PumpkinFest Gets a Sunday, and the Christmas Parade Turns Around

"We heard from our guests and community that they wanted more time to enjoy everything the festival has to offer," Heritage Foundation President and CEO Bari Beasley said in the foundation's announcement, published by FranklinIs on October 5. That extra time means a Sunday. For the first time in its 41 years, PumpkinFest takes over Main Street for a full weekend.

The season's other big tradition is changing too. On December 5, the Rotary Club of Downtown Franklin's spectator map for the Franklin Christmas Parade carries the label "reverse-direction." Downtown's fall season now starts and ends with a familiar tradition in a new form. If you've lived near Main Street for a few years, some of what you know about these weekends is out of date.

Forty Years of One Day, Now Two

Here's the 2026 schedule from the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County:

• Saturday, October 24: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sunday, October 25: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday opens an hour later and closes an hour earlier than Saturday. Event calendars disagree on Sunday's closing time. The Downtown Franklin event page lists the festival as running through 6 p.m. on October 25. The foundation's own release gives 5 p.m., and that's the time we'd plan around.

The foundation does not split the programming into a Saturday lineup and a Sunday lineup. It presents everything as a weekend-wide offer, with "twice the opportunity" to shop, eat and catch live entertainment. Based on the announcement, Sunday is a second full festival day, not a cleanup day. The 2026 lineup includes:

The release calls PumpkinFest Middle Tennessee's largest family-friendly fall festival, and Atmos Energy is the presenting sponsor. Vendor counts vary a little by source. The festival's Eventeny listing says 150+ arts and crafts vendors, while the foundation release says 140+.

Main Street Businesses Get Two Days Too

Downtown merchants also get a second day. The foundation says local shops and restaurants will offer special deals, features and promotions all weekend.

At least one storefront is new since last year's PumpkinFest. dear Vincent opened April 24 at 347 Main Street in the former Registry space. It sells home goods, apparel, accessories, jewelry, candles and permanent jewelry, according to FranklinIs. October 24 will be its first PumpkinFest, and it will now have a Sunday crowd as well as a Saturday one.

Getting In When the Street Is the Festival

The foundation says downtown parking will be limited both days. Franklin Transit is running Park & Ride shuttles between The Park at Harlinsdale Farm and downtown for $1 per person each way. According to the festival's Eventeny listing, Saturday shuttles run from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., and the shuttle operates on both days. FranklinIs lists admission as free.

We didn't find a PumpkinFest-specific street closure notice from the City of Franklin. If you live or park on a side street off Main, check the city's site for closure details in the days before the festival.

The Rest of That Week

Plenty else is happening downtown that week. With PumpkinFest now covering Sunday, the next few days get busy:

• Saturday, October 24: Franklin Theatre's Fear Fest has a late-night screening. Fear Fest also has late shows on October 30 and 31.
• Through Sunday, October 25: Studio Tenn's The Addams Family finishes its October 8–25 run at the Factory at Franklin. Its last weekend lines up with PumpkinFest.
• Monday, October 26: Franklin Theatre's Halloween Party Extravaganza with Alive II: A Tribute to KISS starts at 7 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 27: The Franklin Band's eighth annual Musical Trick or Treat runs 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Howard Gamble Stadium, Franklin High School, 810 Hillsboro Road. It's free, per FranklinIs.

Musical Trick or Treat is at the high school, not on Main Street. We didn't find a confirmed Main Street trick-or-treat event for 2026.

November Gives Main Street a Break

After that, the downtown calendar quiets down for a few weeks. The City of Franklin's annual events page lists two events on Saturday, November 7: Family Day at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm and Wine Down Main Street. The city's schedule shows no format or location change for either one, so locals can expect them to run as usual.

The same city page lists the Christmas Tree Lighting on Friday, December 4, the night before the parade.

The Parade Changes Direction

The Franklin Christmas Parade takes place on the first Saturday in December, the same weekend as the tree lighting. This year that's Saturday, December 5, at 1 p.m. on Main Street, per the Rotary Club of Downtown Franklin. The club has run the parade since 2023 and says the tradition goes back more than 60 years. Williamson Source confirmed the 2026 details on October 11.

The Rotary page labels the 2026 spectator map "reverse-direction." Here's how the maps compare:

On the 2026 map, the parade starts at the old finish line and travels along the Main Street corridor toward North Margin. We couldn't find a 2025-specific route map, so the comparison uses the earlier city map. Check the street-by-street route on the Rotary page before you pick a spot. If you've always watched the parade near one end, the floats may now reach you at a different time than you're used to.

One week later, on December 12–13, the Heritage Foundation holds the 41st annual Dickens of a Christmas in historic downtown Franklin. It runs from 10 a.m. Saturday to 5 p.m. Sunday. PumpkinFest's first Sunday is October 25, and Dickens wraps up on a Sunday on December 13.

If a new festival weekend has you thinking about whether a home near Main Street fits how you want to live, Asadoorian Group can help. We'll go through the event calendar, parking and the blocks closest to the action with you, and keep you updated at each step. Schedule a consultation whenever you're ready.