Between this Saturday and New Year's Eve, nearly every event that fills a Llano County weekend sits within sight of the Llano River. In town, that's Badu Park by the Roy Inks Bridge. Upriver on Ranch Road 152, it's the Castell General Store. Volunteers, nonprofits and local businesses run most of the calendar instead of a single promoter. The town side moves from pumpkins to lights to ice. The Castell side runs on the deer calendar. The two meet on one Saturday in November.
Saturday Starts at Badu Park With Pumpkins on the Water
The Llano River Pumpkin Float is Saturday, Oct. 24, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Badu Park. You bring a carved pumpkin, and event staff set it floating on the Llano River. Businesses, nonprofits and individuals hand out candy and run games along the bank.
It's free, with no entry fee. If you'd like to volunteer or set up a booth, the Chamber listing gives 325-247-5354 as the number to call.
Visit Llano traces it to a pumpkin-carving contest held every year since 2006. The river-float version came in 2016, and local volunteers run it now.
November 7 Is When the Two Halves of the County Meet
The 2026 white-tailed deer general season opens Saturday, Nov. 7, in both the North and South zones, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. Local calendars fill in around that date.
The day before, the Llano Chamber hosts its Outdoor Sports Expo on Friday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Llano Visitor Center. The listing advertises educational courses, workshops and seminars, plus more than $40,000 in prizes.
Opening day has two anchors at opposite ends of the river stretch. On Main Street, War Trail Spirits at 122 E. Main St. holds a single-barrel release party from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Chamber listing describes the whiskey as dark cherry with a hint of tobacco and a sherry-like finish, bottled at 107 proof. There's live music and food, and guests can help with distilling and sign a barrel of whiskey made that day, with the chance to taste it every year on the same date. The listing calls the event kid friendly, dog friendly and cigar friendly.
Out west, the Hunters Ball at Castell General Store runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at 19522 West Ranch Road 152. So the same Saturday holds a whiskey release downtown and an opening-day gathering upriver, and you can make it to both.
Castell Runs Its Own Calendar
A 2025 profile by 101 Highland Lakes described the store as a gathering place all year, with something going on almost every weekend, a bar and grill, kayak rentals and live music. The same piece puts a low-water crossing about three minutes' walk from the store, where people launch kayaks, cool off and fly-fish.
After the Hunters Ball come two more events:
- Castell School House Fish Fry, Saturday, Nov. 14, 6 to 8 p.m. It's a fundraiser for the continued preservation of the schoolhouse, with a meal, music, an auction and a hunting-rifle raffle. The Chamber listing also gives a mailing address for donations from anyone who can't attend.
- Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 1 to 3 p.m. It's on the Chamber calendar again this year. The 2025 profile described it as a way to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends or meet new ones.
The 2026 listings for the Hunters Ball and Friendsgiving don't post menus, so call the store before you go if the program matters to you.
Thanksgiving Morning Has Its Own Options
Thanksgiving pulls in a few more places along the way. In Llano, the community Thanksgiving meal is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. James Lutheran Church's Schorlemmer Hall.
Earlier that morning on Lake LBJ, Sunrise Beach Village holds its fifth annual Wobble Gobble 5K from 9 to 11 a.m. at 105 East Lakeshore Drive. Entry is free. Hosts Traci Miller, Meredith Gabbitas, Strides to Empowerment and CCAA ask runners to bring pantry donations or $5 for Sharing the Harvest.
The Lights Come On the Night After Thanksgiving
Badu Park comes back into the picture the next evening. Starry Starry Nights Lighted Christmas Park runs from Friday, Nov. 27, through Thursday, Dec. 31, at 300 Legion Drive. The Chamber listing shows 6 p.m. on opening night and 9 p.m. on the final night. Texas Highways describes it as a walk along the river past displays that light up the park. The event's own website still shows older season dates in places, so go by the 2026 Chamber listing for this year's run.
Volunteers keep it going. The Starry Starry Nights site asks local businesses and nonprofits to sign up for guest-welcome shifts. It also thanks the Llano Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of the Llano Red Top Jail for volunteering, and sends questions to the Chamber. DailyTrib was already calling it an annual event in 2013.
Dickens Weekend Moves Everything to the Courthouse Square
For one weekend in December, the events leave the river for downtown. A Dickens of a Christmas runs Dec. 4 through 6. Several community organizations put on activities over the three days.
Friday, Dec. 4, starts with the Dickens of a Dinner Theater from 6 to 8 p.m. in the LISD Community Room. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 5, is the busiest day, and the times stack up in order:
- Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus, 9 to 10:30 a.m., First Baptist Church, $5 per person.
- The festival and Christmas market on the Llano Courthouse Square at 801 Ford St., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Texas Highways lists magician and puppet shows, a petting zoo, carriage rides, main-stage entertainment, crafts and games.
- The Woman's Culture Club of Llano Holiday Home Tour, noon to 5 p.m., starting at the club's clubhouse.
- The Llano Lighted Christmas Parade on the square, 6 to 7 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 6, ends the weekend with the Dickens Christmas Tea from 3 to 5 p.m. The Chamber lists it at the Celebration Train Car, 100 Train Station Drive. Tickets on TicketLeap are $55 plus a $2.10 service fee and a 3% online transaction fee. That page lists the location as "Railroad Yard," so check with the organizers for the exact arrival point.
December 12 Ends the Season Back on the River
The season comes back to Badu Park one more time. Snow Day is Saturday, Dec. 12, from 2 to 6 p.m. Texas Highways reports that 35,000 pounds of ice are brought in and shaped into a sledding hill, and sleds are provided. The Snow Day page says sledding requires a wristband. Some older pages list longer hours. The 2026 Chamber listing and the official Snow Day page both say 2 to 6 p.m.
The same afternoon, the Llano Country Opry stages its Heart of Texas Christmas Show at 2:30 p.m. at the Lantex Theater. The lineup is Darrell McCall, Tony Booth, Dottsy, Kay Adams, Justin Trevino, Kaye Tolson and Mona McCall, with Tracy Pitcox hosting.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Llano River Pumpkin Float | Badu Park | 5–9 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Hunters Ball | Castell General Store | 5–7 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Castell School House Fish Fry | Castell General Store | 6–8 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Friendsgiving | Castell General Store | 1–3 p.m. |
| Nov. 27–Dec. 31 | Starry Starry Nights | Badu Park | Opens 6 p.m. Nov. 27 |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Dickens festival and parade | Courthouse Square | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Snow Day | Badu Park | 2–6 p.m. |
On the 31st, the lights at Badu Park go dark for the year, about two months after the first pumpkins floated past the same bank.
Our team at Reata Ranch Realty knows this stretch of river from Castell down to the Roy Inks Bridge. If you're weighing a place close enough to walk to Starry Starry Nights, or a tract near the Castell crossing, we're happy to talk it through with you. Contact Us.
