When and where: The fall festivals to see in Middle Tennessee
Editor’s note: Dates, times and prices may be subject to change.
Oh, my gourd. It's fall festival season already?
That's right, time to plan those matching Halloween costumes, shop fall decor, explore the local food truck scene and get ready for all things pumpkin.
Don't be-leaf it? Check out these seasonal food, music and market celebrations in Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson and Sumner Counties.
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.
The Gathering at the White House Inn
Date: Saturday, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: White House Inn Museum, 105 College St.
Experience living history with blacksmiths, basket weaving, cooking demonstrations, beekeeping, crocheting, an apple cider mill, and more at the museum’s free event.
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.
Barktober Fest
Date: Saturday, Sept. 23, from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Location: The Streets of Indian Lake, 300 Indian Lake Blvd. in Hendersonville.
Join other four-legged friends at the pet- and family-friendly fifth annual Barktober Fest. Families can enjoy various vendors, food trucks, a costume contest for pets, silent auction, and more while raising money for the Sumner County Humane Society.
Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Location: Oak Grove Farms, 517 W. Main St. in Gallatin.
Oak Grove Farm’s second annual pumpkin-painting, pie-eating apple-breaking contests are sure to entertain guests of all ages, with contests for adults and kids. Activities and games will be available throughout the market, along with balloon animals, a petting zoo, discounts, and more.
Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location: Bledsoe’s Fort Historical Park, 2895 Hartsville Pike in Castalian Springs.
Visit the historical park to shop vendors, sample food trucks, and more.
Millersville Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, Sept. 30 from 2-9 p.m.
Location: Millersville Community Center, 1181 Louisville Highway in Goodlettsville.
Millersville’s first fall festival will host guests with live music, kids activities, various vendors and food trucks.
Family Fun Night on the Farm
Date: Thursday, Oct. 5 from 5-8 p.m.
Location: Rock Springs Retreat Center, 732 Rock Springs Road in Castalian Springs.
Bring the family down for a fun night on the farm. Bocce ball, cornhole, and other yard games will be available among other activities like putting and fishing.
UltiMutt D-Tails Fall Block Festival
Date: Saturday, Oct. 7 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: UltiMutt De-Tails, 107 Oak St. in Portland.
Shop vendors, compete in the Strut Your Mutt pet costume contest, win door prizes, and eat at Sumner County-based food truck Lunch Buddy’s.
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.
Pleasant View Village Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, Oct. 7 from 4-8 p.m.
Location: Village Square in Pleasant View.
Market vendors, food trucks, face painting, bounce houses, and live music featuring Nashville-based bluegrass group Williamson Branch can be enjoyed on the square.
Music on Main
Date: Saturday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location: Main Street in Ashland City.
Mark your calendars for this free event featuring crafts, artists, food trucks, a farmers’ market, community groups, and more on Main Street.
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 Festival
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Location: Sumner Farmers Co-Op, 450 Red River Road in Gallatin.
Shop doorbuster sales at the Sumner Farmers Co-Op Fall Festival. Chow down on free hotdogs and compete against neighbors in a game of cornhole or sack race. Kids can have their faces painted, bounce in fall-themed bouncy houses and take home a balloon animal. Guests of all ages can enjoy the petting zoo and visit vendor booths.
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.
Fall Family Block Party 2023
Date: Friday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m.
Location: White House City Park.
Entertain the kiddos at the Fall Family Block Party with craft vendors, a blacksmith, stilt walkers, food trucks, a free pumpkin patch sponsored by the White House Inn Museum, costume contests for people and pets, and more.
2023 Portland Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, Oct. 21 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Location: East Market Street in downtown Portland.
Frolic through the pumpkin patch, shop food and craft vendors, and enjoy other festival activities like live music, hayrides, games for kids, a costume contest, and more.
Rumble in the Brier Car Show & Fall Fest
Date: Saturday, Oct. 21 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Louise Martin Memorial Park, 2295 Old Greenbrier Pike in Greenbrier.
Meet other car enthusiasts at the Brier Car Show, featuring live entertainment, food trucks, vendors, raffle, bouncy houses and more. Cars can be registered at https://form.jotform.com/230223937333148.
Hendersonville Hometown Jam Presents: Pig Fest Kick Off Concert
Date: Friday, Oct. 27 from 5-10 p.m.
Location: Veteran’s Park, 144 Scotch St. in Hendersonville.
The annual Pig Fest event begins Friday night with a concert featuring the Kentucky Headhunters with special guest Dillon Carmichael and other performers including Clint Park, Ben Chapman and Charly Reynolds. General admission costs $10 per ticket. Children under 12 can enter the concert for free. 100 VIP tickets are available for sale online at Eventbrite and include access to the concert and VIP tent area with food catered by the Cajun Steamer, complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and two drink tickets and event memorabilia.
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.
GOODFest and Fall Market
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Moss-Wright Park, 745 Caldwell Drive in Goodlettsville.
More than 100 vendors come together for the annual GOODFest and Fall Market event. Other local artisans and food vendors will be in attendance, along with a free kids zone.
Fall Fest Cottontown Community Market
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location: The Bridal House, 2315 Highway 25 in Cottontown.
Celebrate fall in Cottontown with vendors, kids activities, fun demonstrations, live music, and more.
Grahams Estate Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location: 262 Harris Lane in Gallatin.
Plan family fun at Grahams Estate this fall. Enjoy food trucks, music, and various vendors. Parking costs $5.
Rhythms of Sumner Festival
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Douglass-Clark House, 2115 Long Hollow Pike in Gallatin.
Bring the family down to the Rhythms of Sumner Festival this fall for a celebration of Sumner County’s musical history and present-day performers. Explore local vendors, sample local food trucks, and enjoy the melodious blend of old and new among handcrafted products and flavors. Enjoy kid-friendly activities, walk along the Station Camp Greenway or take a free tour of the Douglass-Clark House. Don’t forget lawn chairs and blankets because no seating will be provided.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What to know about Middle Tennessee's fall festivals
