East Texas Yamboree

Through the years the Yamboree has grown from a local event to one that draws a crowd from around the state of Texas, as well as surrounding states. One hundred thousand people attend the 4-day event held each October with arts and crafts, antique and classic car show, barbecue, contests, parade, fiddlers contest, barn dance, food, quilt show, livestock, and so much more!

The East Texas Yamboree, one of the oldest continuous festivals in Texas, was established in 1935. The East Texas yams had been a good cash crop in the early 1930’s; however, a weevil problem had caused a quarantine on shipping. Early in 1935, the quarantine was lifted. The yam growers were back in business! Thus the festival planning committee decided to theme the event after the yam, and named it the East Texas Yamboree. The festival was so popular with the locals that the committee decided it should be held on a yearly basis. The East Texas Yamboree has been held each year since then, with the exception of a three year period during World War II.