Downtown Manchester Scarecrow Festival Guidelines

Join us in bringing a little fall fun to Downtown Manchester! Businesses, organizations, families, schools, community groups, and individuals are invited to create and display a scarecrow along Main Street during the Downtown Manchester Scarecrow Festival.

Festival Dates

Registration Opens: September 1, 2026
Registration Deadline: September 28, 2026
Scarecrow Installation: October 6–8, 2026
Final Installation Deadline: October 8, 2026
Festival Dates: October 10–31, 2026

Scarecrow Removal Deadline: November 2, 2026

Scarecrow Guidelines

To help keep the festival fun, welcoming, and enjoyable for everyone, all scarecrows must follow these guidelines:

• Scarecrows must be family-friendly and appropriate for all ages.
• Scarecrows may not contain political messaging, political endorsements, campaign materials, or content that is political in nature.
• Scarecrows may not include offensive, discriminatory, threatening, excessively violent, or otherwise inappropriate imagery or messaging.
• Participants are encouraged to be creative! Scarecrows can be traditional, funny, whimsical, artistic, themed, or inspired by your business or organization.
• Scarecrows will be displayed outdoors for several weeks, so all materials should be durable and weather-resistant.
• Participants are responsible for securely attaching their scarecrow to the stake provided at their assigned location.
• Scarecrows should not create a hazard or interfere with sidewalks, streets, entrances, landscaping, or pedestrian visibility.
• Participants are responsible for maintaining their scarecrow throughout the festival if repairs are needed.
• Downtown Manchester reserves the right to request changes to or remove any scarecrow that does not meet festival guidelines.

Location Assignments

During registration, participants may select their preferred scarecrow locations using the festival map.

Location requests are not guaranteed. Locations will be assigned based on availability, and we will do our best to accommodate participant preferences.

Participants will receive their confirmed location before installation begins.

Scarecrow Signs

Downtown Manchester will create a sign for each scarecrow that includes:

Scarecrow Name
Created By

When registering, please enter this information exactly as you would like it to appear on your sign. This may include your name, family name, business, school, organization, or community group.

Installation

Scarecrow installation begins Tuesday, October 6 and must be completed no later than Thursday, October 8.

Downtown Manchester will install stakes at designated locations prior to the installation period. Participants are responsible for attaching their scarecrow securely to the provided stake.

Please do not move or relocate festival stakes.

During the Festival

Scarecrows will remain on display throughout Downtown Manchester from October 10 through October 31.

Participants are encouraged to visit Downtown, share photos of their scarecrow, and invite friends and family to explore the festival.

Downtown Manchester is not responsible for damage, theft, vandalism, weather-related damage, or other issues that may occur while scarecrows are on public display.

Removal

Participants are responsible for removing their scarecrow following the festival.

All scarecrows must be removed no later than Monday, November 2, 2026.

Please remove all materials used to secure your scarecrow and leave the area clean.

Photos & Promotion

By participating in the Downtown Manchester Scarecrow Festival, participants understand that photographs or videos of their scarecrow may be used by Downtown Manchester for festival promotion, social media, websites, advertising, and future event marketing.

Ready to Participate?

Registration opens September 1 and closes September 28.

We can't wait to see what you create and fill Downtown Manchester with scarecrows this October!