Season Guide
Fall Festivals in Nashville 2026
The fall festivals in Nashville pack more into September and October than any other stretch of the year: music festivals, a four day Oktoberfest, corn mazes, book fairs, and a run of perfect weather on the lawn. Here is the whole season sorted by date, with venues, prices where they are published, and what each one is actually like.
Late September on the lawn, the best few weeks of the Nashville calendar.
Nashville Fall Festival Dates for 2026
The season at a glance
| Dates | Festival | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 15 to 19 | Americana Music Festival | Downtown venues |
| Sept 19 | Nashville Scene Margarita Festival | oneC1TY |
| Sept 25 to 27 | Nashville Film Festival Creators Conference | Walk of Fame Park |
| Sept 26 | Touch of Brews | Two Rivers Mansion, Donelson |
| Oct 1 to 4 | Nashville Oktoberfest | Bicentennial Capitol Mall |
| Oct 10 | Nashville Smores Festival | Nashville |
| Oct 17 to 18 | Southern Festival of Books | Bicentennial Capitol Mall |
| Oct 22 to 24 | Nashville Artclectic | Nashville |
| Sept 11 to Oct 16 | Shelby Park Fall Beer Garden, Fridays | Shelby Park |
September Fall Festivals in Nashville
September is when the city exhales. The heat finally breaks, the lawns are still green, and three or four things worth your Saturday land on the same weekend.
Shelby Park Fall Beer Garden
Shelby Park, East Nashville · Free admission
East Nashville Beer Works and Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms run a pop up beer garden on Fridays through the fall, with local beer, food trucks, live music, and yard games. Admission is free and you pay for what you eat and drink, which makes it the lowest commitment way to spend a fall Friday outdoors in this city.
Americana Music Festival and Conference
Venues across downtown Nashville
The Americana Music Association brings artists, fans, and industry to Nashville for five days of performances spread across downtown venues, mixing established names with artists you have not heard of yet. If you want to see a lot of music in a short window and do not mind moving between rooms, this is the week.
Nashville Scene Margarita Festival
oneC1TY · Ticketed
The Scene's long running margarita festival, now in its 13th year, where a ticket gets you entry plus samples from bars and restaurants around the city. A tasting event rather than a day out, so plan it as an afternoon and not a whole Saturday.
Nashville Film Festival
Walk of Fame Park, with events in Wedgewood Houston, Germantown, and the Neuhoff District
The 57th edition, with roughly 150 films from Tennessee and around the world, plus filmmaker discussions and a Creators Conference of workshops and panels. Worth noting for anyone in town that weekend who wants an indoor option.
Touch of Brews
Two Rivers Mansion, 3130 McGavock Pike, Donelson · 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Six bands on one stage from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the lawn of an 1859 mansion, with Nashville food trucks, a makers market, craft beer and cocktails by the drink, and a free Kids Zone. It is one of the few festivals in the city where the whole household is invited: kids 12 and under get in free with a ticketed adult, and leashed dogs are welcome at no charge. Proceeds benefit the Friends of Two Rivers, the nonprofit preserving the property.
Full disclosure: this one is ours. Tickets and pricing · See the lineup
October Fall Festivals in Nashville
October is the bigger month by attendance, largely because of one festival that has been running since before most of the others existed.
Nashville Oktoberfest
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, near Germantown · Free Thursday and Friday before 4 p.m. with a requested ticket, general admission from $10 online for Saturday and Sunday
The biggest fall festival in the city and one of the largest Oktoberfests in the country, drawing crowds in the hundreds of thousands across four days. German beer, food from dozens of vendors, two stages of live music, and the events people actually plan around: the Dachshund Derby, the Pup Parade, and the Bier Run 5K.
It started in 1980 as a fundraiser to restore the Church of the Assumption in Germantown, which is a better origin story than most festivals can claim, and it still carries that neighborhood character despite the size.
Nashville Smores Festival
Nashville · Ticketed
Exactly what it sounds like, and squarely aimed at families with young kids. A single day event, so check the current listing for the venue and hours before you plan around it.
Southern Festival of Books
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Tennessee State Museum, and Tennessee State Library · Free
The 38th annual, presented by Humanities Tennessee with Vanderbilt University, gathering more than 175 authors for panels, readings, and signings across two days. Free, all ages, with food trucks and booksellers filling the mall below the State Capitol. One of the oldest literary festivals in the country and genuinely one of the best free things Nashville does all year.
