Skip to content
Living Local BG

Events & things to do

The year in Bowling Green, week by week.

This page is the running calendar: this week's verified list, the weekend picks, the holiday season ahead, and the rhythm of the whole year. Bowling Green shows up, and here is how to show up with it.

This week · Nov 12 – 18

What's happening in Bowling Green this week?

Curated and verified, refreshed every week.

Homecoming weekend anchors the calendar, with stages and convention-hall floors full around it. Every item below is checked against the official source before it ships.

  • WKU Homecoming kicks off

    "Big Red's World Tour" begins with the Hilltopper Excellence Awards and a full slate of alumni events ahead of Saturday's game.

    alumni.wku.edu/homecoming

  • "The Game's Afoot" at The Capitol

    Fountain Square Players open their Agatha Christie-style comedy, running Thursday through Sunday at 7:30 pm.

    capitolbg.org

  • "The Heart of Winter" opens at SKyPAC

    The annual art contest and exhibit opens in the Goodwin Gallery and hangs through December 16.

    theskypac.com

  • Homecoming Parade & Pep Rally

    The parade rolls through campus at 4:30 pm. Stop by Chili, Cheese & Community at SKyPAC earlier in the day.

    alumni.wku.edu

  • WKU vs Jacksonville State, Homecoming

    Tailgates in the morning, kickoff at 2:30 pm inside Houchens Industries L.T. Smith Stadium.

    visitbgky.com

  • PokeKon-Fest: All Pokemon Show

    A family-friendly day of collecting, trading, vendors, and community at the National Corvette Museum Convention Center, 10 am to 5 pm.

    pokekon.com

  • Classic Seger at SKyPAC

    A Bob Seger tribute hits the main stage at 7:30 pm.

    theskypac.com

  • Community Farmers Market

    The year-round Saturday market runs 8 am to 1 pm on Nashville Road, produce and food vendors included.

    communityfarmersmarketbg.com

Looking ahead

  • SoKY Ice Rink, 10th season

    The ice rink opens Friday, November 20 with a Frozen Party at the SOKY Center, 636 Center St, 3:30 to 5:30, then open skate sessions through the evening.

    sokyhappenings.com

  • Community Farmers Market Holiday Market

    The special holiday market is set for Saturday, December 12, a warm first stop of the season.

    communityfarmersmarketbg.com

Farther out

  • Light Up BGKY

    The weeklong holiday celebration runs November 30 to December 6, with more than a dozen events built around the lights on the square.

    lightupbgky.org

  • Jaycees Christmas Parade

    Downtown's holiday tradition since 1935, marching in early December. Confirm the date on the official listing as it firms up.

    lightupbgky.org

Holiday season 2026

The full guide

The holiday season, one list

Lights, ice, parades, and markets. All of it, verified.

The holidays in Bowling Green run from the weekend before Thanksgiving through the new year. Here is the backbone of the season, with official sources on each one so you can confirm dates as they firm up.

Bowling Green's downtown square glowing with white holiday lights at dusk

Light Up BGKY

Nov 30 - Dec 6

The weeklong holiday celebration that anchors the season: the tree and lights on the square, and more than a dozen events around town, all built around that first walk up Fountain Square when it's lit.

lightupbgky.org

SoKY Ice Rink, 10th season

Opens Nov 20

Skating returns downtown for a tenth year. The season opens Friday, November 20 with a Frozen Party at the SOKY Center, then open skate sessions through the evening.

sokyhappenings.com

Jaycees Christmas Parade

Early December

A downtown tradition running since 1935, and the evening the whole town shows up. Watch for the official date to firm up on the Light Up BGKY calendar.

lightupbgky.org

Farmers market Holiday Market

Dec 12

The Community Farmers Market's special holiday market on Saturday, December 12, with local makers and gift-basket season in full swing.

communityfarmersmarketbg.com

Dates shift from year to year. Confirm on the official listings before you head out.

The rhythm of the year

Four seasons of things to do

Most of the big moments repeat every year, give or take a week. Treat these as the skeleton of the calendar, then confirm exact dates on the official listings.

Spring

March to May
  • The farmers market opens Saturday mornings at Fountain Square Park in late winter or early spring.
  • Fountain Row Fridays brings free live music to the square from early May through late June.
  • WKU spring sports and graduation weekend give the town its first busy stretch of the year.

Summer

June to August
  • Concerts in the Park, the free Friday evening series on the square, runs June through August. SKyPAC produces it.
  • Beech Bend Park & Raceway opens the season with amusement rides and its famous drag strip.
  • NCM Motorsports Park runs track days and driving courses next to the Corvette museum.
  • The farmers market hits full stride, and evenings on Fountain Row stay crowded past sunset.

Fall

September to November
  • The Southern Kentucky Book Fest brings more than 150 authors and illustrators to town.
  • Holley LS Fest fills downtown for a car festival, including a Thursday night cruise on the square.
  • The Bowling Green International Festival celebrates the city’s cultures at Circus Square Park in late September.
  • The Downtown BGKY Harvest Festival packs the square with 300-plus vendors in October.
  • Jackson's Orchard runs pumpkin festival weekends from late September through October.

Winter

December to February
  • Light Up BGKY lights the square for a week in late November and early December, with 14-plus events around town.
  • The Jaycees Christmas Parade has marched through downtown every December since 1935.
  • The SoKY Ice Rink opens in mid-November for skating right off the square.
  • WKU Hilltopper basketball at E.A. Diddle Arena carries the town through the coldest weeks.
A Saturday farmers market on a town square with white tents and fresh produce

Most weeks, there's something on the square.

The exact schedule changes, but the habit doesn't: Bowling Green shows up.

Where it happens

The venues worth knowing by name

Events cluster in a handful of places you'll hear mentioned constantly. Learning them early makes the whole town easier to navigate.

Fountain Square Park 01

The town's living room: free concerts, the farmers market, and the 1872 limestone fountain at its center.

Circus Square Park 02

The festival grounds at the north edge of downtown, home to the International Festival and big outdoor events.

SKyPAC 03

The Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center at 601 College Street, the region's main stage since 2012.

The Capitol Arts Center 04

A historic 840-seat theater at 416 E. Main Street on the square, hosting concerts, author talks, and films.

Historic RailPark & Train Museum 05

Railroad history in a restored depot, with tours and seasonal events downtown.

E.A. Diddle Arena 06

Where the Hilltoppers play. Basketball game days are a hometown habit.

Beech Bend Park & Raceway 07

Amusement park and drag strip on the Barren River, a summer tradition since the 1950s.

NCM Motorsports Park 08

A 3.1-mile road course next to the National Corvette Museum, with drive-along laps and classes.

This week's lineup

Where locals check first

Skip the guesswork. These four places post the accurate, current calendar, and all of them are free to browse.

A university campus quad with red-brick buildings and a clock tower at golden hour
A college town bonus: the WKU campus calendar is open to the public, and game days are a town-wide event.

Know the schedule but not the area? Head over to the neighborhoods guide to figure out where to live within walking distance of it all.

This weekend

A Homecoming double feature: football and PokeKon on the same Saturday.

2:30 pm red towels at Smith Stadium, 10 am to 5 pm Pokémon at the Corvette museum convention center, and two stages downtown after dark. The busiest Saturday on the fall calendar, pick your lane.

Back to this week's list

2:30

Kickoff, Smith Stadium, Saturday

10-5

PokeKon, museum convention center

7:30

Classic Seger, SKyPAC

8-1

Farmers market, Nashville Rd