Downtown Akron is once again turning into a real-life Stars Hollow on Saturday, Nov. 7, as the Smells Like Snow Coffee Festival returns to Lock 3 from noon to 6 p.m. with free admission, live music, and a lineup of Gilmore Girls alumni spread across several downtown venues. The free festival anchors a weekend of spinoff events, including a ticketed $99 celebrity brunch and trivia nights, plus a free book signing and a free art exhibition opening with registration.
The festival is built around the idea of a town festival dedicated to coffee and the early 2000s TV drama, according to downtownakron.com, which lists coffee and food vendors plus live entertainment at Lock 3 throughout the afternoon. The event has grown since its earlier run at Cascade Plaza, and last year's festival drew an estimated 5,000-plus people to Lock 3, per the same source.
A Trio of Gilmore Girls Guests Fans Will Recognize
This year's headliners are John Cabrera, who played Brian Fuller on the show, Emily Kuroda, known for playing Mrs. Kim, and Valerie Campbell, the series’ costume designer and an author. All three are set to appear throughout the day at different downtown stops, according to the festival listing. A fourth name, Keiko Agena, who played Lane Kim, joins the group only for the visual-art portion of the weekend.
The $99 Brunch Fans Are Already Buzzing About
The most exclusive piece of the weekend is a separately ticketed celebrity brunch at Jilly’s Music Room, located at 111 M. Main St. The brunch features Cabrera, Kuroda, and Campbell together, split across two seating sessions — 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. or 12:45 to 2:30 p.m. — according to downtownakron.com. Tickets run $99 each, per jillysmusicroom.com, which notes the price is all-inclusive, covering face time with each celebrity at the table, a table-wide phone photo with each guest, and one autographed photo apiece — six photos total: three phone photos and three autographed photos. The venue’s site is explicit that there are no add-ons: guests get the full package or nothing, in the interest of time and experience.
For fans who want trivia instead of brunch, Cabrera is also leading two Gilmore Girls trivia sessions at Barley House, 222 S. Main St., running 3 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m., with an optional meet-and-greet afterward for ticket holders who upgrade.
Mrs. Kim Takes Over Nightlight Cinema
Kuroda’s solo appearance happens across town at Nightlight Cinema, 30 N. High St., where she takes part in a Q&A from 3 to 4 p.m. followed by a meet-and-greet from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Later in the afternoon, Kuroda is also scheduled to share stories from playing Mrs. Kim at a candle-making event at Street Craftery, 68 E. Mill St. — a separately ticketed, limited-capacity add-on distinct from the free festival at Lock 3.
Meanwhile, Campbell hosts her own stop at Ilić Café, 161 S. Main St., with a talk and book signing from 3 to 5:30 p.m. She’s expected to discuss her years as the show’s costume designer and the inspiration behind her book, “The Story & Recipes of Valerie’s Cat Eye Scream,” with copies available for purchase on-site. Admission to the café event is free.
Live Music and an Art Opening Round Out the Weekend
Back at Lock 3, the festival’s musical lineup includes town troubadours Rachel Roberts and Jeri Lee Sapronetti, the Nepali rock fusion band Samjhana Reminiscence, singer-songwriter Esther Fitz, and Benny Lava & the Guavas, a group blending soul, rock, jazz and world music, according to the festival listing. The programming continues a format Akron has leaned on in past years, when the 2024 festival featured Todd Lowe and Cabrera performing as former cast members, with Lowe sitting in on a few songs with Run Katie Run, as previously reported by downtownakron.com.
The celebrity lineup also spills into the visual arts the night before the main festival. Art x Love, located at 35 S. Main St., opens an exhibition featuring works by Campbell, Cabrera and Agena, running Nov. 6 through Nov. 14. The opening reception is set for Friday, Nov. 6, from 4 to 8 p.m. and features appearances by Cabrera and Campbell; admission is free, though registration is required.
As Cleveland.com first detailed, the full slate of add-on experiences gives fans several ways to spend the weekend beyond the free Lock 3 festival, whether that means a pricier brunch with all three stars or a cheaper trivia night built around the show’s trivia-loving fandom.
