A little history and explanation on the date...
Up until 2014, the City of Bryan handled the festival and the date was somewhat fluid. Without conducting a search to verify, I recall Texas Reds being held in June, July, September and maybe October? When the Downtown Bryan Association assumed management in 2014, we looked at possibly changing the date to a month with more comfortable temperatures, but with Texas weather being what it is, who knows what that date would be?? We found that established, successful festivals were consistently held at the same time every year. With the very busy calendar of events in the Brazos Valley, we decided one of the things the festival needed was a consistent date each year, and since it was held in September the previous two years, we decided to stick with it.
It's risky to have the event in September with the possibility of late-season hurricanes and unexpected cool fronts that trigger thunderstorms, but for now, we are sticking with the last weekend of September. The A&M-Arkansas game being played away from home is definitely a factor. We don't want to compete with a home game on festival weekend.
There are other considerations to factor in, but the ultimate goal is to present a family-friendly, fun event that showcases our downtown. There will be plenty of shaded areas and the downtown stores and restaurants will welcome you to step in and cool off. We hope to see you this weekend!
Sandy Farris
Executive Director, Downtown Bryan Association