Autumn Treasures Is Still One Day. Here's What Waxhaw Changed Around It.

"Unfortunately, these events do not pay for themselves." Waxhaw Mayor Robert Murray wrote that last October. He was replying to a commenter after asking on his campaign Facebook page whether Autumn Treasures should go back to two days. Six days from now we'll have his answer in practice. The 2026 festival runs Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the Town of Waxhaw's event page says plainly that "this year's event is one day only."

The day stays gone. The changes for 2026 are in where things sit and how you get there. The Kids Zone now sits right off the festival streets, the carnival rides are on its list again, and the shuttle is gone. If you went last year, you'll find the same footprint arranged differently.

How the Second Day Disappeared

For years, Autumn Treasures took the second weekend of October. In 2024 it ran Saturday, October 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, October 13, from noon to 6 p.m. In 2025 it became a single Saturday, October 11.

That change was a budget decision. On June 24, 2025, the Board of Commissioners voted to make the festival a one-day event. According to UC Weekly's report, it was one of several cuts commissioners made to set the 2025-26 tax rate at $0.29 per $100 of assessed value.

The numbers behind it, as presented to commissioners in June 2025:

The children's zone was the biggest single line, roughly a third of the two-day total. Before shortening the festival, commissioners removed the carnival rides and cut that budget to $10,000. That June there was also some discussion of possibly reducing what the town pays for shuttle service.

The Three Questions the Town Asked Afterward

On October 11, 2025, the town posted an online survey to its Facebook page. It asked attendees to rate the festival from 1 to 5 and suggest improvements. Three of its questions now match the 2026 changes.

One day or two? On the mayor's post, eight commenters wanted two days within 24 hours and four were fine with one. Some said a second day would help families with sports commitments and give vendors more flexibility. Others pointed to the cost. For 2026 it stays one day.

How did you get there? The survey offered shuttle, personal vehicle, ride share and walking as options. This year the town's parking section says in bold that no shuttles are provided for the event. An older FAQ lower on the same page still says shuttle details will be shared closer to the date. The detailed parking section is the newer and more specific of the two.

Where should the kids' area go? In 2025 the children's area was in Downtown Park, apart from the rest of the festival on Main Street, and the survey asked how people felt about that. For 2026 the town lists the Kids Zone in Niven's Price Lot, across from Waxhaw United Methodist Church, and marks the location "New in 2026." Downtown Park now appears on the parking list as a Park & Walk lot and an ADA parking location.

The town hasn't said the survey caused these changes. What the page shows is a Kids Zone moved close to the main streets and a shuttle dropped.

The Kids Zone, Up Close

The 2026 lineup includes carnival rides, virtual reality experiences, a golf simulator, games and roaming entertainment. Carnival rides were the line commissioners removed in June 2025, and they're back on this year's list.

Tickets cost $1 each or $20 for a sheet of 20. Carnival rides take 2 to 3 tickets per rider, the VR rides and golf simulator also take tickets, and the games are free. At those rates, five carnival rides take 10 to 15 tickets. The game tables cost nothing.

Saturday, Hour by Hour

The festival covers East and West North Main Streets, North Church Street, McDonald Street and Community Corner. The main stage is at the corner of North Church and West North Main.

The Grill'n and Chill'n BBQ Cook-Off is where you can vote with a plate in hand. Sample tickets cost $1 each at the Community Corner entrance. One ticket buys a BBQ sample and two buy a rib sample, and visitors vote for best butt, best rib and best overall BBQ. Voting closes at 5 p.m. and the winner is announced at 5:30, so if you want your vote counted, plan your BBQ samples for mid-afternoon.

The food truck area is on North Main Street. The town's page and its posted graphic list different sides of it, so check the map when you get there. This year's trucks are Medlin BBQ, Stick it 2 You, Stacey's Place, Tony Cin's NY Style Pizza, International Truck of Tacos, Boss Lady Lemonade, Pelican's Snowballs, Waxhaw Kettle Corn and Aloha Snow.

Parking Without a Shuttle

With no shuttle, your parking spot sets how far you walk. The town's list:

• Park & Walk lots: Blythe Mill grass lot, State Employees' Credit Union, Waxhaw Recreation Barn, Waxhaw Elementary School, Waxhaw Learning Center, Downtown Park
• Other public parking: NC-16 and Howie Mine Rd. lot, NC-16 and Bivens St. gravel lot, Waxhaw Sk8 Park, W. S. Main St., and parallel spots on Price Street, N. and S. Church St. and S. Providence
• ADA parking: Waxhaw Women's Club, North Church St. beside Waxhaw United Methodist Church, Downtown Park
• Rideshare drop-off: Waxhaw Women's Club at 200 E. S. Main St., and the corner of Price and N. Church Streets

The posted parking map marks some streets as road closures with no parking. Its text doesn't say which blocks or for how long, so check the map on the Town of Waxhaw's Autumn Treasures page before you leave the house.

The Waxhaw Farmers Market is open the same morning from 9 a.m. to noon at 27283 Waxhaw Parkway. If you want both, go to the market first and get downtown before the noon cook-off starts.

What the One-Day Festival Leaves on the Calendar

With Autumn Treasures down to a single Saturday, the rest of downtown's fall is a string of smaller evenings and mornings. They run through Thanksgiving week:

1. Friday, October 2, has already passed. That night the Downtown Waxhaw Association premiered its First Friday Art Series at The Loft at Mule Barn Mercantile, 121 S. Broome Street. Union County Entrepreneurs presents the series, and the first show was Robin Viar's "Inspired by Nature," a mix of original photography and digital art. The name suggests it will repeat on first Fridays. The listing doesn't give November's artist yet.
2. Saturday, October 24: Fox Farms at 7505 Sims Road hosts Barnful of Art from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with more than 40 artists, demonstrations, quilts, food trucks and free admission. Downtown Fright Night runs the same day from 4 to 6 p.m., with trick-or-treating at local businesses, a storefront-decorating contest, food trucks, music and Haunted History Tours.
3. Wednesday, November 11: The Veterans Day ceremony starts at 11 a.m. at the Military Wall of Honor, 105 E. North Main St.
4. Saturday, November 21: The 15th annual GingerSnap 5K runs from 8 a.m. to noon to benefit Girls on the Run Union County. Downtown holiday lighting activities run that afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m., with the tree lit at 5:45.

Two of those Saturdays have a morning event and an afternoon event, like Autumn Treasures and the Farmers Market on October 10.

If the new Kids Zone spot or the no-shuttle plan changes how you get downtown on the 10th, I'd like to hear how it went. I'm also glad to tell you which Park & Walk lots are easiest to reach from your side of town. Gary Burkart lives this calendar too, so Talk to me FIRST, then go get your BBQ tickets before the 5 p.m. vote closes.