A Hill Country farm books a costume tournament in Fredericksburg

Blumenthal Farms, a tasting room, cigar bar and saloon at 9396 E US 290 in Fredericksburg, Texas, has put a costume tournament on its calendar for Sunday, October 18, 2026. The Monster Mash Mahjong Bash runs from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., and the listing on Fredericksburg Texas Online prices it at $120 per guest. Halloween costumes are encouraged, the listing says, and not required.

This is a proper tournament, not a game night with a theme. The listing sets out three tournament rounds, with three games to a round and 55 minutes each in its own shorthand, played under what it calls Official National Mahjong League rules. The ticket covers one drink ticket for wine, beer or a cocktail, light bites through the afternoon, a one-hour reception after the last game, prizes for the winners and a best dressed award. The welcome is pitched at both ends of the room: the listing promises a seat to a seasoned player and to a first timer alike, and signs off, "Let's mahj and get spooky, ya'll."

The middle date of a three-season series

October 18 is not a one-off. The venue's own ticket page, as it stood in May 2026 according to the Wayback Machine's copy, presents a 2026 Fredericksburg Mahjong Tournament Series hosted by Blumenthal Farms, built on three themed dates. The page scheduled a Stars, Stripes & Tiles Americana Edition for Sunday, July 12, the Monster Mash Mahjong Edition for October 18, and a Merry Mahjong Edition for Sunday, December 13, each from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.

That page gave August 1 as the day tickets for the October date would be released, and Monday, October 26 for the December one. It lists each date at $120 plus a $7.29 fee, and says the best dressed award applies to each themed event, with patriotic dress suggested for summer, costumes for fall and holiday sweaters for December. It also says play will be facilitated by 4 Blondes Mahjong, and that registered players will receive tournament rules of their own on top of the League's.

The series grew out of earlier play at the farm. The venue's events page, in an April 2026 archived copy, listed a Mahjong Madness Tournament on Sunday, March 29, 2026, presented in partnership with 4 Blondes Mahjong and billed as drawing players from Fredericksburg and across the Texas Hill Country.

“Rack Your Tiles. Embrace the Seasons. Win It All.”Blumenthal Farms, on its 2026 tournament series ticket page

A table every Thursday

The tournaments sit on top of something steadier. The same events page lists Mahjong Open Play every Thursday from noon to 2:00 p.m. A player can reserve a spot at the venue's boards and tiles, or, in the page's own shorthand, BOYB&T: bring your own board and tiles.

The setting is part of the draw. The farm's own site describes a wine and bourbon tasting venue with a tasting room, an amphitheater, a cigar bar, the Wildflower Saloon, putting greens and pickleball courts, on land it dates to 1870, where some of the original structures still stand.

To take part, tickets for the October 18 tournament are sold through the venue's ticket page, and Thursday seats are reserved through its events page. As of this writing, those pages are the place to check what remains, and questions go to the contact details on the farm's website. All details here come from the venue's listings and are subject to change. Order of the Tile is not affiliated with Blumenthal Farms or 4 Blondes Mahjong, and does not sell sets or tickets.

Prim's view

I have a soft spot for a tournament that writes the clock into its listing. Fifty-five minutes, set down in plain words, is a kindness to the player who has a babysitter until six, and a gentle warning to the one who likes to admire her rack for a full minute before every discard.

But the line I would underline is the Thursday one. A costume afternoon is a party, and parties are wonderful. A table at noon every Thursday is a habit, and habits are what turn a first timer into the player who comes back in December wearing the loudest sweater in the room. If the October date brings you in, I hope the Thursday table keeps you. And if you do go as a ghost, please practice picking up your tiles with the sheet on.