The Texas Renaissance Festival has four weekends left in 2026, and the last one runs three days. It closes for the year on Sunday, Nov. 29. Until then, Saturdays and Sundays on FM 1774 follow the hours the festival itself publishes. Those hours also show which parts of the day are still easy for anyone heading to the feed store, the church parking lot or a late breakfast on FM 1488. On the first weekend after the festival closes, Magnolia holds its own holiday events.
The Hours the Festival Publishes
The festival is at 21778 FM 1774 in Todd Mission. It is open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and gates close at 7 p.m. In its FAQ, the festival says the heaviest inbound traffic comes between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and the heaviest outbound traffic between 6 and 8 p.m. It also names the two worst stretches: FM 1774 between Tomball and Magnolia, and FM 1774 between Magnolia and the festival grounds.
Lined up with the rest of the festival's schedule, a typical open day looks like this:
| Time | What the festival lists | What it means on FM 1774 |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. | Festival traffic monitoring begins | Updates start appearing on TRF's Facebook and Instagram |
| 8:45 a.m. | King, Queen and courts greet early arrivals at the gates | Early arrivals are already on the road |
| 9 a.m. | Gates open | Traffic builds toward the midday peak |
| 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Heaviest inbound traffic | Busiest window heading north |
| 3 p.m. | Traffic monitoring ends | Social media updates stop for the day |
| 4 p.m. | Cutoff for paid parking passes | Late arrivals use general parking |
| 6 to 8 p.m. | Heaviest outbound traffic | Busiest window heading south |
| 8 p.m. | Royal Fireworks and closing | Last wave of exits |
That leaves a quieter stretch in the middle of the afternoon. Most visitors are already inside by then, and the exit rush hasn't started. The festival's directions page says traffic is monitored from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each open day, with updates posted on its Facebook and Instagram accounts. Those posts are the closest thing to a live road report for FM 1774 on festival weekends.
The festival also steers visitors away from the shortcuts their phones suggest. Its FAQ warns that navigation apps may send drivers onto residential or private roads that are closed to festival traffic, and that law enforcement may turn those drivers back to the main route. The festival wants visitors on the signed routes, which also keeps them off neighborhood streets.
Four Weekends Left, and the Last Runs Three Days
Each remaining weekend has a theme, which tells you what kind of crowd and costumes to expect on the road.
- Heroes and Villains, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7–8
- Barbarian Invasion, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14–15
- Highland Fling, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21–22
- Celtic Christmas, Friday through Sunday, Nov. 27–29
Celtic Christmas works differently from the others. The festival's season calendar lists it as open Saturdays, Sundays and the Friday after Thanksgiving, so the last weekend adds a weekday. On that Friday, the 11-to-2 inbound peak and the 6-to-8 outbound peak hit FM 1774 on a day when most other weeks are quiet. Anyone with holiday plans that use FM 1774 that Friday can use the hours in the table to pick a time.
Once Nov. 29 is over, the festival's season is done.
What Changed at the Gate This Year
Two changes this season affect how cars arrive and where they park.
First, parking. The festival's new Premium Parking replaces the valet service it offered in past years. General parking is still free. Premium costs $40 and Preferred costs $25, both depend on available space, and both stop selling at 4 p.m. With the 4 p.m. cutoff, paid-parking traffic stays in the morning and early afternoon. Visitors who arrive later go to general parking.
Second, the route. The festival now recommends Hwy 249, the Aggie Expressway, as the main way in from Greater Houston. Visitors take the FM 1774/Plantersville exit and drive about 2 miles south to the entrance. The directions page calls this the best way to reach the festival and says "the construction concerns of the past are mostly gone." For visitors from The Woodlands, it suggests FM 1488 to FM 1774, then north. Its other routes come in from the north on Hwy 105 through Plantersville. One starts at I-45 in Conroe, and the other uses Hwy 290 and Hwy 6 through Navasota.
Any festival traffic that follows this advice reaches the gates from the north and skips the Tomball-to-Magnolia stretch of FM 1774 the FAQ calls congested.
One change on the grounds is also posted. The festival's ticket page says Wyrmwood Public House is closed for 2026.
FM 1488 Keeps Its Own Schedule
The festival's congestion warnings name FM 1774. FM 1488 has its own weekend traffic, and that is where this year's new restaurants opened.
Luc Lac Asian Cuisine opened June 14 at 6875 FM 1488, according to Community Impact.
The Flying Biscuit Cafe is coming to 5667 FM 1488, Ste. D. The Atlanta-based chain serves Southern breakfast, lunch and brunch, including biscuits and gravy, pancake tacos, chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits. Community Impact reported a November target for the Magnolia location. The chain's Magnolia location page lists the opening as Q4 2026, with hours still marked TBA. If it opens this month as planned, it would add a breakfast option on the same weekends the festival crowds are heading out early on FM 1774.
PJ's Coffee of New Orleans is the next one after that, at 11510 FM 1488, Ste. 100. Community Impact lists construction from Nov. 30 through an estimated completion on Feb. 26, 2027. Construction starts the day after the festival's last day.
Five Days After the Fireworks
The festival closes Sunday, Nov. 29. The following Friday, Dec. 4, Magnolia's holiday weekend begins on local roads.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Cowgirl Christmas Market, day one | Magnolia Cowboy Church, Main Building | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Cowgirl Christmas Market, day two | Magnolia Cowboy Church, Main Building | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | "The Magic of Christmas" Parade of Lights | Unity Park | 5:30 p.m. start at dusk, per the Chamber |
The Cowgirl Christmas Market runs both days, and the church's event page lists vendor booths and food trucks.
The Southwest Montgomery County Chamber's Parade of Lights is Saturday evening, Dec. 5, at Unity Park. This year's theme is "North Pole Radio," and the grand marshal is the Magnolia Intermediate Student Council. The Chamber lists a 5:30 p.m. start at dusk. Magnolia Cowboy Church's calendar shows the Parade of Lights evening at Unity Park running from 5 to 8 p.m. The Chamber's event page is the best place to check for the final step-off time.
Compared with last year, the parade is one day earlier and the listing has one less location. The Chamber's 2025 page put it on Saturday, Dec. 6, at "Unity Park & Nichols Sawmill." The 2026 listing names only Unity Park.
Market shoppers can be done by 4 p.m. on Saturday, with time to get to Unity Park before the 5:30 p.m. start the Chamber lists. A week earlier, the busiest window on FM 1774 was 6 to 8 p.m. as festival traffic headed home. On Dec. 5 that window falls during the town's parade.
If you're weighing how FM 1774 and FM 1488 fit your own weekends, or you're looking at homes along either one, The Mike Seder Group knows these roads in festival season and the rest of the year. Schedule Your Concierge Consultation, and we'll share what we know about the parts of Magnolia you're considering.
