What to Know Before You Go to the South Elkhorn Fall Festival

South Elkhorn Christian Church sits at 4343 Harrodsburg Road, about a mile past Man o' War on the way out of town. Every second Saturday in October the church turns its grounds into one of the biggest free craft shows in Central Kentucky. It's fair to say it gives the Woodland Art Fair a run for its money. Where Woodland pulls ahead though is more food truck selections. I only saw 3 or 4 food trucks/tents for the food section. The church says more than 150 booths and over four decades of doing this. I went on Saturday, October 10, 2026, and the rain caught up with me before I was finished, so here is what I learned.

Parking

You turn right at the first intersection just past Chick-fil-A, that's Madrone Way, and the people guide you to your spot. They pack you in like sardines and are efficient at doing it. They had a traffic person one after another guiding you where to go. From the time I turned in to the time I parked, it was about 15 minutes. I got there at 10:20 a.m., so the earlier you get there the better. My wife and my mother-in-law got there at 9 a.m. The later you arrive, the more complicated parking gets.

I chose to park in the designated parking lot where they were filing people in so I could tell you about it, but I would suggest trying to find a spot on the side of the road somewhere near. Or if you are eating breakfast at Chick-fil-A anyway, you could park there, eat, and then just walk on over.

Getting out was the harder part. When it started raining other people got the same idea about getting stuck in mud. I had to wait for someone to let me into the line that was heading out and exiting. I waited about 8 minutes before someone let me in, and then it took another 15 minutes to get out of the grass lot and onto a road. The police had it blocked in the direction back to the intersection because of so many coming in. Instead they had a detour through the subdivision and it was well marked with signs where you needed to go.

Parking is free.

The tents

There were a lot of tents. Way more than most festivals I have been to, with Woodland being the exception. I saw some of the same tents from the Southland Street Fair, and lots of dogs again.

Lots of cool woodwork crafts, tents like Bug Doc's Wood Art, Two Vet Wood Worx and several others. There were Kentucky apparel tents too. Summer Starts Here Farm had a tent too. These are just a few that caught my eye, there were so many, you'll definitely have to take a break and get something to eat along the way.

Reel by Kate Lossen of Pinhook Design, who had a booth at the festival. Very talented and unique Kentucky art! See her work at pinhookmercantile.com.

The jelly

I stopped at the Kentucky Bad Dog Jelly tent and sampled some incredible flavors. The one that was love at first taste was Apple Salted Caramel Whiskey Habanero. They said it was like an apple pie with a kick, and boy they were correct. Fancy! There was sweet, then it brought the heat. I like grilling my peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a hot skillet. (TRY IT! Best tip on the whole site). This jelly will be an upgrade. I will call this the Haute Pocket. I'll post it here when I make it.

Kentucky Bad Dog Jelly is a Georgetown, Kentucky company.

The mug

I bought a cool face mug from Wagoner Earth Works. He had all kinds of mugs with different kinds of facial expressions. I thought it was so cool, and I actually love weird mugs, so I had to get one. I also smoke cigars, so I knew immediately which mug I wanted. I think I'll get my wife a boob mug on Etsy for the perfect set. Seeing them together in the china cabinet will either be a conversation starter or a spit-take. The mug was $25.

I also got a free handmade shot glass with a shiny glaze on it. The owner told me that since Covid he is no longer able to get the ingredients to make his pottery shine like the shot glass does. Crazy how we are still dealing with the impacts of Covid.

Food trucks

There were several food trucks there. Louisiana Passion, Blue Smoke BBQ, Joe Vinny's Pizza and Olmeda's Mexican Grill on Wheels. I didn't eat at the festival, so I can't tell you which one to pick. I was saving room for that free brat at Barktoberfest. If you'd rather sit down, Nothing But Noodles is right across Madrone Way in the shopping center on the other side of Chick-fil-A.

The rain

It started raining right around 11. I stayed till about 11:30 to look at the tents in the back end, then I decided to bounce since I was parked in a field. I didn't want to spend the majority of the day trying to get my car out of mud. I also still had Barktoberfest in Hamburg and West Sixth Oktoberfest on the list for the rest of the day.

If you live in Palomar or Beaumont, or you are looking at moving out that way, this is one of those Saturdays to put on the calendar every October. It is right down Harrodsburg Road.

The Details

• What. A free outdoor craft show with more than 150 booths and food trucks, put on by South Elkhorn Christian Church. The church also lists live music and an annual quilt raffle.
• When. The second Saturday in October, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. In 2026 that was October 10.
• Where. 4343 Harrodsburg Rd, Lexington, KY 40513, just past Man o' War.
• Cost. Admission and parking are free.
• Dogs. We saw plenty.
• Neighborhood. Palomar, with Beaumont a couple of miles up the road.