The Holland Happenings 🌷

A small change you might notice

Holland Happenings has a new look. I updated the logo and banner to feature Big Red, one of Holland’s most recognizable landmarks. As Holland Happenings grows, I want the publication to feel more and more like our community — not just something that could come from anywhere.

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Hey Holland! October is showing up with both feet.

Fall Fest takes over downtown. Fire trucks roll down 8th Street. The Farmers Market is still going strong. There’s a family fun run at Kollen Park, free art, live music, library events, and even a little Delftware with your Monday morning coffee.

In other words: if you stay home all week, that one is on you.

Here’s what’s happening around Holland from Wednesday, September 30 through Tuesday, October 6.

Our friends at Herrick have a surprisingly stacked week. Here are three worth knowing about:

🧋 Boba Bonanza — Wednesday, Sept. 30, 4–5 p.m. @ Herrick Main Library. Kids ages 6–10 can make boba tea, learn some of the science behind it, and create a boba-inspired craft. A pretty solid after-school combination. 👉 Herrick events

🔥 Fire Safety! — Saturday, Oct. 3, 10–11 a.m. @ Herrick Main Library. Fire Marshal Bret will teach families about fire safety and the work firefighters do, followed by a chance to explore a real fire truck. Yes, this lands the morning after the downtown Fire Truck Parade. Holland is clearly committing to the theme this weekend. 👉 See Herrick’s calendar

👻 Spooktacular Signs — Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6–7:30 p.m. @ Herrick North Branch. Teens and adults can make a fall door sign using spackle, paint, and seasonal designs. Registration is currently full, but Herrick is offering a waitlist. 👉 Join the waitlist / event details

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If you only pick a few things this week, start here. Fall Fest is the centerpiece, with the Fire Truck Parade Friday night and the School Nurse Fun Run kicking things off Thursday.

🎃 Downtown Holland Fall Fest — Friday & Saturday, Oct. 2–3, throughout Downtown Holland. This is the big one. Professional pumpkin carving, a Makers Market, community tulip planting, street performers, pumpkin painting, hayrides, Touch-a-Truck, and a brand-new Proost! tasting tour all land in one packed fall weekend. Most activities are free, with some ticketed add-ons. 👉 Full Fall Fest schedule

🚒 Fire Truck Parade — Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. along 8th Street. More than just a few engines rolling by. The parade heads west through downtown toward the Holland Civic Center, followed by a fire-safety open house with demonstrations and giveaways. If you have kids who lose their minds over sirens and big trucks, your Friday night just planned itself. 👉 Parade details

🏃 Holland Hospital School Nurse Fun Run — Thursday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m. @ Kollen Park, 240 Kollen Park Drive. Choose a 5K or 1.5-mile walk/run at this non-competitive community event supporting Holland Hospital’s School Nurse Program. Students can participate free by committing to a health goal; adult registration is $20. Check-in starts at 5 p.m. 👉 Run details & walk-in info

🥕 Holland Farmers Market — Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 3, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. @ 8th Street Marketplace, 150 W. 8th Street. Fall produce, baked goods, flowers, local food, and another opportunity to walk in needing tomatoes and leave with six other things. Saturday’s market overlaps with Fall Fest, so downtown will be buzzing. 👉 Market details

🎨 Free Family Art Drop-In — Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. @ Holland Area Arts Council, 150 E. 8th Street. A free hands-on art session for all ages with a new project each month. Drop in, make something, and take it home. Easy win if the kids need a quieter stop during Fall Fest. 👉 Arts Council event calendar

🚚 Touch-a-Truck & Hayrides — Saturday, Oct. 3, 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m. @ Windmill Island Gardens. Emergency vehicles, construction trucks, utility trucks, food trucks, kid activities, and $1 hayrides. There’s also a siren-free window from 9:30–11:30 a.m. Youth under 15 enter free; adult admission is $5. 👉 Touch-a-Truck details

☕ Coffee with Collections: Delftware — Monday, Oct. 5, 9–11 a.m. @ Holland Museum, 31 W. 10th Street. Meet West Michigan Delftware collector Jack E. Lapp, hear the stories behind select pieces from his collection, and get an up-close look inside the Dutch Gallery. Seating is limited and advance registration is required. $5 for members, $10 for non-members. 👉 Reserve a spot

