Children’s “Stampede” and community food drive will open a day of live music, family activities and fall festivities in Downtown
By Miranda de la O, Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce
Pleasant Hill’s youngest residents will lead the way into a new community tradition on Saturday, October 10, when the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce presents the inaugural Pleasant Hill Harvest Festival on Crescent Drive in Downtown Pleasant Hill.
Before the festival opens at noon, children from local preschools, Transitional Kindergarten programs and families throughout the community will gather for the first Pleasant Hill Stampede, a food-drive procession that will officially open the new fall festival.
Staging begins at 10:45 a.m. at the Plaza near Jack’s Restaurant. At 11:15 a.m., participating children will make their way down Crescent Drive to the Community Stage beneath the Pleasant Hill Arch, where they will help kick off the day’s festivities.
The Stampede is not a race. Children are encouraged to dress for the occasion with cowboy hats, cow ears, bandanas and other western or harvest-inspired attire as they parade through Downtown Pleasant Hill.
Participation comes with one important requirement: a donation of non-perishable food benefiting the Food Pantry at Hillcrest Congregational Church.
Local schools are being encouraged to collect food in the weeks leading up to the event and arrive at the Stampede with their collective donations, turning the opening celebration into a community-wide food drive. Families may register through participating schools or directly through the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce.
“Harvest has always been about celebrating what we have and sharing it with others,” said Jeremy, Executive Director of the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce. “There is something very special about having our youngest residents begin this new tradition by giving back to their own community. My hope is that years from now, some of these children will remember participating in the very first Stampede and eventually return with children of their own.”
At noon, the Pleasant Hill Harvest Festival officially opens along Crescent Drive, with free admission and activities continuing until 9 p.m.
The day will feature live entertainment, a pumpkin patch and pumpkin decorating competition, petting zoo, face painting, balloon artists, midway games, rock climbing, artisan vendors, seasonal displays, and beer and wine. Select activities and beverages will require separately purchased tickets.
Local schools and community performers are expected to open the entertainment schedule, with final participants still being confirmed. The afternoon and evening will feature live performances by Spinout, FirePeach and Zebop!
Downtown Pleasant Hill restaurants and merchants will also be part of the festival experience. Rather than separating the event from the surrounding business district, the Chamber has designed the festival to encourage attendees to eat, shop and explore throughout Downtown Pleasant Hill.
“The Harvest Festival gives us an opportunity to bring the community together while putting local businesses at the center of the experience,” said Alex Khodadad, Chairman of the Board of the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce. “We want to create something that feels distinctly Pleasant Hill and that families will look forward to year after year. This October is the beginning of that tradition.”
The Harvest Festival draws inspiration from Pleasant Hill’s agricultural past, when orchards, farms and harvest seasons were part of the landscape. The Chamber developed the event as a contemporary celebration of that history, bringing the idea of the harvest into today’s Downtown through food, music, family activities, local businesses and community giving.
For its inaugural year, the festival will be concentrated along Crescent Drive, creating a walkable event connecting the Community Stage, family activities, artisan vendors, restaurants, merchants and gathering spaces.
The Chamber intends the Pleasant Hill Harvest Festival and Stampede to become annual traditions, with the children of the community ceremonially opening the festival each year.
Event Information
Pleasant Hill Harvest Festival
Saturday, October 10, 2026
Crescent Drive, Downtown Pleasant Hill
Festival: Noon–9 p.m.
Admission: Free; tickets required for select activities and beverages. www.pleasanthillchamber.com/harvest-festival/
Pleasant Hill Stampede
Staging: 10:45 a.m., Plaza near Jack’s Restaurant
Stampede begins: 11:15 a.m.
Participation requires a non-perishable food donation benefiting the Food Pantry at Hillcrest Congregational Church.
For Stampede registration, activity and beverage ticket information, festival updates and additional information are available through the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce visit PleasantHillChamber.com/harvest-festival.
About the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce
The Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce supports and advocates for the local business community while creating opportunities for businesses, residents and community organizations to connect. Through advocacy, partnerships, business programs and community events, the Chamber works to strengthen Pleasant Hill’s local economy and community.
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