October is here, and Nashville has a bucket full of festive treats this month and very few tricks (it wouldn’t be October without a few tricks!). The City Cast Nashville team has rounded up the activities we’re most looking forward to this month, and there are even more on the podcast!
👻 Get in the Halloween Spirit
Spend a day at a pumpkin patch for classic fall farm fun, from corn mazes to hayrides, and come home with pumpkins ready to be carved into jack-o-lanterns.
Go to a Halloween-themed show, like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Belcourt, Nashville Ballet’s performance of “Dracula,” and The Conjuring Comedy Festival starring our very own producer Marie Cecile Anderson.
Fully embrace fear by touring the Historic Bell Witch Cave or going to a haunted house, like Nashville Nightmare and Beast House.
Kids will love Boo at the Zoo, which includes a 45-foot Ferris wheel this year, while adults can enjoy BOOze at the Zoo.
Who’s a very good witch? (Irina Kashaeva / Getty Images)
🐶 Dogtober
Sorry feline fiends, October is full of treats for our canine friends.
- Pups & Pints Howl-oween is a free dog-themed festival at oneC1TY on Oct. 5. Enjoy a beer garden, pup pampering, costume contest, bark market, and more fun and games. Proceeds benefit the Nashville Humane Association.
- Speaking of the Nashville Humane Association, on Oct. 19 they’re hosting Dog Day at Centennial Park, with agility contests, a doggie fun zone, a children’s play area, and more.
- Cheekwood celebrates the season with a Halloween Pooch Party on Oct. 26-27. Bring your very good girl/boy with or without a costume for plenty of photo ops and fun. The theme of this year’s costume contest is your favorite female art icon in dog form. I can’t wait to see these costumes!
🗳️ Prepare To Vote
The Nov. 5 election is right around the corner. Register to vote by Oct. 7. Early voting is Oct. 16-31. Requests for an absentee ballot must be received by Oct. 29. Check out your ballot and start researching candidates. We’ll have a transit referendum explainer and a guide to the ballot in forthcoming Hey Nashville newsletters this month, plus podcast episodes with candidates.
🍌 Other Fun October Events
Y’all, there’s just too much to do in October. You’ll find me at the 36th Annual Southern Festival of Books at the Bicentennial Mall on Oct. 26-27. The author lineup is amazing 👀 Spend peaceful evenings with neighbors at Shelby Park’s Fridays by the River. Support local artists at the 46th Annual Fall Tennessee Craft Fair from Oct. 11-13. Discover the best pizza in Nashville at Pizza City Fest (Oct. 19-20), and drink your fill at Oktoberfest (Oct. 3-6). For a uniquely Southern experience, you’ve gotta go to The National Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville from Oct. 5-6.
