"Marburger Farm has always been anchored by our spring and fall shows, and our winter show will debut this January," Marburger CEO John Sughrue told CultureMap Houston in the days before the fall show opened on October 27. The farm on South Highway 237 has been open twice a year since Ed Gage started it on a former dairy farm in 1997. Its first winter show runs January 21 through 24, 2027.
In the same interview, Sughrue said "we're now available year-round as a venue for private rentals and we may program the property with additional events that appeal to Round Top lovers." The town's population usually sits around 90, as Austin Home put it in its October 27 opening-day coverage. For people who live here, the biggest antiques venue in town is moving off the spring-and-fall schedule, and this winter is the first stretch where that shows up on the calendar.
The farm built buildings that can open in January
Marburger's draw has always been part of the problem with a January show. The 43-acre property was a mix of tents and historic buildings moved to the site. According to Marburger's own redevelopment announcement, all 10 historic buildings got restoration work and new air conditioning and heating. That list covers the Marburger Farmhouse, Legler House, Coufal House, Zieger House, Silver Dollar Saloon, Gulf Warehouse, Dance Hall, Bingo Hall, Blacksmith Shop and General Store. The spring show added The Canteen, a large food pavilion overlooking the pond. It also added The Parlor design showcase, a live music stage and a communal green.
The fall show added Gage Hall, a 7,500-square-foot, temperature-controlled exhibition hall on the property's Main Street between Tent 2 and "The Park." Austin Home calls it the first new permanent building in Marburger's 29-year history. It houses 12 dealers. Two of them are Jay Bearden of Patternmill, who is based in Mallorca, and Bradley Hester of B. Hester Antiques, who deals in antiques, art and textiles from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Dealers in the hall told Austin Home they liked the flat, even floors and the air conditioning, which helps protect silk and other delicate materials.
The building takes its name from Ed Gage, a founding member who also started Austin's Uncommon Objects. He still sells his jewelry and belts from his booth in Tent 1. Sughrue told CultureMap that both phases of the redevelopment took about 18 months. CultureMap's own reading was that the new all-weather facilities "open the door to Marburger growing into a thriving year-round destination."
The farm going into its first January show now has heated and air-conditioned historic buildings, a temperature-controlled hall, and a pavilion that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a full bar.
January already had a show week, and now it has one more venue
Marburger is joining an established winter week. The Original Round Top Antiques Fair, founded by the late Emma Lee Turney in 1968, has three shows a year, in spring, fall and winter. According to RoundTop.com's winter show guide, the winter show started at Big Red Barn in 2005, and other venues joined over the following years. The Dallas Morning News reported in March that Marburger had previously opened only in spring and fall.
For 2027, the dates line up almost exactly.
| Venue | Winter 2027 dates | Hours and admission |
|---|---|---|
| Marburger Farm, 2248 S. Hwy 237 | Jan 21–24 | 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Thu–Sat, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Sun; $10 general admission plus tax and fees |
| Blue Hills | Jan 21–24 | Listed by the Original Round Top Antiques Fair |
| Big Red Barn | Jan 21–23 | Listed by the Original Round Top Antiques Fair |
General admission to Marburger's winter show is $10 with unlimited re-entry all weekend. The fall show charged $15 for general admission, $40 for early shopping and $195 for premium access. The Original Round Top Antiques Fair winter page says there are "a few surprises in store" this year.
Round Top already runs on a four-day calendar, and the spring and fall shows are the weeks when the town's numbers flip. January was already a smaller third week. Now Marburger's 43 acres and Blue Hills are open all four days, January 21 through 24, and Big Red Barn is open the first three.
The weeks before January are filling up too
Marburger's winter show is the clearest sign of a broader change. The time between the end of the fall show on October 31 and the January show week used to be quiet, and it now has events spread through it. Here are the dates from publish day forward:
- November 12–15, Round Top Film Festival. This is the festival's third year. Screenings are at Festival Hill, 248 Jaster Road; at 550 District, 550 N. Washington St.; and at Market Hill, 1542 TX-237. On opening night, Thursday, November 12, "Heartland" screens at Festival Hill from 7 to 9 p.m. The Ranch at Round Top opening-night party follows at The Compound from 9 p.m. to midnight. The Houston Chronicle lists "I Play Rocky" and "The Mosquito Bowl" among this year's films, plus a panel called "Made in Texas: The Story Behind Mattress Mack" with actor Billy Magnussen and writer-director Shane Andries. Passes cost $425 for Silver Screen, $725 for Luminary and $225 for a single-day pass. Student and veteran day passes are $80. If seats are available, the festival may sell $20 rush tickets for individual screenings at the door.
- December 4–6, Christkindlmarkt at The Compound. The Compound, at 2550 South State Hwy 237, lists a European-style holiday market with gifts, food, music, Santa and fireworks.
- December 5, parade Saturday. The Round Top Area Chamber schedule starts with holiday shopping at 10 a.m. and the Round Top Area Historical Homes Tour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with tour tickets at $25. The Round Top Festival Institute holds Sounds of the Season at Festival Concert Hall that day. The Lighted Christmas Parade runs from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. on the Town Square at 100 Main Street.
- December 12, The Nutcracker. Visit Round Top lists the Festival Institute's ballet from 4 to 6 p.m. at Festival Concert Hall, 248 Jaster Road.
- January 21–24, the winter show week, now with Marburger alongside Blue Hills and Big Red Barn.
Festival Hill hosts film screenings in November and two separate performances in December. The Compound hosts the film festival's opening party and then the Christkindlmarkt three weeks later. Each of these venues already brings people to Round Top outside the show weeks, and Marburger is the latest to say it plans to.
What a farm open year-round means on Highway 237
Sughrue did not promise a specific schedule. He said the spring and fall shows "will always be our marquee moments," and he noted that the company behind Marburger also runs the Dallas Art Fair, the Aspen Art Fair and the Fashion Industry Gallery. "We have the cultural resources to do more," he told CultureMap. "Marburger Farm is just getting started!" Dallas-based Brook Partners bought the farm about five years ago.
For anyone who lives along the 237 corridor, the most concrete detail is the private-rental line. A 43-acre property with restored historic buildings, a pondside pavilion and a climate-controlled hall is now available any month, not just during two show weeks. The fall show's extras give a sense of what the farm can stage. It held an opening-morning tailgate with live music and a trick-or-treat trail through the tents on Halloween, with dozens of dealers handing out candy.
The practical date for neighbors is the January week, when Marburger and Blue Hills are open January 21 through 24 and Big Red Barn is open January 21 through 23. Count on show-week traffic on Highway 237 from Thursday the 21st through Sunday the 24th. Locals who want to see Gage Hall can go on the $10 ticket and come back as often as they like all weekend.
If the busier calendar has you thinking about property along the Highway 237 corridor, whether that means owning a weekend place, selling one, or buying land near the show fields, The Lindi Camaron Team knows how Round Top's seasons affect timing, showings and value. Contact us before the January show week, and we can walk you through what this winter's busier calendar means for a property you own or are considering in Round Top.
