4 reasons Louisville feels like fall this week 🎃

Welcome back to The Louisville Plug.

October is here and the city is leaning all the way into fall. We've got the St. James Court Art Show hitting its 70th year, Boo at the Zoo opening for the season, the pumpkin trail returning to Iroquois Park under a new name, and the Steamboat Festival lighting up the sky across the river.

Inside this issue:

Okay, now let's get into this week. 👇

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🗓️ Friday, October 2nd – Sunday, October 4th | 10am – 6pm
📍 Historic Old Louisville, centered on St. James Court
💸 Free admission

One of the largest art shows in the country hits its 70th year, and it takes over four square blocks of Old Louisville to do it. Over 600 artists from across the U.S. show off their work, everything from clay to wood and fabric, set among the biggest collection of Victorian homes in the country. Six sections make up the show: St. James Court, Belgravia Court, Fourth Street, 3rd Street, the 1300 Section, and West End Baptist Church.

It's been voted the #1 Best Fine Art and Design Show of the Past Ten Years, and it's free to walk in, rain or shine. No pets, and all streets inside the event perimeter close during the show. Parking tip worth knowing: paying at an official lot supports local nonprofits, and the Local 54 Louisville Professional Firefighters lot on W. Lee Street is fenced, attended by off duty firefighters, and has drinks and a clean bathroom.

👉 Plan your St. James Court Art Show visit

🗓️ Opens Thursday, October 1st | 5pm – 9pm
📍 Louisville Zoo
💸 Ticketed, includes all rides, attractions, and parking

Boo at the Zoo turns 43 this year, and it's still built on the same promise: all the merry, none of the scary. Trick or treating for kids 11 and under, rides, costumed characters, festive music, and special attractions like the Spooktacular Carousel. Your ticket covers every ride, every attraction, and parking.

A few things to know before you book. All tickets must be purchased in advance on the Zoo's website, everyone age 3 and up needs one, and tickets are only valid for the exact date and time listed. It's rain or shine with no refunds or exchanges. Meijer tickets work any Boo at the Zoo night at a discounted price, and keep in mind most animals won't be viewable in the evening so they can keep their normal schedules.

👉 Grab your Boo at the Zoo tickets HERE

🗓️ Opening October 1st | Evening hours
📍 Iroquois Park, Amphitheater Rd
💸 Ticketed, starting at $12

Here's something a lot of longtime Louisvillians don't know yet. The pumpkin display formerly known as the Jack O'Lantern Spectacular has split into two separate events for 2026. The Parks Alliance of Louisville kept the original walking path at Iroquois Park and rebranded it as Jack's Lantern Trail, while the ticketed Jack O'Lantern Spectacular moved out to Kentucky Kingdom.

So if what you're picturing is the classic walk through the trees past thousands of carved pumpkins in Iroquois Park, this is the one you want. Double check before you buy so you end up at the right place. They will be open all month long and have food and drinks on site. Free parking is also available.

👉 Get the Jack's Lantern Trail details HERE

🗓️ Saturday, October 3rd | 3pm – 11pm
📍 Big Four Station Park, Jeffersonville (walkable via the Big Four Bridge)
💸 Free

Jeffersonville's longest running tradition is back, and it's a full eight hours of things to do just across the bridge. Live music runs all evening. Rides and inflatables open at 3pm with a sack slide, musical swings, and a train, and the Creative Trail brings caricatures, chalk art, wood carving, spray paint muralists, and a mobile blacksmith.

There's a lot packed in here. Character visits from 5 to 8pm, live animals with Farmer Steve and dog agility demos from Hunter's Dog Training until 6pm, a Party Pavilion with silent disco, karaoke, and dance competitions from 5pm, magic and oddities at Marvels & Mysteries, poi and hooping instruction at Flow Grove, and arm marbling from Preston Art Center. Vendors and food trucks run the whole night. When the sun goes down, hot air balloons take over the sky for the Balloon Glow.

Free to walk in and walkable from downtown Louisville over the Big Four Bridge.

👉 See the full Steamboat Festival lineup HERE

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