Texas A\&M Physics Festival: bringing together the community, faculty, and students

Texas A\&M Physics Festival started in 2003 with a dozen of hands-on exhibits and an inaugural lecture by Stephen Hawking. Over the years it evolved into one of the largest STEM outreach events in the area. The Festival attracts over 4000 visitors annually from all over Texas and other states. It features over 100 interactive exhibits displayed by faculty and students, public lectures by world-renowned scientists and astronauts, professional bubble shows, and many other activities. I will report on the structure of the Festival as well as strategies for involving undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in public outreach. I will further discuss the results of an independent evaluation of the 2015 Festival by the NSF-funded EvalFest program.