A Visitors Guide to Corsicana City Events

Corsicana is a city in North Texas, the county seat of Navarro County.  Founded in the mid nineteenth century, the city has thrived and developed.  Originally home to one of the largest oil wells west of the Mississippi, Corsicana has seen a variety of industries and history over its century plus range of life and times.  Corsicana city events reflect this rich history and heritage.  For those in the North Texas area or visiting the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Corsicana can be a wonderful day trip or destination of its own.  Below is a brief highlight of just a few of the many events hosted in the city and surrounding area throughout the year.

Perhaps one of the longest standing traditions in Corsicana is the Derrick Days event.  This city event occurs each spring and was started in 1976 to commemorate the importance of the oil and gas industry in Corsicana.  And the event also recognizes how much of the oil boom in Texas and the rest of the nation started in this once sleepy Texas town.  The festival ranges over an entire weekend, featuring a cooking competition, parade, bike race, fun run, live music, horseshoe tournament, even an art tour.  The capstone event to the Derrick Days weekend is the Oil Baron’s Ball.  Derrick Days has become such the phenomena that it has its own website and social media pages. 

During the Second World War, Corsicana became home to a training school for airman, the Corsicana Air Field (CAF).  This institution trained thousands of pilots, playing an integral role in the war efforts both locally and nationally.  Another spring event, normally held in early to mid-May, the Commemorative Air Force puts on an air show, hosted by the Coyote Squadron.  This event recognizes and honors the CAF. There are a variety of planes, squadrons, and acts, including acrobatic air stunts.  For military members, active or veteran, and their families, the admission fees are waived. 

The summer months hosts a variety of festivals, including the Cotton Harvest Festival, which kicks off the summer season each Memorial Day weekend.  Fourth of July is a huge celebration with the Freedom Festival.  The Wortham Blues Festival closes out the summer in September.  This city of Corsicana event is held in nearby Wortham and honors the history of blues and jazz in the area as well as showcasing new talent.  The weekend is a nod to a famous Wortham native, Blind Lemon Jefferson.

For those looking for a bit more action, other Corsicana city events include the National Polka festival in next door Ennis.  This is the largest Czech festival of its type in Texas.  Both motorcross and hot rodding have tracks and homes near Corsicana.  Each have their own activities, namely in the form of championship and national events.  There is also a bike race weekend in May, the Corsicana TXBR Stage race, which is hosted by the chamber of commerce and the convention and visitors bureau.  Clearly, for those looking for weekend activities, whether out of town guests or locals, city of Corsicana events will keep the calendar full.