Iguana Fest 2025

Crowds packed onto Main Street April 5 for Port Lavaca’s annual Iguana Fest, where food and fun were the name of the game. This year’s event featured nine food and drink trucks lining the streets alongside the festival’s longtime staples: live bands, local vendors and friendly competitions.

While the event is a mainstay for many in Calhoun County, it also drew new visitors, who shared their thoughts on the reptile-themed celebration. Edie Plata and Mary Ann Burroughs, who attended with family members Halo Plata and Dylan Kelley, described the festival as having a “small-town charm.”

“I like it — it’s perfect,” Edie Plata said. “We thought they were going to be walking around with iguanas, but it’s been great.”

“It has a small-town charm to it; it’s not overpopulated like festivals in Houston. This feels safer,” Burroughs said. “I thought it was a good variety of foods too. We love the variety here.”

Another first-time visitor, Jeremiah Torres, described the event as “cute” but noted he would have preferred a more spacious venue closer to the water.

“I think it is so cute here on Main Street, but I think it would be so much better if they kept it down on the water. It is just more spacious, and right here it feels pretty clumped up,” Jeremiah Torres said. “This is the first time I’ve ever come to Iguana Fest despite living in Port Lavaca, but I think it is cute – it could be cuter. It would also be great to get some Mexican music in here.”

Joshua Torres echoed his brother’s sentiments and said the music was a highlight of the evening.

“Everything about it is cool. You’ve got the great live music, everyone is out there having a good time,” he said. “What they could do, however, is extend it to the end of the bayfront. The buildings keep us a little closer, and I get it, but at the end of the day, it’s great.”

First-time festivalgoers Alyssa Guzman and Gabriella Garcia said they had fun exploring the event.

“This is actually really fun. There’s so much stuff to look at and see,” Guzman said. “I liked the crystals we bought from the vendors, and we got a lot of stuff.”

“It’s fun when you have someone to be here with. Everything is a lot of fun,” Garcia said. “The jewelry was like ‘mwah.’”

Another new attendee, Htoo Htoo, said the festival had a positive effect on the community by bringing people together.

“It just gives me that old vibe where everybody is chilling in a community, and they’ve all come together. The weather’s not bad, it’s not too hot, it’s just a perfect day,” Htoo said. “I got kind of hungry and I got to enjoy the music while eating and getting some fresh air.”

Held every year on the first Saturday of April, Iguana Fest is organized by the city of Port Lavaca and features several bands, food trucks and local vendors. For more information, visit www.iguanafest.com.