On October 9, the City of Webster Groves announced that St. Louis County had finished striping Big Bend Boulevard after resurfacing it through the Old Orchard Business District. The new layout cuts traffic to one through lane in each direction, with a center turn lane, between Murdoch Avenue and Laclede Station Road. Fifteen days later, on October 24, the Old Orchard Fall Festival takes over Big Bend from Dale Avenue to Summit Avenue. This year it has two music stages instead of one and a second festival zone on a side street that has never been closed for it before.
The street and the festival were redesigned separately, but both now favor people on foot. The county calls its change a road diet "designed to improve safety, calm traffic, and provide better mobility and access for all road users." The festival organizers built a two-stage schedule with no overlapping sets. If you live a few blocks away, the best plan for October 24 and 25 grows out of that overlap between the two designs.
What the New Striping Changed
The city's notice on the Big Bend configuration lists three changes for anyone driving into Old Orchard:
- Between Murdoch Avenue and Laclede Station Road: one through lane each way, plus a center turn lane.
- On that same stretch: parking only on the north side, for cars heading south and west into Old Orchard from Laclede Station.
- From Log Cabin Lane to South Old Orchard Avenue: on-street parking stays on both sides.
So the curb spaces closest to the heart of the district stayed put. The stretch toward Laclede Station now has curb parking on the north side only, and the city is asking drivers to watch for new signs and pavement markings. The festival weekend will be the first time many neighbors see the new layout under heavy foot traffic.
The festival FAQ doesn't name specific lots. It says parking is available throughout the neighborhood and in designated areas, and it points visitors to the festival map. Check the festival map and parking page before you leave home. That matters more this year than in past years, because the curb you remember along Big Bend may not be there.
The Festival Expanded Sideways
The Merchant & Business Association of Old Orchard, which organizes the event, is opening a new space this year. Log Cabin Lane, between Big Bend Boulevard and East Frisco Avenue, will close to traffic and become a festival hub with music, shopping, and fall activities. Log Cabin Lane is also where the both-sides parking zone begins, so the new hub sits at the spot where the street's two parking patterns meet.
The rest of the weekend fills Big Bend itself. The festival page lists 55+ local artisans and makers set up behind The Frisco Barroom and Annex Coffee, and food trucks Lomito Bonito and FarmTruk parked through the marketplace. Confirmed vendors include Crispy Sips, Glow Candle Co., Steele Caramels, and Everyone's Republic. The Cowboy Critters petting zoo is back with goats, pigs, donkeys, horses, ducks, and rabbits.
Two Stages, Scheduled as a Relay
When a festival goes from one stage to two, you'd usually expect to choose between acts playing at the same time. The published music schedule works differently. The Labatt Main Stage and the 4Hands Stage take turns, and every set starts as the one before it ends on the other stage.
| Time | Saturday, Oct. 24 | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 10–11 a.m. | The Bishops | 4Hands |
| 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Moon Valley | Labatt Main |
| 12:30–1:30 p.m. | All The Days | 4Hands |
| 1:30–3 p.m. | The Brothers Lazaroff | Labatt Main |
| 3–4 p.m. | As the Crowe Flies | 4Hands |
| 4–6 p.m. | Jake's Leg | Labatt Main |
| Time | Sunday, Oct. 25 | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 10–11 a.m. | Farshid Etniko Duo | 4Hands |
| 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Samba Bom | Labatt Main |
| 12:30–1:30 p.m. | DG Mando, David Goldenberg & Friends | 4Hands |
| 1:30–3:30 p.m. | Voodoo Funky Butt | Labatt Main |
| 3:30–4:30 p.m. | Community Music School Jazz Collective | 4Hands |
| 4:30–6 p.m. | Webster Groves High School Band | Labatt Main |
That makes twelve back-to-back sets over two days. Someone who stays the whole time hears every act by walking between stages at each changeover. The festival FAQ says fourteen bands will play, and the city's listing says more acts may be announced, so the lineup could still grow.
Three other Saturday times are worth knowing. Cards for the "Find the Ghost" Bingo Contest are due by 3 p.m., with a gift basket as the prize. Old Orchard businesses hand out candy to trick-or-treaters from 3 to 5 p.m. Trick-or-treating overlaps with As the Crowe Flies and the start of Jake's Leg, which runs the longest of any Saturday set. Families with kids in costume will spend the late afternoon at storefronts while the music keeps going.