🎶 Nate Holley — Friday, Oct. 2, 8–11 p.m. @ Hops at 84 East. Nate brings his loop-based mix of modern covers and original music to the tap room. 👉 Show details

🎵 Carl Webb & Tom Hull — Saturday, Oct. 3, 8–11 p.m. @ Hops at 84 East. More than 20 years playing together, with rock, country, blues, pop, and originals in the mix. 👉 Show details

🍷 Keith Scott Blues + Waffle Stix Food Truck — Friday, Oct. 2, 4–8 p.m. @ Tanglewood Winery. Wine, blues, and a food truck. That is a pretty efficient Friday night. Tanglewood also has Michael Costello playing Saturday, Oct. 3, alongside ZOMburger’s food truck from 4–8 p.m. 👉 Tanglewood calendar

🎤 Park Theatre Open Mic — Tuesday, Oct. 6. Doors 7:30 p.m., show 8 p.m. @ Park Theatre, 248 S. River Avenue. Music, poetry, comedy, stories, and whatever else walks onto the stage. $5 cover. Advance tickets currently show sold out, with a waitlist available. 👉 Open mic details

A few of the best things coming up later this month are worth knowing about now — especially the ones that need tickets, reservations, or a little advance planning.

🔥 1871 Holland Fire Walking Tour — Wednesday, Oct. 7, 5:30–7 p.m. @ Holland Museum, 31 W. 10th Street. Take a roughly two-mile guided walk through downtown while hearing firsthand accounts and stories from the 1871 Holland Fire. $5 for museum members and $10 for non-members. 👉 Tour details & registration

🎬 Sound of Silent Film Festival — Friday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m. @ Knickerbocker Theatre, 86 E. 8th Street. Short silent films from around the world get brand-new musical scores performed live by musicians from Hope, Michigan State, and Grand Valley. Tickets are $15. 👉 Festival details & tickets

🌎 International Festival of Holland — Saturday, Oct. 10, 4–7 p.m. @ Holland Civic Center Place, 150 W. 8th Street. Live music and dance, a Children’s Fiesta, an international marketplace, and food representing more than two dozen countries and regions. Free and family-friendly. 👉 International Festival details

🎭 Dead Man’s Cell Phone — Oct. 16–17 & Oct. 22–24, 7:30 p.m. @ Hope College’s DeWitt Theatre, 141 E. 12th Street. Hope College Theatre brings Sarah Ruhl’s offbeat comedy to the stage across two weekends, which gives you a few chances to make a night of it. Tickets range from free to $15. 👉 Performance dates & details

🎸 The Verve Pipe — Friday, Oct. 23, doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. @ Park Theatre, 248 S. River Avenue. One of Michigan’s best-known rock bands comes to Holland for an evening at the Park. Advance general admission starts at $35. This is exactly the kind of one you probably do not want to discover the morning of. 👉 Show details & tickets

🎃 Holland Halloween Saturday — Saturday, Oct. 24, throughout Downtown Holland. This one can basically become an entire family day: Downtown Trick-or-Treating runs 10 a.m.–noon, the free Not-So-Spooky Boo Bash takes over the Holland Ice Park from 11 a.m.–3 p.m., and the Holland Museum’s free Día de los Muertos celebration runs 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. at the Holland Armory. 👉 Trick-or-Treating | Boo Bash | Día de los Muertos

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If you only pick one window to get out this week, make it Friday night through Saturday afternoon.

Watch the Fire Truck Parade Friday. Come back Saturday for the Farmers Market, pumpkin carving, Makers Market, Touch-a-Truck, free family art, and everything else Fall Fest throws at downtown. Then grab dinner and live music before calling it a day.

You do not need to hit all of it. Pick two or three things, leave some room to wander, and enjoy Holland when it’s doing what Holland does best.

Know about a neighborhood event, a small business doing something cool, or a local story that deserves a little attention? Hit reply and tell me. The best stuff doesn’t always make the big calendars.

And if this helped you make a plan, forward it to a friend. Let’s get more people out enjoying this wonderful city.

See you around town, Holland. 🌷

--Tyler
The Holland Happenings 🌷