At 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, Sandusky Street between William and Winter streets will close to traffic for the last time this year. The Main Street Delaware farmers' market moved into the street itself for 2026, and its season runs every Saturday morning through that date. The final market also hosts Main Street Delaware's Trick-or-Treat Down Main Street from 9 a.m. to noon. Participating vendors and businesses will hand out treats, and a list of who is participating is available at the Delaware Welcome Center, 20 E. William St. At noon the tents come down and the street reopens.
The next season starts six days later, on Friday, Nov. 6, about a block over. The library, Gallery 22 and the Strand all sit on East Winter Street, and on Nov. 6 three organizations that plan their calendars separately open their big November events on the same day, with all three running at once by 6 p.m. For the rest of the month, downtown runs mostly on evenings and weekend afternoons around Winter Street instead of Saturday mornings on Sandusky.
The last Saturday on Sandusky
This year's market layout gave Sandusky a clear weekly routine, which we covered when we wrote about what opened downtown Delaware this year. Some of that routine stays after Oct. 31. As NBC4 reported, Espresso Air, the Westerville-founded café, opened its second location at 34 S. Sandusky St. on Aug. 12 and serves coffee, tea, smoothies and sweets. November Saturday mornings still have a downtown coffee stop. They just won't have a market around it.
The street has also lost a longtime anchor this fall. The Columbus Dispatch reported that Old Bag of Nails Pub at 66 N. Sandusky St. announced its final day of service would be Oct. 11, ending 22 years in downtown Delaware. No plans for the space have been announced.
No indoor or winter farmers' market is on the November calendar. Once Oct. 31 passes, Saturday-morning shopping downtown means visiting the storefronts one by one.
Nov. 6: three openings within a few blocks
Here's what happens on the first Friday of November, by start time.
| Event | Where | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Great GeekFest, 9th year | Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St. | 4 to 9 p.m. | Free, all ages |
| 5th Annual Holiday Art Fair opens | Gallery 22, 22 E. Winter St. | Friday hours noon to 8:30 p.m. | Free admission |
| First Friday: Community Harvest | Downtown, with part of Sandusky Street closed | 6 to 9 p.m. | No ticket listed |
GeekFest is the library's comic-con-style event. The library describes fandom-themed décor, cosplay, activities and trivia, and says every event is free and open to all ages. It starts two hours before First Friday, so families with younger kids can come for the costumes in daylight and head home before the street crowd builds.
The Holiday Art Fair is The Arts Castle's annual sale of original fine art and crafts. This year it features dozens of Ohio artists over six weeks, and it benefits the nonprofit community arts center. Gallery 22 is next to the Strand Theatre and is managed by The Arts Castle, formally the Delaware Cultural Arts Center. Its GalleryShop@22 carries jewelry, ceramics, glass, wood and cards year-round. The fair runs Thursday through Sunday starting Nov. 6. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, noon to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Community Harvest is Main Street Delaware's November First Friday. It has information and giveaways from Delaware County nonprofits and service organizations, the City of Delaware's Paint-a-Plow display, and a pie-eating contest at Fresh Start with sign-ups through Main Street Delaware. The night also kicks off the Battle of the Businesses food drive for Delaware County United to Fight Against Hunger. Participating businesses collect 1-pound boxes of pasta from Nov. 6 through Nov. 15.
How to stack the evening
These events overlap, and they're close enough together that one parking spot can cover the whole night if you plan the order.
- Start at the library around 4 p.m. GeekFest is at its quietest before First Friday starts, and the event runs until 9 p.m. if you want to come back.
- Walk west on Winter Street to Gallery 22 before the evening crowd. On Fridays the gallery stays open until 8:30 p.m.
- Head to Sandusky at 6 p.m. for Community Harvest, and bring a box of pasta for whichever participating business you want to back in the food drive.
The library's GeekFest page warns that part of Sandusky Street will be closed for First Friday. It also notes that downtown has both paid parking and free time-limited parking, with side streets and lots around the core. The City of Delaware's parking page lists the options. If you plan to stay from 4 to 9, check the time limits on free spaces before you park.
The weeks after, mostly on weeknights
Around Nov. 6, the calendar is spread across evenings and weekend afternoons. A good share of it is free, and much of it is within walking distance of the Winter Street block. One show opens before the Friday handoff, on publication day.
Thursday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Nov. 1. Ohio Wesleyan's fall play, "Oh, to Be Pure Again," runs at Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 through 31, with a 2 p.m. matinee Nov. 1. Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for seniors.
Sunday, Nov. 8, 3 p.m. OWU's Choral Art Society and Chamber Choir give a free concert at Gray Chapel in University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6 p.m. Main Street Delaware's Friendsgiving takes place at Oak & Brazen Wine Co. Tickets are $75 per person or $120 per couple, and the listing gives a 6 to 9 p.m. window.
Thursday, Nov. 12, 8 p.m. The Park Avenue Jazz Ensemble plays a free concert at Gray Chapel.
Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14. The Orchesis Dance Company performs at Chappelear at 8 p.m. Nov. 13 and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 14. Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for seniors.
Nov. 20 through 22, and Nov. 25 through 29. The Strand, two doors from Gallery 22 on East Winter Street, is showing "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" Nov. 20 through 22, then "Hexed" Nov. 25 through 29. Admission is $10. Matinees that start before 6 p.m. are $7, as are tickets for children 12 and under and adults 55 and up. A matinee followed by a stop at the Holiday Art Fair is an easy way to spend a Thanksgiving-weekend afternoon.
Ohio Wesleyan's calendar notes that event details may change, so check the listing before you go.
In December, the season moves back to Sandusky
The holiday shopping push starts on Nov. 21 with Main Street Delaware's Season of Shopping. Pick up a shopping card at Main Street activities, mark off purchases at downtown businesses through the season, and turn the card in at The Greater Gouda by Dec. 23 to be entered for a grand prize of gift certificates and items from downtown businesses.
Then the action returns to Sandusky Street. Main Street Delaware's Home for the Holidays schedule starts with a First Friday tree-lighting celebration on Dec. 4. Free skating behind the Welcome Center at 20 E. William St. runs Dec. 4 through 6. The annual Light the Night Christmas Parade is Sunday, Dec. 6. It steps off from Mingo Park and travels down Sandusky Street to Wilmer Street. Main Street Delaware's Home for the Holidays page lists a 6 p.m. start, while its Christmas in Downtown page still shows the time as TBD, so confirm before you claim a curb.
So the street that hosted Saturday mornings from spring through Oct. 31 hosts the year's biggest crowd in early December. In between, the most reliable stretch of downtown is the block of East Winter Street with the library, the Strand and Gallery 22. The Holiday Art Fair keeps that block busy Thursday through Sunday until the parade arrives.
If you want help finding the right fit in Delaware, from walking distance to Winter Street to more room farther out, Ayana Realty Group can help. Ayan and Najma know the downtown calendar as well as the housing market, and our Delaware neighborhood page is a good place to start. When you're ready to talk, contact us.
