Old Town Florissant has five events on its calendar between now and Thanksgiving weekend, and they change as the weeks go on. The Fall Festival on Sunday, October 11, is the biggest and loudest, built around vendors and attractions brought in for the day. In past years, the three events that followed in November have been built more and more around the businesses and institutions that are on Rue St. Francois every day of the year.
That change matters if you live close enough to walk to Old Town. October 11 is a day for crowds. The November dates are when the street's own shops, restaurants and the VFW post take over.
| Date | Event | What the 2026 listing confirms |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Oct. 6 | National Night Out | 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, Oct. 11 | Fall Festival | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rue St. Francois |
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | Florissant Veterans Day Parade | Date only |
| Friday, Nov. 20 | Holiday Market Stroll | Date only |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Miracle on St. Francois | Date only |
All of these dates come from Florissant Old Town Partners' current events list. For the three November events, the 2026 pages list only "All-day event" so far. Every November detail below comes from 2024 or 2025 and shows how each event has usually run. None of it is a promise for this year.
October 11 Is Built for Visitors
The City of Florissant's calendar puts the Fall Festival on Rue St. Francois from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. The 2026 poster lists the day's attractions:
- Live music
- Food vendors
- Craft and retail vendors
- Pony rides
- Pumpkin decorating
- A car show
- A dog show
Handyman Hardware is the event sponsor this year. The Old Town Partners festival page also has vendor registration forms, which shows how much of the day depends on outside sellers setting up along the street. As of this week, the poster names no bands and no individual vendors.
Last year's festival gives a sense of the scale. In its October 12, 2025 preview, FOX 2 reported that more than 30,000 people were expected. It also described a flea market, live entertainment, and a car show put on by the Florissant Police Welfare Association. That figure was a forecast, not a final count. Even so, a crowd that size on a street lined with small storefronts makes October 11 a very different day from any other Sunday in Old Town.
The festival's age is harder to pin down. FOX 2 called the 2025 festival the 29th annual. Old Town Partners' own 2025 page called it the 28th. Either way, it has been running for close to three decades. Its basic lineup of crafters, food, pumpkin painting, a dog show, pony rides and a car show was much the same last year.
Where to eat when the street is full
Old Town has sit-down restaurants within a few blocks of the festival. Florissant Old Town Partners' food and drink directory lists these addresses:
- Bunker's Tavern, 297 rue St. Francois
- Red Oven Wood Fired Pizza, 315 rue St. Francois
- Smoke & Sip, 411 rue St. Francois
- Hendel's Restaurant, 599 St. Denis
- Made. by Lia, 610 rue St. Francois
Being listed in the directory doesn't confirm a business's hours on festival day, so check with each place before you go. Bunker's and Red Oven sit at the low-numbered end of the street. Hendel's is a block off the main strip on St. Denis.
November 8: The Parade Ends at the VFW on St. Francois
The festival brings people in from outside Old Town. The Veterans Day Parade, which falls on Sunday, November 8 this year, ends at a place that belongs to the street. In 2025, according to Community News, the Veterans Coalition of Greater St. Louis organized the parade. It started at Bangert Park, went north on Florissant Road, turned left onto St. Francois and ended at VFW Post 4105, where a program with food, music and awards followed.
Last year's program named Tony Laprocina as Florissant Veteran of the Year. Marc Cox was the emcee, and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Higgins gave the keynote. No 2026 route or speaker list had been posted as of early October. If this year's parade follows the 2025 route, the end of the day settles at the VFW post rather than spreading across the length of Old Town the way the festival does.
November 20: The Shops Become the Event
The Holiday Market Stroll is where the season turns over most clearly to Old Town's own businesses. This year it falls on Friday, November 20. In 2024, the stroll ran from 5 to 8 p.m. on a Friday. At least 15 Old Town businesses offered discounts, specials, drinks and snacks, and some hosted other small businesses inside their shops.
The festival relies on outside vendors setting up along the curb. In 2024, the stroll's merchant list was made up of businesses that were already there:
- Old St. Ferdinand Shrine
- Goeke's Produce
- EdgyChic Boutique
- Sincerely Sondra
- The Cutting Edge Studio
- Phancy Fingers and Feet & Boutique
- Old Town Market Place
- Creators Corner
- Endless Comics Games & Cards
- Made by Lia
- Dooley's Florist & Gifts
- SweetSuite
- The Abundant Lotus
Several of those names are still in Florissant Old Town Partners' current directory, including Goeke Produce, EdgyChic Boutique, Endless Comics, Florissant Old Town Market Place, Phancy Fingers and Feet & Boutique, Dooley's Florist & Gifts and Abundant Lotus. Creators Corner is listed at 525 Rue St. Francois. Made. by Lia is listed under food and drink at 610 rue St. Francois.
Being in the directory shows these businesses are part of Old Town's roster. It doesn't confirm they'll take part in the 2026 stroll. The 2026 participant list hasn't been posted yet.
November 28: Miracle on St. Francois Puts It All on One Block
Miracle on St. Francois lands on Saturday, November 28, two days after Thanksgiving. It brings back some of the festival's outdoor setup, but it also has features found only in Old Town. In 2024, Florissant Old Town Partners took sign-ups for a golf-cart parade, food and retail vendors, and sponsor and information booths. The 2024 event map labeled a bandshell, pony rides and a petting zoo, a mini-tour pickup point, a vendor area and tables.
The golf-cart parade is the detail that stands out. It's a small, homemade kind of parade, very different from a car show that draws exhibitors from across the region. No 2026 map or sign-up details are posted yet.
Street Work in the Background
Old Town Partners' events aren't the only things scheduled for this part of the year. A City of Florissant public works project sheet lists Rue St. Denis Phases I and II and St. Catherine Street improvements with an expected letting window of Fall/Winter 2026. It lists Patterson Road and North Highway 67 improvements for Fall 2026. The sheet gives expected letting windows only, with no start or finish dates for construction. Florissant Public Works is the place to confirm whether any of this work will overlap with the holiday events.
Planning the Run
The October 11 festival is crowded and busy, with pony rides, a car show and a street full of visiting vendors. For anyone who lives within walking distance, the November dates bring the season back to the businesses that are on Rue St. Francois every week. These include the restaurants in the 200 to 600 blocks of St. Francois, the shops on the 2024 stroll roster, and VFW Post 4105 where last year's parade ended. The first chance to see what's planned for 2026 will come when Florissant Old Town Partners posts details for the November 8, 20 and 28 events on florissantoldtown.com.
If you live a short walk from Rue St. Francois, the festivals, parades and shop strolls along that street are part of what your home is worth. The Winckowski Group can show you how homes near Old Town Florissant are valuing this fall. Request your free home valuation, and our team will follow up quickly with clear numbers and an honest read.
