Index: Denton Festivals and Major Events
If you’ve lived in Denton for even a few months, you’ve probably figured out that there’s a lot going on in this town. To be honest, even life-long Dentonites have a hard time keeping track of it all sometimes. We figured we’d help out with that a little bit. Below is an index of all the major festivals and events that happen in our (not-so) little (anymore) town on an annual basis. If the event has already happened and next year’s date hasn’t been announced yet, we went ahead and included this year’s date (since they tend to happen around the same time every year), and we’ll update it as we get the info. Did we miss an event? Send us an email and we’ll get it added.
January
Band Together Denton
January 20 & 21, 2017
2017 will bring this festival in its inaugural year, featuring 60 local bands playing 10 different house venues over 2 days — all for the benefit of Mentor Denton.
Denton Black Film Festival
January 27 - 29, 2017
This fest is held at the Campus Theater and features film screenings, panels, workshops, music, art, spoken word, and comedy, all designed to educate about the black experience, entertain, and inspire.
February
March
April
Thin Line
April 19 - 23, 2017
Thin Line features the best in film, music, and photo every year and for the first time, it’ll be free in 2017! We didn’t think it could get any better, but it did.
Redbud Festival
April 23, 2016
Denton’s official Arbor Day celebration, hosted by Keep Denton Beautiful, has won awards and features dozens of vendors selling plants, home improvement products, and local/handmade crafts, as well as various Arbor Day related activities.
Denton Arts & Jazz Festival
April 28 - 30, 2017B
One of the premiere festivals in the city every year, with plenty of jazz and arts for the whole family to enjoy, all for free!
May
Denton Comedy Festival
May 9, 2017
The comedy scene in Denton has gotten pretty spectacular as of late, and 2016 saw the inaugural Denton Comedy Festival. They’ll be back at in May for version 1.5.
Denton Cinco de Mayo
May 14, 2016
This event celebrates the rich cultural traditions, songs, dances, art, and food of the Hispanic community, and kicks off every year with a parade.
35 Denton
3 days of music and more make this one of our favorites. Previous years have seen it being held in March, but for 2017, they are making the move to May.
June
Denton Air Show
June 18, 2016
Held at the Denton Airport; check out cool planes and be awed by the Aerobatics.
July
August
North Texas Fair and Rodeo
August 19 - 27, 2016
This is Texas, y’all, and we like our rodeos. Being Texas, though, we do it bigger and better with a fair thrown into the mix. 8 days of all the rodeo events and fair food your heart can take — it gets better every year!
September
Arts & Autos Extravaganza
September 10, 2016
Every year, or at least for 17 of them, the Downtown Square gets overtaken by rare and unusual vehicles including class cars, hot rods, and luxury motorcycles. There’s also a competition and interactive art activities, including our favorite: chalk art.
Denton Blues Festival
September 17-18, 2016
Hosted by the Denton Black Chamber of Commerce and featuring talented blues artists as well as plenty of family-fun and food.
Oaktopia
September 22-24, 2016
This year, they brought us Norah Jones… We can’t wait to see what happens in the future.
October
Dog Days of Denton
October 1, 2016
2016 saw the 23rd Dog Days of Denton celebration, and it’s always a barking great time. With fun for the whole family, both pawed and not, this should always be on your to-do list.
Denton County Hispanic Heritage Month Festival
October 1, 2016
Spend a day at the Courthouse-on-the-Square to learn about Denton County’s diverse Hispanic/Latino Cultures.
Fry Street Oktoberfest
October 8, 2016
Friends with Benefits Denton has hosted this for two years now. The event features a 5K run and benefits local nonprofit organizations.
Industrial Street Pop Festival
October 22. 2016
Otherwise known as “Geezerpalooza”, this festival is free and acts as a tribute to bands from the 60s and 70s.
Denton Day of the Dead Festival
October 29, 2016
Coffin races, costumes, and did we mention coffin races? Always a good time to be had on Halloween weekend.
November
UNT Homecoming
November 5, 2016
The whole town of Denton gets excited for UNT Homecoming, and there’s a whole week's worth of activities leading up to it that includes a giant bonfire and a parade, plus the actual football game.
D&L Denton Annual Weenie Dog Races
November 5, 2016
Did you know this is an annual event? We didn’t until recently, and now that we do, we’ll be there every time because racing weenie dogs is cute and we like cute things.
Turkey Roll Bicycle Rally
November 19, 2016
This event is in its 34th year and is hosted by the Denton Breakfast Kiwanis.
December
Denton Holiday Lighting Festival
December 2, 2016
Thousands flock to the Downtown Square to catch the annual lighting of the tree on the Courthouse Lawn. Always on the first Friday of December, and also kicks off Wassail Weekend.
Header image design by Brittany Keeton