F. A. Q.

“Where is the Real. Texas. Festival. presented by Dodge?”
The Real. Texas. Festival. presented by Dodge, April 25-27, takes place at Rodeo Centre Plaza in Mesquite, Texas, LBJ Freeway and Military Parkway. The exact street address of the venue is 1818 Rodeo Drive in Mesquite.

“When do the gates open?”
Festival hours are from 5-11 p.m. Friday, April 25; Noon-11 p.m. Saturday, April 26; and from Noon-6 p.m. Sunday, April 27.

“How do I buy tickets?”
Tickets are on sale right now for the event and can be obtained by logging on to our Web site – www.realtexasfestival.com -- and clicking on the link. Tickets come in three varieties: single day general admission, $5; three-day passes, $12 and VIP access with parking pass, $50. Tickets and ticket packages purchased on-line through April 21 can be mailed. After April 21, tickets purchased on-line will be available through the Will Call gate at the festival. Will Call will be located at the west entrance of the festival. Tickets are also on sale at City of Mesquite Municipal Center at 1515 N. Galloway, Mesquite, Texas, 75149 and will be available at the gates festival weekend.

“What does my ticket get me?”
The $5 admission gets you into the festival Friday, Saturday or Sunday. It gets you admission into the gate, as well as admission into the regular performance of the Mesquite Championship Rodeo on Friday or Saturday. It also gets you admission into the Real. Texas. Customs. Car show inside the Mesquite Exhibit Hall, a chance to see all of the concerts including the headliners and all of the performances on our secondary stage. It also allows you to access the Taste of Mesquite Barbecue Competition. Like the general admission ticket, the $12 three-day pass will grant admission to all of the attractions such as the car show, the concerts, the rodeo, etc. But it grants admission all three days of the festival. You will be issued a wristband at the gate which you will have to show the next days for admission. Finally, the $50 VIP pass allows admission to all three days of the festival, admission to the catered VIP Pavilion presented by Time Warner Cable and all of the attractions from the festival. Preferred parking is also included – in the west parking lot at Resistol Arena.

“Can I get reserved seats for the Dodge Real. Texas. Music. Stage performances?”
No. The concert is open seating in a festival atmosphere. However, you can get VIP tickets which will provide a special viewing area. VIP packages can be obtained by logging on to www.realtexasfestival.com.

“Kids get in free?”
There are a couple of ways children get in free all three days of the event. For Mesquite Independent School District students, a special pass will be distributed a day or so before the festival. When the students present the pass at the festival gate, they are allowed into the festival for that day. However, kids 17 and under are admitted into the festival for free each day of the event with the purchase of an accompanying adult admission.

“Can I buy or sample barbecue from the Taste of Mesquite Barbecue Contest?”
No. The barbecue competition is just that … a competition and the food that is being prepared is for competitive purposes only. The cooks are generally one or two-person operations that don’t plan on bringing massive amounts of meat to feed the masses. However, there is plenty of good food available for sale from any of the festival’s excellent food concessionaires.

“My festival ticket gets me admission into the rodeo right?”
Absolutely. The general admission tickets will get you into the rodeo performances on Friday or Saturday. While the VIP festival ticket will grant admission into the festival’s VIP pavilion, there are no special provisions for VIP ticket holders for the rodeo performances … it will be general admission seating.

“Who’s playing?”
Music will be a huge part of the Real. Texas. Festival. presented by Dodge. For a complete list of our entertainment schedule and a little about the artists – as well as a link to their individual Web sites or Myspace pages – click on the Real. Texas. Music. Tab on the home page.

“What should I bring?”
Most importantly, bring your desire to have fun. From the concerts in the grass to the to the Dallas Regional Medical Center Kid Korral and the carnival, there is certainly plenty to do for everyone. Dress accordingly. The weather is somewhat volatile in April in Texas. Check weather forecasts to see what the temperature will be like because 90 percent of the Real. Texas. Festival. presented by Dodge takes place outdoors. Also, it might be good to bring sunscreen or insect repellent. Finally, for concert viewers, feel free to bring along lawn chairs or blankets. And, bring your cameras or camera phones, but keep them secure.

“What should I not bring?”
No outside coolers will be allowed, as well as weapons of any kind (firearms, knives, martial arts weapons, etc.). Please don’t bring skateboards, scooters, inline skates, personal transport vehicles or other small, transport devices. Recording the concerts is prohibited and any form of illegal narcotics or contraband will not be allowed inside the festival gates. Personal transport vehicles pre-approved as part of a festival sponsor’s mobile marketing display will be allowed.

“Where can I park?”
Festival parking is available on the west and south lots of Resistol Arena via a pass only – whether it is a VIP pass or a Vendor pass. There is plenty of $5 parking in the grassy areas immediately north of the festival grounds. And, there is free parking at West Mesquite High School and Memorial Stadium with free shuttle service.

“If I’m staying at the hotel, will I be able to park close to the festival?”
The Hampton Inn and Suites is a contributing hotel sponsor of the Real. Texas. Festival. presented by Dodge. The hotel and convention center will be open for regular business and it is our hope that people wanting to attend our festival will want to book a room at the Hampton or any of our hotels in Mesquite. To book a room at the Hampton, find the sponsor scroll banner on any of the pages or links on the Web site and click on the Hampton Inn and Suites logo.

“What it if it rains?”
In the case of inclement weather, the festival’s emergency management plan will kick in. The event will be altered and the $5 general admission parking may not be available because of the wet conditions. In the case of a sudden weather event during the festival hours, stage announcements will be made with specific instructions for evacuation or where to go to ride out the storm. The event is a rain or shine event.

Tickets are on sale for the Real. Texas. Festival. Presented by Dodge. Click Here