Festival News

Surf's up at 2-day festival at Grand Prairie water park Epic Waters

Things are splashy at the Epic Waters Waterpark in Grand Prairie.

Photo courtesy of Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark

Surf's up at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark In Grand Prairie with the return of FlowaPalooza, taking place at the Epic, considered to be one of the splashiest, most very best indoor waterparks in the U.S.

The festival, which takes place September 23-24, centers on a surf competition on the FlowRider, the world’s first and most famous surf simulating machine. This competition is open to multiple age groups and abilities. Those who don't want to compete can buy a ticket to watch the action; here's a snapshot from the 2022 event.

The first Flowapalooza at Epic Waters took place in June 2019 after Flowrider added the Grand Prairie facility to the list of stops on its FLOW Tour competition.

In subsequent years, Epic Waters repositioned the date of the festival from June to the fall. It has grown larger every year, although this year, it's just two nights instead of three, as in prior years.

Flow Tour's goal is to help keep the sport of flowboarding alive, and also keep FlowRiders around the world connected. There are more than 220 FlowRiders installed at water parks around the world, as well as on cruise chips. Epic Waters is home to a FlowRider Double, a two-lane attraction, making it the largest FlowRider in North Texas. (Other FlowRiders are in Plano, Arlington, Little Elm, and Dallas, at the State Fair of Texas.)

Free activities throughout the weekend will include live music on The Grand Lawn at EpicCentral, with six bands on Saturday, headlined by David Lee Garza Y Los Musicales, and four more bands on Sunday.

Also performing will be The Flying Cortes family, a five-generation troupe that takes the traditional flying trapeze to a new level by showcasing classic flying maneuvers over 30 feet in the air.

There will also be multiple food trucks available on-site, as well as a Family Village featuring free games like Robo Surfing, Zorb Ball Racing, carnival games, rock climbing, and more.

“We are passionate about providing entertainment for all ages and FlowaPalooza helps us deliver on this while offering a free event to our community,” said Lisa Miller of Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in a statement. “This epic festival is full of live music, entertainment for all, delicious food, and a range of activities.”

The festival will take place from 12-10 pm on Saturday and 12-6 pm on Sunday.

kids families fairs-festivals

Merry & Bright

Spectacular new drive-thru Light Park will electrify Frisco for 2023 holidays

Photo courtesy of The Light Park

The lights will switch on November 3.

A dazzling new holiday lights experience is coming to Frisco, and the lights are switching on very soon.The Light Park, an immersive drive-thru attraction that claims to have "the longest light tunnel in the world," will debut at Riders Field on November 3 and run through January 1, 2024.

It'll be the second Light Park in Dallas-Fort Worth this season; the popular location at Hurricane Harbor in Arlington also will return on November 3. There are also Light Parks in the Texas cities of Selma, Katy, and Spring.

The Light Park is a described in a release as "a mile-long drive-thru spectacular" during which guests "witness millions of lights synchronized to an electric mix of music by DJ Polar Ice from the North Pole’s #1 Hit Radio station, K-GLO."

"Everyone (pets, too) can experience the magic of traveling through the longest holiday light tunnel in the world, rocking out to the coolest tunes, and kicking off the holiday season with the most Instagram Reel-worthy shots, for just one admission fee,” says Matt Johnson, co-creator of The Light Park, in the release.

That admission fee starts at $29 per vehicle (not per person). Tickets must be purchased online, in advance, with a reserved entry time. Admission varies per showtime (weekdays and weekends).

Although DFW has some longtime favorite drive-thru light experiences (such as Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie and and Gift of Lights at Texas Motor Speedway), they became a hot trend during the "socially distanced" holiday season of 2020. Visitors to The Light Park must stay in their cars the entire time while visiting the park and while on the park property, organizers say. Guests are encouraged to bring their snacks to enjoy while in their cars or can pre-purchase some snacks and souvenirs.

The Light Park will be at Riders Field, 7300 Rough Riders Tr., Frisco. Hours will be: 5:30-10 pm (weekdays), and 5:30-11 (weekends and Christmas week).

More information and early-bird tickets are available on the website.

families holidays