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Fall is here, the students are back in town, Razorback football is in full swing, and that always means one of the busiest times of the year in Fayetteville.
The weather is typically perfect, with warm days and cool mornings and evenings that, combined with the energy that having 27,000 students back in town creates, makes for basically the ideal time to host an event or festival in Fayetteville.
As a result, that’s exactly what everyone does.
There are several events coming up, some of which that are brand new to town, and others who’ve become a regular part of the fall season in Fayetteville.
Here’s a rundown of some of the bigger NWA festivals that we know of so that you can get them on your calendar.
Dickson Street Oktoberfest
Date: Sunday, Sept. 18
Location: Walton Arts Center Parking Lot, Dickson Street
Description: Dickson Street Oktoberfest is an all-ages festival featuring live music, local and regional craft beer, local food vendors, kid-friendly activities, and more benefitting the efforts of the Arkansas Brewers Guild.
Admission to the event is $5 (or free for folks 17 and under), and local craft brews are available for $5 each. For more information, check out our story about the event.
Bikes, Blues & BBQ
Date: Sept. 21-24, 2016
Location: Various locations around Fayetteville, NWA
Description: One of the largest bike rallies in the country, Bikes, Blues & BBQ roars into Fayetteville and the surrounding area every year in late September. The four-day event includes dozens of local and regional blues acts, a barbecue competition featuring some of the best pit-masters in the country, a huge bike parade, a battle-of-the-bikes competition, beer gardens, a Miss Bikes, Blues & BBQ pageant, and tons more.
For more information, visit bikesbluesandbbq.org.
Banded Suffering
Date: Oct. 1
Location: Starts at Pediatric Dental Associates
Description: Local bike shops and organizations have organized a series of group bike rides called Banded Suffering on Saturday, Oct. 1. There are courses for all skill levels ranging from six mile rides to a “double metric” 206 kilometer ride. Proceeds from the event benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.
For more info, visit bandedsuffering.com.
Brewtober
Date: Oct. 1
Location: St. Raphael Catholic Church, 1386 S. West End St. in Springdale.
Description: The third annual Brewtober festival is set for Saturday, Oct. 1 at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 1386 S. West End St. in Springdale. The event runs from 5-9:30 p.m. and will showcase homemade chili, brats, and craft beer made by local homebrewers. Festivities include all-you-can-sample tastings of over 50 chilis and 20 craft beers, live music, bratwursts, a silent auction and a people’s choice award for the crowd’s favorite chili and homebrew.
Tickets are $30 (or $25 in advance at the church office) and can be purchased online at straphaelcc.org or at the door.
For more info, check out our full story.
AMP Fest
Date: Sunday, Oct. 2
Location: Walmart AMP
Description: The folks at Walton Arts Center are organizing the first ever AMP Fest, a live music, craft beer, and technology festival, at the Walmart Amp on Oct. 2. The music lineup for the inaugural festival includes Mix Master Mike (of the Beastie Boys), Arkansauce, Mountain Sprout and Goose. Local brewers include Fossil Cove, Bike Rack, Lost 40, Core, and others.
Tickets are $40, on sale now at arkansasmusicpavilion.com.
Downtown Runaround
Date: Saturday, Oct. 8
Location: Downtown Springdale
Description: The first ever Downtown Runaround is set for Saturday, Oct. 8 in downtown Springdale.
The event, benefiting local nonprofits The Jones Center and Camp War Eagle, will include a 5k, 10k, and a fun run race showcasing areas of the downtown area including Springdale’s Shiloh Square, the Razorback Greenway, and other parts of the downtown area. After the race, an after party featuring family-friendly activities including food, games, inflatables, and live music is planned along Emma Street.
Registration is $25 for the 5k, $35 for the 10k, and $10 for the fun run through Sept. 24, and will go up by $5 for each entry after that. Each runner will receive a race t-shirt and swag bag. Read our story for more.
Hero Half Marathon
Date: Sunday, Oct. 9
Location: Lake Fayetteville
Description: The Hero Half Marathon is a chip-timed, point-to-point race originating at Lake Fayetteville on Fayetteville’s north side. The race finishes at Fire Station One in downtown Fayetteville where participants will be greeted with a festival-like atmosphere that includes music, food trucks, a beer garden, local vendors, sponsor booths, and kids activities. The race coincides with Fire Safety Awareness week, and includes a 9/11 Memorial to commemorate the sacrifices made then and now by firefighters, law enforcement, and first responders. Each year, several firefighters run the race in their full fire suits.
Proceeds support several local organizations that organizers say meet important community needs. Visit their website for more information.
Hillberry Festival
Date: Oct. 13-16
Location: The Farm (1 Blue Heron Lane, Eureka Springs)
Description: With Yonder Mountain String Band Harvest Music Festival out of commission and Wakarusa on hiatus, several music festivals have sprung up (or stepped up) in recent years to try and fill the gaps left by those large events. One of those festivals is Hillberry, a relatively new event in its third year out in Eureka Springs. This year’s lineup is pretty impressive, with Railroad Earth, Greensky Bluegress, The Travelin’ McCourys, The New Mastersounds, and Elephant Revival among the headliners of the event.
Tickets range from $55 for a one-day pass, to $160 for the full weekend. For more info, visit hillberryfestival.com.
True Lit Festival
Date: Oct. 17-27
Location: Fayetteville Public Library
Description: True Lit: Fayetteville’s Literary Festival will be held Monday, October 17, through Thursday October 27 this fall. The literary festival, in its third year this year, will offer a variety of events including author talks, writing workshops, and more. True Lit is organized by the Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville Public Schools, Fayetteville Education Foundation, Fayetteville Montessori School, and the University of Arkansas Program in Creative Writing and Translation. Authors this year include Louis Sachar, Claudia Rankine, William Bernhardt, and several more.
For more info, visit truelitfest.com.
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