September is still warm in Nashville, but the fall festival calendar is already getting busy. Music, food, film, art, fairs, and neighborhood events start filling the weekends. Then October adds pumpkins, craft fairs, and Oktoberfest to the mix. By early November, there are only a few fall events left before the holiday season takes over.
Noelle Nashville has a front-row seat to the city's downtown calendar, so this is a good time of year to see what’s happening beyond the usual Nashville itinerary. The big events get plenty of attention, but the smaller festivals can tell you just as much about the neighborhoods and people that make up Music City. Here is what’s on the 2026 calendar.
September
September has the widest mix of the three months, with major music and film festivals, plus fairs, food, art, and neighborhood events. The final weekend gets particularly busy.
Nashville Fair
September 11th through 20th, 2026 at The Fairgrounds Nashville
The Nashville Fair has all the things you expect from a good ol’ fall fair. We’re talking rides, agricultural exhibits, live entertainment, games, and plenty of food on a stick. It also has a connection to Nashville's agricultural roots, so the event has some local history, too. Enjoy a classic fair day with a Nashville backdrop. This one checks all those familiar boxes.
Americana Music Festival
September 15th through 19th, 2026 at venues throughout downtown Nashville
Five days and multiple downtown venues make AmericanaFest a good fit for anyone who likes to build a music weekend around several different rooms. Established artists share the schedule with newer voices, and the festival brings in fans and music industry professionals from around the country. There is no single stage to find here, so checking the schedule before heading out is part of the fun.
Nashville Film Festival
September 24th through 30th, 2026 at venues throughout Nashville
Nearly 150 films are on the schedule for the 57th Nashville Film Festival, with selections from Tennessee and around the world. Filmmaker discussions, workshops, and panels add to the week. The festival is also one of the longest-running film festivals in the United States, which gives this September event a little more history than its seven-day schedule might suggest.
Game Day at Lona
Every Nashville professional football game day this season at Lona
Fall in Nashville also means football season. On Nashville professional football game days, stop by Lona at Noelle for game-day food and drink specials. Guests wearing team gear can receive a complimentary taco with the purchase of an entrée, while Kickoff Taco Kits offer another option for taking the game-day spread with you. The taco offer runs during dinner service, with a choice of Carne Asada, Baja Fish, Chicken Tinga, or Shrimp, and any team colors count. The kits arrive deconstructed with tortillas, salsas, chips, limes, and esquites, and need to be ordered at least 24 hours ahead for pickup, which makes them an easy call for a watch party back in the room.
Nashville Greek Festival
September 25th through 27th, 2026 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
The Nashville Greek Festival has three days of Greek food, traditional music, dancing, and cultural programming. It’s the sort of event where the food deserves as much attention as the entertainment, especially if you have a weakness for dishes you don't normally find on a Nashville restaurant menu.
Artville
September 25th through 27th, 2026 at Walk of Fame Park
Artville lands on the same weekend as the Nashville Film Festival, so downtown has a particularly busy arts calendar during this time. The free public festival will feature large-scale public art installations, murals, and immersive experiences. A walk through the Walk of Fame Park can take on a very different look during festival weekend.
Touch of Brews
September 26th, 2026 at Two Rivers Mansion
Over at Two Rivers Mansion, Touch of Brews has six bands, food trucks, craft beer, cocktails, and a makers market on the lawn of an 1859 mansion. There is a free Kids Zone, kids 12 and under get in free with a ticketed adult, and leashed dogs are welcome. Proceeds benefit Friends of Two Rivers, the nonprofit that helps preserve the historic property.
October
October brings more of the fall traditions people expect from a Nashville trip. Oktoberfest gets the month started, then the calendar moves into crafts, pumpkins, books, and outdoor seasonal events.
Nashville Oktoberfest
October 1st through 4th, 2026 at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park near Germantown
Nashville Oktoberfest has German food, beer, live music, the Dachshund Derby, the Pup Parade, and the Bier Run 5K. The festival dates back to 1980, when it began as a fundraiser to restore the Church of the Assumption in Germantown. That origin story is worth knowing before the lederhosen and dachshunds take over.
Halloween Night at Noelle
If your fall trip stretches through Halloween, Noelle has plans for October 31, too. Halloween Night at Noelle brings together Día de los Muertos festivities at Lona and Impractical Magic at Hidden Bar, with DJs taking over both spaces later in the evening and a midnight costume contest to close out the night. It’s an easy way to make Halloween part of a downtown Nashville stay without venturing far from your room.
