The Weekendist: All Circuits Bent Edition

It’s not often that our top weekend picks range anywhere from chili to handmade artisan gifts to spooky stories to a circuit-bending convention – But that’s what October is for! Whether you want to start breaking in your Halloween costume early or spend a low-key day browsing at the flea market, Nashville’s got something for everyone this weekend. Check out our picks:

Edgehill Village Artisan Fair. Saturday, 10am-5pm, Edgehill Village, free. In their own words: all kinds of jewelry, paintings, photography, linocuts, handmade scarves, mittens and blankets, stationary, upcycled goods, masks, ceramic ornaments, handcrafted home accessories and much more!  We’d be sold on that alone, but throw in live music, delicious food at bargain prices and discounts galore, and we’ll be first in line.

Music City Chili Cookoff. Saturday, 11am-3pm, Centennial Park, $5. What could be better in the cooler fall temperatures than a piping hot bowl of chili? …Or ten? Self-proclaimed chili masters will compete to take home the title of the best chili in Music City, and attendees get to taste the rewards. Live music and inflatable bouncy castles will entertain the whole family, if chili’s not enough.

Haunted Museum Annual Ghost Story Festival. Saturday, 1-4pm, Tennessee State Museum, free. The 10th annual Ghost Story Festival is happening this weekend, and it’s worth coming out to Tennessee State Museum for a scary afternoon. A ghost trail with prizes along the way, tasty treats and plenty of spooky storytelling are the highlights of the festival.

Circuit Benders Ball2pm-12:30am, 1307 Jewell Street, $10 festival pass, $15 per workshop. Your weekend is about to get a whole lot nerdier. Circuit bending, the crazy-cool practice of short-circuiting small electronics (such as children’s toys) to create new instruments, is coming to town in a big way. Attend workshops and learn how to doctor your own electronics during the day, then settle back and watch the incredible invented instruments in action during an evening of concerts.

Retune Nashville. Saturday, 6:30-11pm, Soundcheck, $35-50. Benefitting musicians who lost equipment in May’s floods, Retune Nashville’s Benefit Concert & Auction features more musicians and auction items than we could ever hope to list. Your ticket price gets you a full evening of the city’s finest entertainment, plus food and drink from some of our favorite local joints. Click HERE to purchase tickets and check out the full lineup.

Halloween in the Gulch 10K/5K Run & Block Party. Saturday, 5pm, The Gulch, $35. Suit up and get ready to run! It wouldn’t be a Halloween party without costumes, but you’d better pick one that leaves you at least partially mobile – Halloween in the Gulch includes a nighttime 5K and 10K race! After the race, enjoy music, dancing and lots of beer with all of your costumed friends. And yes, there are prizes for the best costumes!

Nashville Flea Market. 7am-6pm (Saturday), 7am-5pm (Sunday), Tennessee State Fairgrounds, free ($4 parking). Tennessee’s #1 flea market is right in our backyard. The Nashville Flea Market makes an appearance one weekend a month, and if you’re looking for quirky vintage treasures or just an interesting place to poke around, the flea market is the place to be this weekend.

Photo by jamiehladkey.

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