on the main stage, there is a $5.00 admission for the concert featuring John Conlee and Steve Wariner.
Free parking is available at Blinn College, with shuttle service to the festival.
Click HERE to be directed to the Texas Reds Festival website.
Click below for comments from Bryan Mayor Jason Bienski, visiting with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia.