Autumn Fest

The long, hot summer is finally fading! It’s almost time to ring in the fall with the seventh annual Great Hearts Irving Autumn Fest celebration! Let’s come together as a school community for a day of fellowship, feasting, and good times, all right here at the Lower School. Perennial favorite events and activities will return, while new and fun excitement is planned as well. See below for full details. We hope to see your family and friends there!

When and Where

Saturday, September 23, 2023
11am-2pm

Lower School Parking Lot
3350 Story Road West
Irving, Texas 75038

Admission

$2 per guest (ages 2 and under free!)
All admission will be sold at the gate.

While we will be able to accept payment via our online payment system at the gate, we strongly recommend families bring cash to keep our entry lines moving quickly.

Want to skip the entry line? Consider becoming a sponsor! Sponsorships include admission for your family, and your special gold wristbands will be delivered to your child’s classroom ahead of time so you can walk right in to Autumn Fest. See below or contact Mary Pantin for details.

Where to Park

Thanks so much to our neighboring businesses who have graciously opened their parking lots to us for Autumn Fest! Please park only in designated areas.

Autumn Fest 2023 Parking Map

Things to Do

Every year, Autumn Fest is a smashing good time! Come-and-go, or stay for the whole fun-filled day! We have some special surprises planned, but here are some of the attractions you can expect:

Perennial Favorites

Bounce Houses, Obstacle Courses, Face Painting, Petting Zoo, Giant Chess, and more!

Cricket Batting Practice

Our beloved Cricket Dads, winners of last year’s Admiratio Award, will be here for Autumn Fest running some fun cricket batting and bowling activities! Stop by and hone those skills in preparation our fifth annual Faculty vs. Parents Cricket Classic later this fall!

Backyard Games

Corn Hole, Giant “Tumbling Blocks,” Ladder Golf, and Sidewalk Chalk

Soccer Shoot Out

Once again sponsored by our friends at Irving Spiderz Soccer Club, test out your passing, dribbling, and shooting skills!

Teacher Cookie Walk (New This Year!)

This year, our teachers will be contributing delicious, homemade cookies for our brand new Teacher Cookie Walk! For just $1 take a walk, and when the music stops, the winner gets a one-of-a-kind cookie!

Food and Drinks (sold separately)

Chili ($3 cash per bowl)
Rita’s Italian Ice ($4 cash)
Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches ($6 cash)
Candy, Drinks, and more sponsored by Lower School PSO (cash only)

Spundipity Cotton Candy (New This Year!)

We are delighted to be welcoming a new vendor this year! Spundipity will be onsite for Autumn Fest making cotton candy right before your eyes. Cotton Candy will be available for purchase in all kinds of sizes, flavors, and colors.

All concessions will be cash only, so don’t forget your pocketbooks!

Autumn Fest 2023 Event Map

Volunteers Needed

Available to help make our event go off without a hitch? Whether it’s just a little or a lot, there are lots of ways to help.

Chili Cook Off

Whet the sharpening steel, and stoke up the fires! Don your apron, hand-select your ingredients, and enter your best chili recipe in our second annual Autumn Fest Chili Cook Off! Your chili can be submitted as an entry into one of three categories: mild, spicy, and vegetarian. An illustrious panel of judges will award a blue ribbon to the winner in each category along with a special prize (plus the glory) to the overall Grand Champion!

To enter your chili, sign up for a slot. Act quickly! There are limited slots in each category.

Enter Your Chili

Sponsorships

Autumn Fest is a community-building event, rather than a fundraiser. To help us be able to keep the cost of admission low while still bringing in some of our favorite events and activities, we are seeking families to partner with us as sponsors. Sponsorships are donations in any amount of $50 or greater.

When your family provides a sponsorship, your admission to Autumn Fest will be included. Special gold wristbands will be delivered to your child’s classroom prior to Autumn Fest so your family can skip the entry line and walk right in!

Become a Sponsor

Corporate Sponsorships

We would like to extend our extra special thanks to this year’s corporate sponsors of Autumn Fest. Rita’s Italian Ice and First Texas Homes have been some of our closest partners and stalwart supporters of our school and our culture for many years. Frost Bank, MD Medical Group, i9 Sports, and AAA are new friends of Great Hearts Irving, but we are glad to call them Community Partners.