Now that the sun is making more frequent appearances the time is ripe for SpringFest, the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce’s outdoor festival April 24 at Hill Country Galleria.

The free community event will feature live music, festival food, barbecue, chicken, chili and Bloody Mary competitions, a boat expo, KidZone and more.

Organizers are expecting 7,000-8,000 people to attend the third annual festival that opens its doors at 10 a.m. and officially starts at 11 a.m., but some acts boast too much energy to be contained long.
TexARTS youth performers, for example, will get crowds going early when they sing from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Live entertainment continues with Free & Vee with Kori Free and Steven Vee from noon-1 p.m., and Loose Wheels will follow from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
The driving energy of Two Tons of Steel from 3-4:30 p.m. will lead into Dale Watson and his Lone Stars from 5-6:30 p.m.
The Derailers will round out the lineup from 7-9 p.m.
Chamber President Laura Mitchell said audiences can soak in the Texas country music all day long.
“It’s family-friendly music that you can kick back to and relax while enjoying a cold drink and tapping your toes,” Mitchell said.
When competitors enter their barbecue dishes all bets are off to become the next Lake Travis Rib King. Competition to concoct the best Bloody Mary or fire up the best chili and chicken also gets fierce.
“There are some pretty hefty bragging rights on the line. I know even in the backyard, cookoffs can get pretty serious, so when there’s potential public recognition on the line, it can become a very friendly competition,” Mitchell said.
Crowds won’t be disappointed if they are looking to gorge themselves on festival food either. Everything from turkey legs to funnel cake to lemonade will lure appetites throughout the day.
If they haven’t fallen into a food coma or come down from their sugar rush, children can romp around in the expanded KidZone that will include a dunk tank, bounce houses, jousting, face painting and more for a nominal fee.
This year’s event also boasts a larger boat expo with Sail & Ski Center and Austin Boats & Motors displaying the latest watercraft and boats, and more than 150 vendors will market their arts, crafts, clothing, pet products and health and beauty supplies or provide information.
Fun and sun are important elements to the festival’s success, but SpringFest is also designed to stimulate small businesses.
“Those [vendors] that participate certainly see a positive economic impact. They may introduce festivalgoers to a product or service that they didn’t know existed in the area,” Mitchell said.
Since SpringFest began at Star Hill Ranch, the festival has grown in size and scope every year.
“We knew in the first year when we had rain and hail and the parking lot was still full that we had a good thing going,” Mitchell said. “We did create a buzz about a family-fun festival in our community that had been missing.”
Organizers now have thoughts about expanding it further.
“Our true desire is for SpringFest to become a multi-day event. We want to attract people from outside the community to shop and eat, stay in lodging and really enjoy Lake Travis as a vacation,” Mitchell said.
The chamber and Hill Country Galleria have set SpringFest on its way to achieving that goal, Mitchell said.
“The Hill Country Galleria is a stunning venue and the perfect host for SpringFest,” she said. “Partnering with the Hill Country Galleria provides us with an opportunity to create a strong, positive economic impact on the local economy.”
“Hill Country Galleria is honored to be the presenting sponsor of such an exciting event, especially one that benefits the South Lake Travis community,” said Tiffany Hardt, assistant property manager. “SpringFest is a great way to kick off the beginning of the summer.”
For information on live music show times, vendor booth and barbecue cook?off applications for SpringFest, visit www.LakeTravisSpringFest.com. For information, contact Mitchell at springfest@laketravischamber.com or 263-5833.