"Bluegrass & Folk Festival has been rescheduled to Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17." That line comes from a City of Leander notice posted to Nextdoor on Oct. 1. The city gave "the threat of weather" as the reason.
The same post moved two other things. ArtFest went to Saturday, Oct. 10, and the Fall Residential Cleanup and E-waste Collection went to Saturday, Oct. 17. The Floating Pumpkin Patch was already on the calendar for that same Saturday morning. So a fall schedule that started out spread across October now has its weight on one weekend, and most of it sits along one stretch of South Bagdad Road.
If your fall plans came from an earlier guide, you may have the old dates. Visit Leander's Aug. 28 fall roundup still lists the Bluegrass festival for Oct. 2–3. The city's own calendar now shows Oct. 16 and 17.
Saturday, Oct. 17 Runs From Morning to Night on One Road
On Saturday, the morning event and the evening event are at addresses on the same road. The Floating Pumpkin Patch is at Robin Bledsoe Swimming Pool, 601 S. Bagdad Road, from 10 a.m. to noon. The Bluegrass & Folk Festival is at Mason Homestead, 1101 S. Bagdad Road, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. both nights.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 16, 6:15 p.m. | Midnight Grass | Mason Homestead, 1101 S. Bagdad Rd. |
| Fri., Oct. 16, 8 p.m. | Cooper's Uncle | Mason Homestead |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 10 a.m.–noon | Floating Pumpkin Patch | Robin Bledsoe Swimming Pool, 601 S. Bagdad Rd. |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Fall Residential Cleanup and E-waste Collection | Details at leandertx.gov/CleanUp |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 6 p.m. | Strawberry Flats | Mason Homestead |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 7:15 p.m. | Bobby Giles & Texas Gales Band | Mason Homestead |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 8:30 p.m. | Hot Pickin' 57s | Mason Homestead |
The set times come from an event listing in the Austin Star's Oct. 7 issue, which ran after the reschedule. The lineup matches the one Visit Leander published before the move: Midnight Grass and Cooper's Uncle on Friday, then Strawberry Flats, Bobby Giles & Texas Gales Band and Hot Pickin' 57s on Saturday.
At the pumpkin patch, families pick a pumpkin out of the pool, then decorate it with supplies set out on site and take it home. Visit Leander calls it "a uniquely Leander experience." The city's Floating Pumpkin Patch page is the place to check any participation details before you go.
This is the 21st year for the Bluegrass & Folk Festival, and Leander Parks & Recreation hosts it. According to Visit Leander, admission and parking are both free, food vendors and a fun zone are on site, and you should bring lawn chairs. The Oct. 1 notice didn't repeat the parking details, so the city's Bluegrass & Folk Festival page is the best place to confirm them.
The Errand That Landed on the Festival Saturday
The cleanup is the least glamorous item on the Oct. 17 list, and it's also the easiest one to forget. After the reschedule, the city's e-waste and residential cleanup day and the second night of its folk festival both fall on the same Saturday. If you've had an old monitor or a broken appliance waiting in the garage for this day, check the hours and accepted items at the city's cleanup page. The Oct. 1 notice gave the new date but didn't list times.
Taken together, Saturday has an errand to plan around, a two-hour morning event and a festival night. All three now fall inside one day.
After the Weekend, the Calendar Spreads Back Out
ArtFest, the other moved event, already happened on Oct. 10 at the Lakewood Park Sculpture Trail. The weather notice didn't move anything else, so the rest of the season is still on its original dates and spaced about a week or two apart:
- Tricks and Treats Spooktacular, Saturday, Oct. 24, 6–9 p.m. Devine Lake Park, 1807 Waterfall Ave. Leander Parks & Recreation and the Leander Police Department host it, and the event poster lists free entry, food trucks, a fun zone and trick-or-treating.
- Fall Family Campout, Nov. 6–7. Also at Devine Lake Park. Check-in starts Friday at 5 p.m. and checkout is Saturday at 10 a.m. The cost is $35 per family and covers dinner, outdoor games, arts and crafts, a movie, campfire time and breakfast. Registration goes through the City of Leander.
- Leander Film Festival, Nov. 11–15. This is the only item on the fall calendar that Leander has never held before.
Compare the costs. The Spooktacular is free, and the campout is $35 for a whole family overnight. The film festival is priced differently, which is the clearest sign it's a different kind of event.
November Brings Something Leander Hasn't Hosted Before
The Leander Film Festival is in its first year. It's produced by the Leander Arts & Film Alliance, which describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The published program covers five days:
- Wednesday, Nov. 11. A Veterans Day memorial and a pop-up drive-in screening of Sgt. Stubby at the Leander VFW. Visit Leander says moviegoers tune in on FM radio.
- Thursday, Nov. 12. Shorts blocks, the opening-night premiere of Jimmy, which the festival bills as a headline Texas premiere, and a VR boxing match between the police chiefs of Leander and Cedar Park, followed by a mixer. Visit Leander describes the Jimmy red carpet as a private event.
- Friday, Nov. 13. Student shorts, a screenplay pitch session, an industry panel and a 21+ mixer. Visit Leander places the evening filmmaker gathering at Leanderthal Distilling.
- Saturday, Nov. 14. Industry panels, international features and shorts, a screening of the festival's Leander and Lone Star winner, and a community party with live music at the Leander Activity Center.
- Sunday, Nov. 15. A producers panel, a pilot filmed in Leander, a closing feature with Q&A and an awards banquet. The festival's Eventive page lists the banquet at Estancia Banquet at 7 p.m.
The festival describes the Sunday pilot as a faith-and-family project shot in Leander. According to Visit Leander, it stars Adrian Grenier, who played the lead in HBO's Entourage. Neither source gives the pilot's title.
Here's how the festival's pass page lists prices, with service and processing fees included:
| Pass | Price |
|---|---|
| Day Pass | $65 |
| All Panels Pass | $80 |
| All Screenings Pass | $130 |
| Festival Pass | $195 |
| Awards Banquet only | $230 |
| VIP All Access | $475 |
The pass page's 20% early-bird discount applied to purchases completed before Sept. 30, so that window has closed. The program says films are still being selected. So far the festival hasn't posted a full timed schedule for each venue, and it hasn't said which events, if any, are free. If you only want one evening, check the site in early November before you buy a pass.
Dinner Before the Music, Closer to Home
The music at Mason Homestead starts at 6 p.m., which leaves time to eat first along Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Community Impact reported on Oct. 8 that The Abuelos Kitchen, a Mexican kitchen at 17680 Ronald Reagan Blvd., opened July 3. Beer Geek opened the same day at the same address, inside the Valero by Palmera Ridge, according to Community Impact. Farther south, The Pulao Company is open at 13920 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Ste. 100. Cedar Park's Dough It Up plans a Leander location at 15609 Ronald Reagan Blvd. later this fall, though Community Impact's Sept. 29 report didn't give an opening day.
Over at Northline, Sprouts Farmers Market, Ike's Love & Sandwiches and Piada Italian Street Food are all announced or under construction. None has a confirmed public opening date yet, so for now none of them can go on your plan for festival night.
When the city posts a schedule change, we update our calendar too. At The Niño Team, we follow how Leander's events, openings and corridors change week to week. If you're in Crystal Falls and want to know how this fall's changes fit your plans for the year ahead, contact us. We're glad to talk it through.
