2023 Texas Rose Festival Queen's Tea (66).JPG

1. Texas Rose Festival 2023 Souvenir Magazine

The Tyler Rose Garden was transformed into a film-inspired wonderland Saturday afternoon for the 90th Texas Rose Festival Queen’s Tea.

The event serves as an opportunity for people to get an up-close look at all of the costumes and meet the ladies wearing them.

Designed by Jacob A. Climer, the costumes were inspired by modern and classic films like “Jaws,” “Harry Potter,” “Legally Blonde,” “The Wizard of Oz” and more.

People of all ages showed up in droves to the garden where each lady on the court sat under a tent or mingled around the garden ready to meet them.

With her name and “now showing” on a decorative marquee, Queen Laura Elaine Bryan sat under a magnificent tent designed to look like an old movie theatre. According to the Texas Rose Festival, the design was inspired by the old Tyler Theatre that celebrated its grand opening in 1940.

Sticking with the festival’s theme of “The Story of Film,” guests were treated to small bags of popcorn as hors d’oeuvres. Other film-inspired elements like life-sized Oscar trophies, film reels, walk-of-fame stars, red carpets and more were created fun backdrops for the royal photo op.

The Texas Rose Festival Walk of Fame highlighted Tyler’s stars, celebrating each Rose Festival Queen in the festival’s rich 90-year history from Queen Margaret Copeland in 1933 to Queen Laura Elaine Bryan in 2023.

Guests were also welcome to mingle with vendors, check out the center’s gift shop, or take a tour of the museum filled with vintage dresses, crowns and other festival memorabilia.

Since its beginning in 1933, the Texas Rose Festival has represented the spirit that brings Tyler together as a community. Rich in heritage and tradition, the Festival offers enchanting ceremonial events – the Queen’s Coronation, Ribbon Cutting and Rose Presentation, the Queen’s Tea, and the Rose Parade – “all amidst a backdrop of brilliant roses as vibrant and colorful as the community they represent,” according to the Texas Rose Festival Association.

The festival is the culmination of months of work by committees and volunteers. The queen and her court are announced in January of each year. For more information about this year’s festival, check out the Tyler Morning Telegraph’s Texas Rose Festival Souvenir Magazine. The magazine features biographies about each court member, sketches of the costumes, feature stories and more.