"If you're looking for a more relaxed, quiet experience, then Night 1 is the night for you." That was how the City of Fort Thomas described the Thursday it added to the Pumpkin Walk last October. In the same release, it called Friday "the pumpkin extravaganza."
This year both nights are back on the city calendar. Night 1 is Thursday, October 29, and Night 2 is Friday, October 30. Both run from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Tower Park Amphitheatre on Cochran Avenue. The walk itself is a few hours in Tower Park. Since the 2025 split, though, your choice of night shapes the whole evening. Two new places on Fort Thomas Avenue keep hours that suit one night better than the other.
How One Friday Became Two Nights
LINK nky was covering the Pumpkin Walk as a Fort Thomas Recreation Department event as far back as 2016, so the event dates to at least that October. It ran for years as a single evening. In 2024 the city calendar listed it on Friday, October 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. That year, LINK nky called it a yearly event held on the last Friday of October, with more than 400 jack-o'-lanterns carved and set out in Tower Park. The night also had light shows, music, a movie at the amphitheater, food trucks and community partners.
Volunteers carve those pumpkins. In 2024, the city asked people to pick up pumpkins at the Armory, 950 South Fort Thomas Avenue, and either carve them at home and drop them off or carve them on site. Economic Development Director Chanda Calentine said in the release, "You can carve as many as you want and be there however long you can be."
In 2025 the city added a second night. Thursday, October 23, was a chance to see every lit pumpkin without the crowds. There were no food trucks, games or candy, and the Campbell County Public Library bus gave out free books that night only. Friday, October 24, had the usual program: free candy, a petting zoo, a movie in the amphitheater, a free costume photo, light displays, raffles and food trucks. Both nights featured more than 400 jack-o'-lanterns.
What the 2026 Listings Say So Far
The city's 2026 event pages are short. Here is what they say next to last year's confirmed format.
Night 1 | Night 2 | |
|---|---|---|
2026 date | Thursday, Oct. 29 | Friday, Oct. 30 |
Hours | 6 to 9 p.m. | 6 to 9 p.m. |
2026 city listing | A "sneak peek" walk through hundreds of jack-o'-lanterns | Hundreds of jack-o'-lanterns, food trucks, games, candy and a free costume photo |
2025 format | Quiet walk, library bus with free books, no food trucks, games or candy | Full program with petting zoo, amphitheater movie, light displays and raffles |
The 2026 wording follows the pattern of last year, with Thursday as the preview and Friday as the full event. The city has not yet posted a pumpkin count, a movie title or carving-volunteer dates for this year. Last year's library bus and petting zoo were 2025 features, so they aren't confirmed for 2026. The city's events contact listed for questions is Savannah, at [email protected].
Last year's parking instructions are likely to matter again. The city asked visitors to park at the Mess Hall, where the vendor booths started and the line for the walk formed. The Mess Hall is at 801 Cochran Avenue.
Thursday Works Best With Dinner First
The quieter night lines up with the newest restaurant in the Midway District. Traveler's Table opened for dinner on September 4 at 1011 S. Fort Thomas Ave., in the space Grassroots & Vine used to occupy. Challis Hodge is co-owner and executive chef, and Lauren Hodge is co-owner and director of guest experience. The menu draws on food traditions from Spain, France, Peru, Morocco, India, Japan, Georgia, Argentina and Mozambique, among other places. It includes a Basque Gilda pintxo, Alsatian flammekueche and Peruvian ceviche, served with wines, cocktails, beer and zero-proof drinks.
From Tuesday through Thursday the restaurant serves dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. On October 29, the kitchen closes at 9, the same time the Pumpkin Walk ends. So on Thursday the only way to do both is dinner first. Eat after the 4 p.m. opening and head to Tower Park while the walk is still going. Reservations and menus are on the restaurant's site, or you can call 859-814-8391.
Thursday has another option up the avenue. Improv Northern Kentucky, known as INK, opened in May at 8 North Center for the Arts, 8 N. Ft. Thomas Ave. Co-founders Charley Roetting and Warren Bryson started it. Every Thursday and Friday in October, INK is staging "MUMPs: The Made-Up Halloween Horror." It's an improvised movie-style show performed by eight paid improvisers, built from audience suggestions and classic horror tropes, so no two shows are the same. LINK nky's coverage doesn't list curtain times. Check INK's schedule before you try to fit a show and the walk into the same night.
Friday Leaves Room for a Late Dinner
On Friday the timing works the other way. Traveler's Table serves until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. That gives you an hour after the walk closes at 9, enough time to leave Tower Park and sit down to eat. Last year Friday also had the food trucks, which is one more reason to wait on dinner.
Traveler's Table sits among several established Midway businesses. The city's May 2026 roundup of the district included these:
- Midway Cafe Fort Thomas, at 1017 S. Fort Thomas Ave.
- The Olde Fort Pub, at 1041 S. Fort Thomas Ave.
- Fort Thomas Pizza and Tavern
- Fort Thomas Parlor, which serves coffee, ice cream and cookie dough
- The Post – Pours & Rations
The city's post said the businesses were open for business "despite a bit of construction." That construction is the Midway streetscape project. It buries utility lines along South Fort Thomas Avenue from Garrison Avenue to just past Grandview Avenue and upgrades sidewalks, lighting and landscaping. Fort Thomas City Council approved a $4.8 million bid from Prus Construction for the work in April 2025. City Administrator Matt Kremer said then that the businesses would face inconvenience "for a while." The city's last schedule update, from March 2026, said the work would likely continue until October. No completion notice had been published as of late September. Leave some extra time on the avenue either night.
The Mess Hall Before Walk Week
The Mess Hall, where last year's Pumpkin Walk line started, hosts most of Fort Thomas's October calendar in the weeks before walk week:
- Sunday, Oct. 4: Flea in the Fort holds its last market of the season from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Touch-A-Truck runs at the same hours, with more than 15 vehicles for kids to explore.
- Every Wednesday through Nov. 18: The Fort Thomas Farmers Market runs from 3 to 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 21: Goat Yoga at the farmers market runs from 5 to 6 p.m., and registration is required.
One citywide event comes the night before the walk. The Halloween House Decorating Contest is on the city calendar for Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. Then comes Thursday's preview walk, followed by Friday's full program. Each lines up with different hours at Traveler's Table and with the two INK performances that same week.
Fort Thomas homeowners decorating for the October 28 contest are doing the same work that gets a house ready for listing photos: clean lines, a well-lit front entry and a porch that shows well after dark. If a move is on your calendar for next year, Janell Stuckwisch and the team can tell you where your home stands now and what it would take to get it ready for market. Start with your home's value.