This Is What a Real Small-Town Festival Looks Like
Plenty of events these days call themselves a “festival” — a row of vendor tents, some food trucks, a DJ, and that’s about it. The Oatmeal Festival is not that. This Saturday, downtown Bertram hosts a genuine, hands-on, all-day community celebration — and most of it, you can actually join in on, not just watch.
A Festival You Actually Participate In
Run in the Fun Run. Enter your car. Enter your dog. Bake your best oatmeal recipe. Toss a tortilla. Pitch a washer. Ride the parade. This year’s Oatmeal Festival has four judged contests and two parades that anyone can register for. That’s the difference between a vendor market with a stage and a true small-town festival: here, the community isn’t the audience, it’s the whole point — and when the sun goes down, everyone ends up in the same place, dancing on Vaughan Street.
New to Bertram? You might not have made it downtown yet — there’s no HEB, Walmart, Lowe’s, or McDonald’s here to pull you in, just locally owned small businesses that make Bertram, Bertram. We’re right on Hwy 29, about halfway between Liberty Hill (Hwy 183) and Burnet (Hwy 281) — closer than you think, and festival day is the perfect excuse to come see what small-town, rural Texas living is really about. Driving in from Leander, Georgetown, or Austin? You’re just as welcome.
🏃 3.3 Mile “Run for Your Oats”
The day kicks off at 8:00 AM with a race straight through the heart of downtown — the tradition that started it all. Lace up and run it, or grab a curb and cheer the runners on before the rest of the day gets going.
Still want to run? Registration closes Friday at 5:15 PM CT, or pick up a packet in person Friday evening or race morning (late fee applies). Register & see packet pickup times →
🎠 Two Parades, One Big Morning
Downtown Bertram hosts back-to-back parades before lunch — bring the whole family and claim your spot on Vaughan Street early.
Best-dressed pets strut from Johnnie Mae Wheeler Park to the Festival Stage. Day-of sign-up only, opening at 8:30 AM.
The festival’s centerpiece, rolling down W. Vaughan Street, led by 2026 Grand Marshal Lanny Stone. Want your group or vehicle in it? Register here →
🚗 Car Show
Vintage, hot rod, truck, and motorcycle entries fill downtown from 8:30 AM to 2 PM. Every vehicle is eligible for Mayor’s Choice or one of 8 Honorable Mentions — awards presented at 1 PM.
Check-in on N. East St, near the Exxon Travel Mart. On display through 2:00 PM, free for the public to view. Register your vehicle →
🏆 Three Contests, Free to Enter
Bring your best recipe, your competitive streak, or just your sense of humor.
Drop off your covered, unnamed entry 9:30–11:30 AM. Judging begins at noon; winners announced at the Festival Stage, 3:30 PM.
Tortilla toss, egg toss, cow chip kicking, and the stick horse race. Sign up at the booth on Vaughan Street right after the Grande Parade wraps up.
Double-elimination bracket in the grassy area behind City Hall near South St. Sign-up 10:30–11:45 AM; $20/person or $40/team.
🧒 Kids Zone
Noon–4 PM at Johnnie Mae Wheeler Park: yard games, the Kiddie Train, free face painting, and the crowd-favorite Oatmeal Dig — kids dig through a kiddie pool of oatmeal for hidden toy surprises. No ticket required.
🎨 Live Art
Noon–4 PM, local artist Libby Bratt paints a unique Oatmeal Festival mural live in the street on W. Vaughan — no registration needed, just stop by and watch it take shape over the afternoon. The annual Scholarship Raffle, benefiting local youth, also returns this year — final details coming soon on our website and socials.
🎵 Live Music & Street Dance
Levi Fowler, Kathryn Wood, Daniel Hopkins, and Bryan Groce, back to back. Bring a lawn chair.
Eley Buck Davis opens, Ben Watson and The Hired Guns headline. No ticket, no cover — the perfect way to close out the day.
🛍️ Vendors & Food
100+ local artisans and small businesses, plus 10+ food trucks, line downtown all day long. See who’s vending this year →
🙋 Open Shifts — And a Scholarship Opportunity for Local Youth
Car Show, Bake-Off, Wacky Games & Kid Zone Cleanup Still Need Help
Local students in grades 9–12: hours you volunteer at the festival count toward your Oatmeal Festival Scholarship application. Awards are based on your total volunteer hours accumulated over your high school career — last year’s graduating seniors received between $200 and $1,200+, based on the hours they’d put in. Every shift you work adds up toward that total.
Parents, teachers, neighbors — please help us spread the word to the youth in your life. Sign up on SignUpGenius →
Four days out, and downtown Bertram is getting ready for its biggest day of the year. Free admission, free entertainment, and a whole lot of Texas community spirit — come watch, or come participate. Either way, we’ll see you Saturday.
