The town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut is one of the most charming aspects of The Gilmore Girls cast includes many Stars Hollow locals, whose quirky personalities make the town feel like home. Fans understand why Lorelai Gilmore fell in love with Stars Hollow after escaping the privileged world she grew up in. Over Gilmore Girls’ eight seasons, it is brought to life with rich details, from its welcoming town square to unique spots like Al’s Pancake World—famous for serving cuisine from around the globe, but ironically, not pancakes.
Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow thrives on community spirit, finding any excuse to come together for a celebration. They have many holidays specific to the town, like the Founders Firelight Festival or the Battle of Stars Hollow Reenactment, but also a festival for every season. Some traditions seem like a lot of fun, but others I would rather avoid. Here is every major Stars Hollow Event Rory and Lorelei attend, ranked by how much I would want to actually experience them.
11 The Old Muddy Bridge Knitathon
One Time Event: Season 7, Episode 9, “Knit, People, Knit”
Gilmore Girls loves a fundraiser, and to get money to repair the new Old Muddy Bridge, Taylor Doose organizes a 12-hour Knitathon. Of all Stars Hollow fundraising concepts, this feels the least fun. Maybe this would be higher if knitting or yarn was connected to the Old Muddy Bridge, but carpentry-a-thon would have been more appropriate.
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What makes this boring event even less attractive is the fact that Taylor held the Knitathon outdoors in November, so everyone’s fingers were going numb - although it's hard to say whether that was the cold or the ceaseless knitting. This would be my last choice of Stars Hollow events to participate in, although Sookie St. James at least made an on-theme dish: spaghetti.
10 Battle of Stars Hollow Reenactment
Annual Event: Season 1, Episode 8, “Love and War and Snow;” Season 5, Episode 11, “Women of Questionable Morals”
Stars Hollow loves its own lore, and one of its quirkiest traditions is the annual reenactment of a Revolutionary War battle that never actually happened. The militia of Stars Hollow stood all night in the snow ready to protect the town from the Redcoats, but the British never came, so the reenactment is just some men standing in a field overnight - not the most riveting spectator event.
While Taylor tries to dress up the reenactment in a classic Gilmore Girls Christmas episode in season 5, now including some children narrating the events including the prostitute who used herself to distract the British general, this is an event you have to really love Stars Hollow to celebrate. Between the bad weather and lack of fanfare, this must be towards the bottom of the list.
9 Founders Firelight Festival
Annual Event: Season 1, Episode 16, “Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers;” Season 4, Episode 13, “Nag Hammadi Is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels”
The Stars Hollow town square is always charming, but never more enchanting than when it’s decorated with string lights for the annual Founders Firelight Festival. As the story goes, two separated lovers followed a path of stars to find each other at the exact spots where the Stars Hollow Gazebo now stands. To commemorate, every year they have a bonfire to celebrate.
This Gilmore Girls holiday is undeniably romantic and would be worth stopping by for the cozy atmosphere alone.
This Gilmore Girls holiday is undeniably romantic and would be worth stopping by for the cozy atmosphere alone. The gazebo looks stunning, but with little else to do—and with February’s New England chill still in full force—it’s not the most exciting event. There is not even any of Sookie’s food, only Miss Patty’s Founders' Day punch, known as “tar for your insides,” which would be a for me.
8 Stars Hollow Movie Festival
Annual Event: Season 2, Episode 19, “Teach Me Tonight”
This is exactly the kind of Stars Hollow event I’d love to attend—if only Taylor Doose weren’t in charge. Having an outdoor movie night in the square is a perfect town tradition, especially for the Gilmore girls who are huge cinephiles. However, Taylor picks the same movie every year, The Yearling, an old movie from 1946, because he gets a good deal.
If everyone in Gilmore Girls got to vote on the movie democratically at the famous Stars Hollow town hall, that would be a different calculus. If my only choices are The Yearling again or Kirk Gleason’s experimental short films, this is one Stars Hollow tradition I’ll skip.
7 Autumn Festival
Annual Event: Season 1, Episode 7, “Kiss and Tell”
Not much is shown of Stars Hollow’s annual Autumn Festival, but Gilmore Girls always looks so cozy in the fall. As with every season, Stars Hollow goes all out with a festival, decorating the town square with pumpkins, gourds, and other autumnal touches. However, the lack of clear traditions makes it hard to gauge just how fun it would be to attend.
