New Waco venue hosting Festival of the Sun during The Great American Eclipse

Published: Mar. 19, 2024 at 6:09 PM CDT

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to Central Texas in the days leading up to The Great American Eclipse and the city of Waco is one of the best places to view and experience the total solar eclipse.

The Will of Waco, a new venue, is hoping to showcase what it has to offer by hosting a weekend-long festival featuring food, fun, games, entertainment, and a spectacular view of the eclipse in all its glory.

The venue is a passion project for owner Eric Williams, and you could say this sprawling property is his “field of dreams.”

“This was my Farm and Ranch office and we started having parties out here, chili lunches, and people started coming - they enjoyed it,” Williams said, “Someone had a wedding out here and, finally, it got to the point of if I keep building it, people will keep coming.”

Williams recently finished renovations on this modest ranch-style farm house, turning this old farm place into a destination venue. It’s complete with a beautiful, fully stocked bar and a separate cigar lounge.

It sits on 25 manicured acres with an unobstructed lakeside view of the sun that will put on a once-in-a-lifetime show on April 8. So Williams thought this was a great excuse for a festival.

“April 8 is my birthday so I wanted to do something special on my birthday,” Williams said, “This is a once in a lifetime celestial event. I’ve never seen one. A lot of people are coming to Waco and we want people to come out and enjoy it with us.”

Four days of fun, food, music, and camping under the stars.

The Will of Waco is hosting The Festival of The Sun from April 5-8 during The Great American...
The Will of Waco is hosting The Festival of The Sun from April 5-8 during The Great American Eclipse.(The Will of Waco.com)

Victor Hawks is the self-proclaimed cultural ambassador for The Will.

“It’s interesting being a new venue and all the elements of camping and the elements of the giant eclipse, and an overflow of people nationwide, and then getting musical acts to match every day, so we’re calling it the Festival of the Sun,” Hawks said.

From April 5-8, “we’re celebrating this celestial thing with music, food and great people, community and all the awesome things. All these moving pieces under one banner,” Hawks further said.

They’ve done as much work outside as they did inside. A charming patio with a dance floor sits just outside the main house and there is a huge outdoor stage with lots of room for outdoor seating on a lush lawn.

“Bring your blankets and chairs and sit out on the green grass out here and just take in the whole experience,” Hawks said.

That experience can be for the day, the night or the entire weekend. They have room for recreational vehicle parking and acres of shaded sites available for primitive camping.

They’re swinging for the fences on this field of dreams because they know they’re not the only game in town.

“We just figured there’s gonna be a lot going on in Waco - all the hustle and bustle and traffic - even though it’s only five minutes away, it’s out in the country. There’s less light interference. We just think it’s gonna be a great place to watch the eclipse,” Williams said.

The Will of Waco will have day passes for $25, which includes the entertainment. Overnight camping starts at $50 for primitive camping. They’ll have a special VIP party following the eclipse on April 8. For booking information, click here.

The Will House Bar is currently open Thursday through Sunday.

For more information visit The Will of Waco’s website, or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.