Despite the festival's diverse attractions, there remains one star of the show, the Attwater's prairie chicken, which has defied tremendous odds during a century in which it nearly became extinct. Attwater Prairie Chicken Festival. Learn More This is one of the best opportunities to observe the outstanding “booming” exhibit of the Attwater’s prairie chicken on the traditional mating grounds, or “leks.” The Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) and Friends of Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (Friends) welcome all to the 26th Annual Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Festival - a “Booming-N-Blooming” event - on the weekend of Mar. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) staff and volunteers will be conducting guided tours to the “booming” grounds, which provide the best chance to see the typically elusive birds. The first tour leaves promptly at 7am with additional vans leaving as they fill up. The first Saturday of each month, a guided van tour of the refuge will take visitors on a two-hour trip through the prairie. Today, the bird is limited to two small, isolated colonies in two counties along the Texas coast. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) staff and volunteers will be conducting guided tours to the “booming” grounds, which provide the … Early morning van tours will take participants up to one of the booming grounds to watch the male prairie chicken’s famous courtship dance. Events. Join refuge volunteers and staff to learn about native coastal prairie, the history of the refuge, the biology of the Attwater’s prairie-chicken , and … When: April 14-15, starting at 7 a.m. Where: Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, 1206 APC-NWR Road, Eagle Lake. To learn more about our festival, we invite you to watch this short video from World Wildlife Fund and click on the Discover More button. Slightly smaller and darker than it's close relative the Greater Prairie-Chicken, this southern subspecies of the now extinct Heath Hen once roamed an extensive range on the coast of Texas and Louisiana. The public is invited is to join us annually for the Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken Festival, Booming and Blooming, held each Spring. Mark you calendars for the 26th Annual “Booming”-N-“Blooming” Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken Festival, on March 28th & March 29th, 2020. They inflated their yellow air sacs and emitted a strange, booming sound across a sea of grasses. The 2020 Lesser Prairie-Chicken Festival has been cancelled Due to the recent nationwide developments in regards to the Coronavirus, we have made the difficult decision to …