What happens to a festival's plans when the festival itself never opens? In New Bern, the answer arrives downtown on October 10 and 11. On the morning of Friday, October 10, 2025, Union Point Park was underwater and the streets around it were closed. Swiss Bear canceled MumFest less than a day before the gates were due to open at 10 a.m. Saturday, and said it would not be rescheduled that year.
According to WNCT, organizers said a festival this size, with this many vendors, downtown logistics and a year of planning behind it, could not be moved to a later weekend. They said it would come back in 2026. It is coming back now. The vendor listing calls it the 46th annual MumFest, and several things on the 2026 program are not new ideas at all. They are 2025 plans getting their first real run.
Three Things That Were Ready Last Year
Look at the 2026 schedule next to the coverage from last October, and the same pieces show up in both places.
- The waterfront main stage. Ahead of the 2025 festival, Swiss Bear's Mary Hannah Parker told the New Bern Sun Journal that the North Carolina Education Lottery Stage and the beer garden were moving to a new waterfront spot at the end of Broad Street. This year's schedule puts the stage and the Corona Beer Garden at Broad and East Front Streets.
- The MUMosa 5K route. New Bern Parks & Recreation says this year it is "officially debuting the exciting new route we were ready to roll out last year." The course is partially closed and runs through the festival footprint.
- Part of the music bill. Big Jim Kohler, The Bonafides and a band billed then as Biscuit 'n' Gravy were on the 2025 lineup. All three are back on the 2026 schedule.
One piece is new by name. Swiss Bear's September 21 announcement calls the all-day children's area a "new MumFest KidsZone," with arts and crafts and story time. It sits at the corner of Craven and Pollock Streets.
The Riverfront Half of the Festival
The park that flooded last year carries a big share of this year's attractions. Union Point Park hosts the Riverside Auto and RV Show, City of New Bern Electric Department demonstrations, the Mum Arch and mum display, the Purina Incredible Dog Team, law enforcement K9 demonstrations and the Protown BMX shows. Add the main stage at Broad and East Front, and much of the weekend's big-ticket entertainment sits along the water, the same stretch that was flooded on Friday morning in 2025.
Away from the river, the festival spreads through the grid:
- Chick-fil-A Community Stage on Pollock Street
- Howard Matthews Memorial Stage on Middle Street, Saturday
- Craven Chaos Roller Derby demonstrations at Broad and Middle Streets at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. both days
- New Bern Fire & Rescue obstacle course and dunking booth at the Fireman's Museum, 420 Broad Street
- North Carolina Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association display in the First Citizens Bank parking lot
The schedule also names local food vendors, among them Bellator Roasting Company, Bay Leaf Indian Restaurant, Front St. Fish Co., Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant and Tanja's German Street Food. Vendor counts differ depending on where you look. The Chamber release says more than 250, and the official FAQ says nearly 300 vendors and food trucks.
Where Last Year's Music Went Instead
The 2025 bands didn't just go home. Bands that had been booked for the festival played at Blackbeard's Triple Play Restaurant & Bar and at Baxter's 1892.
"We will have music all day long, some of the bands that were playing at the MumFest, we have now made arrangements for them to come and play on our back deck."
That was Jessi Arnold, Blackbeard's front house manager, speaking to WITN. On that Sunday, Biscuit 'n' Gravy played Blackbeard's at 11:30 a.m. and the Big Jim Kohler Band followed at 1 p.m. Bridge Atlantic and Brooke White and The Black Sheep played Baxter's 1892.
This year those acts are back on festival stages. The posted schedule has Biscuits & Gravy at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Big Jim Kohler at 4 p.m. Sunday, both back on festival stages after last year's Sunday sets at Blackbeard's. Saturday also brings touring acts. Sam Morrow plays at 3:30 p.m., then The Wilder Blue closes the night. Swiss Bear's September release and WITN's September 28 preview list The Wilder Blue at 6:30 p.m., while the posted schedule shows 5:30. The official schedule page calls the 2026 schedule preliminary, so check the time that morning. Sunday's main stage features The Git Down, The Bonafides, Hoff 'n' Finch and Big Jim Kohler.
Vendors had their own workarounds last year. Eleine Pizani and Tia Shaver invited vendors to set up outside the James Drinkery and outside Freshwater Beer Company on Pollock Street. Jenna Gifford rearranged Jenna's just-in boutique to fit more than a dozen vendors inside for the weekend, which became known as "Jenna's fest." Swiss Bear executive director Karen Sullivan said at the time that losing the festival would hurt the local economy, with out-of-town visitors staying away and hotel stays canceled.
For Downtown Residents, the Weekend Starts Friday
The city's closure notice starts at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 9, and runs through Sunday, October 11. It covers these blocks:
- 200 to 400 blocks of Broad Street
- 200 to 300 blocks of East Front, Middle and Craven Streets
- 300 to 400 blocks of Pollock Street
On Saturday and Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., access is also limited on the 200 block of Craven Street and the 100 to 200 blocks of Pollock Street.
Swiss Bear recommends free parking at Lawson Creek Park, off the Pembroke Road and Country Club Road exit of Highway 70. Shuttles run from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The FAQ says shuttles come every 15 to 20 minutes and lists two more lots: Temple Baptist Church, Saturday only, and the State Employees Credit Union lot. It also asks everyone, including people heading to church downtown on Sunday morning, to use Lawson Creek Park and the shuttles. The official pages give different spots for accessible parking. The FAQ says the lot beside 214 Craven Street, and the parking page says across from the Convention Center at South Front and East Front Streets. Check the parking page before you go.
Sunday starts early at Union Point Park. The MUMosa 1-mile fun run begins at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K at 8 a.m., and both start and finish in the park. Registration is $20 for the fun run and $40 for the 5K from September 1 through race day, and finishers get a free mimosa. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, and rides, games and food cost extra.
What "Rain or Shine" Covers in 2026
The 2026 FAQ answers the weather question in one line: "MumFest is a rain-or-shine event." Last October showed what happens when the forecast gets bad enough. Swiss Bear's 2026 vendor terms address that case directly. Booth fees are nonrefundable on or after July 1, 2026. Vendors can buy $50 Cancellation Protection, which pays back the booth fee only if organizers cancel the whole festival because of weather, a hurricane or other unforeseen circumstances. Swiss Bear encourages vendors to buy it. The public FAQ doesn't say what weather would trigger a cancellation, and organizers haven't announced an indoor backup plan for 2026. So the clearest weather information for festivalgoers is the forecast for October 10 and 11.
Downtown New Bern is our home market, and MumFest weekend is when a lot of people see firsthand which streets close, which lots fill and how close Union Point Park really is. If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of the festival footprint, or wondering how the weekend works from a front porch on Broad or Pollock, New Bern Property Group is glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
