Mead Festival Signals Growth in Craft Beverage Sector

The Texas Mead & Music Festival, debuting Sept. 19 at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, is the latest sign that mead is gaining traction as a consumer trend. The one-day event will feature 13 Texas meaderies, five music stages, and educational sessions – a scale that reflects the category's expansion beyond Renaissance fairs, organizers said.

Mead, fermented from honey, predates beer and wine by thousands of years. It has long been a niche product in the U.S., but sales have grown steadily as drinkers seek out alternatives to wine and craft beer. The Texas Mead Association, which will receive a portion of festival proceeds, represents commercial meaderies across the state, many of them small operations using locally sourced honey.

“People are often surprised by mead,” said Carlos Herrera, president of the Texas Mead Association and owner of Texas Longhouse Meadery in Wylie. “It’s incredibly diverse, and there’s truly something for every palate. The Texas Mead & Music Festival lets people explore meads from across the state, meet the makers and experience firsthand why this ancient beverage is enjoying such a remarkable revival.”

The festival is produced by Southwest Festivals, which also runs the Scarborough Renaissance Festival and Scarborough’s Hollow Fall Fantasy Festival. Veronica Castelo, general manager, said the event builds on the Renaissance Festival's existing association with mead and expands it to a broader audience.