Board | Management | Beneficiaries

The thoroughfare we now know as 6th Street was first named Pecan Street when Judge Edwin Waller laid out the grid for Texas‘s new capital city in 1839.  It was soon populated with residences, stores, hotels and saloons and remained the heart of the city till the mid-20th century, when the population of Austin began to spread to the suburbs, deserting the downtown area.  By the late 1960’s, the once-lively buildings on Pecan Street were either empty or used by squatters, and the area was run-down and considered dangerous at night.

But Texans are pioneers at heart, and hardy urban pioneers began moving into and fixing up the historic structures on Pecan Street in the early 1970‘s, creating shops, restaurants and bars, often living upstairs. Over a beer or two, a group of residents and merchants hatched a plan to draw people back down to the area.  The very first “festival“ was in a parking lot at 6th & Sabine, followed the next year by a Mardi Gras parade with one convertible and a horse carrying “Lady Godiva“ from Esther’s Follies!

By 1978, a core group of residents and merchants decided to make the Pecan Street Festival a regular event, celebrating not only the rebirth of the street, but celebrating Austin itself.  One person was assigned to acquiring the necessary permits, another to ask every resident and store owner for permission to close the street, two more to clean up afterwards, and everyone contacted artists, musicians, entertainers and food vendors.  The Festival was a resounding success, drawing people from across Central Texas.  And, starting a tradition that continues today, all profits from booth rentals were given back to the city.  In the first years, proceeds purchased a horse for the Austin Police Department and equipment for the Austin Fire Department.  Recent contributions include the purchase of Christmas lights for the street, art and books for local schools, and participation in municipal initiatives such as the I-35 Makeover Project.

Now in its 33^rd year, the Pecan Street Festival is the largest free art festival in Central Texas and attracts over 300,000 people to Austin’s playground twice per year to celebrate the art, live music, food and entertainment that make Austin unique.  The Pecan Street Festival is the merchants’ gift to the city of Austin!