On Saturday, Nov. 14, Smash Mouth, the band behind "All Star," headlines American Heroes at The Athletic Club, 4100 Blair Oaks Drive, after an opening set by Fastball. General admission is free.
The headliners change how the day plays out. With nationally known bands on the main stage, Saturday's biggest stretch runs from about 4 to 8 p.m. The Veterans Ceremony lands in the middle of it, and the drone show closes it. The carnival opens Friday. If you live a few minutes from Blair Oaks Drive, you can split the weekend in two: daytime is for kids, and Saturday evening is the main event.
The lineup went back to names people know
Over the last three festivals, the main stage has swung back and forth. In 2024, the city's Aug. 22 newsletter announced Hunter Hayes and Pam Tillis for Nov. 9. In 2025, the city's event listing shows Velvet Elvis, 80's Night and Tony Marques Band. This year, the city is billing Smash Mouth by its "chart-topping hits."
| Year | Festival date | Main stage |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nov. 9 | Hunter Hayes, Pam Tillis |
| 2025 | Nov. 8 | Velvet Elvis, 80's Night, Tony Marques Band |
| 2026 | Nov. 14 | Fastball, Smash Mouth |
What stayed the same is the timing of the last two slots. In 2025, the 80's Night set ran 4 to 5:30 p.m. and Tony Marques Band played 6:30 to 8, with the ceremony at 5:45 and the drone show at 8. The Visit The Colony preview for 2026 uses the same frame: Fastball at 4 p.m. and Smash Mouth from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The schedule barely moved. What changed is the draw in those slots.
Saturday turns on 5:45
The city's American Heroes calendar listing runs the festival from noon to 9 p.m., with the Veterans Ceremony at 5:45 p.m. and the drone show at 8. The city's Sept. 1 announcement gave hours of noon to 8:30 p.m. Visit The Colony calls all times tentative. Here is the published 2026 timetable so far:
| Time | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Noon | Festival opens; community stage, car show, carnival, Heroes Hut |
| 4 p.m. | Fastball, main stage |
| 5:45 p.m. | Heroes Ceremony |
| 6:30 to 8 p.m. | Smash Mouth, main stage |
| 8 p.m. | Drone show |
Because the ceremony sits between the two headliners, the people arriving for Smash Mouth are already on the grounds when it starts. That makes the tribute the evening's anchor. If you have a veteran in the family, the city collects service-era photos for the presentation through its Honor Your Veteran page. The city's Sept. 1 release also mentions a morning memorial ceremony in addition to the evening one. For a sense of scale, the 2025 morning ceremony was at 11 a.m., presented by the Sons of the American Legion, and Holley-Riddle American Legion Post 21 presented the 5:45 ceremony.
The 8 p.m. finale is a drone show set to patriotic music. Visit The Colony describes it as suitable for people sensitive to loud noise. That's useful to know for small children, pets left at home nearby, and veterans who would rather skip pyrotechnics.
The daytime festival is a different event
Before 4 p.m., the grounds work at kid scale, and a family can do the whole day without seeing a headliner.
Friday's carnival
The American Heroes Carnival starts Friday, Nov. 13, and runs three days, with rides, games and fair food. Fritz Adventure Park sponsors the carnival rides and games. Daily hours and 2026 ride pricing go up on the city's carnival page. Friday evening is the only stretch of the weekend when the carnival runs without the festival around it.
Saturday before the bands
The car show runs on Saturday and brings out Corvettes, Mustangs, Tri-Five Chevys, classic pickups and motorcycles. Owners can register through the city's Car, Truck & Bike Show page, and looking is free. In 2025, entrants registered from noon to 1:30 p.m. and awards went out at 3 p.m., so the cars were the early-afternoon draw that year.
At the Heroes Hut, kids can make a custom dog tag, color a patriotic mural and decorate holiday cards for troops overseas. The Colony ER Hospital sponsors crafts and activities. Local performers fill the community stage. The city has also promised a business expo and a beer garden.
The silent auction, sponsored by CoServ, benefits Operation Comfort Warriors and One Tribe Foundation. Visit The Colony lists gift baskets, tech packages and donations from local businesses. In 2025, bidding closed at 6 p.m., right after the ceremony. If you're bidding this year, check the closing time at the auction tent.
The fields are the Five Star Complex under a new operator
Plenty of residents still call 4100 Blair Oaks Drive the Five Star Complex. The festival is still on those same fields. Since Sept. 1, 2023, the city has partnered with The Athletic Club, a Dallas-based sports facility and management company, to run programming there. Star Local Media reported that TAC first approached the city in August 2022, after meeting one of the complex's baseball tournament operators, and planned field renovations and indoor facility upgrades.
In a normal week, the operator's site lists Five Tool Youth baseball, a rec soccer league and Under The Lights flag football at the complex. American Heroes is posted as its featured community event. The city's facility listing for The Athletic Club-The Colony covers baseball and softball fields, football and soccer fields, concessions, restrooms and trails. It's a youth sports campus, and its layout and surfaces explain most of the festival rules below.
What's changed since the FAQ was written
The city's American Heroes FAQ is still the best guide to the ground rules, but parts of it are older than this year's event.
- VIP pricing. The FAQ lists VIP tickets at $75 per person. The 2026 VIP ticket page lists $52.16 including a $2.16 fee. That covers premium seating, heaters, two drink tickets, a catered meal and a private bar with shorter lines. Comfort Land Heating, Cooling & Plumbing sponsors the VIP area.
- The finale. The FAQ's clothing advice mentions fireworks. The 2026 finale is the drone show.
- Still current. Parking is free. Dogs should stay home. Coolers aren't allowed, and food, drinks and alcohol are sold on the grounds. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome, but chairs should sit low to the ground with backs at shoulder height.
- Accessibility. Some event areas are on concrete and ADA accessible. Grass areas are not. On a ballfield complex, that's worth planning around before you pick a spot for the evening sets.
The FAQ's weather advice still holds: bring a hat and sunscreen for the afternoon and a jacket for after sundown. With Smash Mouth playing until 8 and the drones flying after that, most of the main event happens after dark.
The rest of that week
Festival Saturday comes at the end of a full city calendar.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: The Keep The Colony Beautiful Fall Service Project runs 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Turner Soccer Complex, 5900 Turner Street. Volunteers meet at the gravel lot by Turner Soccer Fields and Bill Allen Park. The same day brings Paint in the Park and "The Art of Kinusaiga" at the library from 2 to 4 p.m., which requires registration.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: City offices, facilities and the library close for Veterans Day. Trash and recycling pickup stays on its usual schedule.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, morning: The Friends of The Colony Public Library Fall Book Sale & Local Vendor Fair runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the City Hall Annex, 6804 Main Street. It closes after the festival gates open, so you can do the book sale in the morning and still make the 4 p.m. set at Blair Oaks Drive.
The city's American Heroes page will post the full timetable, community-stage lineup and any last-minute changes. Check it the week of the festival.
At Ohlig Group, we live and work in the same North Texas communities we write about, and events like American Heroes are part of why. If you're settling into The Colony, or planning a move that should land before next November's festival, book an appointment and we'll walk you through the area and the timing.