MumFest 2026 archive: New Bern festival guide

Festival ended · October 10–11, 2026

MumFest 2026 has ended. This archive preserves the guide prepared before the festival; parking, shuttle and closure details are historical, not current travel advice.

The 2026 edition

Festival ended: October 10–11, 2026. This page is an archive.
Published 2026 hours: Saturday 10 AM–6:30 PM; Sunday 10 AM–5 PM. These hours no longer apply.
Historical admission: The 2026 guide listed free festival admission, with extra charges for rides, games, food, drinks and purchases.
Travel information: The parking, shuttle and street-closure information below applied to the 2026 festival only.

Planning another visit? Start with the MumFest planning guide. It separates lasting background from details that need a new organizer announcement. No future festival dates are assumed here.

Festival background and the 2026 programme

MumFest 2026 was scheduled for October 10 and 11 in downtown New Bern and along the riverfront. This archive records what the organizer and city published before the weekend; it is not a report confirming that every advertised activity took place.

The festival began in 1979 as the Swiss Bear Festival. It became the Chrysanthemum Festival in 1980 and adopted the MumFest name in the early 1990s. Its name reflects the chrysanthemums associated with New Bern in fall.

A brown carriage horse in a studded bridle stands beside a white wrought-iron carriage on a downtown street. — A carriage horse waits on a downtown street during MumFest, 2011.Photo: U.S. Marine Corps (opens in a new tab), public domain (opens in a new tab)

Downtown and the riverfront

The 2026 guide described a festival spread across historic downtown and the riverfront. The carriage photo preserves a scene from the 2011 festival, rather than documenting the 2026 weekend.

Small bonsai trees in low pots on a vendor’s table covered with a maroon cloth. — Bonsai trees for sale on a vendor’s table at MumFest, 2008.Photo: “Cool Bonsai trees” (opens in a new tab) by Becky Wetherington, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab)

Artists, makers and food

The organizer’s 2026 materials listed local artists, makers and food vendors. The bonsai photograph is from 2008; it illustrates the festival’s history and does not identify a 2026 vendor.

A costumed street performer on stilts in a red, white and blue top hat and striped trousers gives a thumbs up. — A costumed stilt walker entertains festivalgoers at MumFest, 2011.Photo: U.S. Marine Corps (opens in a new tab), public domain (opens in a new tab)

Music, shows and families

The published programme included live music, KidsZone activities, amusement rides, a pumpkin patch and the Tryon Palace Fife and Drum Corps. The stilt-walker photograph is from the 2011 festival.

The flowers behind the name

The 2026 activity listing included mum sales, displays and a Mum Arch. Its location was not stated in the source reviewed for the original guide.

All photographs on this page date from 2008 or 2011. Captions and original credits are retained; none is presented as a photograph of MumFest 2026.

Sources:About MumFest and its history (opens in a new tab)MumFest 2026 home page (opens in a new tab)Activities list (opens in a new tab)

2026 parking, shuttle and closures — historical only

These arrangements were published for October 9–11, 2026 and have ended. Do not use them to choose a parking lot, shuttle stop or driving route for a future visit.

The original guide recorded a free shuttle from Lawson Creek Park, 1309 Country Club Road. Published service was approximately every 15–20 minutes, Saturday 8:30 AM–9 PM and Sunday 9:30 AM–5:30 PM. This is an archive of the advertised service, not a current shuttle timetable.

Temple Baptist Church (Saturday only) and the State Employees’ Credit Union were also named as parking options. The organizer’s FAQ and parking page gave different accessible-parking locations; that discrepancy was unresolved when the original guide was prepared. No current accessible lot is recommended by this archive.

The city’s 2026 closure notice (opens in a new tab) covered October 9–11, starting Friday at 5 PM, and affected parts of Broad, East Front, Middle, Craven and Pollock streets. Those closure dates are past.

The official festival map and parking pages can change between editions. Check newly dated organizer and city notices before using them for another trip.

Sources:Parking and shuttle information (opens in a new tab)Frequently asked questions (opens in a new tab)Downtown street closures for MumFest (opens in a new tab)Official festival map (opens in a new tab)

What the 2026 guide recorded

The published Saturday headliners were Sam Morrow and The Wilder Blue. The lineup also listed Biscuits ’n’ Gravy and Packhouse on Saturday, with The Git Down, The Bonafides, Hoff’n’Finch and Big Jim Kohler on Sunday. These are historical programme listings, not upcoming performances.

Other advertised activities included KidsZone arts and crafts and story time, a Riverside Car & RV Show, a helicopter display, the Purina Incredible Dog Team, a law-enforcement K9 demonstration and the ProTown BMX Stunt Show.

The city’s MUMosa Fun Run was scheduled for October 11 at 7:30 AM, followed by the 5K at 8 AM. The 2026 run has ended.

Sources:Entertainment, stages and show times (opens in a new tab)Activities list (opens in a new tab)MUMosa 5K and Fun Run registration (opens in a new tab)

How to use this archive

Use this page for the 2026 festival dates, the published programme, historical travel arrangements and the credited photo collection. The organizer described its published programme as preliminary; this archive does not confirm which scheduled performances took place.

A link may now show a later edition, so the current contents of an organizer page may differ from the historical details recorded here.

For another visit, use our MumFest planning guide and verify the relevant edition’s dates, transport and access information before making plans.

Sources (14)

Historical festival information. Linked sources may now describe a different edition.