"The festival is expanding!" That line is on King's Road Brewing's page for the 5th Annual Medford Fall Festival & Concert, and the next sentence says what it means. This year the Main Street Merchants will host activities and live music throughout downtown Medford, which makes "the entire Main Street business district part of the celebration."
That changes how Saturday, October 17 will work. For four years the festival was mostly one event at The Feed Mill, 67 N. Main Street. Now it reaches the whole village, and nearly everything else on Medford's fall calendar is held on those same few blocks. The festival, Trick or Treat, the Halloween Parade, the Ghost Walk and the monthly food truck nights all take place on Main Street between now and Thanksgiving.
Five Years In, and Bigger Than One Lot
King's Road says the festival "has grown every year" and that last year's event drew an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people over the course of the day. That crowd was built around a single stage and the grounds of The Feed Mill. This year's version adds a second center of activity down the street.
The Medford Main Street fall calendar describes the 2026 festival as free, rain or shine, running noon to 9 p.m., and filling "Main Street and The Feed Mill" with live music, food trucks, craft vendors, games and family activities. A professional pumpkin carver will work at the Gazebo. Anyone who wants to compete can enter the live pumpkin-carving contest for $20, with cash prizes that include a $500 first prize.
The Feed Mill Stage, Hour by Hour
The music stays at The Feed Mill. This is the lineup King's Road has posted for October 17:
| Time | On The Feed Mill Stage |
|---|---|
| 12:00 p.m. | The Loan Rangers |
| 1:30 p.m. | Aaron and John Music |
| 3:00 p.m. | Somerdale |
| 5:00 p.m. | NJ Steinholding Championship |
| 6:00 p.m. | The Big Trip |
| 7:30 p.m. | Later Skater |
The 5 p.m. slot is the unusual one, a championship rather than a set. Bands fill the rest of the afternoon and evening, and Later Skater closes the night.
A Bigger Footprint With No Shuttle
When the festival grows from one property to a whole business district, parking becomes the practical question. The Main Street Merchants say on their fall calendar page that Main Street stays open during the pumpkin-carving event and that parking is plentiful. None of the festival sources reviewed for this post announce a shuttle or a festival-specific road closure plan.
That's different from last month. For the Medford Business Association's Oktoberfest at Freedom Park on September 18 and 19, a free shuttle ran both days between the park and Main Street. October 17 runs the other way. Everything is downtown, so people coming from outside the village need a parking space close by. Medford Township's general page on Main Street parking lists public lots around the village, including the Stagecoach lot, the lot at 17 N. Main Street, the community center lot, Town Hall and the library, and Freedom Park. That page dates from 2023 and is standing village guidance, not a plan for this event.
October 24 Asks Main Street to Do Two Jobs
A week after the festival, Main Street has its busiest Saturday of the season. Several events share the day:
- 11 a.m. to noon: Medford Leas hosts a free public talk in the C. Harry Knowles Theater as part of its Fall 2026 program guide. No registration is required.
- Noon to 5 p.m.: Trick or Treat on Main Street. It's free, kids visit participating Main Street businesses in costume, and the candy lasts while supplies last.
- 7 p.m.: The Halloween Parade, hosted by the Medford Vincentown Rotary, with costumes, community groups and decorated displays along Main Street.
- All day: Last chance to see Scarecrows on Main, the Woman's Club of Medford's annual Scarecrow Contest, which has lined the street since October 3.
The Township's special events listing confirms the parade for Saturday, October 24, 2026. The route details on the Medford Halloween Parade site don't carry a year. That page describes staging at St. Mary of the Lakes School, a route east on Fire House Lane, a right onto Main Street, and then south to Maurice and Everett Haines School. It also says Main Street closes to traffic at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. start. If those details still hold this year, Main Street has about an hour between the end of trick-or-treating and the road closing. The parade site doesn't list a 2026 rain date.
In November, the Ghost Walk Goes Inside the Buildings
The festival and the parade use the street. The 8th Annual Haunted Medford Main Street Ghost Walk on November 6 and 7 goes inside the buildings along it. Destination Medford's Ghost Walk page traces Main Street back to 1847. It also notes that many of the storefronts are only a few years old, while the buildings behind them date to the 1800s or earlier, when Medford grew from farmland and sawmills into a village.
Psychic medium guides lead small groups through three historic Main Street buildings from 6 to 9 p.m. both nights. The organizers haven't named the three buildings for 2026. Tickets are $29 each, or four for $100 with the code GhostTown. The Destination Medford ticket shop lists Friday and Saturday tickets separately, and neither night showed a sold-out notice when this post was researched. Destination Medford's page also notes limited accessibility because of stairs.
Every tour starts at a business that's new to Main Street. The Well at Medford, at 45 S. Main Street, describes itself as a community wellness center offering yoga and Qigong, massage, sound healing and an Energy Enhancement System. It held a grand opening on September 24. Sympathy Magick shares the address and sells crystals, gifts and metaphysical items. Destination Medford was already calling both of them new Main Street businesses in early June. On Ghost Walk nights, NJBalance owner Susan Drummond leads guests through a grounding exercise before they head out onto Main Street. People waiting for their tour can shop at Sympathy Magick, where card readings, chair massages and light snacks will be offered at special prices.
November 6 is also First Friday. The Main Street calendar suggests coming downtown before or after the Ghost Walk to shop and eat.
The Weeknight Events Between the Big Weekends
Food Truck Nite fills in the weeks between the big weekends. The Township lists Main Street food trucks on the third Thursday of each month, March through December, from 5 to 9 p.m. No truck lineup has been posted yet for October or November 2026. A lineup page from October 2025 is still online, but it's last year's list.
Here's what's left on the calendar from today through the start of the holiday season:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Through Nov. 5 | Looking Through the Lens juried exhibition | Medford Arts Center, 8 N. Main St. |
| Oct. 15, 5 to 9 p.m. | October Food Truck Nite | Historic Main Street |
| Oct. 17, noon to 9 p.m. | Medford Fall Festival & Concert | The Feed Mill and Main Street |
| Oct. 24 | Trick or Treat on Main, Halloween Parade | Main Street |
| Nov. 6 | November First Friday | Main Street |
| Nov. 6 and 7, 6 to 9 p.m. | Haunted Ghost Walk | Starts at 45 S. Main St. |
| Nov. 19 | November Food Truck Nite | Main Street |
| Nov. 28 to Dec. 23 | Merry Main Street | Participating businesses |
The Main Street calendar suggests the November 19 Food Truck Nite as a break from Thanksgiving preparations. Merry Main Street starts a week later. From November 28 to December 23, shoppers at participating Main Street businesses get one prize-drawing ticket each time they spend more than $20, and the prize package is typically valued at more than $2,000. The Medford Arts Center exhibition is also on Main Street at 8 N. Main, so a visit there fits easily into either food truck night or a First Friday.
If your fall plans include a Main Street Saturday and you've also been wondering what your Medford house would sell for, I'm glad to walk you through how homes near the village have been pricing. No pressure, just a straight local answer. Reach out to Ronald Palentchar and Let's Connect.
