A Nor'easter Moved BlueHillsFest to October 17. Canton Already Had Plans for That Saturday.

BlueHillsFest was meant to fill the Blue Hills Reservation on Saturday, September 26. On September 23, the Coalition for a Better Blue Hills moved it to Saturday, October 17, 2026, because of the approaching nor'easter. The coalition said every activity and location would stay the same and that registered attendees would keep their spots. Five days earlier, the Canton Citizen had written up the festival for the original September date.

October 17 was already on Canton's calendar. The town's Walk, Bike & Hike Committee had announced its Trail Maintenance Day for that Saturday, and Cushing Amusements' Canton Pumpkin Fest opens its first weekend the day before. Now one free, park-wide festival, one volunteer workday and one carnival share the same Saturday. Two of them sit on the same road.

The Day, Hour by Hour

Most of the times below come from the organizers. The Trail Maintenance Day has not posted a start time or location in the local notices, so it isn't in the table.

The two Blue Hill River Road events overlap for one hour. The farm stand closes at 1 p.m., and the carnival opens at noon.

Blue Hill River Road Gets Both Ends of the Day

Brookwood Community Farm farms two sites near the Milton and Canton line. Its Blue Hills Reservation site at 11 Blue Hill River Road is the one taking part in BlueHillsFest, and it's also where the farm runs all of its CSA pickups. On festival day the stand sells fresh seasonal produce and farm goods from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The second site, at the Bradley Estate at 2468B Washington Street, is not on the festival map.

The farm's directions help on a busy day. From Route 93, take exit 2B onto Route 138 and turn right at the first light onto Blue Hill River Road. The farm is about a quarter mile in on the right, just before an old red house. Park in the lot on the right, then walk down the paved driveway to the red farm shed, where the stand is.

At the other end of the address range, 1 Blue Hill River Road is the Trinity Episcopal Church of Canton site, home of the Pumpkin Fest. The event has come back every year. Cushing's ticketing system has separate Canton Pumpkin Fest listings for 2023, 2024 and 2025. This year it runs October 16 to 18 and October 23 to 25. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. on Fridays, noon to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Cushing uses Magic Money, a digital credit system. One credit equals $1 and works for rides, games and food. Leftover credits carry over to any future Cushing event. As of September 30, the Cushing events page still says tickets are coming soon. It hasn't posted 2026 admission or a list of attractions, so last year's details don't count as this year's.

The Canton Side of a Park-Wide Festival

The coalition describes the Blue Hills Reservation as a 7,000-acre park. Several of the festival's best-known stops are in Milton. The Blue Hill Observatory, which the coalition calls America's oldest weather station, is at the 635-foot summit in Milton. The Mass Audubon Trailside Museum's live animal show and the Wakefield Arboretum are in Milton too. New England Base Camp is at 411 Unquity Road in Milton. The signup form lists climbing and archery there, but the coalition says the camp is still confirming its schedule.

On the Canton side, the main ways in are:

1. Houghton's Pond. The coalition lists it as the festival's main hub and labels it "Canton / Milton." It's the primary parking and check-in area, with the Friends of the Blue Hills table, a snack shack and lawn games like cornhole and bocce. The state's trail starting point for the recreation area is 840 Hillside Street in Milton.
2. The AMC Ponkapoag Camp lodge. It will be open with coffee, snacks and water for hikers. According to AMC, you reach the camp through a locked gate across from the Canton Equestrian Center, then down a dirt road to the east shore of the pond.
3. Ponkapoag Pond trailheads. The Friends of the Blue Hills list Canton-side access and parking at Ponkapoag Golf Course, 2167 Washington Street, and at Fisherman's Beach on Randolph Street.
4. Brookwood Community Farm. It's the only festival stop with a Canton street address, at 11 Blue Hill River Road.

The coalition says registered attendees will get detailed parking and transportation information. A DCR ranger table with wildlife furs is planned, but its time is still listed as TBD. Before heading out, check the DCR Park Alerts page. The state points visitors to its closure and advisory dashboard as the most up-to-date source.

The Volunteer Crew Has the Same Saturday

The Walk, Bike & Hike Committee's notice ran in the Canton Citizen on September 18, five days before the festival moved. It invites all Canton residents to the Trail Maintenance Day on Saturday, October 17. The committee was formed in fall 2015. It lists five town-wide Cleanup Days and six earlier Trail Maintenance Days among its work. It also oversaw the multi-use path from Copperworks to Canton Junction and worked with the Revere Heritage Park team on signs, rules and bike racks.

The Canton Citizen notice doesn't give a location or start time. It sends readers to the committee's Facebook page to sign up. If you're hoping to volunteer in the morning and catch part of the festival in the afternoon, check the committee's details before you plan the day. The committee also meets on Zoom on Thursday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. It posts the agenda on the town website the day before, and applications to join go through the Select Board office.

The Rest of That Weekend in Canton

The Paul Revere Museum of Discovery & Innovation is open on Saturday, October 17, during its regular weekend hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Canton Citizen described the museum as newly opened in August. It's in the restored Revere Draft Horse Barn at the Paul Revere Heritage Site, which it shares with the Northern Spy restaurant. Among its displays are a copper roof shingle and a plain copper sheet, a nod to the rolling mill that made copper sheathing for the USS Constitution. The museum also has extra Wednesday openings from noon to 4 p.m. on October 21, November 11 and November 18.

Sunday, October 18, is the last date the Canton Citizen Datebook lists for the Canton Farmers Market at 960 Washington Street, which runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Pumpkin Fest is open noon to 8 p.m. that Sunday, then returns for a second weekend, October 23 to 25. Before the festival weekend, Trillium Brewing holds its Fall Fest at its Canton location on October 10 and 11. For more on how Canton's commercial center is changing, our piece on Cobbs Corner covers the other side of town.

Because of the move, BlueHillsFest now ends with the farm stand closing at 1 p.m. on one end of Blue Hill River Road and the carnival running until 9 p.m. on the other.

Francis Curran keeps track of Canton's calendar as well as its market, from the Reservation's edge to Washington Street. If you have questions about the Blue Hills side of town, Let's Connect.