A three-day pass to the Stars of Texas Music Festival costs $169. Fan Fest at Railyard Park, the Thursday-night meet-and-greet with the drag racers, is free. Both are part of the same event, the 10-day Texas Stampede of Speed. The ticketed racing and concerts take place at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis. Waxahachie hosts the free events.
That arrangement shapes Waxahachie's October calendar. The city uses the Stampede to start a run of free downtown events. Each one is a little more local than the last, and the month ends on the courthouse square with no racing involved.
The race is in Ennis, and the kickoff was downtown
The Texas Stampede of Speed runs October 9 through 18, 2026, at the Historic Texas Motorplex in Ennis. It mixes country music, drag racing and other festival events. The racing centers on the Texas NHRA FallNationals, which NHRA's 2026 event guide lists for Wednesday, Oct. 14, through Sunday, Oct. 18.
The Stampede's first weekend is the Stars of Texas Music Festival, set for Oct. 9 through 11, with bull riding, barbecue, racing, lantern releases and music. The 2026 ticket page lists Aaron Watson, Jason Boland & The Stragglers and Wynn Williams on Friday. Brad Paisley, Avery Anna, Cory Morrow and the Kruse Brothers play Saturday. Tracy Lawrence, The Frontmen, Rick Trevino and Ray Wylie Hubbard close it out Sunday.
Waxahachie's role started at noon on Friday, Oct. 9. Cowboys drove longhorns through downtown in the Stampede of Speed Cattle Drive, a free event that lasted about an hour. The Waxahachie Daily Light called the cattle drive the kickoff of the annual Texas Stampede of Speed.
Here are the prices. The Ennis events are ticketed, and the Waxahachie events cost nothing:
| Event | Where | Price listed for 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Stars of Texas, Friday Oct. 9 | Texas Motorplex, Ennis | $39 general admission |
| Stars of Texas, Saturday Oct. 10 | Texas Motorplex, Ennis | $79 general admission |
| Stars of Texas, Sunday Oct. 11 | Texas Motorplex, Ennis | $59 general admission |
| Stars of Texas, three-day pass | Texas Motorplex, Ennis | $169 general admission |
| NHRA FallNationals, single days Oct. 15 to 18 | Texas Motorplex, Ennis | From $19 to $74 depending on the day |
| Stampede of Speed Cattle Drive, Oct. 9 | Downtown Waxahachie | Free |
| Stampede of Speed Fan Fest, Oct. 15 | Railyard Park, Waxahachie | Free |
The festival site says its displayed prices include fees. The NHRA day tickets range from $19 on Thursday, Oct. 15, to $74 on Friday, Oct. 16. Saturday starts at $54 and Sunday at $49.
Railyard Park gets the drivers on a weeknight
The $19 Thursday at the Motorplex and the free Fan Fest in Waxahachie fall on the same day. Fan Fest runs Thursday, Oct. 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Railyard Park, 455 S. College St. The city's listing says NHRA and JEGS All-Star drivers will be there for meet-and-greets, along with live music and free autographs. On a racing day, part of the field comes to College Street after the session in Ennis, and nobody needs a ticket to see them.
Railyard Park also hosts the one downtown event this month that has an entry fee. The Rotary Club of Waxahachie organizes the Dog Stroll at the same address, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. It includes a costume contest, booths and games, with a $25 entry fee per dog. According to the Waxahachie CVB listing, proceeds go to the Pet Coalition of Ellis County, which explains why this event charges when the others don't.
Getzendaner Park takes Halloween a week early
The Stampede ends in Ennis on Sunday, Oct. 18, and Waxahachie's calendar shifts to Halloween the day before. Trunk-o-Palooza takes over Getzendaner Park, 400 S. Grand, on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 3 to 6 p.m., with free admission.
The CVB's event page lists this as the city's third annual Trunk-o-Palooza, with 99.5 The Wolf and New Country 96.3 as partners. Planned activities include:
- Trick-or-treating from decorated vehicles
- Costume contests
- Games, inflatables and giveaways
- A DJ and music
- Food trucks
Two country radio stations as partners keep the musical thread going from the Stampede, but this one is for families, not racing fans.
Oct. 24 belongs to the courthouse square
The events before this one borrowed their draw from Ennis. The Crossroads of Texas GO TEXAN Country Festival is Waxahachie's own, and it's the biggest day on the calendar. The city lists it for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. downtown, with free admission.
The Waxahachie CVB says the festival has run in historic downtown for more than 25 years and calls it Texas' largest one-day arts, music and food festival. GO TEXAN returns as premier partner this year. Sponsors listed on the event page include H-E-B, Whataburger, the Downtown Waxahachie Association, CBS 11 and the City of Waxahachie.
Here is what the CVB says will be on the square:
- More than 200 booths around the historic courthouse square, with GO TEXAN-certified vendors, Texas artisans and small businesses.
- Texas food and wine, including selections from the Uncork Texas Wines program and wild-caught offerings from the Texas Gulf Shrimp initiative.
- Jake Worthington on the Main Stage with special guest Kenny Whitmire. Worthington is a La Porte native with a traditional honky-tonk sound, and he has toured with Luke Combs, Parker McCollum and Riley Green.
- More than 10 downtown stages, including live sets at restaurants, wine bars and breweries, plus the Grown Local Stage for Ellis County musicians and the CBS Texas Music Lounge at the historic Texas Theater.
The Grown Local Stage stands out on that list. Much of October's lineup comes from the Stampede's touring acts and racing teams. At Crossroads, one stage is set aside for musicians from the county.
The materials published so far don't include set times for Worthington or Whitmire, and the CVB doesn't name the restaurants and breweries that will host stages. The city has a Crossroads of Texas map hub with links to an interactive parking map, a traffic map and a festival layout map. As of early October, the description on the linked layout map still says 2025. The hub is a reasonable place to check closer to Oct. 24, when the 2026 layout may be posted.
The month ends where it started
Downtown gets one more event before November. Trick-or-Treat on the Square is set for Thursday, Oct. 29, from 3 to 5 p.m. It's free, with costumes, candy, games and Halloween activities around the historic square. The CVB listing gives [email protected] as the contact. The 2026 materials don't say which businesses are taking part.
The month began with longhorns in downtown Waxahachie and ends with costumed kids on the same blocks, three weeks apart. Here is the rest of October in order:
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 6 to 9 p.m.: Stampede of Speed Fan Fest, Railyard Park, 455 S. College St., free
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 3 to 6 p.m.: Trunk-o-Palooza, Getzendaner Park, 400 S. Grand, free
- Sunday, Oct. 18: final day of the NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, tickets from $49
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Crossroads of Texas GO TEXAN Country Festival, courthouse square, free
- Thursday, Oct. 29, 3 to 5 p.m.: Trick-or-Treat on the Square, downtown, free
The city has more on its calendar after October. The Ellis County Turkey Trot is listed for Nov. 26, and the Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting for Dec. 1.
JBRE Group is based just up the road in Red Oak, and we follow Ellis County's calendar closely because it shapes daily life for the people we work with. If you'd like to talk through what owning a home near downtown Waxahachie involves, such as festival-day traffic, the walk to the square or how these weekends play out on your street, John is happy to sit down and go over it with you. Schedule a Consultation whenever it suits you.
