Duncan Hines Days is Bowling Green's free week of food, music and downtown events in early June. The 2026 edition ran May 31 to June 6; 2027 dates are not out yet.

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Facts come from the festival’s own site, duncanhinesdays.com, and its 2026 road map of events. Questions go through the festival’s contact form.

Duncan Hines Days is Bowling Green’s week-long celebration of the town’s most famous food name, with a downtown kickoff, a restaurant week, free events across the city and a closing music festival at Circus Square Park. The 2026 edition ran Sunday, May 31, to Saturday, June 6. The 2027 dates have not been announced; the festival’s site still showed the 2026 week when we checked on Oct. 16. The 2026 schedule went up in the spring, and we will update this page when the next one is set.

At a glance (2026 edition)

  • When: May 31 to June 6, 2026. Next dates not yet announced.
  • Where: downtown Bowling Green and venues across the city
  • Cost: most events free; some partner sites charge their usual admission
  • Big days: the downtown kickoff on the first Sunday and Eats & Beats Music Fest on the closing Saturday
  • Website: duncanhinesdays.com

How big it is

The festival describes itself as a reimagined community event. 2026 was its fourth year, and its road map says the first three drew more than 45,000 people from more than 25 states. In 2026 it was billed as an America 250 celebration.

The 2026 week, day by day

From the festival’s 2026 road map:

  • Sunday, May 31: downtown kickoff, all free. A vintage car show on Fountain Square, Uncle Duncan’s Summer Stroll & Roll Parade through downtown with BikeWalk BG, and a Fountain Square block party with a Candy Land scavenger hunt among downtown and Fountain Row businesses.
  • Monday, June 1: a free Dolly Day with butterflies at Lost River Cave; free “Steel Magnolias” showings at The Capitol, with a “Dolly Trolley” ride and a red-carpet entrance.
  • Tuesday, June 2: a free Pickleball Palooza at Basil Griffin Park; free “Touch of Home” World War II-style snacks at Aviation Heritage Park; a free community bike ride and dinner with BikeWalk BG at Atomic Kitchen.
  • Wednesday, June 3: Duncan Hines Day at the Russell Sims waterpark.
  • Thursday, June 4: the free Warren County Public Library summer reading kickoff at Ephram White Park.
  • Friday, June 5: a free Cake Walk Club ride with BikeWalk BG, free Fountain Row Friday live music on the square and a free Dolly Parton tribute concert at The Capitol.
  • Saturday, June 6: Duncan’s Duck Paddle Race & Regatta on Drakes Creek, and the free Eats & Beats Music Fest at Circus Square Park.

All week in 2026: Restaurant Week, a scavenger hunt at the National Corvette Museum, Duncan-themed tours at the Historic RailPark and Train Museum, and specials at South Union Shaker Village, Riverview at Hobson Grove, Lost River Cave, Aviation Heritage Park and Beech Bend Park. Conagra Foods donated more than 6,000 Duncan Hines baking mixes, handed out at events while supplies lasted, the festival says.

Eats & Beats Music Fest

The closing Saturday is a full day of live music, food trucks and family activities at Circus Square Park, according to the Eats & Beats page. The 2026 lineup was Elvie Shane, Jaid Joice, The Damn Shames, Fat Box and the Bowling Green Rock Band Academy House Band. The 2026 road map lists it as free, with a community art mural and kids’ activities.

Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week runs through the festival. Restaurants, food trucks, bakeries and bars in the Bowling Green area sign up free through the festival’s Restaurant Week page and offer their own specials, discounts or signature dishes during the week. The list of places taking part is on the festival’s restaurants page once the year’s lineup is set.

Roads, parking and what to know

  • Road closures and parking: the festival did not publish a closure or parking plan for 2026. Downtown events center on Fountain Square Park and Circus Square Park; see our downtown guide for public parking.
  • Admission: most events are free. Partner attractions such as South Union Shaker Village charge their own admission; the road map notes where a ticket buys a baking mix.
  • Volunteers: the festival recruits volunteers through a sign-up link on its home page.

Who was Duncan Hines?

Duncan Hines (1880-1959) was a traveler and guidebook writer who, from his Bowling Green home office, published trusted guides to restaurants and lodging and later lent his name to more than 120 food products, according to the festival’s legacy page. Readers wrote to him in Bowling Green with updates, an early version of today’s online reviews.

For more in early summer, see summer camps and pools and things to do this month.

Frequently asked questions

When is Duncan Hines Days 2027?

The 2027 dates have not been announced. The 2026 festival ran Sunday, May 31, to Saturday, June 6, in Bowling Green; its 2026 schedule was posted in the spring.

Is Duncan Hines Days free?

Most of it is. The 2026 road map lists the downtown kickoff, the movie showings, the pickleball day, the library kickoff and the Eats & Beats Music Fest as free.

What is Eats & Beats at Duncan Hines Days?

Eats & Beats Music Fest is the festival’s closing day of live bands, food trucks and kids’ activities at Circus Square Park. In 2026 it was free on Saturday, June 6.

Why does Bowling Green celebrate Duncan Hines?

Duncan Hines, the restaurant and travel guide writer whose name went on cake mixes, ran his guides from his Bowling Green home office. The festival celebrates that legacy with food, travel and community events.