Nashville Artclectic
Nashville
A long running art show and sale featuring work from regional artists. Worth a look if you would rather spend an evening with paintings than in a crowd on a lawn.
Pumpkin Patches and Farm Festivals Near Nashville
These run for weeks rather than a single weekend, which makes them the easiest thing to slot into a fall Saturday. All three are a drive from the middle of the city.
Lucky Ladd Farms
Eagleville, south of Nashville
A pumpkin patch plus acres of farm entertainment, a corn maze, caramel apples, kettle corn, and the pumpkin and apple cider donuts that are arguably the real reason people go. Built for families with kids who need somewhere to run.
Nashville Fall Festival
Bellevue, along the South Harpeth River · Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
Seventy acres with a hillside corn maze, a seven acre sunflower field, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, hayrides, and live music, all included with admission. The sunflowers at golden hour are the draw, and it is the closest of the three to town.
Honeysuckle Hill Farm
Springfield, north of Nashville
A long running Tennessee fall tradition with a pumpkin patch, pig races on the Honeysuckle Hill Raceway, and enough attractions to fill a full day. Weekend afternoons are the busiest window.
How to Plan a Nashville Festival Weekend
A few things that are obvious in hindsight and expensive to learn the hard way.
Check the parking situation before the ticket price. Downtown festivals mean garages, walking, and a slow exit. Festivals on grounds outside the center of the city usually have on site parking, which changes the whole shape of the day, especially if you are carrying chairs or a cooler.
Late September still runs warm. Afternoons hit the seventies and evenings drop fast once the sun goes down. Dress the group for both halves of the day rather than the forecast high.
Free is not the same as no cost. Several of the best events here are free to enter and make their money on food and drink, which is usually a better deal than a bundled ticket if you are only there a few hours.
Check the pet policy every year. Dog friendliness changes with venue and insurance, so do not assume last year's answer still holds.
A Fall Festival on Open Grass Instead of Asphalt
If the appeal of a fall festival is open grass, shade trees, and a full day of live music rather than shoulder to shoulder on a closed street, Touch of Brews in Donelson is built that way on purpose. Parking is on the grounds, kids 12 and under are free, and leashed dogs are welcome.
Making a weekend of it? The Donelson neighborhood guide covers where to eat and walk around the grounds.
September 26, we will be out there.
Nashville Fall Festival Questions
When is festival season in Nashville?
Fall festival season in Nashville runs from mid September through early November. Mid September to mid October is the busiest stretch, with music festivals, Oktoberfest, and the farm season all overlapping.
What festivals are in Nashville in September 2026?
September brings the Americana Music Festival from the 15th to the 19th, the Nashville Scene Margarita Festival on the 19th, the Nashville Film Festival from the 25th to the 27th, and Touch of Brews on Saturday the 26th. The Shelby Park fall beer garden also runs on Fridays starting September 11.
What festivals are in Nashville in October 2026?
Nashville Oktoberfest runs October 1 to 4, the Nashville Smores Festival is October 10, the Southern Festival of Books is October 17 to 18, and Nashville Artclectic runs October 22 to 24. The farm festivals and pumpkin patches stay open through the end of the month.
What is the biggest fall festival in Nashville?
Nashville Oktoberfest is the largest by attendance, drawing crowds in the hundreds of thousands over four days at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. It has run every year since 1980.
Are there free fall festivals in Nashville?
Yes. The Southern Festival of Books is free and open to all ages, the Shelby Park fall beer garden series has free admission, and Nashville Oktoberfest is free on Thursday and on Friday before 4 p.m. with a requested ticket.
Which fall festivals are good for families?
The farm festivals are built for families, including Lucky Ladd Farms, Honeysuckle Hill Farm, and the Nashville Fall Festival in Bellevue. Touch of Brews is an all ages music festival where kids 12 and under get in free with a ticketed adult, and the Southern Festival of Books is free for all ages.
Which fall festivals allow dogs?
Touch of Brews welcomes leashed dogs at no charge. Nashville Oktoberfest hosts a Pup Parade and a Dachshund Derby. Always check an individual festival's pet policy before you go, since policies change year to year.
Dates and details in this guide were checked in August 2026 against official festival sites and local listings. Festivals reschedule, so confirm directly with an organizer before making the trip.
Sept 26, 2026 · 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. · Two Rivers Mansion, Donelson
One Saturday on the Lawn
Six bands, food trucks, local makers, kids free, dogs welcome. That is our entry on the list.
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