Glen Rose, Texas, known as the Dinosaur Capital of Texas, is set to host two major summer events in July 2026: a hometown Fourth of July celebration and a concert by Texas country band Reckless Kelly at the newly remodeled Texas Amphitheater. The events aim to draw visitors to the small town located about 75 miles southwest of Dallas-Fort Worth, offering a mix of family-friendly activities and live music.
On July 4, 2026, Glen Rose will host a full day of festivities starting with a pancake breakfast at the Senior Citizen Center at 8:00 AM, followed by a hometown Independence Day parade around the historic downtown square at 10:00 AM. Free registration is available for community participants. From noon to 2:00 PM, Dinosaur World will host a celebration featuring live music, hot dog eating contests, and giveaways among hundreds of life-sized dinosaur exhibits. At 2:00 PM, a ceremony will take place at the Creation Evidence Museum. The evening culminates with fireworks and free live music by the Brady Hulsey Band at Wheeler Branch Park, starting at 7:00 PM, hosted by the Somervell County Water District.
On July 18, 2026, the Texas Amphitheater will host Reckless Kelly live from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The historic open-air venue, recently acquired by the MSAS family, has been reimagined with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, and features a signature water moat. Tickets start at $55 and are available on Eventbrite.
Glen Rose offers a range of accommodations, from luxurious boutique hotels to riverside cabins, making it easy for visitors to extend their stay. The town is home to 98 custom-painted dinosaurs, and the free Glen Rose Dinosaur Pass, available on the Bandwango app, guides explorers to 35 of them. Completing all 35 stops earns one free entry pass to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Visitors can start the scavenger hunt by scanning the QR code at the Visitors Center, where they can also meet "Rexanne," the animatronic dinosaur.
Other attractions include Dinosaur Valley State Park, where visitors can see real dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River bed; Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, a drive-through safari park; Dinosaur World with hundreds of life-sized dinosaur exhibits; the Paluxy River Walk; Big Rocks Park; Paluxy Heritage Park; the historic town square; and Barnard's Mill and Art Museum. For more information, visit exploreglenrose.com.
Traci Niedziela, Tourism Director for Explore Glen Rose, said, "July is the perfect time to discover everything Glen Rose has to offer. Whether you're celebrating Independence Day with fireworks and live music or enjoying a world-class country concert at our beautifully renovated amphitheater, we invite visitors to make it a weekend getaway and explore why we're known as the Dinosaur Capital of Texas."
