Here’s what’s up in SETX, 

Beaumont Mural Festival wrapped its fourth year this past weekend and by all accounts, it drew its biggest crowd yet at Riverfront Park. That's the kind of thing worth leading with. Elsewhere this week: the South Texas State Fair swings open tonight at Ford Park, the Symphony of Southeast Texas plays its season finale Saturday at Julie Rogers, crawfish season has officially hit peak with bigger bugs and lower prices than a month ago and Bechtel is hiring at the Port Arthur Workforce Center. Don't miss it.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Tailored Financial Solutions.

Let's get into it. 👇

Beaumont Mural Festival Drew Its Biggest Crowd Yet 🎨

Riverfront Park last weekend was electric. This was the kind of downtown energy that reminds you what this city is capable of when it shows up for itself. The two-day free event drew a record crowd for Mural Fest's fourth year, with 71 murals on traffic boxes scattered across downtown giving people plenty of reason to keep walking long after the last set ended. Live music all weekend — Bryce Shaver, Ethan Osborne, Casey Chesnutt, Luke Whitney kept the vibe going from afternoon into the evening.

The city also used the occasion to formally recognize Beaumont United and West Brook Boys Basketball, which felt exactly right for a day built around local pride.

💡 The bottom line: Four years in, Mural Fest just keeps getting bigger — community showing up for community.

🤝 Beaumont Mayor Calls Violence a Public Health Crisis — Action Plan Takes Shape — We were in the room at Jefferson Theatre on Monday night when Mayor Roy West put a name on what many residents already feel: Beaumont's rising violent crime is a public health crisis. More importantly, he laid out next steps — a city council work session on April 7 to discuss expanded patrols near youth hotspots, and the first meeting of the Mayor's Coalition on Violence on April 14 at Lakeside Center, bringing together community groups, educators, and law enforcement. Mentorship programs are also expanding. Read more →

🎡 State Fair Gets Its Tightest Security Yet — The YMBL South Texas State Fair, which runs through April 5, debuted a new security overhaul for 2026: clear bag policy at all three gates, metal detector wands at every entrance (expanded from limited use in 2025), Allied Universal officers at all entry points, and a BPD mobile command center on-site for real-time monitoring. Read more →

🦞 Crawfish Season Is at Peak — Bigger, Cheaper, Right Now — SETX crawfish farmers are reporting their best catches of the season: bigger bugs, improved yield, and prices coming down just as spring break and Easter are around the corner. The Beaumont CVB publishes a full Crawfish Trail at beaumontcvb.com/restaurants/crawfish-trail — and if you want to boil your own, Hamshire Farm (about 20 miles from Beaumont) does pickup orders at (409) 794-1377.

🏅 Adaptive Sports for Kids Launches in Nederland — Adaptive Sports for Kids kicked off its opening day this week in Nederland, bringing a year-round sports program to children and adults with special needs across Southeast Texas. The organization offers structured athletic programming for participants who might not otherwise have access — a genuine community addition in Mid-County. Read more →

📬 Which story caught your eye?

Mark your calendars for these upcoming highlights.

THIS WEEK

MOVIE NIGHTS @ JEFFERSON THEATRE

THIS WEEKEND

COMING UP

Which event are you hitting up? Reply and let us know! And if there's an event we missed, send it our way for next week's issue. 🎉

Mid-County, meet your new coffee spot. Herb and Cindy Kreutzer — formerly behind the beloved Kizmet Koffee Studio — opened Sundara Coffee House & Grill in Groves, and it's already drawing a loyal crowd: 4.6 stars on Yelp and a shoutout from the Beaumont CVB. You get award-winning specialty coffee alongside a full food menu covering beef, pork, poultry, and shrimp — not your typical grab-and-go. Outdoor seating, delivery, and takeout round out the options, and a second location in Orangefield means Mid-County and East County both get covered. Call ahead or walk in.

📍 4000 Lincoln Ave, Groves TX | 📞 (409) 548-0074

📲 Instagram: @sundaracoffeehouse

🤤 Had a great meal somewhere in SETX lately? Reply and tell us — we feature reader picks.

Some Beaumont institutions outlast trends because they take care of people at the moments that matter most. Broussard's has been doing exactly that since 1889 — making it one of the oldest continuously operating family businesses in Southeast Texas, now in its fifth generation. Most know the Broussard name through its funeral homes, but the family also operates Broussard's Centre at 1775 Calder Ave: a refined event venue that seats up to 150 for cocktail events, 125 for sit-down dinners, or 50 for intimate celebrations and bridal showers. The space features a granite tile entry, stained glass panels, state-of-the-art sound and video systems, a warming kitchen, and the Alexander Room bridal suite — the kind of venue that was built for the milestone moments SETX families actually remember. Additional Broussard's locations serve Nederland, Kountze, Silsbee, and Winnie.

📍 1775 Calder Ave, Beaumont TX | 📞 (409) 832-1621 | broussards1889.com

This section is sponsored by Tailored Financial Solutions. Want your business featured here? Email us at [email protected].

Spring in Southeast Texas has a scent, and right now it smells like a crawfish boil. Farmers are reporting peak season conditions: bigger catches, better size, and prices that have come down from earlier in the spring — which means this is the window to get your boil on. The Beaumont CVB Crawfish Trail maps out the best local spots across the Golden Triangle, from Floyd's Cajun Seafood (three SETX locations) to Crazy Cajun right in Beaumont. Want to boil at home? Hamshire Farm, about 20 miles out, does live crawfish pickup orders through TexasCrawfish.com at (409) 794-1377. Beginner tip: the free Crawfish App searches nearby sellers by distance and current price — worth downloading before the weekend.

🏕️ What's your favorite outdoor spot in the Golden Triangle? Reply and tell us — we'll feature the best ones in a future issue.

The What's Up SETX Team is on the hunt for amateur photographers based in the Golden Triangle to partner with us for our social media and newsletter so we can reach and help more people stay in the know.

If you're already out there capturing community moments, local businesses, or everyday life around here, we'd love to start a conversation about working together.

Or if someone came to mind while you were reading this, send it their way.

Interested? Email us at [email protected] with your portfolio or Instagram handle.

Looking for outdoor work this spring? Tailored Lawn Care is hiring for local routes. Good steady gig with a local company.

Call or text Frederick: (409) 365-4887

Bechtel is hiring across all trades and disciplines for the Port Arthur LNG construction project — one of the largest active industrial builds in the region. This is not a maybe-in-the-future listing: the job fair is on March 26, 10 AM–1 PM at Port Arthur Workforce Center (4680 FM 365, Port Arthur). Walk in, bring your résumé, and talk to actual hiring managers.

Free to attend. More info: setworks.org/job-fairs

💼 Hiring in SETX? Send us your job listing and we'll include it — free for local businesses. Just reply to this email.

Did you make it to Mural Fest this past weekend? What was your favorite piece or moment?

See you next week neighbor 📍,

The What’s Up SETX Team