Rory and her best friend Lane Kim man a cornucopia station in one of Gilmore Girls' most cozy fall episodes, season 1, episode 7, while dressed as Pilgrims, an oddly Thanksgiving-specific choice for a general fall celebration. This perfectly reflects the festival’s somewhat scattered identity, but if nothing else, seasonal costumes are always a good time.
6 The Festival of Living Art
One Time Stars Hollow Event: Season 4, Episode 7, “The Festival of Living Art”
The Festival of Living Art is hosted by a different Connecticut town every year, and in 2003 Stars Hollow fills in last-minute when the original town is flooded in one of Gilmore Girls' best episodes. As someone who has attended Pageant of the Masters, a similar event where famous works of art are recreated using live models, I can appreciate the artistry, but the long setup times between performances make this more of a waiting game than an exciting spectacle.
I would probably go just to check it out since Stars Hollow would only host once, but this does not seem like the most exciting event. Being a participant feels even more tedious, and Lorelai knows it can be a thankless job if you don’t live up to Taylor’s expectations.
5 Bid on a Basket
Annual Event: Season 2, Episode 13, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket”
Stars Hollow is so quaint it can feel frozen in time, and the Bid on a Basket event would seem outdated if Lorelai did not lampshade its somewhat sexist nature. Having a picnic at the Stars Hollow town square seems idyllic, but this episode shows how quickly it can go wrong.
Rory has the problem where the wrong boy bids on her basket, but imagine how mortifying it would be if no one bid on a basket. Overall, I like the idea of a picnic, but Bid on a Basket feels like it introduces too many possibilities for public humiliation to make it one of my top Gilmore Girls events.
4 Spring Fling Festival
Season 7, episode 18, “Hay Bale Maze”
It seems like most years the Spring Fling Festival is standard Stars Hollow seasonal fare, but in Gilmore Girls season 7, episode 18, Taylor makes the bold and baffling decision to spend the entire budget on a giant hay bale maze. As one observant kid points out, mazes have more of an association with Halloween, making this an odd choice for a spring celebration.
However, with the weather finally nice, the Spring Fling Festival seems worth checking out, whether it’s one hay bale maze or the traditional entertainment, which includes the “Dance of the Daffodils” and food and beverage booths. Even the skeptics end up enjoying the maze more than they anticipated.
3 24-Hour Dance-A-Thon
Annual Event: Season 3, Episode 7, “They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?”
In one of Gilmore Girls’ most comforting episodes, Lorelai and Rory tackle the 24-Hour Dance-A-Thon. Of all of Stars Hollow’s charitable events, this seems by far the most fun, with dedicated participants like Kirk and Lorelai treating the competition with the utmost seriousness. The 1940s theme transforms the space, and everyone dresses up making the event feel like you’re time traveling.
This is one of the episodes that makes me wish I could be a part of Gilmore Girls.
With free coffee begrudgingly provided by Luke Danes and bleachers for contestants who have been eliminated, this feels like a perfect Stars Hollow event to people-watch while raising money for a good cause. This is one of the episodes that makes me wish I could be a part of Gilmore Girls.
2 Stars Hollow Winter Carnival
Annual Event: Season 3, Episode 10, “That’ll Do Pig;” Season 6, Episode 12, “Just Like Gwen and Gavin”
Winter is Lorelai’s favorite season, so there is something that always feels extra magical in Stars Hollow when it snows. The Stars Hollow Winter Carnival in Gilmore Girls season 3, episode 10 encapsulates how weird and wonderful the town can be with its very specific booths, including Mrs. Kim’s Hell-themed setup and Lorelai dres her dog Paul Anka as a fortune-teller.
Stars Hollow makes the most of the post-holiday winter slump with its Winter Carnival in January. The Carnival is a well-run ship, as Taylor discovers in Gilmore Girls season 6 when it continues smoothly without his direct supervision. I would fight through the snow to have my fortune told by Amazing Doggy Swami, as it’s one of those moments that feels like pure Stars Hollow magic.
