How much of Toquerville's long-standing annual-events page still matches the town's 2026 calendar? This season opens with an event the city calls a new tradition. One of its fixed dates has moved to a different day of the week. And the city is now scheduling events at a second park that it upgraded this year with council-approved spending and a call for volunteers.
That second park explains the rest of the season. The city's annual-events page places its signature gatherings at Center Street Park. In 2026 the city put money and volunteer work into Westfield Park, and the fall calendar now uses both parks.
Saturday's Festival Is the Newest Date on the Calendar
In its Fall Festival news release, Toquerville City is billing its event this Saturday as the "First Annual Fall Festival" and calls it "a NEW fall tradition." It runs Saturday, October 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Center Street Park, 250 W Center St. The city's flyer lists music, games, crafts, food and a Trunk or Treat.
The Trunk or Treat has a firm limit. The city capped it at 20 cars, and households that want one of those spots sign up by emailing [email protected]. The announcement went out October 13, so there were only about 11 days between the news release and the event. In a town this size, 20 trunks can fill up quickly. If you plan to decorate a tailgate, email now instead of Friday night.
The city's own annual-events page has no fall event. It goes from Pioneer Day in July to the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. The festival fills that gap, and it is the first sign that this page no longer gives the full picture of the year.
Westfield Park Is Why the Calendar Can Grow
The annual-events page describes a citywide 4th of July breakfast there, along with the Pioneer Day breakfast and program. Last spring the city's event list still pointed there. A May 2026 council agenda listed a Memorial Day program, a two-day community clean-up, a movie night at Center Street Park and an Ash Creek streambank clean-up.
The city's Westfield Park spending in 2026 followed this order:
| Date | What the city did | Source |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | A site plan for 1280 S Westfield Rd showed new benches, a concrete walkway, new parking, ADA access and pickleball courts. The existing playground, restroom building and pavilions stay in place. | Site plan in the council packet |
| June 17, 2026 | The council approved up to $17,000 for importing and spreading topsoil | Council minutes |
| August 5, 2026 | The council approved a change order of up to $5,800 for electrical conduit and replacement of damaged concrete around the playground | Council minutes and agenda |
| September 18, 2026 | The city scheduled a community sod-laying party at 7 a.m., with volunteer sign-up on its Facebook page | Council agenda calendar |
| October 9, 2026 | The city scheduled Hotel Transylvania for Movies in the Park at Westfield Park, starting at dusk | Council agenda calendar |
Between June and October 2026, the movie night moved across town. The spring movie was scheduled for Center Street Park. The fall movie was scheduled for Westfield Park, three weeks after the city called for volunteers to lay sod there on a Friday morning. All of this is in the city's public agendas on the Utah Public Notice Website.
Two caveats belong here. The pickleball courts appear on the April plan, but none of the later records says they were built. The city also hasn't announced a formal reopening or ribbon-cutting for Westfield Park. For now, a second venue is in use but still unfinished. The September calendar that announced the sod-laying party also listed other events. On September 23 the city scheduled a citizen tour of the Confluence Park Water Reclamation Facility in LaVerkin. The Miss Toquerville Pageant was set for September 28 at the Hurricane Fine Arts Center. The city's calendar runs well beyond the familiar holidays.
Thanksgiving Morning Is the Oldest Fixed Point
The Fall Festival is the newest event of the season, and the Turkey Trot is the longest-running. The 2026 Toquerville Trails Turkey Trot is listed as the 22nd annual. It runs Thursday, November 26, at 10 a.m., and the race page gives its location as Center Street Park, 425 W Center Street. The race page and the Fall Festival flyer give different street numbers for Center Street Park, so check the race page before you head over.
The 2026 race page lists three courses:
- A 5K
- A short course of about 1.8 miles
- A 1.1-mile stroller route
Same-day registration and number pickup run from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Layne Garner is listed as race director.
This is another place where the city's page has fallen behind. The annual-events page still lists a 1.7-mile shorter course and no stroller option. It does describe the terrain accurately. "This is not a road race," the city's page says, "it's a trail run in the sand and rocks, out and back through the desert." If you're bringing a stroller, check the stroller route on the 2026 race page.
For coffee before the race, the newest option on the edge of town is the Sapp Bros. travel center at 600 W 1700 N. It held its ribbon-cutting on April 10, 2026, and promoted its Coffee Kettle Cafe as part of the opening.
The Tree Lighting Moved to a Monday
The annual-events page describes the city's Christmas lighting ceremony at City Hall on "the Saturday after Thanksgiving," with refreshments and an evening program featuring local talent. In 2026, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is November 28.
The city's dated Christmas Tree Lighting listing has a different date, Monday, November 30, 2026, from 7 to 8 p.m. The listing says more details are coming. If you go by the dated listing, which is the city's current schedule, you won't show up two nights early.
The move also changes the shape of the long weekend. The Turkey Trot is Thursday morning, Saturday is now open, and the town's next gathering is Monday evening, a school and work night. Anyone traveling over Thanksgiving weekend has until Monday evening to get back for the lighting.
The Season Ends at a Council Meeting
The last event on the calendar is the lights contest. According to the city, judges drive around Toquerville choosing the best holiday lights, and winners are announced at the City Council meeting on the second Thursday in December. This year that is December 10.
The timing has moved before. In the last contest year with public records, the announcement came later. A "Christmas Lighting Contest Winner Announcement" was on the January 15, 2025 council agenda. The city page doesn't say how a house gets judged or whether residents need to enter. If your display is ready for the judges, the city offices can tell you whether 2026 requires an entry.
The Season on One Page
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24, 6 to 8 p.m. | First Annual Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat, limited to 20 cars | Center Street Park, 250 W Center St |
| Thu., Nov. 26, 10 a.m. | 22nd annual Toquerville Trails Turkey Trot, with same-day pickup from 8:30 a.m. | Center Street Park |
| Mon., Nov. 30, 7 to 8 p.m. | Christmas Tree Lighting | Details pending from the city |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Lights contest winners, according to the city's annual-events page | City Council meeting |
Each change this year, the new festival, the stroller route, the Monday lighting and the movie at Westfield Park, appeared first in a dated news release, race page or council agenda. Toquerville's council agendas include a "Calendar of Events" section, and that is where the Westfield Park sod-laying party and October movie night were listed.
Candy Morrison follows Toquerville city business from council agenda to council agenda, the same way this calendar was put together. When you want to know how this year's changes in town affect what your own property is worth, River Creek Realty can help. Request Your Free Home Valuation and talk directly with the Principal Broker.