The Storefronts Behind the Tents
The organizers say Old Orchard's shops and restaurants will run their own specials, activities, and live music all weekend. That makes the district's regular businesses part of the festival, not just the backdrop for it. The Old Orchard merchant directory lists these businesses along Big Bend and South Old Orchard Avenue:
- Food and sweets: DD Mau, a fast-casual Vietnamese spot at 8169 Big Bend; Big Sky Cafe at 47 S. Old Orchard Ave.; Bijoux Chocolates at 7930 Big Bend, Suite A; Amy's Cake Pop Shop at 7967 Big Bend; and The Annex at 8122 Big Bend.
- Books, paper, and gifts: The Novel Neighbor at 7905 Big Bend, Papillon Press at 8130 Big Bend, Forth and Home at 8137 Big Bend, and The Little, a toy shop at 8143 Big Bend.
- Makers and music: Union Studio at 8157 Big Bend, Civil Alchemy at 8154 Big Bend, Music Folk at 8015 Big Bend, Dharma and Dwell at 8135 Big Bend, and Old Orchard Gallery at 37 S. Old Orchard Ave.
Two businesses will see their first fall festival from inside the district. In July 2026, the Webster-Kirkwood Times business notes reported that The Only Facial had opened at 7961 Big Bend, brought to Webster Groves by Claire Scarcella and Ben Glarner, and that Blackbird Yoga had held its grand opening at 7930 Big Bend, Suite C. The paper's photo story on the opening shows founder Lauren Milford cutting the ribbon. Blackbird Yoga shares the 7930 address with Bijoux Chocolates and Blue Dahlia Designs, which puts three businesses in one building near the east end of the district.
Old Webster Goes First, With a Different Format
The weekend before, Old Webster tries a different approach to the same idea. Walktober Fest runs Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with participating businesses across the district offering specials, treats, and activities.
According to the city's Walktober listing, the Perennial beer tent will be at the entrance to the parking garage off Lockwood, near Butler Dental. You buy a reusable cup and a beer passport there, then walk through Old Webster sampling Perennial beers at participating businesses. Live music, face painting, balloon art, and in-store specials round out the day. The city hasn't published a list of crawl stops, so the passport you pick up at the tent will tell you where to go.
Parking in Old Webster has its own rules. The city's Old Webster parking map marks free parking separately from yellow- and orange-permit areas. It directs business owners and employees to the free lots and asks customers to use short-term spaces.
A Practical Old Orchard Saturday
If you want to see the new layout, the new hub, and the full Saturday lineup in one day, here's one way to do it:
- Arrive around 10 a.m. for The Bishops on the 4Hands Stage. Morning is the best time to see how the new striping and parking work before the street fills up.
- Pick up a Find the Ghost bingo card early and fill it in as you browse the 55+ vendors behind The Frisco Barroom and Annex Coffee.
- Eat during the noon changeover, when Moon Valley finishes and All The Days starts at 12:30. Grab Lomito Bonito, FarmTruk, or a table at one of the district's restaurants.
- Walk Log Cabin Lane in the early afternoon while The Brothers Lazaroff play the Labatt Main Stage from 1:30 to 3.
- Turn in your bingo card before 3 p.m., then follow the trick-or-treaters along the storefronts until 5.
- Stay for Jake's Leg, who close Saturday on the Labatt Main Stage from 4 to 6.
Road work picks up again right after the festival. The city has scheduled microsurfacing on six road segments in northeast Webster for October 26 to 30 and says a detailed schedule will follow. Farther out, Great Rivers Greenway is finishing Oxford Bend Park, a Deer Creek Greenway rest stop on a former McDonald's parking lot. It will have a play area, a pavilion, rain gardens, more than 30 new trees, and a skateable path. The city says an opening date will be announced.
Changes to Big Bend's lanes and parking are the kind of detail The Drew Group follows block by block in Webster Groves, because they shape how a business district works day to day. If you have questions about how changes like these affect your corner of Old Orchard or Old Webster, let's connect.
