Texas Mead & Music Festival heads to Waxahachie on Sept. 19

The Texas Mead & Music Festival will make its North Texas debut Sept. 19 at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, bringing mead tastings, live music, artisans and education to the region. Tickets are on sale now, and part of the proceeds will benefit the Texas Mead Association.

Why it matters: - The festival brings one of the fastest-growing craft beverage categories to North Texas for the first time. - The event could expand awareness of mead, Texas meaderies and the state's honey-based beverage industry. - A portion of proceeds will support the Texas Mead Association and its work on education and industry growth.

What happened: - The Texas Mead & Music Festival will take place from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie. - Tickets are on sale now at TXMeadFest.com. - Southwest Festivals, which produces Scarborough Renaissance Festival and Scarborough's Hollow Fall Fantasy Festival, is producing the one-day event. - The festival is making its North Texas debut at the Scarborough Faire site.

The details: - Guests will be able to sample handcrafted meads from 13 award-winning Texas meaderies. - The lineup includes Dancing Bee Winery, Rohan Meadery at Blissful Folly Farm, Breaking Brew Meadery, Fox & Raven Mead, Texas Longhouse Meadery, Valkyrie's Kiss Mead, Bee Immortal Mead, Curmudgeons Mead, Bee & Brew, RenMead, Vinland Meads, Thorin's Mead and Lonestar Meadery. - Live music will run on five stages. - Performers include Kin Faux, Don Louis, Ronnie and The Redwoods, Henry Merchant, Matt Hillyer and others. - Educational presentations will cover how honey becomes mead, the role of honey bees in agriculture, mead's history and its growth as a craft beverage. - VIP guests will also get basics of home mead making. - Artisan vendors will sell handcrafted goods, specialty foods and gifts. - Scarborough's Hollow attractions will be part of the experience, including Blackthorn Haunted Castle, Trickster's 3D Fun House and the Secrets of Rottingwood Cemetery Scavenger Hunt. - The festival is about 30 miles south of Dallas.

Between the lines: - Organizers are leaning on Scarborough Faire's long association with mead, history and craftsmanship to frame the event. - Texas mead is being positioned as both a heritage drink and a modern craft category, with appeal to wine drinkers, craft beer fans and bourbon enthusiasts. - The honey source matters for flavor, with Texas floral regions shaping the character of each mead.

What's next: - Organizers say complete schedules, ticket information and festival details are available at TXMeadFest.com. - Additional optional add-ons include Blackthorn Haunted Castle, Trickster's 3D Fun House, the Secrets of Rottingwood Cemetery Scavenger Hunt and Reserved Premium Parking. - The festival is expected to serve as a showcase for Texas meaderies and future growth in the category.

The bottom line: - North Texas is getting its first dedicated mead-and-music festival, with a mix of tastings, education and live entertainment designed to turn a niche beverage into a broader regional draw.