There are only a few months left in 2026, but Mount Dora is nowhere near done.

In fact, some of the busiest weekends of the entire year are still ahead.

Between September and New Year’s Eve, Mount Dora will move through barbecue and bourbon, Hispanic art and culture, pumpkin patches, cycling, ice cream, antiques, plants, pirates, one of the country’s top-ranked craft festivals, Christmas lights, parades, snow in Florida and, finally, fireworks over Lake Dora.

So if your 2026 calendar is looking a little empty, that is about to change.

September Starts the Season

Festival season gets going on September 12 with Pitmasters & Pourers at Elizabeth Evans Park. The afternoon brings together barbecue, bacon and bourbon with live music, professional wrestling, college football on the big screen, games and plenty of food. The event runs from 3 to 8 p.m.

Two weeks later, Donnelly Park gets an entirely different look.

The 4th Annual Mount Dora Viva La Frida Festival returns on September 26, celebrating Hispanic culture and the colorful artistic spirit associated with Frida Kahlo. Expect live music, dancing, food, vendors, a free kids art zone and, naturally, a Frida look-alike competition. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and admission is free.

That same weekend also marks the beginning of fall at Great Scott Farms, where the 2026 Fall Festival runs Saturdays and Sundays from September 26 through November 15. The farm’s annual fall season brings the corn maze and plenty of opportunities to lean fully into pumpkin season — even if Central Florida temperatures haven’t received the memo yet.

And that is just September.

October Is When Mount Dora Goes All In

October begins at Renninger’s with Fall in the Field, October 3–4, bringing together antiques, collectibles, vintage finds and crafts for a fall shopping weekend at the Twin Markets.

Then the bikes arrive.

The Mount Dora Bicycle Festival returns October 10–11, with cyclists taking on routes through Mount Dora and the surrounding area. The longtime festival offers multiple ride options, from shorter routes to more challenging courses, giving experienced cyclists and more casual riders a way to participate.

And on Sunday afternoon, October 11, downtown gets considerably sweeter.

The Mount Dora Ice Cream Stroll & Pup Walk returns from 3 to 5 p.m., turning downtown into a self-guided tasting route with 25 ice cream flavors at 25 local businesses. Dogs get to come along too, with participating stops offering treats and other pet-friendly touches.

One week later, the City of Mount Dora hosts its Fall Festival at Sunset Park on October 17 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Then comes one of the weekends Mount Dora is best known for.

On October 24 and 25, the streets of downtown become the grounds for the Mount Dora Craft Fair. Hundreds of makers and crafters fill the downtown streets for the two-day juried event, which has consistently ranked among the country’s top craft festivals and was named Sunshine Artist Magazine’s No. 1 all-time favorite classic/contemporary craft festival in its 2021 special ranking. The 2026 fair runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

By that point, “festival season” is no longer an exaggeration.

It is basically the schedule.

November Has a Pick-Your-Own-Adventure Weekend

Then we get to November 7.

This may be one of the most eclectic days on Mount Dora’s 2026 calendar.

Start downtown at Donnelly Park, where the 32nd Annual Mount Dora Plant & Garden Fair runs November 7–8. Nurseries and vendors bring native and exotic plants, garden art and supplies into the heart of downtown for one of Mount Dora’s long-running annual events.

A few blocks away at Elizabeth Evans Park, the Pirates & Parrots Festival returns on November 7. The waterfront fundraiser celebrates the music and tropical spirit associated with Jimmy Buffett and brings an entirely different energy to the lakefront.

And over at Renninger’s, Florida CannFest takes over the event center that same day, with live music, vendors, food trucks, art and cannabis-focused exhibitors and education. The event is for ages 18 and older.

Plants downtown. Pirates by the lake. CannFest at Renninger’s.

Choose wisely — or make a very ambitious day of it.

November continues with another Mount Dora institution when Renninger’s Antique & Collector’s Extravaganza returns November 20–22. More than 800 vendors are expected across the outdoor show field, covered areas, Antique Center and Street of Shops, selling antiques, collectibles, vintage pieces and the kinds of things you probably did not know you were looking for until you found them.

Then, almost overnight, the entire mood of the city changes.

And Then Somebody Turns on the Christmas Lights

On Saturday, November 21, Mount Dora officially makes the jump from fall festival season to the holidays with Light Up Mount Dora.

The annual celebration brings the Christmas lights to downtown, including Elizabeth Evans Park, Sunset Park and Donnelly Park. The current 2026 lineup calls for entertainment, food vendors, Santa, a drone show and fireworks.

From there, December comes quickly.

The 34th Annual Mount Dora Christmas Walk takes over downtown on Friday, December 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. Shops stay open late while music, street entertainment, food vendors and Santa add to a downtown already covered in Christmas lights. Admission is free.

The next morning, December 5, the Mount Dora Christmas Parade heads down Donnelly Street at 10 a.m. with floats, bands, dancers and Santa.

And that evening, attention turns toward the water.

The Christmas Lighted Boat Parade begins at 6:30 p.m. on Lake Dora, with decorated boats gathering near the lighthouse at Grantham Pointe before making their way across the lake.

There is even more happening that same weekend at Renninger’s, where Christmas at the Market runs December 5–6 with antiques, vintage finds, handmade crafts and holiday shopping.

Then comes one of those distinctly Florida holiday combinations: Christmas lights, palm trees and snow sledding.

Children’s Christmas Snow in the Park arrives at Elizabeth Evans Park on December 12, with snow hills, Santa and holiday entertainment running from 3 to 9 p.m.

The Holiday Tour of Homes returns on Saturday, December 12 from 3 to 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving guests a look inside beautifully decorated Mount Dora homes during the holiday season. Proceeds from the tour benefit LovExtension, supporting its work in the community.

And for anyone looking to work off some of December before the holidays officially arrive, the Mount Dora 5K and Half Marathon weekend is scheduled for December 19–20.

One More Night for 2026

After all of that, Mount Dora gets one final celebration.

On December 31, the Mount Dora New Year’s Eve Celebration returns to Sunset Park from 9 p.m. to midnight with live music, food and drinks before fireworks light up Lake Dora at midnight.

It is a pretty fitting ending to four very busy months.

From barbecue in September to fireworks in December, there is still a remarkable amount of Mount Dora left to experience before we close the book on 2026.

The difficult part may be deciding which weekends to come.

Then again, nobody said you had to choose just one.

What’s Still Coming to Mount Dora in 2026

September 12 — Pitmasters & Pourers
September 26 — Viva La Frida Festival
September 26–November 15 — Great Scott Farms Fall Festival

October 3–4 — Fall in the Field at Renninger’s
October 10–11 — Mount Dora Bicycle Festival
October 11 — Mount Dora Ice Cream Stroll & Pup Walk
October 17 — Mount Dora Fall Festival
October 24–25 — Mount Dora Craft Fair

November 7 — Pirates & Parrots Festival
November 7 — Florida CannFest
November 7–8 — Mount Dora Plant & Garden Fair
November 20–22 — Renninger’s Antique & Collector’s Extravaganza
November 21 — Light Up Mount Dora

December 4 — Mount Dora Christmas Walk
December 5 — Mount Dora Christmas Parade
December 5 — Christmas Lighted Boat Parade
December 5–6 — Christmas at the Market
December 12 — Children’s Christmas Snow in the Park
December 12-13 — Holiday Tour of Homes
December 19–20 — Mount Dora 5K & Half Marathon Weekend
December 31 — Mount Dora New Year’s Eve Celebration