Autumn will bring awesome entertainment to Tuscaloosa

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This fall, Tuscaloosa area residents can look forward to a world-renowned arts festival, a trio of country-tinged concerts and, of course, football.

Here's what you need to know about these awesome autumn events (and more) in Tuscaloosa:

Tuscaloosa area festivals

For the first time, the Kentuck Festival of the Arts will be held in Tuscaloosa.

The 53^rd annual festival will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Oct. 19 and from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Oct. 20 at Snow Hinton Park off McFarland Boulevard. Admission is $15 for a single-day pass or $25 for a weekend pass. Kids 12 years old and younger will be admitted free.

The festival will feature more than 270 artists, live music, spoken word performances, activities for children folk and contemporary craft demonstrations, food trucks and local craft beer vendors.

For 52 years, the famous festival has been held in neighboring Northport. Kentuck organizers and city of Northport leaders failed to come to an agreement on the festival’s funding, which led to the festival moving away from its longtime site at Kentuck Park for 2024.

More: Kentuck moves its Art Market events to historic Queen City Pool site in Tuscaloosa

Two other notable festivals will be held this fall in the Tuscaloosa area.

The Tuscaloosa Oktoberfest will be from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sept. 21 at Druid City Social, 301 Greensboro Ave.

The Oktoberfest will include German food, pretzels, beer, a 5K run and a performance by the band Oompah-Calypse. The traditional tapping of the keg will kick off Oktoberfest, with other activities including a dachshund race, a stein-holding competition, a kids' zone and a costume contest.

General admission tickets, available now at tuscaloosaoktoberfest.com, cost $15 and include a special edition commemorative stein. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free. A limited number of VIP tickets, which cost $75, will allow access to indoor restrooms and TVs broadcasting college football, special seating for the dachshund race and three beer tickets.

The Tuscaloosa Oktoberfest 5K race, presented by Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, will start at 9 a.m. from downtown Tuscaloosa. Registration is $45, which includes race entry, a T-shirt, a commemorative beer stein exclusive to race participants, free admission to the Tuscaloosa Oktoberfest and a free beer (for runners 21 and older).

.Also, the 36th annual Moundville Native American Festival will be held Oct. 3-5 at the University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park, 634 Mound State Parkway. The park is about 13 miles south of Tuscaloosa off Alabama Highway 69.

The celebration of Native American culture will feature artisans, dancer, storytellers, musicians and more.

Admission will be $10, with children 5 and younger admitted free. Hours will be from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Oct. 3, and 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Oct. 4-5. For more information, go to festival.museums.ua.edu.

Tuscaloosa concerts

Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater will host three big-name acts this fall:

• Cody Jinks, the Cadillac Three and Calder Allen on Sept. 20

• Koe Wetzel with Treaty Oak Revival on Sept. 26

• Dwight Yoakam and the Mavericks on Oct. 18

Showtimes and ticket information for these three shows are available at www.mercedesbenzamphitheater.com.

Meanwhile, the Bama Theatre will host “Sean of the South – Live" at 6 p.m. Sept. 21. The columnist and novelist will be accompanied by his band, the Grand Ole Optimists, for a mix of storytelling and music.

Tickets are available at tuscarts.org/event/sean-of-the-south-live. The theatre is at 600 Greensboro Ave.

The Druid City Music Hall, 1307 University Blvd., has a full slate of shows this fall beginning with a sold-out concert by Gavin Adcock on Sept. 27 and continuing through Nov. 22 when a concert featuring the Dead Poet Society is scheduled. For more information, go to www.druidcitymusichall.com

Alabama football

The University of Alabama’s football home opener and its Sept. 7 game are technically during the summer, but the Crimson Tide’s first contest in autumn promises to be a doozy.

Alabama meets Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at Bryant-Denny Stadium with ABC broadcasting the game to a nationwide audience. The game is a rematch of last year’s SEC Championship Game, won by Alabama.

The Oct. 12 game against South Carolina will be during UA’s Family Weekend.

Other highlights of UA’s fall schedule include the Oct. 26 homecoming game against Missouri and the Iron Bowl on Nov. 30 against in-state archrival Auburn.

The homecoming game will be preceded by a pep rally and bonfire on the Quad beginning at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25. On gameday, a parade led by UA Million Dollar Band will proceed through downtown Tuscaloosa and end on campus.

The Alabama-Missouri game will kick off at either 2:30 p.m. or 7 p.m.

The theme of homecoming 2024 is "New Era, Same Standard."

For more details on these games and the rest of the schedule, go to www.rolltide.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Three reasons autumn will be awesome in Tuscaloosa