Bryant's biggest fall tradition returns to Bishop Park on Saturday, Oct. 31, when the 39th Annual Bryant Fall Fest opens its gates for a free morning of pancakes, fishing, car-show chrome and booth-to-booth trick-or-treating. The free-admission event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., giving families the whole Halloween morning to explore vendor booths, grab food-truck snacks and let kids burn off energy before the evening's trick-or-treat rounds begin.
The City of Bryant Parks Department and the Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce are hosting this year's festival, according to mysaline.com. The day kicks off early for anyone craving breakfast: a pancake breakfast fundraiser supporting the Bryant Senior Activity & Wellness Center starts at 8 a.m. and costs $5 per person, per the same outlet's reporting.
Car Show and Fishing Derby Anchor the Morning
Gearheads have a reason to roll in early, too. The Bryant Chamber Fall Fest Car Show runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a $20 vehicle-entry fee, and proceeds benefit the Tyler Buck Foundation, mysaline.com reports. However, The Saline Courier reports the car show begins at 9 a.m., so festivalgoers hoping to catch the vehicles on display should expect some uncertainty about the exact start time.
Children ages 15 and younger can head to the back pond for the Fall Fest Fishing Derby, which the Saline Courier reports is for children ages 15 and younger. The derby runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and requires no advance registration, according to mysaline.com's listing.
New This Year: A Halloween-Themed Wiffle Ball Bracket
Bryant is adding a new competitive wrinkle to its Halloween lineup this year. The inaugural HalloWiffle Wiffle Ball Tournament begins at 10 a.m. and follows a double-elimination format, with a $100 entry fee per team and a five-person minimum, per mysaline.com's event details. It's the kind of new addition organizers have leaned into in recent years — Fall Fest has grown by adding more events, vendors and children's programming over time, according to the Chamber's prior comments to the Saline Courier's sister publication.
That growth has tracked rising community buy-in as well. Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Shane Knight has said sponsorships continue to grow year over year and that sponsors see value in the community, according to bentoncourier.com. Last year's 38th annual festival was scheduled for Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a competitive baggo tournament planned for the first time and live entertainment, food trucks, and craft and fashion vendors also on the program, the outlet reported.
Kids Land, Costumes and Trick-or-Treating
For younger festivalgoers, Kids Land will feature inflatables, games, food trucks and booth-to-booth trick-or-treating, mysaline.com notes. The overall event folds in vendors, food trucks, children's activities, the fishing derby, the car show, a pumpkin contest, the Wiffle Ball tournament and a visit from Santa Claus, according to the Saline Courier's rundown of this year's festival.
Families planning to drive in should budget extra time for parking. Fall Fest takes place at Bishop Park, 6401 Boone Road in Bryant, and parking is free on-site but fills up quickly, according to a City of Bryant description of the venue — arriving early is the simplest way to snag a close spot. With free admission, a full slate of activities and nearly four decades of history behind it, Bryant's Fall Fest remains one of the city's most anticipated Halloween-weekend gatherings.
