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The Texas Pie Fest will celebrate its fifth anniversary on April 22 at Tate Farms in Rockwall. And with that notable milestone comes a treat for pie lovers: $5 tickets (and free for children 10 and under). For that price, pie lovers can enjoy the wares of bakers from all over Texas, including Emporium Pies and Pie Crush from Dallas, Lucy’s Sweet Pies from Fort Worth, Texas Pie Guy from Friendswood, and more. And Sausage Sensei from Pflugerville will be sharing three pie-flavored sausages to attendees for free, while supplies last.
Melissa Tate cooked up the idea Fest with her friend Brittany Hardin of Bonafide Betties Pie Company, and they decided it should be on the 800-acre family farm, one of Rockwall County’s last working farms. And the Tate family members who’ll be out for the Pie Fest include many farm animals, from horses, goats, and sheep to buffalo. “My husband brings home every free animal he sees,” Tate tells Eater Dallas. “And that’s how we ended up with a buffalo that will be in the petting zoo. Of course, the Fest is dog friendly and includes a dog pie-eating contest.
There will also be pies from home bakers, and their goods will be judged by a slew of experts, including Marisca Trejo, the owner of James Beard Award-nominated La Casita Bakery in Richardson.
As always, it will host pie-eating contests for adults and kids, and this year Tate is introducing a new form of entertainment: a square dancing exhibition. “We always have a band,” Tate says. “But this year we brought in square dancing. They’re doing to two do exhibitions, and all I had to do was promise them pie and an air conditioned space to sit.”
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Texas Pie Fest attendees can also enjoy Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, get a tattoo from Elm Street Tattoos (she’s my cherry pie, anyone?), and the day will end with a massive pie fight, as is tradition — thanks to a palette of whipped cream the local fire department couldn’t get rid of. “My husband told them we’d take it,” Tate recalls with a laugh. “This turned into a tradition where they bring out the fire truck and my hose everybody down.”
Tate Farms is located at 12992 S FM 548 in Rockwall. The Texas Pie Fest is on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are available online.
