Once a year, downtown McCormick stops being a quiet Main Street and turns into something closer to a reunion. Folks who moved away come back for the weekend. Folks who never left show up anyway. Nobody's a stranger for long.
The Gold Rush Festival has been doing this for more than 40 years, and the roots run deeper than the parade — it traces back to McCormick's actual gold rush history in the 1800s, back when the ground under this town was worth digging into. What started as a nod to that history has turned into the kind of day the whole county plans around.
This year, it lands on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
The morning starts with a parade down Main Street around 11:00. From noon to four, the street fills in — craft vendors, live music, food, the kind of afternoon where you cover three blocks in two hours because everyone wants to talk. Once evening comes, the day shifts into something else entirely: Gold Rush After Dark, an adults-only stretch from 5:00 to 10:00 PM with its own lineup of live entertainment.
If you're staying anywhere in downtown McCormick that weekend, the parade and daytime festival are an easy walk — no need to move the car all day. Gold Rush After Dark moves to Matt Hardy Field, about 5 minutes away, so plan to drive (or grab a ride) once evening rolls around.