Do you remember the first one? In October 2021, Blanco held a festival with a town parade, a screening of "Coco," a marigold market, a community ofrenda and trick-or-treating around the square. Five Halloweens later, the festival has a new name and a new focus, and in 2026 it falls on the one weekend when the rest of town is busy too.
Spirits of Blanco runs Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1, 2026, at the Old Blanco County Courthouse, 300 Main Street. Halloween is Saturday. That one calendar fact changes how the weekend works.
How the Marigolds Became the Spirits
The festival started in 2021 as the Texas Marigold Festival. A local feature from that first year credits Pamela and Frank Arnosky with the idea that got it going. That first year's lineup leaned on Día de los Muertos culture. El Combo Oscuro was scheduled to play, and a $5 souvenir wristband got you into the stations and booths. Brave Combo was named for the closing Marigold Dance.
The old festival website now leads with one line:
The Texas Marigold Festival is now the Spirits of blanco in beautiful Blanco, Texas.
The Blanco Chamber of Commerce was already using the new name for the 2025 festival, October 31 through November 2. That year's description put whiskey tastings first, then kids' activities, regional vendors, live music and craft cocktails in a "Spirits Lounge" on the courthouse lawn. For 2026, the Chamber's own listing calls it "a festive Fall festival that celebrates the award-winning spirits created in Blanco."
The flowers didn't go away. A Tour Texas piece updated in June 2026 describes the courthouse square during the festival as "decorated with a gorgeous display of the town's famous marigolds." What changed is the reason for the gathering. A festival that started around a flower and a holiday is now organized around something Blanco makes.
A Festival Built on What the Town Produces
That shift tracks with what has been happening in town. The same Tour Texas profile names Milam & Greene, Real Spirits and Andalusia as Blanco-area spirits makers. It calls the town "one of Texas's most interesting destinations for craft spirits." The local supply chain is getting deeper too. Standard Cooperage, which makes Texas barrels for wineries and distillers, opened in Blanco in May 2026. A June 15 trade announcement covered the opening. A barrel maker setting up shop in town shows how much of Blanco's working life now centers on spirits.
Here is what's actually confirmed for the courthouse lawn this year, and what isn't.
- Admission: Free, with a reservation through the Chamber's Eventbrite listing. The listing doesn't give tasting prices.
- Program: Whiskey tastings, vendors and live music, according to the 2026 listing. The festival's market page promises artisans, food vendors and kids' activities, and vendor applications are still open.
- Confirmed participants: Esperanza Winery says on its own events page that it will be at Spirits of Blanco all three days of Halloween weekend.
- Not yet published: No 2026 exhibitor or musician lineup has been posted on the festival's official pages. The distilleries in the Tour Texas profile haven't been confirmed as exhibitors.
The festival site describes "the true spirit of Blanco" as a mix of "our history, the people in our community, what we do for work, and what we do for fun." The work part of that sentence matters more each year.
Halloween Takes the Saturday
In 2025, Halloween fell on the festival's Friday. In 2026 it falls on Saturday, the longest festival day, and the town's other Halloween plans stack up around it. Here is the weekend as currently listed by each host.
| Day | Where | What | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Blanco Chamber | Spirits of Blanco Kick-Off Mixer | 5:30–7 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Old Blanco County Courthouse | Spirits of Blanco opens | 1–9 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Real Ale Brewing | Music Bingo: Halloween Mix | 5–7 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Old Blanco County Courthouse | Spirits of Blanco | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Blanco State Park | Texas Outdoor Family one-night camp | Starts 9:30 a.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Blanco State Park | Bats at Blanco | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Old Blanco County Courthouse | Spirits of Blanco closes | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Blanco State Park | Texas State Parks Day, free entry | All day |
A few details give the weekend its shape. The Friday bingo at Real Ale Brewing is free to play, with prizes for winners. Real Spirits cocktails will be poured alongside the beer, which ties the brewery's night to the festival's theme. Old 300 BBQ at 318 4th Street has Spirits of Blanco on its own calendar for Saturday, 1 to 8 p.m. That's a listing of the festival, not a separate Halloween event.
On Saturday, the courthouse lawn and the state park both run into the evening. Bats at Blanco starts at 7 p.m. under the tagline "Freaky flyers or potent pollinators?" The festival stays open until 9. The Texas Outdoor Family camp that same day is marked "SPOTS FILLING FAST" on the TPWD calendar. On Sunday, the festival's shorter hours line up with Texas State Parks Day, when the park offers free entry.
The Friday Hours Don't Match
Check one detail before you plan your Friday. The official festival site and the Eventbrite listing both give Friday hours of 1 to 9 p.m. The Chamber's own event page for the 2026 festival shows 1 to 4 p.m. If you're planning an after-work stop on the square Friday evening, check with the Chamber at 830-833-5101 that week. The Real Ale bingo, 5 to 7 p.m., is the one Friday evening event whose time doesn't depend on which listing is right.
Go by the 2026 listings, not memories of 2021. The parade, the "Coco" screening and the $5 wristband were part of the first year's lineup. Nothing published for 2026 brings them back.
The Courthouse Calendar Before and After
Spirits of Blanco isn't the only fall event at the courthouse. Blanco Market Day runs there on Saturday, October 17 and Saturday, November 21, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each market date matches a state park program. On October 17, the park holds Archery in the Park at 9 a.m. On November 21, it's a Dutch Oven Cookout at 10 a.m.
The building itself is looked after by the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society, a nonprofit set up to preserve it. The Blanco Chamber of Commerce is the festival's organizer. Between the market days and the festival, the same lawn stays busy for much of the fall.
If your weekend includes the park, remember that Blanco State Park has had a burn ban since August 26, 2026. Wood and charcoal fires aren't allowed, but propane and other containerized-fuel stoves are fine for cooking. That applies to anyone booked for the Halloween-night camp, and it's worth checking again before the November cookout. The park's full October and November schedule also lists Star Gazing on October 9, Watercolor by the River on October 24 and November 28, and Hiking with a Ranger on the Pumphouse Trail on November 7.
For festival details as they're released, the official Spirits of Blanco site and the Blanco Chamber events calendar are the two places to watch. Check both again that week until the Friday hours match.
Brittany and Jonathan of Bailey Group keep track of Blanco's calendar the way they keep track of its streets, because both say a lot about what it's like to live here. If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of the courthouse square, or a place with room for a Halloween crowd, we'd love to walk you through it. Schedule Your White‑Glove Consultation.
