6th Annual Anderson Holiday Fest

ANDERSON — Anderson Holiday Fest returns to historic Main Street in Anderson for its sixth year Saturday, Dec. 2. Wade Hayes headlines the Charlie Diggs Entertainment Event sponsored by Texas Star Propane and Texas Star Power.

There will be seven country music artists performing on the Anderson Holiday Fest stage from 1:30-10 p.m. The event also includes food, craft and alcohol vendors, a children’s zone, a visit from Santa Claus and more.

Headliner Wade Hayes

Hayes is set to take the stage at 8:45 p.m.

With an enduring string of hits, Hayes is one of the architects of the beloved 90s country sound.

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Famer has numerous hits including “What I Meant to Say,” “Don’t Stop,” “On a Good Night,” “I’m Still Dancing with You,” “The Day She Left Tulsa (In a Chevy)” and “Old Enough to Know Better,” the debut single that rocketed to No. 1 and established the young singer/songwriter as a force to be reckoned with on the competitive 90s country scene. Over the years, Hayes has continued to tour and churn out critically acclaimed albums. He was temporarily sidelined as he fought stage four colon cancer twice, but the experience left him with renewed faith in God and a deeper well from which to draw as a songwriter. The title track from his 2015 album Go Live Your Life was inspired by the advice his oncologist gave him when he became cancer free for the second time.

Musical Performances

• 1:45 p.m. Hannah Abraham Musical performances begin with local artist, Hannah Abraham.

The Anderson-Shiro graduate recently advanced to Nashville competing in the “Sound of Small Town America” music contest.

She recently performed during the “A Voice for our Vets” concert in Anderson and has performed locally at various events including singing the National Anthem for Grimes County Little League opening ceremonies numerous times.

• 2:10 p.m. Payton Riley, a young aspiring artist, Riley introduced herself to Charlie Diggs and her enthusiastic spirit and talent led her to begin performing at his events.

At 9 years old, she started learning how to write songs and performed an original tune on the Dosey Doe Big Barn stage in The Woodlands, Texas. Since then, she’s been a regular at Houston-area venues in Conroe, Montgomery, and Spring, performing original songs and cover tunes. In 2022, she was one of the youngest ever to attend a songwriting retreat in Memphis put on by award-winning singer-songwriter Grace Askew.

Also, in 2022, she released an EP with three original songs.

• 2:45 p.m. Payton Howie Recently nominated as Texas Regional Radio’s New Female Vocalist of the Year and 2023 Texas Country Music Awards Emerging Artist of the Year, Howie is a rising artist. Her debut EP “Youngblood” has attained over 1.5 million streams. Her latest singles include “Orange” and “Pink Whitney.”
• 4:15 p.m. Jason Cassidy No stranger to the Anderson Holiday Fest stage, Cassidy has been wowing the crowd for years with his rich country sound.

Cassidy features hits “You (Wedding Song),” “Blame it on Waylon,” “Rest of Forever,” “What if” and more.

• 5:45 p.m. Julie Roberts In her first two records, Roberts sold over 1 million records. She cracked the Billboard Top 20 with her hit “Break Down Here.” She has been featured in the Rolling Stones, USA Today, Country Weekly, Vanity Fair and Glamour.

Roberts has shared the stage with many greats including Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson and Keith Urban. She has performed three times on the “Tonight Show,” and for times on “Good Morning America.”

She has been nominated twice by the Academy of Country Music for Top New Female Artist, nominated by the Country Music Association for the Horizon Award for top new artist, and nominated at the Country Music Television Awards for Breakthrough Artist of the Year

• 7:15 p.m. Rick Trevino Grammy Award Winner Rick Trevino is requested to return each year to perform in Anderson.

His sound has survived through the years, and he has numerous hits that remain crowd favorites including “She Can’t Say I Didn’t Cry,” “Bobbie Ann Mason,” “Learning As You Go,” “Just Enough Rope,” “Running Out of Reasons To Run” and more.

Ticket Information

Tickets range from VIP Access for $80. The ticket each includes front of stage access, VIP tent access, private restrooms, complimentary snacks, dinner and a VIP only cash bar.

General admission tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. Children age 4-17 are $10 and children 3 and under are free.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit, www.andersonfest.com.