The fenced grounds at 1605 Highway 87 in Crystal Beach have long been known for one weekend a year, the Texas Crab Festival. In October 2026 that began to change. On October 10, a barrel race opened a brand-new arena on the property. On Saturday, October 31, the peninsula's Halloween night moves onto the same grounds. In January, a Cajun chicken run is planned there to help pay for the arena.
Swedes Park now has events lined up for the slow months, and it's happening one event at a time. Most of that work comes from a young nonprofit raising money ticket by ticket.
Eight Fenced Acres Between the Gulf and the Intracoastal
Swedes Park, also called The Pavilion at Swedes Park, describes itself as an eight-acre fenced venue sitting between the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway. Besides the Texas Crab Festival, it has hosted concerts, cookoffs, car shows, art and craft shows, reunions and weddings. Event listings use several names for the same place: Swedes Park, Festival Park, Swedes Festival Park and the Crab Festival Grounds. All of them point to 1605 Highway 87.
The grounds have hosted rodeo before, and the arena's backstory starts here.
A Name Borrowed From the Fire Department
Bulls on Bolivar started as a fundraiser for the Port Bolivar Volunteer Fire Department. According to the Bolivar Arena Association's history, the 2021 and 2022 events were held on the Texas Crab Festival grounds and drew hundreds each time. The 2022 edition was billed as the second annual event and held April 9, 2022, at Festival Park.
The Bolivar Arena Association became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in May 2025. It held a groundbreaking celebration on April 5, 2025. With the fire department's permission, it brought back the Bulls on Bolivar name. The revived show ran April 4, 2026, with professional bull riding, mutton bustin', youth scrambles and vendors. The association's own pages put the crowd at more than 1,000. Before the event, The Daily News reported that the night would end with a "bounty bull," a $1,500 prize ride for the top rider.
That same Daily News preview described the bull riding as a fundraiser for something bigger. It quoted Sharon McCurdy, the association's director of marketing:
"This is about more than just one night. We're building something that can serve this community for years to come."
In the same article, McCurdy said the plan is a multipurpose arena for Western programming and livestock events, youth and vocational education, emergency response training, and meetings of local organizations. She said the long-term aim is a resource for schools, volunteer fire departments and nonprofits across the peninsula.
The October 10 Debut
Six months after Bulls on Bolivar, the association held its first event in a brand-new arena. CrystalBeach.com reported that Bikini Beach Barrel Racing brought 30 riders into the ring to compete for more than $6,000 in prize money. Local vendors, games and a kids zone ran alongside the races. The association's calendar lists the event at 1605 Texas 87, from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2026.
The format matters for anyone thinking about entering next time. Divisions are set after the runs, based on how far each rider's time falls behind the fastest run of the day. That lets beginners and less experienced horses compete alongside professionals and still place in their own division. Riders can also enter more than one horse. The October 10 results show how it plays out. One rider took first in the top division and both top spots in the second, while five different divisions each produced their own winners.
The Halloween Move to Festival Park
Three weeks after the arena opened, a separate event is moving to the same grounds. Ghost on the Coast, the family Halloween night presented by Galveston County Emergency Services District #2 and The Big Store, is moving to Festival Park this year. The event listing calls it "the same awesome event" at a new location.
The details, from the listing and from the Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce:
- Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026, 5 to 8 p.m.
- Location: Crab Festival Grounds at Swedes Park, 1605 Highway 87, Crystal Beach
- Trunk or Treat: begins at 5 p.m.
- Haunted house: opens at dark
- Hosts: GCESD #2, with The Big Store as co-presenter
- Volunteers: the Chamber listing says help is needed to put the event on
If you run a car trunk on Halloween or have kids heading out in costume, this is the first year to go to Festival Park on Highway 87.
The Calendar From Here
With Halloween and January's planned chicken run on the books, Swedes Park now has something going on in October, January and April, months that used to be quiet there. Here's how the season lays out, as of late October 2026.
| Date | Event | Organizer | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026 | Bikini Beach Barrel Racing | Bolivar Arena Association | Held; first event in the new arena |
| Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, 5–8 p.m. | Ghost on the Coast / Trunk or Treat and haunted house | GCESD #2 and The Big Store | Scheduled at Festival Park |
| Saturday, Jan. 16, 2027, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. | Courir de Mardi Gras | Motley Krewe of Crystal Beach with the Bolivar Arena Association | Listed; date still being finalized |
| April 2026 precedent | Bulls on Bolivar | Bolivar Arena Association | Held April 4, 2026; no 2027 date posted yet |
The January event brings the Cajun courir tradition to the peninsula. The association's event page describes a family day of chasing chickens, cooking gumbo and dancing to Cajun music, with money raised going to the new arena. The calendar entry says January 16, 2027, but the event description still reads "January 17th, 2026." Check the date with the Motley Krewe or the association before you plan around it.
What the Arena Still Needs
A finished arena and a permanent one are still two different things. The association's own recap of Bulls on Bolivar says it has bought bleachers and is "continued planning for permanent arena infrastructure." It describes each event as one more step toward a facility for "residents, visitors, youth organizations, first responders, and local nonprofits." The October 10 race was the first event in the new arena, and the stated mission is still to build a permanent rodeo arena on the peninsula.
According to the association, "every ticket purchased, sponsorship secured, auction bid placed, and volunteer hour contributed" helped move it closer to that permanent facility. Its sponsorship page also credits in-kind help with putting the bleachers together. The finished facility is planned for rodeos, livestock events, educational programs, community gatherings and emergency staging operations. That last use matters on a peninsula where, as The Daily News put it, "access to centralized facilities can be limited."
A barrel race entry fee, a bowl of gumbo in January or an hour helping set up bleachers all go toward the same project, on grounds the community already knows from the Crab Festival. The Bolivar Arena Association's events calendar is the place to watch for the next announcement, including whether Bulls on Bolivar returns in spring 2027.
If you're thinking about owning a home within a short drive of Swedes Park, or you'd just like to talk about what's coming to Festival Park this winter, I'm always glad to hear from you. Norma Smalley | Let's Connect.
