The Evansville Fall Festival, otherwise known as the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival, is a cherished October tradition in the City of Evansville. This year is the Festival’s 97th year! The event spans six days, from October first through the sixth. Now you may be thinking, how did such a large historic festival come to Evansville? Well I am glad you asked.
The Evansville Fall Festival did not start off with hundreds of volunteers, numerous rides and hundreds upon thousands of attendees. The Festival was started in 1921 by a small group of businessmen looking to create Fall Festivals to, “initiate, promote, and support any and all movements which are for the betterment of the West Side of Evansville, Indiana; also for the betterment of Evansville as a whole.” The group named themselves the West Side Nut Club and put on their first Festival for only $340.98. At the first Festival, 25,000 people attended. Since then, the Festival has grown to include amusement park rides and festive Festival activities.
This year is no different with many fantastic activities and events happening throughout the Festival. For one, there will be a large parade occurring on Saturday at 4:30pm with over 100 “units” otherwise known as marching bands and floats. Perhaps a mere typical parade is not cool enough for you? Well fear not because the Evansville Fall Festival also has a Lighthouse Parade and a Pet Parade. The Pet Parade is what you think, but the Lighthouse Parade may require some explanation. When the Festival began, it was a tradition to decorate lighted lighthouses. In 1985, this Festival tradition was renewed with the “Lighthouse Parade.” Every year, children decorate lighthouses and display them along Franklin Street. This year, approximately 100 lighthouses will be displayed!
Of course, what would a Festival be without fantastic rides and delicious food? This year, there will be 33 different rides provided by North American Midway Entertainment. If you and your family are looking to ride one of the rides, make sure you check the ticket page here to buy in advance: http://www.nutclubfallfestival.com/rides/tickets. While individual ticket and one sheet prices will remain the same, wristband prices vary. The Festival is offering “presale wristbands” for $17 and $20 wristbands day of. The positive side of the wristbands is that festival-goers get to ride as many rides as they want. Individual and sheet tickets, in comparison, allow festival-goers to go on all the rides but the number of tickets needed vary for each ride. On another note, obviously the food will be wonderful because it is fair food. In fact, there will be 136 food booths this year! Look for the Fair’s “Munchie Map,” a fun name for their full list of the vendors, on their Facebook page.
Needless to say, there is literally no reason not to attend the Evansville Fall Festival. Who does not like food and fun? Be sure to tell us about your favorite parts of the Festival!
Featured Photo from: https://wsnc.smugmug.com/FallFestival-3/2017-Festival/Sunday-Fall-Festival-SetupFamily-Day/Sunday-Family-Night/i-RKchK3K
