Marietta Square is gearing up for its biggest fall tradition this Saturday, October 17, as HarvestFest takes over Historic Marietta Square and Glover Park from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a packed lineup of contests, truck displays, and Halloween-themed fun for the whole family.
According to marietta.com, the free annual festival brings together a craft show, the Halloween Happenings Kids Festival, Touch-A-Truck, a costume contest, a pie-eating contest, a college football watch area, and the beloved Scarecrows in the Square display. The City of Marietta, Ga., Government confirmed the Saturday date and hours in a post shared this week, noting that more information and downtown parking details are linked in the post's first comment.
A Full Day of Contests and Truck Displays
Kids and families looking to climb behind the wheel of something big will want to head to Touch-A-Truck, where City of Marietta firetrucks, police cars, tractors, and tow trucks will be on display until it wraps up at 2 p.m. Saturday. The pie-eating contest kicks off the day's competitive events at 11:30 a.m. for ages 6 to 12, followed by a noon round for participants 13 and older, the station's report notes.
The costume contest follows at 2 p.m., though organizers say contestants should arrive no later than 1:30 p.m. to grab a contestant number before judging begins. The day then winds down with a pet costume contest at 3 p.m., giving dressed-up dogs and other pets their own turn in the spotlight — a detail that also caught the attention of citydogatlanta.com, which lists HarvestFest among its dog-friendly Halloween picks for the Atlanta area this year.
Football Watch Party and Annual Scarecrow Showcase
Sports fans won't be left out, either. East Park Square will host Rich Lighting's Cornerback's Coop, a college football watch area where visitors can catch Saturday's games amid the festival crowds, per the same account from marietta.com. Meanwhile, the annual Scarecrows in the Square competition will again be on display throughout the park for the duration of the event.
HarvestFest has become a fixture of the Marietta fall calendar, with travelcobb.org describing it as an annual festival held each October, typically landing on the third Saturday of the month at Glover Park in Marietta Square. The event is sponsored each fall by the Marietta Parks and Recreation Department.
It's worth noting that an official Marietta city notice posted on October 7 referenced an event cancellation due to forecasted severe weather, though it remains unclear whether that notice applies to HarvestFest specifically. Event listings continue to show HarvestFest proceeding as scheduled on October 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and residents planning to attend may want to watch for updates closer to the weekend.
