GEORGETOWN, Texas — The city of Georgetown is celebrating the 25th annual Red Poppy Festival this weekend. And as Georgetown is still the fastest-growing city in the nation, it’s expected to bring many people to town.
“What started off as a really small, humble event has grown into attracting about 75,000 people over the weekend,” Kim McAuliffe, the Downtown and Tourism Director for the city of Georgetown, said.
The Red Poppy Festival started 25 years ago when Georgetown was named the "Red Poppy Capital of Texas." Houses around the Georgetown square let their grass grow out, bringing in the red poppies.
Music and a large parade are also highlights of the festival for people like Cara McKinney, who moved to Georgetown from West Texas with her family in 2015.
“We’ve been to the Poppy Fest since our kids were little, since they were playing in the Kid’s Zone,” McKinney said.
Now her son plays trumpet in the Georgetown Eagle band. McKinney said when they first started coming to the Georgetown Square, businesses usually closed around 7 p.m. every night. But in the past few years, she said the city is always packed.
“The secret’s out,” McKinney said. “Georgetown is a great place to be, so they’re coming.”
McAuliffe said it’s been a unique challenge to balance the rapid growth while also maintaining the character of the city.
“People love that small town charm, and so that’s what we try to hold on to, even as we’re growing by leaps and bounds,” McAuliffe said.
That’s also what Kay Trentpierce, who moved to Georgetown only two years ago, loves about it.
“It’s a big town vibe, but I could get up and walk around and somebody will check on my stuff,” Trentpierce said. “It’s like the best of both worlds up here.”
McAuliffe said the city is currently about to wrap up its Downtown Master Plan, which aims to provide a framework for Georgetown residents to use in planning the future and economic development of downtown.
The Red Poppy Festival still has one more day, with a pup parade, an aerialist duo and more music headliners on Sunday's schedule. Organizers are encouraging people coming to the festival to use their free shuttles to help with traffic and parking downtown. The shuttles will pick up from Eastview High School and Georgetown High School.