Most of Kiepersol's holiday events have a "Buy Tickets" button. The Black Friday Lighting of the Vines doesn't, and it is also the only night where the winery warns that security will turn cars away once the lot is full. At the estate off FM 344, the ticketed evenings are small. The free night is the one that runs out of room.
So a Bullard holiday season mostly comes down to timing. Showing up early for the ceremony is one part of it. The other part is knowing about the five weeks of quieter nights that follow.
Black Friday, November 27, Runs on a Parking Clock
Kiepersol's 2026 events calendar puts the Lighting of the Vines ceremony on Friday, November 27. The winery calls it "one of Kiepersol's most magical nights of the year." The Lights of Kiepersol page says what to expect, and it's mostly practical advice:
- Carpool and come early. Parking is limited, and the ceremony is first come, first served.
- Bring lawn chairs and blankets. It all happens outdoors, and the winery asks guests to dress for the weather.
- Expect a short program. Christmas music, a brief message and devotional, and then the vineyard's twinkle lights turn on for the first time that year.
- Fireworks over the vines, weather permitting.
- Food is on site. A coffee cart, food trucks, hot cocoa, popcorn, and Kiepersol wines and cocktails. Outside food and drinks aren't allowed.
- Stay on the perimeter. Guests are asked to stay near the buildings and out of the rows.
The page also says, "Once parking is full security will turn cars away. Come back small business Saturday." Children have to stay with an adult the whole time. If you have questions before the night, the event line is 903.894.8995.
This isn't a new tradition. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported in 2021 that the Lights of Kiepersol began in 2018, with the vines lit at dusk on Black Friday and left glowing through December 31. The 2026 ceremony will be the event's ninth.
The Lights Stay On for Five Weeks
The parking warning matters less once you know what comes next. After the ceremony, the vineyard lights stay on every Tuesday through Saturday from Black Friday through the end of December. You see them from the Grand Room, which overlooks the vineyard.
So Black Friday is the opening night, not your only chance. The fireworks, the devotional, and the moment the lights first come on happen once. The lit rows themselves are there on a regular Tuesday in mid-December too. On those nights you can have a glass of wine in the Grand Room, which is also the estate's tasting room for its wines and spirits and has a bistro.
The scale makes this worth the drive. Kiepersol's 63 acres of vineyards were hand-planted in 1998 and 1999. The vines are older than many of the homes along FM 344, and lighting them takes up a big piece of the view.
The Ticketed Evenings Are the Small Ones
From mid-November to mid-December, the paid events are small, hands-on evenings. Here's the full late-season calendar from Kiepersol's 2026 experiences page, with the access each listing shows:
| Date | Event | What it is | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 12 | History of the Old Fashioned | The cocktail's history with distiller Dylan Latham | Ticketed |
| Thursday, Nov. 19 | Christmas Wreath-Making Workshop | Make a wreath from Kiepersol vineyard vines | Ticketed |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Lighting of the Vines | Black Friday ceremony, lights, fireworks if weather allows | Free, first come |
| Thursday, Dec. 3 | Chocolate, Port & Winter Reds | Winter tasting of reds and port paired with chocolate | Ticketed |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Sip & Shop | Local artisans and estate wines, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Listed, no ticket link |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | Club Social, Christmas | Pre-release wines, barrel tastings, snacks | Wine club members |
The wreath workshop stands out. It's the only event on the list where you take part of the vineyard home with you. The October 22 Murder Mystery shows how fast the small events can go: it's marked sold out on the same page.
The December 5 Sip & Shop belongs to a series. Kiepersol's events page billed the 2026 spring and fall Sip & Shops as free-admission markets in the Grand Room, with more than 17 vendors and boutique artisans, plus bistro charcuterie and gourmet grilled cheese. One recent vendor lineup included Crossland & Co. home and seasonal decor, Southern Hive ETX handmade soaps and sourdough, and Old School Wood Designs custom woodworking. The December vendor list isn't on the listing, but if the pattern holds, December 5 lands right in Christmas shopping season.
Friday Nights Start October 30
The holiday season at Kiepersol starts before Thanksgiving. Cigar Night begins Friday, October 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. on the Club House patio at the Grand Room. Distiller Dylan joins guests, and it repeats every other Friday through the end of the year. It's free to attend. You bring your own cigar and supplies, and four Old Fashioneds are for sale: whiskey, rum, aged agave, and gin.
Counting forward on that every-other-Friday schedule gives you November 13, November 27, and December 11. November 27 is also the Lighting of the Vines, and December 11 is the members' Christmas Club Social. The count would put one more on December 25, but the same events page lists Christmas Day among its holiday closures. If you're planning around any of these Fridays, call ahead to confirm the evening.
If you've never been past the tasting room, public tours run every Friday and Saturday at 2:00. A 2:00 tour on a December Saturday, followed by dusk in the Grand Room, covers the vineyard in daylight and lit up in one visit.
Getting There, and Where to Stay
Kiepersol's directions page gives two addresses on the estate. The Restaurant and B&B is at 21508 Merlot Lane. The Grand Room, where you taste wines and spirits, and Salt Kitchen are at 21556-B Merlot Lane. Both carry a Tyler 75703 mailing address, and you reach both from FM 344 off US-69. For Lighting of the Vines, make sure your passengers know the Grand Room address, since that's where you watch the lights.
The Restaurant is the estate's steakhouse, and reservations go through 903.894.3300. Family coming to town for the holidays can stay on the estate. Kiepersol lists the five-bedroom Stable House, a converted former stable, plus the three-bedroom Vines Chalet, the two-room Cottage, and B&B rooms inside the restaurant building. Staying overnight also means your guests skip the Black Friday parking scramble.
KLTV has reported that Pierre de Wet built Kiepersol Estates for his daughters, with a winery, distillery, restaurant, and bed and breakfast. Today the place is busiest at the turn of the season.
The Town's Own Night on Phillips Street
Bullard's other big holiday night happens downtown. Last year Magic on Main opened on Friday, December 5, 2025. The Tyler Morning Telegraph's photo coverage showed Santa on top of a Bullard fire truck for the tree lighting, fake snow falling over the crowd, and guests taking photos by the lit tree. City Hall at 114 S. Phillips St. is the city's usual address for its December gatherings. It was the listed location for the Christmas parade in 2023.
The city hasn't posted 2026 dates and times for Magic on Main yet. The City of Bullard's Magic on Main page is where the schedule will go up. If the city opens on the first Friday of December again, Magic on Main and Kiepersol's December 5 Sip & Shop could end up on back-to-back days. You'd get the town's tree on Friday night and the vineyard market on Saturday.
Put the two calendars side by side and two dates need early planning. Lighting of the Vines on November 27 is free, but the lot fills, so arrive early. The ticketed workshop and tastings have limited seats, so buy ahead. Everything else, from the Tuesday-through-Saturday lights to Cigar Night Fridays, has room to spare in December.
If out-of-town family is asking what Bullard is like in December, these dates are a good place to start. And if one of them is quietly thinking about moving here, Breana Johnson at The Tyler Lifestyle is happy to show them the neighborhoods around FM 344 on the same trip. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll plan the drive so you finish at the Grand Room as the vineyard lights come on.
