Magic and Memories

8 weekends of magic and memories await at the Texas Renaissance Festival

One of Texas' most beloved annual events is back for its 52nd year of "Magic and Memories" this fall. The Texas Renaissance Festival returns to Todd Mission, Texas, October 10-November 29, 2026, for eight weekends of merriment and magic for all ages.

Each weekend of the festival brings a new theme for attendees to join in on the fun with costumes, contests, and more — from Oktoberfest to All Hallow's Eve and even Celtic Christmas.

Explore the eight magical themes that will take over the Texas Renaissance Festival this fall, and plan your 2026 visit to this time-honored tradition.

Oktoberfest — October 10-11
Prost! Opening weekend of the 2026 Texas Renaissance Festival features the Oktoberfest theme. Journey back to Old Bavaria as the King and Queen open the festival season with a celebration of the best of the wurst (and the bier). Break out the lederhosen for the daily costume contests, or participate in a bratwurst eating contest.

1001 Dreams — October 17-18
On the second weekend of the festival, the fairies, elves, and other fanciful creatures will bring extra enchantment to the fairgrounds. Don your magical finery and face paint for the costume contest, or get spicy at the fiery dragon wing eating contest.

Pirate’s Adventure — October 24-25
Ahoy, matey! It's time to come ashore for the most piratical party on the seven seas. Dress like a buccaneer to be considered for the award of Best Dressed Pirate, or dig in to the fish-n-chips eating contest.

All Hallow’s Eve — October 31-November 1
There's nothing quite like Halloween at the faire, when all of the ghouls, ghosts, and goblins come out to play. Put your Halloween costume to test, or join the kettle corn eating contest for your chance to win "spooktacular" prizes.

Heroes and Villains — November 7-8
The mightiest heroes and heroines and the darkest villains and vixens will descend on the fair for this super-powered weekend. Dress as your alter ego and shine in the Heroes and Villains costume contest, or accept the challenge of the gyro eating contest.

Barbarian Invasion — November 14-15
Join the Great Horde and feast, eat, and plunder your way through the village during the Barbarian Invasion. Are you the worst dressed barbarian around? Or do you have the worst table manners to show off in the turkey leg eating contest?

Turkey leg eating Texas Renaissance Festival Photo courtesy of Texas Renaissance Festival

Highland Fling — November 21-22
The pipes are calling for all the lads and lassies to celebrate the joys of Scotland during this weekend that will feature the Highland Games, the Bonnie Knees contest, and a haggis eating competition.

Celtic Christmas — November 27-29
Closing weekend of the festival brings a bonus day of fun (Friday, November 27) and the magic of a Celtic Christmas. Father Christmas, Mother Christmas, and all the Christmas elves invite attendees of all ages to the final three-day celebration of the coming Yuletide season. Dress in the holiday spirit for one last costume contest, and get your fill in the pumpkin pie eating contest.

The Texas Renaissance Festival is open every Saturday and Sunday, 9 am-8 pm, from October 10-November 29, plus Black Friday, on November 27. And, every Sunday of the festival, children 12 and under receive free admission. With eight themed weekends ahead, there's no shortage of magic and memories to experience this fall.

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The Texas Renaissance Festival is located at 21778 Farm to Market 1774, Todd Mission, TX 77363.

Photo courtesy of Texas Renaissance Festival

Texas Renaissance Festival runs eight weekends — October 10 through November 29.

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Movie Review

Cheesiness undermines Whalefall's intense survival story

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Austin Abrams in Whalefall.

Austin Abrams has been a professional actor for 15 years, but the 30-year-old seems to just now be getting his due. After years of mostly supporting roles in films like Paper Towns, Brad’s Status, and Weapons, he has been charged with leading two films in 2026 where he’s largely acting by himself: First Resident Evil and now Whalefall.

Abrams plays Jay Gardiner, who has returned home to California a year after the death of his hard-ass father, Mitt (Josh Brolin). The two had a tempestuous relationship, and while his mom (Elisabeth Shue) and sisters (Jane Levy and Emily Rudd) reminisce fondly about him, Jay finds it difficult to come up with good memories. The two did share a connection with the ocean, and Jay decides to honor him by going scuba diving.

Ignoring warnings of whale activity in the area, Jay makes his way out into a notoriously dangerous part of the ocean near their home. Soon after he starts swimming, he encounters a sperm whale chasing after a giant squid. Jay inadvertently gets sucked into the enormous creature’s mouth and, ultimately, inside its body. Faced with a seemingly inescapable situation, Jay’s only hope lies in the lessons his father taught him.

Directed by Brian Duffield and adapted by Duffield and Daniel Kraus from Kraus’ book of the same name, the film is at its best when it depicts Jay struggling to survive within the whale. The claustrophobic nature of the setting and the various obstacles (multiple contracting chambers, the squid, and more) he faces make every scene inside the whale feel as intense and cover-your-eyes scary as any great horror movie.

Naturally, the entire movie can’t be about his survival efforts, and so the filmmakers toggle back and forth between Jay’s ordeal in the whale to memories of times with his father. Not so coincidentally, these remembrances come with subtle or overt wisdom from Mitt that would serve Jay well in his current situation. More often than not, these flashback scenes are so on-the-nose that they come off as cheesy instead of inspirational.

It’s also difficult to derive any big emotions from the story other than revulsion at the way Jay’s body is brutalized while he’s inside the whale. None of the characters in the film receive a notable introduction to the audience before big events start happening. It’s next-to-impossible to be invested in their stories when their personalities are being revealed in bits and pieces throughout the movie.

Abrams does well enough in bringing out the terror Jay feels in the whale and the sullenness/anger he has toward his father in other scenes. But whether it’s because his lines in the whale are hard to understand (he’s often talking around a scuba mouthpiece) or the disconnect the character has with father, there’s just something missing in his performance. Brolin’s performance is one-note, and Shue, Levy, Rudd, and John Ortiz don’t appear enough to make a big impact.

With Kraus onboard as the co-writer of the film, it may be the case that Duffield was not given leeway to change the story of Whalefall too much. What might have worked in the book doesn’t seem to translate equally to the film, and while Jay’s nightmare in the whale is effective, the rest of his story doesn’t come across as successfully.

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Whalefall is now playing in theaters.

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Magic and Memories

8 weekends of magic and memories await at the Texas Renaissance Festival

Movie Review

Cheesiness undermines Whalefall's intense survival story

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