Are you ready? This year's Morgan County Fall Foliage Festival is set to return to Downtown Martinsville on October 9-12, 2022. This year's theme is "An Autumn Jubilee." That's right, this fun fall festival has been an iconic Morgan County fall tradition for over 65 years! You'll find just about everything you can ask for in a fall festival, and maybe even a few surprises. Don't worry - we've got all the details. Check the event schedule below for specific events.
Please note that this year's Fall Foliage Festival will be held at the Morgan County Fairgrounds due to an ongoing renovation project at the Morgan County Courthouse. This project is expected to affect both the 2025 and 2026 Fall Foliage Festival, after which the festival committee will reevaluate whether or not to return downtown or remain at the Fairgrounds.
This year's festival marks the event's 66th year of bringing carnival fun to Morgan County. Carnival rides are open Thursday through Sunday, there's entertainment and events throughout the weekend and the annual parade takes place on Sunday. The parade begins at Bell Intermediate Academy on Columbus Street, turns right onto 2nd Street, then left onto Washington Street. The parade continues on Washington Street to the downtown courthouse square. From there, the parade will proceed south on Main Street, then left heading east on Columbus Street, right onto Home Avenue, then left onto Gray Street, ending at the Martinsville High School parking lot. As always, the parade steps off at 1 pm and is approximately two hours in length.
Here's what's on tap for this year's Fall Foliage Festival - the multi-day event kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 9 with Family Bargain Night on the midway featuring special pricing on ride tickets. There will be free entertainment each evening along with rides, food and fun on the courthouse square as well as several other events such as the Car Show, 5K, Bed Races and Relay Races. Get the details below.
Thursday, October 9
5 pm Carnival opens (Family Bargain Night - all rides one ticket per rider)
5-9 pm Food Trucks & Craft Vendors open
5:30 pm Foodie Eating Contest: Pizza
5:30 pm Studio J2 Dance Performance
6-8 pm Customer Appreciation Night
7 pm Free Stage: BIGG COUNTRY
Friday, October 10
5 pm Carnival opens
5-9 pm Food Trucks & Craft Vendors Open
5:30 pm Elite Dance & Acrobatics Performance
6:55 pm TAPS (Spirit of '45)
7 pm Free Stage: King Bee & The Stingers
Saturday, October 11
8 am - 3 pm Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show
10:30 am Bed Races
11 am - 10 pm Food Vendors & Craft Vendors Open
11 am Power Wheels Demo Derby
1-3 pm Kids' Activities: (Pre-registration form)
Bean Bag Toss, Bubble Gum Blowing Contest, Tricycle Race, Relay Race, Straw Search, Football Toss, Pedal Tractor Pull
1 pm Carnival opens. (Kids' Day: One Ticket Rides from 1-5 pm)
3 pm Cornhole Tournament
2 pm Rhythm Chasers Clogging Group Performance
3 pm Martinsville Academy Gymnastics Performance
4 pm K-9 Demonstration with Deputy Brighton Sichting and K-9 Victor
5 pm Gentry Martial Arts Demonstration
7 pm Free Stage: Vinyl Escape Band
Sunday, October 12
8 am 5K Run/Walk Registration/Packet Pickup at Bell Intermediate Academy (Register Online)
9:30 am 5K Run/Walk begins (race travels the parade route)
Noon - 5 pm Carnival & Craft Vendors open
1 pm Fall Foliage Festival Parade (Leaves from Bell Intermediate Academy; Ends at Martinsville High School)
5 pm Festival concludes - See you again next year!
