On Friday, October 2, On the Border played its Eagles set at Cannon Park, and Downtown Canton's First Friday season ended for 2026. The series runs only from May through October. On those nights East Main Street closes to traffic, and the gathering lasts from 6 to 9 p.m. Riverfest was the weekend before, September 26 and 27 at Etowah River Park, so it is already over too.
The next stretch of Canton's public calendar belongs to 225 Reformation Parkway. The Mill on Etowah is the 250,000-square-foot former cotton mill on the river. It has something on the schedule on most weekends from mid-October to mid-December, and its skating rink stays open until late January. The bigger shift is the format. Downtown's season was built around Friday evenings. The Mill's fall season is built around entire Saturdays.
Ten-hour days instead of a three-hour concert
First Friday gives you a three-hour window after work. Denim Fest on Saturday, October 17 runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., ten hours, with SEC football on a big screen, pop-up bars, food and local vendors. Christmas at The Mill uses the same approach. It runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, with football on the big screen again, and it lists more than 85 vendor booths.
These events are planned around a fall Saturday. You can stay for a game, then shop, then eat dinner, all in one place, and most of them are free. Here is the full run as currently listed by The Mill, Explore Canton and Destination Cherokee:
| Date | Event | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Oct 10 | Makers Market | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Check listing |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Denim Fest, fifth year | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. | Free; $10 carnival wristband |
| Sun, Oct 18 | Scream on the Green outdoor movie | 7 p.m. | Free |
| Sat–Sun, Oct 24–25 | 3rd Annual Jack O' Lantern Jamboree | Noon–8 p.m. Sat, noon–7 p.m. Sun | Free |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Makers Market | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Check listing |
| Mon, Nov 23 | Rink on the River opens, sixth season | Runs through Jan 24 | Check rink |
| Fri–Sat, Nov 27–28 | Christmas at The Mill, sixth year | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. | Check event page |
| Sat, Nov 28 | Tree Lighting Program | 6 p.m. | Part of festival |
| Fri, Dec 18 | Grinchmas | 5–9 p.m., movie at 7 | Check event page |
October 10 is the busiest Saturday on the list
The Mill's calendar is not the only thing happening this fall. On the first Saturday of the run, three events in different parts of town line up almost back to back, and the county and the city list theirs as free:
- Great Pumpkin Fest, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cherokee Veterans Park, 7345 Cumming Highway, put on by Cherokee County Parks and Recreation with Black Sheep Promotions.
- Makers Market at The Mill, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 141 Railroad Avenue. The listing says it's a small market of about four to six vendors.
- Canton Multicultural Festival, 4 to 7:30 p.m. at Harmon Park, 226 Harmon Circle, with international food tastings, performances, music and demonstrations. It's put on by the City of Canton.
Each one ends close to when the next begins, so you could spend the whole day moving across Canton. The following weekend starts with Canton City Limits' free Headliner Event on Friday, October 16, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Historic Canton Theatre, 171 E. Main Street. Sydney Shoemaker, Stephen DeFrancesco and Kimmer are on the bill. Denim Fest is the next morning, so that weekend begins downtown and continues at The Mill.
Denim Fest is about the building itself
Denim Fest stands out among the Mill's events because it's tied to the property's history. In August 1958, the Canton Cotton Mill marked denim's national success with a Denim Days Carnival. The Retail Merchants Association of Canton hosted it and declared August 18, 1958, "Denim Carnival Day."
The 2026 festival brings back the carnival part with nostalgic midway games, rides and inflatables run with Chris Ally Events. Carnival access takes a $10 wristband. History Cherokee adds "Come to Work with Salty," a family-friendly walk through the property where guests clock in for a shift. It has hands-on stops and trivia about daily life for the people who worked at the mill. The Mill has also posted a parking map for the day. If you're coming at peak hours, download it ahead of time.
Sunday, October 18, brings Scream on the Green outdoor movies. Destination Cherokee lists both Monsters, Inc. and The Goonies at 7 p.m. that evening, so check The Mill's own channels for which one is showing. The next weekend is the 3rd Annual Jack O' Lantern Jamboree on October 24 and 25. It has trick-or-treating throughout the festival, live music, a DJ, roaming Halloween characters, local vendors and pet-friendly activities. Entry is free for all ages.
Thanksgiving week switches the Mill over to winter
Rink on the River opens Monday, November 23, for its sixth season. Ice Holes LLC runs it, and skating continues through January 24. The rink is the main reason The Mill's calendar keeps going after the holiday festival. It stays open more than three months after First Friday's last show and almost a month into the new year.
The sixth annual Christmas at The Mill takes the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 27 and 28. The Tree Lighting Program is Saturday at 6 p.m. Jazz vocalist Joe Gransden performs, Canton City Lifestyle's Chicka Elloy hosts, and Santa arrives for the lighting. Grinchmas wraps up the listed events on Friday, December 18, from 5 to 9 p.m., with The Grinch at 7.
The Mill also has regular weekday events. A weekly line dancing night runs Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. inside the taproom. Sportwall holds Toddler Morning Out on Tuesdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. In early October the calendar also lists Minis At The Mill and a Halloween Mahjong night at Campania.
The newest tenants are planning for the whole year
The tenant news at The Mill makes the most sense next to this calendar. A restaurant that depended on downtown's May-to-October season would be quiet for half the year. The Mill hosts events through all four seasons.
Bully Run is the newest of the openings. Andy and Amber Palermo, who also own POPS Canton, opened the smashburger spot in 2026 in Suite 300, which used to be a Community Burger. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Mill's dining page lists The Blend Nutrition Bar as "Opening Oct 2026."
The largest project is Little Alley Steak. Its fourth metro Atlanta location is going in next to Rock N Roll Sushi on Reformation Parkway. The Cherokee Tribune reported an expected opening late this year or in early 2027, and construction was 50 to 70 percent complete when that story ran. Youssef Chakrani, Little Alley's chief operating officer, told the paper:
"Canton is an up-and-coming town, and we see great potential there."
Grant Schmeelk co-owns The Mill with his partner Penn Hodge. He told the Tribune that Little Alley will be the Mill's largest restaurant and a high-end addition to dining in Cherokee County. Those openings join a lineup that already includes Reformation Brewery, Campania, Rock N Roll Sushi and Sweety's Cafe & Tea Room, plus Sportwall and Etowah River Tubing. If Little Alley opens on the earlier end of its window, it would join the property while the rink is still running, before January 24.
Living near The Mill or downtown Canton shapes how your weekends go, and it can also play into what your home is worth. If you're curious how being close to Reformation Parkway or East Main Street affects your home's value this season, the team at Watkins Real Estate Associates can walk you through it. Get a Free Home Valuation.
