Our Texas, Our Future Festival

Presented by H-E-B
Location: Moody Amphitheater, Waterloo Park
Date: April 21, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

This free festival is a celebration of Texas’ beautiful parks, resilient wildlife, and the Texans helping conserve & protect them for future generations. The festival will feature interactive exhibits, wildlife demonstrations, sustainability workshops, guided garden tours, and a variety of hands-on art and STEM workshops.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

  • 12:30 PM – Storytime & Book Giveaway: The World’s Greatest Class Plant with author Liz Garton Scanlon
  • 1:15 PM – Our Texas, Our Future: “A Century Celebration: Texas State Parks” 
  • 2:00 PM – Our Texas, Our Future: “Batsies” and “Redfish Revival” 
  • 2:30 PM – Hill Country Garden Guided Tour: Native Plants & Pollinators
  • 3:00 PM – Our Texas, Our Future: “Second Chances” and “Ranching with Ocelots” 
  • 3:30 PM – Hill Country Garden Guided Tour:  Design Principles & Sustainability Practices

Upon entry to the festival, H-E-B encourages visitors to bring their plastic retail bags to recycle in the H-E-B bins. Visitors who bring plastic bags to recycle will be entered to win exciting prizes and gift cards from H-E-B, Texas State Parks, and Waterloo Greenway!

H-E-B Presents: Our Texas, Our Future Film Screening

From Texas bats to black bears, ocelots, and the redfish along the Gulf Coast, the docuseries was created to bring attention to important work being done across the state to protect delicate wildlife habitats, threatened animal species, as well as showcase the wonders and splendors of the Texas outdoors. The series was produced in partnership with Austin-based Fin and Fur Films, and features narration by Shane Smith & original music by native Texans Shane Smith & the Saints.

  • 1:00 PM – Our Texas, Our Future: “A Century Celebration: Texas State Parks” 
  • 2:00 PM – Our Texas, Our Future: “Batsies” and “Redfish Revival” 
  • 3:00 PM – Our Texas, Our Future: “Second Chances” and “Ranching with Ocelots” 

Texas Wildlife Workshops

The event will also feature multiple wildlife exhibitions and demonstrations including: Central Texas Snake ID Safety seminars from Austin Reptile Service, beekeeping with Round Rock Honey, and bat echolocation with Austin Bat Refuge. 

Hill Country Garden Guided Tour 

Visitors of all ages are encouraged to participate in a series of tours through Waterloo Park’s Hill Country Garden. Tour topics including: Native Plants & Pollinators led by Monarch Sanctuary Project and  Design Principles & Sustainability Practices led by Waterloo Greenway’s Vice-President of Projects & Planning (3:30 PM).

Hands-On Environmental Workshops & Crafts

Families can spend the day in the park exploring a variety of hands-on art and environmental workshops led by Families in Nature, Travis Audubon, Round Rock Honey, Austin Resource Recovery, MadScience, and more.  Join DJ Manny Mo on the Meredith Heritage Tree for incredible tunes and dance party.

Our Texas, Our Future Festival at Waterloo Park is presented by H-E-B. H-E-B is fiercely proud of our home state, and they support many Texas farmers, ranchers, researchers, and environmentalists who take good care of our land, water, and air. H-E-B is dedicated to putting Our Texas, Our Future first, so they can continue to support the communities they serve while helping preserve Texas’ natural beauty for generations to come. To learn more about H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future mission, please visit OurTexasOurFuture.com.