The 17th Annual Downtown Humboldt Fall Festival falls on Saturday, October 24, 2026. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., it's free, and it closes Main Street to traffic from 16th Avenue to 12th Avenue. One line in the vendor rules matters for anyone planning lunch around it. The Humboldt Chamber of Commerce has only two food truck spots for the whole festival, and it calls that space "extremely limited."
That cap changes how the day works. With only two food trucks, lunch comes from booth food vendors and from the restaurants that already have addresses on Main. The festival also isn't the only thing happening that weekend. An SCA-sanctioned steak cookoff runs at Bailey Park, starting Friday and continuing through Saturday. And a driving range that opened in late September gives Sunday something to do. The weekend is three days long, and most of it happens outside the festival hours.
The Weekend at a Glance
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 23 | SCA steak contest, Friday categories | Bailey Park, 400 N. 22nd Ave. |
| Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. | Festival farmers' market may open early | Main Street, downtown |
| Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Downtown Humboldt Fall Festival, street vendors | Main Street, 16th Ave. to 12th Ave., plus the Cadence Bank and Humboldt Library parking lots |
| Saturday, Oct. 24 | SCA steak "double," two Saturday entries | Bailey Park |
| Sunday, Oct. 25 | Last date on the Chamber's cookoff listing | Bailey Park |
| Any day, hours vary | Strawberry Landing Driving Range | 3570 East End Drive |
Friday Starts at Bailey Park
The cookoff is a fundraiser for activities at the Tennessee State Veterans' Home in Humboldt. The Humboldt Chamber's listing says "the smell of smoke will be in the air on October 24-25 as teams from across the country compete for who's steak is #1." The Chamber's calendar shows the event running October 23 through 25. On the Steak Cookoff Association's own site, it appears as two separate contests: one on Friday, October 23, and a "double" on Saturday, October 24.
The entry fees show who the cookoff is built for. Each of Saturday's two steak entries costs $125, or $250 for both. Friday's "all in" option costs $650 and covers every Friday and Saturday category. Entrants have to be at least 13, and each cook gets one entry per category. At those prices, the contest is for traveling teams and serious backyard cooks. The SCA's pitch to competitors asks, "Do you cook the best steak in your neighborhood?"
The SCA's general rules explain what happens at a sanctioned event. The promoter supplies the steaks, so every team cooks the same cut. Judging is double-blind, and ancillary categories are meant to bring families into the competition. The Humboldt listing doesn't yet say whether spectators can sample steaks, whether food will be sold, or which ancillary contests are planned. For now it says only "more information coming soon." Check the Chamber calendar again closer to the date before you plan a meal around Bailey Park.
Saturday Belongs to Main Street, and the Map Has Moved
The festival footprint changed from last year. In 2025, the Chamber placed street vendors on Main Street from Central Avenue to 12th Avenue and closed most of 14th Avenue to traffic. For 2026, the listed stretch runs from 16th Avenue to 12th Avenue, with more activity in the Cadence Bank and Humboldt Library parking lots. Fourteenth Avenue still has a role this year. Any vendor running a generator will be set up there, so that side street will be louder than the rest.
The vendor fee structure explains what fills the street. A standard 10-by-10 booth costs $40, electricity is $25 extra, and the booths are open to crafts, games, nonprofits and merchants. Political booths aren't allowed. The Chamber's lineup includes food vendors, artisans, crafts booths, merchandise vendors and information booths. Last year's listing also had a kids' zone.
Because the street vendors don't start until 10 a.m., the early hours belong to the farmers' market, which the Chamber says may open at 8 a.m. If you're shopping for produce, get there before the crafts crowd fills in.
The Storefronts That Were There Before the Booths
With only two food trucks, the businesses that already have Main Street addresses become part of the festival. Here is what the Humboldt Chamber directory and other listings show downtown:
- The Coffee Shop, 1405A E. Main St. Justin Romero and Lauren Martin reopened it under new ownership in February 2025, with plans for Sunday brunch and longer hours. Current listings disagree on Saturday hours, so call 731-337-4100 before you go.
- Mi Casita Jimenez Mexican Restaurant, 1402 E. Main St.
- The Kandy Bank, a vintage candy and ice cream shop at 1317 Main St.
- City Gift Company, 1321 E. Main St.
- Creative Accents, 1316 Main St.
- Main Boutique, 1401 Main St.
- Moore Interiors, 1413 Main St.
- Strawberry on Main Vendor Mall, 1511 E. Main St.
- Kathy's Flowers & Gifts, 1720 E. Main St.
Farther out at 500 W. Main St., the directory lists Tennyson Smokehouse & Grill. That's another option if the cookoff smoke leaves you wanting barbecue on Saturday evening.
The directory doesn't list Saturday hours for most of these shops, so check before you plan around any one of them. With Main Street closed to traffic during festival hours, the easiest plan is to park once and walk. The vendor mall and the candy shop are easy to visit between booths, and the gift shops and the interiors store are good for a slower look at Main Street.
Sunday Has a New Address on East End Drive
Strawberry Landing Driving Range is open at 3570 East End Drive. WBBJ covered it on September 24, 2026. Owner Robert Carr told the station he has spent 30 years in golf. He started by picking the range and changing holes, and he helped build two golf courses in Manning, South Carolina.
When WBBJ reported, the range was open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with later openings on Sundays and Mondays. Carr said those hours may change in the coming weeks. He offers lessons and a 50% discount for first responders and military members. His explanation for opening it was simple: "there was a need for this in this area." He said other driving ranges exist, "but there's nothing this side of pretty much, you know, the three-way area."
He has more planned:
- A chipping and putting green, which he expects to finish within the next couple of months.
- Club fitting for Callaway and Titleist.
- Simulators for year-round play in cooler months.
- Junior golf camps, with separate camps for girls and boys and kids grouped by age.
All of those are plans, not features you can use yet. A bucket of balls on Sunday afternoon is available now, after a Saturday spent between Main Street and Bailey Park.
What Comes After October
The next big date on the downtown calendar is Christmas on Main, on Saturday, December 5, 2026. The Chamber lists Santa's Village activities at Main and South Central from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., plus free movie showings at Humboldt Plaza.
If you run a Main Street shop or restaurant and want to plan around October 24, the Chamber's vendor registration is linked from its Fall Festival page. Food truck operators need approval before sending payment. They also need permits from the Mayor's office and a scheduled health inspection before the Saturday of the festival, since neither is available that day.
Amy McLemore pays attention to the weekends that bring a Humboldt street to life, and that's part of how she prices and presents homes here. If you live near downtown or Bailey Park and wonder what your place would be worth this fall, request a free home valuation and Amy will walk you through it in person.
