The Bardstown Arts & Crafts Festival takes over downtown on Saturday, October 10 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday, October 11, 2026 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). It is free to attend, with more than 250 juried artists’ booths spread along the brick streets and lawns around Spalding Hall and City Hall. This is the festival’s 45th year, it pulls more than 30,000 visitors, and it lands on peak fall-color weekend, so plan your parking and your room now.
When and where is it?
Bardstown Main Street, the downtown nonprofit, has run the festival since 1981. It sits on the second weekend of October every year.
| Day | Hours (2026) |
|---|---|
| Saturday, October 10 | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Sunday, October 11 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Booths fill a loop of the historic district a block or two northwest of Court Square: West Flaget Avenue, North Fourth and North Fifth Streets, Xavier Drive, the lawn of Spalding Hall, the City Hall lawn, and the City Hall and Parks & Recreation parking lots. Expect street closures around all of those from early Saturday.
What you’ll find
This is a juried show, which means artists apply and are selected, so the booths lean toward handmade work rather than mass-market imports. Expect the usual juried-show mix of work in clay, wood, fiber, metal and paint, with food vendors tucked between the booths. Vendor applications ran from February 1 to April 30 in 2026, so the lineup is set months ahead. The booths spread over several streets and lawns, so give yourself two to three unhurried hours for a full loop, more if you stop to talk with the makers.
You will still see the festival called the “Bardstown Arts, Crafts & Antiques Fair” in older listings and promoters’ directories. The 2026 festival page does not mention antiques, so do not come expecting an antiques market. The good news is that downtown has its own antique and vintage shops within walking distance of the booths. See our guide to antique and vintage shopping in Bardstown and the wider downtown shopping guide.
Who runs it, and a little history
The festival traces its start to 1981, 2026 is billed as its 45th edition, and it has grown into one of the largest free weekends on the town’s calendar. Its organizer, Bardstown Main Street, is the same downtown nonprofit behind Light Up Bardstown, the Bourbon City Street Concert and the Halloween Spooktacular, so the festival has a hometown feel even at 30,000 visitors. Admission has stayed free.
Where to eat during the festival
Food vendors work the festival streets, but you can also duck into a restaurant. Scout & Scholar Brewing Co. sits right on the route at 112 W. Flaget Ave., with house-brewed beer and bourbon brisket tacos, and it opens at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. A block south, Mammy’s Kitchen & Bar on West Stephen Foster Avenue takes reservations by phone at (502) 350-1097, and the Old Talbott Tavern on Court Square serves lunch in a stone building from 1779, with live music in its bourbon bar on Saturday night. Browse more options in our best restaurants guide.
Parking and getting around
The festival swallows two of the most convenient public lots (City Hall and Parks & Recreation), and 30,000 people arrive in a town of about 13,500. A few ways to make it easy:
- Arrive before 10 a.m. Street spots within a few blocks go first.
- Try the public lot at 113 E. Flaget Ave., east of Court Square, then walk west into the festival.
- Stay downtown and leave the car parked all weekend. The historic district is compact, and nearly everything is within several blocks.
- If you are coming from Louisville, budget about an hour. It is roughly 41 miles from downtown Louisville, and the classic route is I-65 south to exit 112, then KY 245 past Jim Beam into town. From Lexington, allow about 1 hour 15 minutes via the Blue Grass Parkway, and from Elizabethtown about 30 minutes.
Our parking and getting around guide has more on downtown lots.
Tips for a good festival day
Walk the full loop once before you buy anything big. The best booths are not always the ones nearest Court Square. Bring a sturdy tote, and some cash in case a vendor’s card reader struggles on a busy street. Early Saturday is the best time for selection, and later on Sunday is calmer, though some artists may be running low by then.
Dress in layers. October in Bardstown averages a high of about 70°F and a low of about 47°F under NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals, so a cool morning can turn into a warm afternoon on the pavement. Comfortable shoes matter: the historic district has brick sidewalks and some uneven curbs. Lawn sections get soft after rain.
Make a weekend of it
Festival weekend is one of the best-stocked weekends of the year in Bardstown, so fill in the edges:
- Circa 1856, the Chicken Cock tasting room on Court Square, is an easy walk from the booths. For a full distillery tour, book well ahead, because October is peak touring season.
- The Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History is inside Spalding Hall itself. It is free and keeps Saturday hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday hours of noon to 4 p.m., so pop in when your feet need a break.
- My Old Kentucky Home runs its “Weep No More” Victorian mourning exhibit through October. The park’s site has tour times.
- Dustin Lynch plays The Amp at Log Still in Gethsemane on Saturday, October 10, at 7 p.m.
- The Bardstown Ghost Trek runs two walks on October Friday and Saturday nights, at 7 and 8:30 p.m. See Halloween and ghost walks for booking.
For dinner, reserve. Downtown restaurants fill on festival Saturday, and The Rickhouse under Spalding Hall is closed on Sundays and Mondays, which catches weekend visitors off guard.
Where to stay
Book now if you have not. October weekends are the second-busiest lodging stretch of the year after Bourbon Festival weekend. The historic inns within walking distance are the ideal base, since you can drop shopping bags at the room and walk back. Our historic inns and B&Bs guide lists them. Read cancellation policies carefully: Jailer’s Inn, for example, requires 30 days’ notice on Arts & Crafts Fair weekend instead of its usual seven. If downtown is full, the chain hotels on the bypass are a short drive away. Budget for taxes, too: Kentucky’s 6% sales tax, the 1% state room tax and Nelson County’s 3% room tax add roughly 10% to a hotel bill.
Looking ahead to 2027
The 2027 dates have not been posted, but the second-weekend pattern points to October 9-10, 2027. Artists who want a booth should watch for applications to open around February. For everything else happening that month, see fall in Bardstown and the Bardstown events calendar.
