Fried fish and brisket: Fall food festival season is upon us
Editor’s note: Dates, times, and prices may be subject to change.
The flavors of fall are finally here, with the cooler season's arrival on Sept. 23.
Here in Tennessee, that means plenty of local barbecued brisket, fried fish, wine tastings, food truck festivals, restaurant tours, community breakfasts, and more.
Grab a friend, four-legged or human, and visit these local fall foods events in Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson, and Sumner Counties.
Here is a calendar of the most-anticipated community gatherings on tap:
2023 Sumner Food & Wine Festival
Dates: Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. and Sept. 23 from 4-10 p.m.
Location: Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, 513 Sanders Ferry Road.
Food and wine enthusiasts can sample local flavors at Sumner County's inaugural lakeside celebration of elevated food and beverage.
Annual Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Dickson Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 500 U.S. 70.
The DCP Women’s Ministry invites community members to enjoy a hot lunch, bake sale, and craft vendors. Meals are served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and include adult chicken dinners for $12, children’s chicken dinners for $6, hot dog plates for $6, and whole chickens for $12. A silent auction will begin at 2 p.m.
Gallatin Farm to Table
Date: Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 from 6-9:30 p.m.
Location: Downtown Gallatin.
Enjoy a four-course table dinner among farmer's market vendors, with locally sourced fare accompanied by live music from Ricky Harris at the third annual Farm to Table dinner. Tastings, special exhibitions, a silent auction, and local art will be available to guests as well. Tickets cost $100 per person for Gallatin Chamber of Commerce members and $125 for non-members.
Restaurant Week in White House
Dates: Sept. 25 at 7 a.m. to Sept. 30 at 10 p.m.
Location: Participating White House area restaurants.
Eat your way through White House’s local cuisine while competing for a chance to win a $500 Local Gift Card Grand Prize. Participating restaurants will showcase their best dishes with exclusive prix fixe menus and other culinary specials, according to the White House Chamber of Commerce. The event’s passport program allows participants to keep track of each restaurant sampled via stamps. Collecting stamps from multiple locations will allow participants to enter to win prizes, including the grand prize. Passports can be picked up at Volunteer State Bank, White House Chamber of Commerce and participating restaurants, which can be seen on the Restaurant Week in White House Facebook page.
Taste of Hendersonville 2023
Date: Sept. 28 from 5-8 p.m.
Location: Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce, 100 Country Club Drive, Unit 104.
Families can enjoy various activities at Taste of Hendersonville, including live entertainment by talent winner Sequoia South, a VIP area, Kids Zone, food and more. Gates open at 5 p.m. and live entertainment and food sampling begin at 5 p.m. More than 60 vendors, over 30 of which are dedicated food vendors and two beer and wine vendors, will be available during the event. Ticket prices range between $5 and $45. Here’s a breakdown of door pricing: VIP $50, adults $20, seniors $15, child $10. Children 5 and under can enter for free. VIP tickets include two drink tickets and a fast pass to skip the lines.
Pegram Annual Fish Fry
Date: Saturday, Sept. 30 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location: Pegram United Methodist Church, 479 Thompson Road.
Grab a plate at the 13th annual Pegram United Methodist Church Fish Fry until 1 p.m. or when it sells out. Plate options include one piece of fish for $10 or two pieces for $12 and include a baked potato, white beans, coleslaw, and hush puppies. This event is cash or check only. Proceeds will go toward the PUMC Benevolence Fund.
Food Truck Friday
Date: Friday, Oct. 6 from 5-8 p.m.
Location: Downtown Dickson, 100 S. Mulberry St.
Bring the family and four-legged friends downtown to dine at Middle Tennessee food trucks. Dine at participating food trucks then explore other vendors, live music, and kids’ activities.
Main Street Festival
Date: Saturday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Location: Downtown Gallatin at 100 Public Square.
Gallatin’s annual arts and crafts festival features more than 200 vendors, food trucks, a children's area, and more. Main Street Festival is a rain-or-shine event.
Block Party
Date: Saturday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Location: The Mural on Main, 306 N. Main St in Ashland City.
Shop vendors, sample food trucks and sit front row for live music performances at the block party to benefit Safe Haven of Cheatham County. Adults and kids alike can participate in face and pumpkin painting. Enjoy food cooked by Dukeville Bar-B-Que and bid on a brisket during the silent auction. Bids start at $100. Pumpkins and decorations can be purchased during the silent auction as well.
Java & Jazz Brunch Festival
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
Location: Triple Creek Park, 1333 Touchdown Drive in Gallatin.
Coffee, brunch, and jazz lovers unite at Gallatin Parks & Recreation’s inaugural Java & Jazz Brunch Festival. Sample vendors’ coffee and breakfast or brunch-style foods while listening to live music performances.
Fall Sip & Shop 2023
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Sumner Crest Winery, 5306 Old Highway 52 in Portland.
Sip and shop wine, food trucks, and boutique vendors at Sumner Crest Winery’s fall event. Shop handmade vendors on the lawn, sip wine, sample food trucks, and see the Remedies perform live at 5 p.m.
Chili Cook-Off
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: American Legion Post 17, at 1140 S. Water Ave. in Gallatin.
Community members of all ages are invited to the American Legion’s chili cook-off event.
GourdFest 2023: Celebrating Making Music and Growing Food Together
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14 from 12-9 p.m.
Location: Joelton Hardware & Feed at 5538 Clarksville Pike.
Celebrate music and food at GourdFest, hosted by Mehuman, featuring live music performances by national touring artists, local agricultural-expert presentations, food, fun, and more. Participating artists include J.H.’s Bluegrass Jamboree, Autumn Nicholas, Kat & Zach, Black Banjo Reclamation Project & Stellar, the Scooches, the Hollow Party, Miranda Louise & the Family Band, and Lemmings. Tickets start at $5 per person and can be purchased online at Eventbrite. Children 10 and under can attend for free.
Annual Fire Department Community Breakfast
Date: Thursday, Oct. 26 from 7:30-9 a.m.
Location: City of White House Fire Department Station 2, 120 Business Park Drive.
Join local firefighters for a Bojangles' breakfast at the fire station and tour the facility.
Hendersonville Pig Fest
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Veteran’s Park in Hendersonville.
Hendersonville supports four causes, Mary's Magical Place, LiveLoveNashville, Grace Place, and Christmas4Kids, across its annual, two-day fall event. Following Friday night’s concert, Saturday’s schedule packs in a day’s worth of food trucks, vendors, college football, parking palette painting, kids’ zone, live pig races and, you guessed it, barbeque.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What to know about Nashville area fall food festivals
