Three Saturdays in a row this month, the City of Plantation's calendar sends people to one address. Volunteer Park, at 12050 W. Sunrise Blvd., hosts the Community Garage Sale on October 10, the Family Fall Festival on October 17, and the fall Broward County Plant Affair on October 24 and 25, according to the mayor's October 7 update. This week a new bagel shop also opened on the same stretch of road, at 12220 W. Sunrise Blvd.
The biggest of those weekends is not a city production at all. The Plant Affair is a fundraiser for the Plantation Historical Museum. So the weekend that draws the most vendors to the city's west-side park also helps fund the place that keeps Plantation's history.
The October Calendar on One Lawn
Here is everything the city and its partners have scheduled at Volunteer Park this month, with Jeff's Bagel Run's opening week added because it sits on the same road.
| Date | What | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed.–Thu., Oct. 7–8 | Jeff's Bagel Run soft opening, 12220 W. Sunrise Blvd. | 6:30 a.m. start | Free bagel and spread per customer |
| Fri., Oct. 9 | Jeff's Bagel Run grand opening and ribbon-cutting | 6:30 a.m.; ribbon at 9 a.m. | Raffle for those in line by 6:30 |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Community Garage Sale, Volunteer Park | 7 a.m.–noon | Not listed |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Family Fall Festival, Volunteer Park | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. or 9 a.m.–1 p.m. | $5 per person, age 2 and older |
| Sat.–Sun., Oct. 24–25 | Broward County Plant Affair, Volunteer Park | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. both days | 2026 price not yet published |
Two rows in that table come with caveats, and both are explained below.
A Bagel Shop That Opens Before the Garage Sale Does
Jeff's Bagel Run's opening week runs straight into the first park Saturday. The city says the soft opening starts at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, October 7 and 8. Every customer gets a free bagel and spread, and anyone who posts about the opening on social media can get a coupon for a free bagel on a later visit. The grand opening is Friday, October 9, also at 6:30 a.m. Anyone in line by then is entered in a raffle for a dozen bagels plus spreads every month for a year, and the official ribbon-cutting follows at 9 a.m. The next morning, the Community Garage Sale opens at Volunteer Park at 7 a.m.
The two schedules differ by a day. On October 7, the shop's Plantation location page said "Opening tomorrow at 6:30 AM," while the city's newsletter lists soft-opening hours for October 7 as well. Check the shop's own page before setting an alarm for the soft opening.
The brand is young. On its company story page, Jeff Perera started making bagels at home in 2019, and he and Danielle Perera opened the first Jeff's Bagel Run in Ocoee in June 2021. The company says its bagels are made from scratch, proofed overnight, then boiled and baked through the day without being frozen. The Plantation menu includes Pizza and Pepperjack Jalapeno bagels, Roasted Jalapeno and Lox spreads, and coffee and cold brew.
It is also growing fast. When USA Today listed the chain's fall openings on August 24, 2026, it reported 39 locations and named the Plantation address among those coming. By early October, the company's locator showed 42 shops and a goal of 50 by the end of 2026. In about six weeks, that is three new shops, and the Plantation opening is part of that push.
October 17 Splits Between the Park and Plantation Walk
The second park Saturday is the Family Fall Festival. The City of Plantation and the Greater Plantation Chamber of Commerce sponsor it. The city's event page lists a children's carnival, games, inflatables, food, costume contests, a haunted house, a DJ, arts and crafts, police and fire exhibits, vendors, and free Halloween bags for kids. Admission is $5 per person for ages 2 and older.
The start time depends on which city source you read. The event page says 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The October 7 newsletter says 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event page gives Parks & Recreation's number for questions, 954-452-2510, and one call will settle it before you load the stroller.
Whichever window is right, the festival wraps up by early afternoon, and the day keeps going elsewhere. Plantation Walk runs its Breast Cancer Awareness Month Car & Truck Show from 2 to 8 p.m. that same Saturday. The Helen B. Hoffman Plantation Library also wraps up a two-day Used Book Sale on October 17. It runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, cash only.
The Biggest Weekend Belongs to the Historical Society
The Broward County Plant Affair fills Volunteer Park on Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. The city's calendar shows the Plantation Historical Society presents it to benefit the Plantation Historical Museum.
The sale started outside Plantation. The Society says it began in the 1990s as part of an antique festival at the War Memorial in Fort Lauderdale. It later became its own event, usually held once a year, and now runs every May and October. The Society calls it one of the longest-running plant sales in Broward County. Its focus is local and independent growers, from Plantation and from across the state.
The 2026 vendor list has not been published, but past editions give a sense of the mix. A 2024 listing in the Sun Sentinel's events calendar advertised more than 30 vendors. They sold Florida natives, indoor and landscape plants, rare palms, hoyas, orchids and orchid supplies, succulents, bromeliads, and handmade garden art. The city listed admission and parking for the October 2025 edition as free. The city's 2026 notices confirm the dates, hours and park but not the price, so treat free entry as last year's policy until the Society says otherwise. Growers who want a table can still email [email protected], according to the Society's page.
October 24, Hour by Hour
The first Plant Affair day is also the most crowded Saturday on Plantation's calendar. Four separate events overlap across three locations:
- 9 a.m. The Plant Affair opens at Volunteer Park and runs until 4 p.m.
- 10 a.m. to noon. Pumpkin Patch in the Pool at the city's Aquatics Complex. Kids dive in to pick a pumpkin, then carve it. Registration is required at 954-452-2525.
- 4 to 8 p.m. Plantation Walk's Trunk or Treat Car & Truck Show.
- 6 to 8 p.m. The city's Trunk-or-Treat at Pine Island Park, open to residents only.
Read in order, the day moves from plant shopping on the west side in the morning to the pool before lunch. In the evening there are two trick-or-treat options, and their times overlap by two hours. The residents-only rule at Pine Island Park is the one detail on this list that controls who gets in. Plantation Walk's event page lists no such limit.
After the Park Goes Quiet
When the Plant Affair packs up on October 25, the calendar moves east and later in the day. Plantation Walk holds a Halloween Costume Contest on Saturday, October 31, from 6 to 10 p.m. The city's concert season then moves to Pine Island Park. Rock the Park opens on Friday, November 6, with PUMP, a pop rock party band. Food trucks open at 6 p.m. and the music starts at 7. The city calendar already lists the next Rock the Park date as Friday, December 4, from 7 to 10 p.m.
For now, Volunteer Park holds the October center of gravity. The opening week at 12220 W. Sunrise Blvd. runs into the garage sale on October 10 and the festival on October 17. The Plant Affair, the weekend that pays the museum's bills, follows on October 24 and 25.
Weekends like these say a lot about which parts of Plantation people use every day. If you're thinking about what your home on the west side, near Plantation Walk, or anywhere in between might be worth, or you'd just like a local read on where the city is putting its energy, Gina Villanell is happy to talk it through. Let's Connect.