Fall for Cheekwood
Starting September 19th, 2026 at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens
Pumpkins, hayrides, seasonal displays, and live music fill the Cheekwood calendar during Cheekwood Harvest. The Marigold River is another seasonal feature, and the 55-acre grounds give visitors plenty of room to spend an afternoon outside.
Impractical Magic at Hidden Bar
September 2nd through October 31st, 2026 at Hidden Bar
The fall atmosphere continues back at Noelle, where Hidden Bar transforms for Impractical Magic. Running through October 31, the seasonal pop-up brings a little Halloween magic below the hotel with themed cocktails and a setting inspired by spells, potions, and late-night mischief. It makes an easy addition to an October evening downtown.
Follow the candlelight behind the storage door and settle in for midnight margaritas, bubbling potions, and curious concoctions. Doors open at 5 p.m. nightly and no reservations are needed, though dining at Lona earns a skip-the-line pass, the only way to bypass the wait on a busy night.
Fall Tennessee Craft Fair
October 9th through 11th, 2026 at Centennial Park
In mid-October, Centennial Park turns into an outdoor gallery and marketplace. Hundreds of regional artists fill the park with pottery, jewelry, textiles, woodwork, metalwork, and other handmade pieces at the Fall Tennessee Craft Fair. If your Nashville souvenir doesn't need a guitar on it, this is a good weekend to browse.
Nashville Fall Festival
September 18th through November 1st, 2026 at 8687 Old Harding Pike in Nashville
The Nashville Fall Festival actually gets started in September and goes through the first of November, with Friday-through-Sunday hours each week. The 70-acre property includes a corn maze, pumpkin patch, seven-acre sunflower field, petting zoo, hayrides, and live music. That longer schedule makes it easier to work into a trip than a one-weekend festival.
Southern Festival of Books
October 17th through 18th, 2026 at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, the Tennessee State Museum, and the Tennessee State Library
More than 175 authors will gather for panels, readings, and signings at the Southern Festival of Books. Admission is free, and the event is spread across three downtown institutions. For a couple of October days, the books take center stage.
November
We are keeping November short here. By the middle of the month, Nashville's fall calendar starts giving way to the holidays, but the first two weekends still have a few good reasons to get out.
Crafty Bastards Fall Arts & Crafts Fair
November 7th through 8th, 2026 at oneC1TY Nashville
More than 80 curated makers come together for this outdoor arts and crafts fair. Plus, local food trucks and a cocktail bar. Crafty Bastards Fall Arts & Crafts Fair has a smaller, independent feel than the city's major festivals and makes for an easy November stop. Hosted by the Nashville Scene, the fair runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days with free admission, so it is easy to drop in for an hour of browsing handmade jewelry, ceramics, candles, and textiles.
Turnip Green Festival
November 7th, 2026 at the Nashville Farmers' Market
Turnip greens get their moment at this festival. Heritage crops, local food, and the fall harvest take center stage at the Nashville Farmers' Market. It is a chance to dig into a little Southern agricultural history while checking out the market's food vendors and festival activities.
Iron Fork
November 12th, 2026 at Harken Hall
Four Nashville chefs get one hour, one secret ingredient, and a shot at the Iron Fork trophy at this annual Nashville Scene competition. The winner also earns a spot in the World Food Championships, while guests get unlimited bites from local restaurants and drinks. Tickets are available through the Music City Food & Wine Festival website, so food lovers who came looking for that festival will still find something on the fall calendar.
Where to Stay for the Nashville Fall Festival Season
Nashville's fall festivals take place all over the city, from downtown and Germantown to Centennial Park and the neighborhoods beyond. Noelle Nashville offers a downtown home base for a festival-filled trip, with comfortable rooms to come back to after a full day out. Learn more about Noelle Nashville and our accommodations as you plan your stay.
Ready to make a fall weekend of it? Book your stay at Noelle Nashville and start planning which festivals will make your calendar. Downtown puts most of the September and October events within a short walk or ride, and when the evening winds down, Lona and Hidden Bar are waiting right back at the hotel. With a calendar this full, an early reservation leaves more room for the fun part of planning: deciding which weekends to build around.