Narberth October Events 2026: Your Guide to What's On

"People want a place to hang out. They want just a different energy and something to do."

Jen Kurland said that to the Inquirer in mid-September. She was standing among paint cans and plywood in the old Danny's Guitar Shop space on Forrest Avenue. The quote also describes Narberth's whole October. Almost every event on the borough's fall calendar is built for people on foot downtown. And the two biggest changes this month are both about foot traffic: a storefront designed as a gathering place, and a decision on whether people can keep walking across the North Narberth Avenue bridge while it's rebuilt.

The storefront at 104 Forrest Avenue

Danny's Guitar Shop closed at the end of May after 17 years. Owner Dan Gold retired, and the shop's former instructors moved their lessons to Harcum Music School in Bryn Mawr. The space didn't sit empty for long. Kurland lives in Narberth and spent 30 years in events and brand strategy in New York. She moved her family back to the area in 2024 and settled in Narberth last summer.

Her shop is Jeneral Store, a modern take on the old general store. It will have a craft counter set up like a deli counter, where you order supplies by the piece. It will also carry curated vintage and new household goods, penny candy, and pick-your-own bouquets in upcycled vases. Kurland plans craft nights and workshops based on what the community wants. She told the Inquirer she sees growing demand for "third spaces," places to gather outside of work and home. According to the business, all net proceeds will go to organizations that support LGBTQ+ people. Kurland said she hadn't finalized the list of groups as of September.

Patch reported on Oct. 2 that the grand opening is Friday, Oct. 16, and that events will run all weekend, Oct. 16 through 18. In a social media post quoted by Patch, the store invites shoppers to "build a fresh bouquet at the floral bar." Patch, Montco Today and the Narberth Business Association directory all give the address as 104 Forrest Ave. The Inquirer's September story said 102.

Jeneral Store opens the week before the Witches of Narberth hunt, which starts at the corner of Forrest and Haverford, on the same avenue. That makes the new store part of the October calendar from its first month.

A calendar that only works on foot

The Narberth Business Association runs most of the downtown events, and its event pages all end with the same request: "Please show your appreciation by making local shopping and dining a part of your regular routine." The dates below show how much of the season depends on that routine.

The Gnome and Fairy Festival is today in Narberth Park, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The farmers market has four Thursdays left in the county's 2026 season, which ends Oct. 29, the day before the parade.

Witches of Narberth is a free scavenger hunt. Kids pick up a clue card at the start and get it stamped by each witch they find around downtown, collecting treats as they go. When they've found every witch, they bring the card back to the start for a Halloween prize. The hunt runs until 4 p.m. or until the prizes are gone, so families who come later in the afternoon may miss out. Costumes are welcome but optional.

Parade night, in order

The Halloween Parade on Friday, Oct. 30 has a tight schedule, and the NBA says plainly that it won't wait for latecomers.

1. Line up on the 100 block of North Narberth Avenue between 6 and 6:15 p.m.
2. The parade steps off at 6:30 p.m., with volunteers from the Narberth Fire Department leading in an engine or two.
3. The route goes down Haverford Avenue.
4. It ends at the basketball courts in Narberth Park, where trunk-or-treating often follows.

The lineup is on North Narberth Avenue, the same street as the bridge reconstruction described below.

The crossing that may close to walkers

The North Narberth Avenue bridge over the Amtrak tracks has been closed to cars since 2019. Reconstruction is now underway with contractor Road-Con. The project's required completion date is July 24, 2029. Since Jan. 19, parts of Elmwood Avenue and South Narberth Avenue have been closed to through traffic, and they will stay closed until the project is finished.

The schedule this fall has changed more than once. The Borough planned to start daytime site work on Sept. 8. Night work was set to begin Sept. 13 and run for six to eight weeks, Sunday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., with Friday nights held as backup. On Sept. 14 the work was paused because drilling ran into utility conflicts and underground obstructions. In a Sept. 18 update, the Borough said the paused work was "anticipated" to restart Sunday, Sept. 27. No later official update was found confirming that work actually resumed. Homes near the bridge should check the Borough's project page for the current night-work schedule.

The bigger question for daily life is whether walkers and cyclists keep their crossing. The project FAQ still says pedestrians and cyclists will have a path at least five feet wide throughout construction. At the top of the same page, though, the Borough says Council recommended a design change that would temporarily eliminate pedestrian access. The trade-off is time and money. The change is expected to cut about eleven months off the construction schedule and reduce costs, and it still needs approval from PennDOT and Amtrak.

At the Borough's Infrastructure Committee meeting on Sept. 22, staff said that option would mean about 15 months without pedestrian access to the bridge. They also said Council's vote was not final authorization. Staff were working with the construction manager, the contractor, PennDOT and Amtrak on how the change would work. At the same meeting, officials said they were studying detours along with shuttle and ADA alternatives, and that staff might have to change course if PennDOT or Amtrak rejected the plan. To inform that work, the Borough ran a 24-hour video count on the bridge from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28. Engineers will use it to see who crosses, when, and how: on foot, with a stroller, on a bike, or with other mobility needs. No results had been posted as of this writing.

Put simply, the borough is weighing roughly 15 months without a walking crossing against roughly eleven months off a construction schedule that runs into 2029. People who cross that bridge on foot to get to the Narberth station, downtown or Narberth Park can follow the decision on the Borough's project page. You can also contact the Borough office at 610-664-2840 or [email protected].

On Monday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., Lower Merion and Narberth will hold a separate public meeting on early safety recommendations for the seven-mile Montgomery Avenue corridor. The Borough says the concepts shown there are not final plans, approvals or budget commitments.

Where to eat between events

Two of the newer restaurants downtown opened this spring, and both are within easy reach of the Witches route and the parade. Malooga, a Yemeni restaurant at 203 Haverford Ave., opened in March, with chef Mohammed Aqlan and CEO Omar Alkahily behind it. Lassan Indian Traditional opened its second location at 232 Woodbine Ave. in April, run by co-owners Pema Lama and Shyam Dimdung. Malooga's website lists daily hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., which covers parade night. Lassan's website lists the Narberth location as closed on Mondays, which is different from the Inquirer's spring report that it was open seven days a week.

GET Café, owned by Brooke and Jon Goodspeed, announced in May that it would move to a larger space nearby so it could expand training and jobs for neurodivergent people and people with disabilities. As of late September, Montco Today reported the café was still at 246 Haverford Ave. and getting ready to move down the block to 301 Haverford Ave.

If the bridge decision or the changes downtown have you wondering how they affect your corner of Narberth, Main Line Fine Homes is glad to walk through it with you. Request a Free Home Valuation or Private Consultation, and we'll give you a clear, local read on what these changes mean for your street.