"The Old town Clovis Harvest Festival is now FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23," reads the event's current listing on Visit Fresno County. It places the festival on Pollasky Avenue, between Fourth and Fifth and between Fifth and Seventh, as a one-day event.
Anyone who saved the Old Town Clovis events calendar back in January has different dates. That calendar lists Trunk or Treat on Friday, Oct. 23, the Old Town Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24, and the Old Town Harvest Car Show on Sunday, Oct. 25. The City of Clovis calendar now shows one combined Friday entry, "Old Town Harvest Festival Trunk or Treat," starting at 5:30 p.m. Two events that were planned for separate days are now one Friday evening.
That date change does more than fix a calendar entry. It brings back, for one more night, the Friday-evening Pollasky that went quiet when the farmers market season ended. It also changes what the following Saturday looks like.
Back in the Friday Night Market's Time Slot
Old Town's Friday night farmers market ran from May 1 through Sept. 25 this year. It operated from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Pollasky between 3rd and 7th. Four weeks after the last market, the Harvest Festival returns to almost the same stretch of street at the same hour.
| Friday Night Farmers Market | Harvest Festival and Trunk or Treat | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Fridays, May 1 to Sept. 25, 2026 | Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 |
| Start time | 5:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. |
| End time | 8:30 p.m. | Listed as 8:30 a.m. |
| Blocks | Pollasky, 3rd to 7th | Pollasky, Fourth to Seventh |
| Address | Old Town Clovis | 400 Pollasky Ave. |
The Visit Fresno County listing gives the time as "5:30 PM to 8:30 AM." An overnight festival on Pollasky seems unlikely, so check the organizers' channels for the closing time before you plan a late dinner around it. The Business Organization of Old Town, known as BOOT, runs the Old Town calendar. Its January listing hasn't been updated to show the change.
For families, combining the two events means one trip. The trick-or-treating on Pollasky and the festival now share an evening instead of filling two separate days.
Saturday Becomes a Morning
With the festival gone from Oct. 24, the Saturday calendar thins out and starts early. The City of Clovis calendar lists three things that day: the 9 a.m. Saturday Morning Farmers Market, an 11 a.m. Halloween Spooktacular and the Clovis Taco & Taps Trail.
The Saturday market runs year-round, so it continues after the Friday market ends. It's open 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Pollasky between 5th and Bullard. Vendors sell seasonal produce, herbs and flowers, plus pastries, breads, brittle, granola and pies. The market's vendor terms treat October through March as the off-peak season, with a fee of 10% of gross sales or a $10 minimum per market, plus a $2 agricultural fee. Those terms suggest the organizers expect a smaller market in the cooler months.
The Halloween Spooktacular starts as the market winds down. The Clovis Veterans Memorial District hosts it from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 808 4th Street. It's free and open to the public, with trick-or-treating, games, crafts and booths from local veterans and community-service organizations. If your children skip Friday night, this is a daytime option on the same weekend.
The Clovis Taco & Taps Trail appears on the city calendar for Oct. 24. So far, no organizer, hours, format or list of venues has been posted. Wait for the details before you plan the afternoon around it.
Two Evenings and a Sunday Around It
Without the Saturday festival, late October in Old Town has a clearer pattern. Two evenings, a week apart, are the main draws. The weekend in between is a lighter morning, and a Sunday car show closes the run.
The first evening is Walktober Fest on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. BOOT describes it as a strolling tasting event. Guests walk Old Town and get a one-ounce pour at each stop, and wineries and breweries pour from tasting stations inside participating merchants' storefronts. Each ticket comes with a commemorative cup and a punch card that includes a map of the pouring locations. Tickets cost $50 online in advance and $60 on the day, they're non-refundable, and the event is 21 and over with valid ID required. The 2026 applications say the roster of merchants and pourers will come later, and no participants had been named on the pages we reviewed.
The second evening is the combined Harvest Festival and Trunk or Treat on Friday, Oct. 23.
The Old Town Harvest Car Show follows on Sunday, Oct. 25, and it hasn't moved. It runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Old Town, with awards at 1 p.m. Owners showing cars check in at Pollasky and 7th Street, and day-of registration runs from 6 to 8 a.m. Registration is $25 in advance or $35 on the day. The registration page doesn't list an admission price for spectators.
The run, in order
- Saturday, Oct. 17: Saturday Morning Farmers Market at 9 a.m., then Walktober Fest from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 23: Old Town Harvest Festival and Trunk or Treat from 5:30 p.m. on Pollasky between Fourth and Seventh.
- Saturday, Oct. 24: Farmers market from 9 to 11:30 a.m., the Halloween Spooktacular at 808 4th Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Clovis Taco & Taps Trail, with details still to come.
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Old Town Harvest Car Show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Saturday Morning Farmers Market at 9 a.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Two Cities Marathon, listed on the city calendar at 6:20 a.m.
What Has Opened Since ClovisFest Weekend
The 51st ClovisFest and Hot Air Balloon Fun Fly filled Old Town on Sept. 26 and 27 with more than 200 booths and a balloon lift-off at the Rodeo Grounds. Several places have opened around then, and some are new since the last big street weekend.
On Pollasky, Nourish held its grand opening on Sept. 12. It sits near 5th Street, inside the blocks the Harvest Festival will use, and it's within the Saturday market's 5th-to-Bullard stretch. ABC30 described it as a well-being boutique with a locally grown market, a kitchen serving ready-to-eat meals, and movement classes. It's open seven days a week, and it avoids seed oils, artificial colors and fake flavors. Founder Robin Richardson told the station, "The expectation should be just a warm invitation to come take a pause in your day, nourish your body, mind body and soul and leave with some delicious goodies."
Outside Old Town, EggBred opened on Sept. 5 at 1127 N. Willow Ave., Suite 105. GV Wire reported it's the chain's first Central Valley location. The menu covers breakfast sandwiches, burritos, burgers and waffles. On Shaw Avenue, Teriyaki Time at 610 Shaw Ave. opened in May and held its grand opening Sept. 19. The Fresno Bee reported that owner Mai Kerr Thao's menu centers on teriyaki proteins served with rice, greens, fried rice or noodles.
For something outdoors on a light Saturday, the expanded Letterman Trail is new. The half-mile route runs between Barstow and Villa avenues through Letterman Park and along Big Dry Creek Canal. It now has improved pavement, trail posts and a fountain, and the city scheduled its ribbon cutting for Sept. 29 at 8:30 a.m.
Our weekend guide to Clovis covers the regular routines. This October, the main changes are that the Harvest Festival moved to Friday the 23rd and the Saturday after it now ends by early afternoon. In November, Old Town's calendar continues with the Two Cities Marathon on the 1st and the Old Town Flea Market on Nov. 7 and 8.
Planning a move closer to the Pollasky blocks, or getting a Clovis home ready to show before the holidays? Joe Sciarrone can talk you through the streets around Old Town and when the timing makes sense, with calm, clear advice. Learn more on the Clovis neighborhood page and begin your next chapter.