Best Things To Do In East Texas This Weekend

If you’re looking for things to do in East Texas this weekend, there are several good options happening across Tyler, Longview, Nacogdoches, Palestine, and Kilgore from Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26, 2026.

This weekend’s lineup includes a free horse show in Tyler, family-friendly library events, shopping and local sales in Nacogdoches, and a historic volunteer weekend in Palestine.

Best Picks This Weekend

Best free outdoor event: Texas Shoot Out at Texas Rose Horse Park in Tyler, running April 22-26 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with no admission fee.
Best family-friendly pick: LEGO @ The Library in Longview on Saturday, April 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Best local-shopping pick: Shop Nac First Sales Event in Nacogdoches on April 25-26.
Best meaningful day trip: National Historic Marker Weekend in Palestine, running April 24-26 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Best rainy-day backup: Longview and Nacogdoches library events, plus Your Best Care Day at Maude Cobb in Longview.

Tyler

Tyler’s standout event this weekend is the Texas Shoot Out at Texas Rose Horse Park. It runs Wednesday, April 22 through Sunday, April 26, with spectator hours listed as 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and no admission fee. The event features hunter-jumper competition and is one of the better free options in East Texas this weekend.

Also in Tyler, Battle of the Badges is set for Saturday, April 25 at Faulkner Park. It is a softball tournament between the Tyler Police Department and Tyler Fire Department benefiting the Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County, and the listing shows it is free.

Karaoke at Daiquiris (Every Friday night) with Krusin' Karaoke with Jerry Payne

karaoke at Daiquiris with krusin' karaoke wth Jerry Payne

Longview

Longview has a nice mix of indoor and family-friendly options this weekend. On Friday, April 24, Teen - Esports Game Day is happening at Broughton Recreation Center from 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., and the city listing notes it is free and that a recreation center membership is not required.

On Saturday, April 25, LEGO @ The Library runs from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Longview Public Library. Also on Saturday, Your Best Care Day takes place at Maude Cobb Convention Center from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Longview calendar says it includes health information, vendors, and mammograms, and that admission is free.

Nacogdoches

On Friday, April 24, the Nacogdoches Public Library has Babytime at 9:00 a.m., and Karaoke & Burger Friday is listed that night from 8:00 p.m. to midnight at Lugnutz Bar & Grill.

On Saturday, April 25, the library is hosting a Clothing Swap from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 1112 North Street. Also, the city calendar shows the Shop Nac First Sales Event running April 25-26, which makes Nacogdoches a good choice for shopping local and wandering downtown businesses over the weekend.

Palestine

Palestine’s best weekend pick is National Historic Marker Weekend, running April 24-26 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event is promoted by Visit Palestine and is centered on helping clean and preserve historic markers around the city.

Kilgore

Kilgore has STEAM at the Kilgore Public Library on Friday, April 24 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event page says April’s session will focus on paper weaving.

Free Things to Do in East Texas This Weekend

Texas Shoot Out in Tyler, which is listed as free and open to the public.
Battle of the Badges in Tyler, listed as free.
Teen - Esports Game Day in Longview, which the city says is free.
LEGO @ The Library in Longview.
Babytime and the Clothing Swap in Nacogdoches.