Things to Do This Weekend in Ocala

Upcoming Weekends: In the News

Dates, times and prices below match each event's listing on the Ocala events calendar as of Oct. 31, 2026. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3; see the Marion County voting guide for hours and sample-ballot details.

Nov. 6-8: The weekend starts Friday, Nov. 6, with the free First Friday Art Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. in Historic Downtown Ocala, centered on the Downtown Square along SE Broadway St. The same night, the Ocala Food & Wine Festival opens at World Equestrian Center, 1750 NW 80th Ave., with a Friday Chefs' Dinner reserved for Five-Star package guests. The Grand Tasting is Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 5 p.m. ($150), and a Jazz Brunch closes the festival Sunday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ($135 per person plus a $3 online fee and taxes). The Marion County Building Industry Association's Parade of Homes, a self-guided tour of new model homes, runs Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 7:

• The Ocala Downtown Market runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 403 SE Osceola Ave, with free admission.
• The 45th annual Marion County Chili Cook-Off, hosted by The Cornerstone School, runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 NE Jacksonville Rd; admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors.
• The Ocali Country Days Festival at Silver Springs State Park runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Silver River Museum, 1425 NE 58th Ave, and continues Sunday; admission is $10 per person, with children 5 and under free.
• The Appleton Museum of Art's Free First Saturday runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd, with free admission.
• Off Book: The Thanksgiving Play, a free book-club hour with the Marion County Literacy Council, is 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Studio A at Ocala Civic Theatre (RSVP by Nov. 6). The Civic's staging of The Thanksgiving Play continues through Nov. 15, with tickets from $17 to $40.
• The Ocala Symphony Orchestra performs Disney's Aladdin in Concert at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St, on Nov. 7 and 8; tickets are $35 to $85, and showtimes are on the Reilly's website.
• The 39th annual Mopars with Big Daddy car show runs Saturday and Sunday at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, 13700 SW 16th Ave, with gates opening at 8 a.m.; spectator entry is free and parking is $5.
• At World Equestrian Center, the Festivals of Speed Legends of Stuttgart Porsche show is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Expo Center 2 ($15; children 12 and under free), and the $75,000 Wheels Up American Standard Regional Grand Prix is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the WEC Grand Arena with free admission and parking; WEC notes the start time can change.
• The Ocala Polo Aloha Classic match starts at 4 p.m. (gates 3 p.m.) at the Florida Horse Park, 11008 S Hwy 475; general admission is $10 at the gate.

Looking ahead to Nov. 11 and Nov. 13-15: Veterans Day is Wednesday, Nov. 11. Marion County Public Schools presents a Veterans Day Program at 11 a.m. at Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park, 2601 E Fort King St, and Redeemer Christian School presents a Veterans Day Memorial Concert at 6:30 p.m. at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St. See Veterans Day in Ocala and the guide to free Veterans Day meals in Ocala. On Friday, Nov. 13, the 4th Annual Ocala Holiday Craft Show opens at World Equestrian Center's Expo 1, 1284 NW 87th Court Rd, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 15 (Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; $10 general admission valid all three days, children 12 and under free). That evening, Kendall Street Company in the Sunset Songs Series plays Citizens' Circle, 151 SE Osceola Ave, from 7 to 9 p.m. (free); the Reilly Arts Center's Dueling Pianos starts at 6 p.m. ($33 to $43); and the Twilight & Trinkets Night Market fills the Ocala Downtown Market from 6 to 10 p.m. with free admission. On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Run for the Dogs 5K starts at 9 a.m. at the Baseline Road Trailhead, 4255 SE 58th Ave, and the Landbridge Trail 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Landbridge Trailhead, 11100 SW 16th Ave. The Ocala Polo Club's Veterans Cup, the last match of the fall season, starts at 4 p.m. (gates 3 p.m.; $10 at the gate), and the Reilly Arts Center hosts Wall of Echoes, a Pink Floyd tribute at 7:30 p.m. ($25 to $50). General gun season also opens Nov. 14 in the Ocala National Forest; see the Ocala National Forest hunting season guide.

Further ahead, Thanksgiving morning brings the first Go and Gobble 5K at the Florida Horse Park; the next day, Paddock Mall opens at 7 a.m. for Black Friday in Ocala, and the same weekend World Equestrian Center hosts the WEC Vaulting Premiere. See the Thanksgiving in Ocala guide and Christmas events in Ocala guide for the full holiday calendar, including Light Up Ocala and the Christmas parades in Marion County. The season wraps with the Ocala Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 12.