This weekend in Gainesville: the Great Pumpkin Bash at Bo Diddley Plaza Saturday, the Kanapaha fall plant sale, a Tom Petty ballet and a Sunday chili cook-off.

Gainesville’s weekend of Oct. 16 to 18 brings the Great Pumpkin Bash at Bo Diddley Plaza, the Kanapaha fall plant sale, a Tom Petty tribute ballet and a Sunday chili cook-off.

Last checked Oct. 15, 2026. Dates, times, venues and prices come from each organizer’s own page, linked below, or from the organizer’s listing on the Visit Gainesville calendar, run by Alachua County’s visitors bureau. Confirm before you go.

The Gators play away at Texas at noon Saturday, according to the Gators football schedule, so there is no home game traffic this weekend. More of October is on things to do in Gainesville this month.

Friday, Oct. 16

  • Movie Night featuring Halloweentown, 8 to 10 p.m., Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave. Free. The city’s outdoor movie night on the downtown plaza. City of Gainesville.
  • Season of Screams, 5 to 11 p.m., Peanut Patch and Corn Maze, 8656 SW 75th St. A haunted house, hayride and corn maze; tickets are sold on the farm’s own site. Peanut Patch and Corn Maze.
  • Haunted hayride, 6 p.m., Zip! at Haile Quarry, 3975 NW County Road 235, Newberry. Also Saturday. Zip! at Haile Quarry.
  • Contra dance, 7 to 10 p.m., United Church of Gainesville, 1624 NW Fifth Ave. $10. The third-Friday contra dance. Event page.
  • Third Friday Concert, 7 p.m., St. Patrick Catholic Church, 500 NE 16th Ave. Free. Pianists Shiyi Zhu and Undral Erdenechuulgan, both studying music at UF, play the parish’s monthly concert; evening prayer is at 6:40 p.m. St. Patrick Catholic Church.
  • Dance Alive: “Rock On America! A Tom Petty Tribute Ballet,” 7:30 p.m., Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 3201 Hull Road. Reserved seats from $37 for seniors and students. The Gainesville ballet company dances to Tom Petty’s music. UF Performing Arts.
  • Cowboy Mouth, 8 p.m., Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St. $32. Alternative and roots rock. Heartwood Soundstage.

Saturday, Oct. 17

  • Cancer Chomp 5K, 8 to 11 a.m., UF Cancer and Genetics Research Complex, 2033 Mowry Road. Free. A 5K and community event. UF Neurosurgery.
  • Fall Plant Sale, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, 4700 SW 58th Drive. Suggested $5 donation. Plant vendors across the gardens; no entry in the last 45 minutes, and no RVs or buses. Kanapaha Botanical Gardens.
  • Fall Horticultural Expo and Plant Market, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center, 23100 W. Newberry Road, Newberry. Free. The Gainesville Garden Club’s plant market. Gainesville Garden Club.
  • Howl-O-Ween 5K and Fall Festival, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Humane Society of North Central Florida, 4205 NW Sixth St. A 5K and fall festival at the shelter. Humane Society of North Central Florida.
  • International Motorcycle and Car Show, 9 a.m. to noon, the Piazza at Butler Center, 3217 SW 35th Blvd., across from P.F. Chang’s. Free for spectators. Butler Center.
  • The Great Pumpkin Bash, noon to 5 p.m., Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave. The city’s second annual fall party downtown, with food, carnival games, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch and a free photo booth. Details on our Halloween events page. City of Gainesville.
  • 5th Annual Roselle Festival, 1 to 5:30 p.m., Frog Song Organics, 4317 U.S. Highway 301, Hawthorne. $15. A farm festival at Frog Song Organics. Tickets.
  • Butcher Babies, 8 p.m., Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St. $26. Heavy metal. Heartwood Soundstage.
  • “Citizen Kane” at 85, 8:30 p.m., Hippodrome Cinema, 25 SE Second Place. An anniversary screening with cocktails. Hippodrome.

Sunday, Oct. 18

  • K9 Splash Bash, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., H. Spurgeon Cherry “Westside” Pool, 1001 NW 31st Drive. $5. A dog swim and costume contest. Newberry Animal Hospital.
  • Davin Youngs: “The Reset,” 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3 to 4:30 p.m., Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 3201 Hull Road. $30 in the audience, $40 on the stage, $15 for UF students. A sound bath performance led by the sound-healing artist. UF Performing Arts.
  • For the Animals Chili Cook-Off and Music Festival, noon to 4 p.m., Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St. $25; children under 12 free with a paying adult. The wristband buys tastes of every chili and a People’s Choice vote. Fix Them All.
  • Florida Forever Festival, 1 to 5 p.m., First Magnitude Brewing Company, 1220 SE Veitch St., with the Florida Native Plant Society. Florida Native Plant Society.
  • BobFest, 6 to 9 p.m., Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St. $20. Local musicians in a celebration of Bob McPeek. Heartwood Soundstage.

All weekend

  • “Little Shop of Horrors,” Hippodrome Theatre, 25 SE Second Place, through Nov. 1. The rock and roll horror musical. Hippodrome.
  • “Disenchanted!” the musical, Acrosstown Repertory Theatre, 3501 SW Second Ave., Suite O, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, opening Oct. 16 and running through Nov. 8. Acrosstown Repertory Theatre.
  • Season of Screams runs Friday and Saturday nights; see Friday above.

Regular weekend fixtures

Send us your event

Running something in Gainesville next weekend? Email hello@gainesvillejournal.com with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free, and they go on this page and in our events diary.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Gainesville this weekend?

The city’s free Halloweentown movie night is 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, and the Great Pumpkin Bash is noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, both at Bo Diddley Plaza. Kanapaha Botanical Gardens holds its fall plant sale Saturday, Dance Alive stages a Tom Petty tribute ballet Friday and a chili cook-off fills Heartwood Soundstage Sunday.

Are there free events in Gainesville this weekend?

Yes. The Halloweentown movie night at Bo Diddley Plaza is free, as are the Third Friday piano concert at St. Patrick Catholic Church, the Cancer Chomp 5K, the car show at Butler Center for spectators and the Fall Horticultural Expo in Newberry.

What time is the Great Pumpkin Bash in Gainesville?

The city’s Great Pumpkin Bash runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave., with food, games, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch and a free photo booth.