Media's October, Weekend by Weekend

All summer, Media ran on Wednesdays. Dining Under the Stars puts tables on State Street every Wednesday evening from May through September, with more than two dozen restaurants taking part, from 320 Market Cafe to Ariano to Azie. The last Wednesday of September is Sept. 30, so this season's final night comes next week. Visit Media's advice for the summer still holds for one more week: call ahead, because some restaurants don't take reservations and others fill their outdoor seats weeks in advance.

October works differently. In place of one steady weeknight, the borough's fall calendar bunches up on a few weekends. On some Saturdays, three separate events happen within a few blocks of each other. If you plan the month one event at a time, you'll keep running into overlaps. If you plan by the weekend, most of those overlaps become easy pairings.

The warm-up weekend: Sept. 26 and 27

The weekend before October gives a preview of the pattern. On Saturday, Sept. 26, Visit Media's calendar lists the Second Annual Delco Downhill Derby. The next afternoon, Sunday, Sept. 27, Media Borough is holding a Park Clean-Up at Heritage Park, at 5th and Broomall, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Sundays have their own fixed stop for the rest of the season. The Media Farmers Market sets up on N. Edgmont Street every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., between Media Elementary and Barrall Field, and its 2026 season started April 12 and runs into November. The market hasn't posted its final Sunday yet, so check before planning a late-November shopping trip. Barrall Field also comes up again later in the month as the staging area for the Halloween Parade.

Oct. 1 to 4: a new counter, a rededication, and the Fall Festival

A new breakfast-and-lunch spot on Orange Street

Rivalry Cafe at 11 S. Orange St. closed suddenly in June. Patch reported in August that The Hungry Hub, a breakfast-and-lunch spot, will move into the space, with a tentative grand opening on Oct. 1. Tentative openings sometimes slip, so treat Oct. 1 as the target date.

The Media Theatre opens its fall run

The Media Theatre's 2026/27 Broadway Series lists a run from Oct. 1 to Oct. 18 at 104 East State Street. The theater's Youth Ensemble Series also lists dates from Oct. 10 to Oct. 25. Performance times and show details are on the theater's ticketing pages.

Saturday, Oct. 3: check the trolley before you go

SEPTA replaces D1 and D2 trolley service with shuttle buses on the first Saturday of each month for overhead wire inspections and maintenance. October's date is Saturday, Oct. 3. From 5 a.m. Saturday until 4:30 a.m. Sunday, buses replace every D1 and D2 trolley between 69th St Transit Center and Media/Sharon Hill. SEPTA tells riders to allow about 15 extra minutes. Separate D1 bus schedule pages go live on or about Sept. 27.

The shuttle window ends at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, well before the Fall Festival opens at 11 a.m. If you're bringing guests in from 69th Street, schedule the trip for Sunday. The next listed shuttle Saturdays are Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.

Oct. 3 is also the day of a small ceremony. From 1 to 3 p.m., the Media Arts Council is holding a rededication of "Endeavour," the Joseph Mooney sculpture on Plum Street Mall between Jasper and Front.

Sunday, Oct. 4: State Street Fall Festival

Visit Media calls the festival a "reimagined tradition" held on the first Sunday of every October. This year's date is Sunday, Oct. 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The listing promises more than 150 vendors, music stages at the East End and West End, and a Kid Zone with inflatables and slides.

The festival's event page suggests parking at the Baltimore Pike garage and the surface lots off State Street. The 2026 listings don't include a rain date or a street-closure map. An older listing says Sunday parking is free, but that note comes from 2024, so check the meters on the day rather than counting on it.

Oct. 8 to 18: the arts weekend

The middle of the month belongs to arts groups, and it builds toward one full weekend.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, the Media Arts Council's Original Play Reading Series presents "To Get to the Other Side" at Media Fellowship House, 302 South Jackson Street, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Then Oct. 16 to 18 brings three events in three days:

Tyler Arboretum says the Tobin opening weekend will include guided tours and festivities on Saturday and Sunday, with details still to come. Because the Jazz Festival starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday, you can fit in a morning at the arboretum and an afternoon on the Community Center lawn. On Sunday, you can catch the last day of the theater's run.

Saturday, Oct. 24: the busiest day of the month

Oct. 24 has the most going on of any day in Media's October. Three events share it, and their hours barely overlap.

Morning: the Halloween Parade

Media Borough's Halloween Parade starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24. According to Borough Recreation, groups stage at Barrall Field. The route runs along State Street from Monroe to Orange, then turns back along Front Street, and the parade is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon.

If a scout troop, sports team, business or club wants to march, the borough's 2026 group form sets out the rules:

• Register by Saturday, Oct. 10.
• Final details go out by email about a week before the parade.
• Groups not in uniform should dress up or ride on a seasonal float.
• Hand out candy; don't throw it.
• No religious or political statements.

The borough's parade listing and group form don't mention a rain date. SEPTA's shuttle schedule doesn't list Oct. 24, so the trolley should run normally that day.

All day: the library book sale

The Media-Upper Providence Free Library holds its Fall 2026 Book Sale at 1 E Front St. from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26. According to Patch, hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. The parade's return leg runs along Front Street, the same street as the library, and the sale opens 90 minutes before the first float leaves. Families who want first pick of the shelves can shop at 9:30 and then find a spot along the route. If Saturday gets too crowded, Monday's later closing time gives you a quieter chance.

Evening: MACabre at the Institute of Science

At 7 p.m., the Media Arts Council's Film Fest presents "The MACabre Archives" at the Delaware County Institute of Science, 11 Veterans Square, running until 9 p.m. That puts a Halloween parade, a used-book hunt and a spooky film night on the same Saturday, all within the borough.

The month at a glance

For your fridge door or group chat, here are Media's dated fall events in order:

1. Sat., Sept. 26: Second Annual Delco Downhill Derby
2. Sun., Sept. 27: Park Clean-Up, Heritage Park, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
3. Wed., Sept. 30: Last Dining Under the Stars Wednesday of the 2026 season
4. Thu., Oct. 1: The Hungry Hub's tentative opening, 11 S. Orange St.; Media Theatre Broadway Series run begins
5. Sat., Oct. 3: SEPTA D1/D2 shuttle buses; "Endeavour" rededication, Plum Street Mall, 1 to 3 p.m.
6. Sun., Oct. 4: State Street Fall Festival, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
7. Thu., Oct. 8: MAC play reading, Media Fellowship House, 7:30 p.m.
8. Sat., Oct. 10: Halloween Parade group registration deadline
9. Fri., Oct. 16 to Sun., Oct. 18: Tobin opening weekend at Tyler Arboretum
10. Sat., Oct. 17: MAC Jazz Festival, Media Community Center Lawn, 2 to 6 p.m.
11. Sat., Oct. 24: Halloween Parade at 11 a.m.; book sale opens at 9:30 a.m.; MACabre film night at 7 p.m.
12. Mon., Oct. 26: Last day of the library book sale, open until 6 p.m.

Every Sunday through the end of the market season, the farmers market runs on N. Edgmont Street from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

At Torrey Jenkins & Sara Fritz, we grew up with State Street in October, and we still mark the Fall Festival and the Halloween Parade on our own calendars. If family is coming to town for one of these weekends and you have questions about the borough, from parking to where to grab breakfast on Orange Street, send us a note. Let's Find Your Perfect Home Together.