The biggest free family event in Louisville this weekend is NuLu Jingle Fest, Saturday, November 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Shelby Street. Sunday brings a free children's festival with Santa in the East End and an afternoon of art making at the Speed Art Museum, where Sunday admission is $0. And if you can donate one canned good, the Louisville Zoo knocks its gate price down to the bottom of its winter range.
JCPS Insider checked every listing below on November 4, 2026, on the organizer's own page: the NuLu Business Association, KidsLinked, the Speed Art Museum, the Louisville Zoo, Riverside, the Farnsley Moremen Landing, and Bernheim Forest and Arboretum. Times are Eastern. Plans change, so check the link the morning you go.
What's free on Saturday?
NuLu Jingle Fest. The NuLu Business Association's Jingle Fest page puts the street party on Shelby Street between Market Street and Nanny Goat Strut, Saturday, November 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's "Free & Open to the Public." Kids get a petting zoo, a vintage holiday photo op and a Kentucky Kingdom donut luge. Small Batch Brass and the Louisville Chorus play holiday music, and Terpsichore Dance Company performs.
Two extras are worth knowing before you go. The Craftery DIY Studio + Bar is giving children under 12 two free wooden ornaments to paint. Sugar Spell Bakery's snow globe cupcake decorating runs 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but its kit preorders closed November 7, and the page says decorating seats are first come, first served with possible waits. If you missed the preorder window, Sugar Spell says its featured kit design will be for sale at the event while supplies last, and single cupcake kits may be available if they have extras. You can decorate there as seats open or take a kit home.
Riverside's archaeology lab. Out in southwest Jefferson County, Riverside, the Farnsley Moremen Landing opens its public archaeology lab Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Visitors Center, 7410 Moorman Road. The Riverside event page calls it a free drop in program for adults and children 6 and up, and children must stay with their adults the whole time. The page lists a free ticket and says Riverside would like to know when you plan to come, so reserve one or call 502 935 6809.
What's free on Sunday?
East Louisville Children's Festival. KidsLinked holds its third annual festival Sunday, November 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. indoors at Walden School, 4238 Westport Road. The KidsLinked registration page lists visits with Santa for the first 200 children, character meet and greets with Bluey, Super Mario and SpongeBob, a costume contest, family bingo and a magician on the main stage.
There are two free entry tiers. Diamond is free, limited to 150 families, with early entry at 1 p.m. Gold is free, limited to 300 families, with general entry at 2 p.m., or $2 a person at the door. Gold families can't get in at 1, so register for Diamond if you want a shot at the first 200 Santa visits. The bounce house area and carnival games need a paid pass: the Everything Pass is $12 per child at presale, the Ultimate is $20, the Bounce Park is $5 online or $7 at the event, and activity tickets are 3 for $6. Bluey, Super Mario and SpongeBob are sold as an add on, $4 online or $5 at the event, any time from 1:30 p.m. on. The first 200 families also get a certificate for a free Raising Cane's kids meal, one per family, and the listing promises a candy hunt with prizes. The costume contest is at 2:15 p.m. on the main stage, limbo and hula hoop at 2:25, family bingo at 2:40 and a Wheel of Fortune game show at 2:55. Diamond families must pick up their VIP goodie bag by 2 p.m.
Speed Together at the Speed Art Museum. On Sunday, November 15, Art in the Atrium runs 1 to 4 p.m. for all ages, with materials and a staff member to help, and an Open Studio runs 2 to 4 p.m. in the Art Sparks Prototype Lab, according to the Speed Together event page.
The Speed's visit page says Sunday "Admission is available at $0." On other days, adult tickets are $25 and tickets for children 4 to 17 are $21. The museum is at 2035 South Third Street on the University of Louisville campus. Sunday hours are noon to 5 p.m. The garage charges by the hour. Children under 12 must stay with an adult, and wagons aren't allowed in the galleries. The free Art Park outside is open dawn to dusk if the kids need to run first. Call 502 634 2700.
How do you get into the Louisville Zoo for less?
Bring a can of food. Through February 28, 2027, the zoo's Kroger Wild Winter Days page says guests who donate one canned or nonperishable food item per person to Dare to Care can buy tickets at the zoo windows for $11 per adult and $8 per child or senior. The discount is at the ticket windows only, not online, and one can per ticket is all it takes.
Without the can, the zoo's prices page lists a fall and winter range of $11 to $17 for adults 12 to 59 and $8 to $14 for children 3 to 11. Kids 2 and under are free. Parking in the zoo lot is $7 per car. The zoo, at 1100 Trevilian Way, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on fall and winter hours, with guests out by 5 p.m. Dare to Care's most needed items, according to the zoo, include canned meats and fish, canned fruits and vegetables, soups, beans, cereal, pasta, rice and peanut butter. Skip glass jars and anything expired. The zoo's number is 502 459 2181.
Is Bernheim worth the drive this weekend?
If your family likes the woods, yes. Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, 2075 Clermont Road in Clermont, is about 30 minutes south of downtown Louisville. Its visitor guide lists a recommended admission of $15 per car, with forest hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Visitor Center open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two guided walks are on the calendar Saturday, November 14. The free Let's Move It health hike runs 9 to 10 a.m. from the Visitor Center, a relaxed Arboretum walk with a few stops along the way. Registration is required by 4 p.m. Friday at 502 215 7155.
For older kids who can stay up late, the Ashlock Hollow night hike runs 7:30 to 11 p.m. Meet at Parking Lot C (Playcosystem parking). It's a moderately easy one mile walk on a gravel forest road to a remote prairie, with an astronomy talk and telescopes. It costs $20, or $15 for members. Register by 4 p.m. Friday, and Bernheim says to wear sturdy hiking shoes, not tennis shoes. Hiking sticks are highly recommended, and Bernheim says parts of the trail may be slippery. Pets aren't allowed on either hike.
What if it rains?
Three of these picks are indoors: the KidsLinked festival, Speed Together and the Riverside lab, held at the Visitors Center. The zoo is open rain or shine but has no rain refunds. Jingle Fest and both Bernheim hikes are outdoors, so check the organizer's page that morning.
For more free ideas, our free outings guide is a good place to start. The Kids Eat Free list covers dinner on the way home.