FUN
The Arkansas State Fair & Livestock Show kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday and runs 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily through Oct. 25 at the State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard St., Little Rock. The 2026 theme is “Big Flavors. Big Rides. Even Bigger Fun.” An interesting facet to this year’s fair: No national has-been acts — all the Main Stage entertainers each day are local. (501) 372-8341; arkansasstatefair.com.
Live music, a dog show, food trucks and vendors, a beer garden featuring local brews and a kids zone will all be part of the 32nd HarvestFest in Hillcrest, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, centering on the 2900 block of Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock’s Hillcrest neighborhood. Local bands hit the Lost 40 Concert Stage starting at noon with the headliner, Ratboys from Chicago, at 6 p.m. Dogs strut their stuff in costume on the red carpet, 3-5 p.m., with prize packages for the winners. More than a dozen food trucks will be vending everything from quesadillas to cheesecake. hillcrestharvestfest.com.
The Central Arkansas Library System Main Library, 100 Rock St., Little Rock, hosts a Renaissance Faire, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, including face-painting for youngsters, demonstrations on making “dragon eggs” (actually Scotch eggs), a session on “Lute Basics”; and a 2 p.m. performance by Irish dancers from O’Donovan School of Irish Dance. events.cals.org.
Arkansas PRIDEFest & Parade starts at 11 a.m. Saturday at 1110 W. Capitol Ave. in Little Rock and proceeds along the avenue, with a subsequent street festival. arpride.org
The 35th Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festivalcontinues through Friday at various venues in Hot Springs. Closing night Friday screens "Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu," following comedy legends Bob Odenkirk and David Cross up the Inca Trail. hsdfi.org.
MUSIC
Performers from Arkansas Circus Arts, singers Shannon Webb and Jacob Keith Watson, media maestro Craig O’Neill, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Chamber Choir, Ballet Folklórico and the Mirana Dance Company join the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for its “Halloween Spooktacular” pops concerts, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. (501) 666-1761; arkansassymphony.org
Conway rock band Jupiter’s Flytrap, Little Rock R&B singer Brae Leni and Prairie Grove-based blues group Rachel Fields and the Blues Therapy Group perform for the fourth annual NPR Tiny Desk Contest: Arkansas Showcase, 6-9 p.m. Saturday at The Hall, 721 W. Ninth St., Little Rock. The show is a collaboration between Little Rock public station KUAR-FM and Arkansas NPR affiliates KUAF-FM in Fayetteville and KASU-FM in Jonesboro. Doors open at 5 p.m. Little Rock Public Radio members get a 50% discount. littlerockhall.com.
Arkansauce headlines the season’s final Argenta Vibe, with opener Chris DeClerk, 4-8 p.m. Saturday at Argenta Plaza, 510 Main St., North Little Rock. argentaartsdistrict.org.
Country singer Gavin Adcock, on his Hang It Up Tour, with openers Braxton Keith and The Creekers, performs at 7 p.m. Saturday at First Security Amphitheater, 400 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. ticketmaster.com.
Trinitas Ensemble performs a concert titled “The American Soundscape,” American choral music celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, 7 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 800 Scott St., Little Rock. onrealm.org.
The Little Rock Winds opens its 2026-27 season with a concert titled “Borderlands: Arkansas and South-Central USA,” music representative of Arkansas and the bordering states of Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock. (501) 666-0777; lrwinds.org.
THEATER
Argenta Contemporary Theatre, 405 Main St., North Little Rock, stages “Misery,” William Goldman’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, 7 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 1. argentacontemporarytheatre.org.
LifeQuest, which is marking its 45th anniversary, also celebrates Jane Austen’s 250th birthday with the LifeQuest Players’ production of “Lady Susan,” an adaptation by director Wayne Chapman of Austen’s early work, 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Congregation B’Nab Israel, 3700 Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock.
Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, opens its production this week of the musical “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” onstage through Nov. 14. Buffet opens 90 minutes before curtain. — 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday (but 12:30 p.m. Wednesday matinees only Oct. 21 and 28), 12:45 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com.
FILM
Nell Campbell, who played Columbia in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” hosts a stop on the film’s “Spooktacular” Tour, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Oct. 20 at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. It includes a screening of the film while a live shadow cast performs, a Q&A with Campbell and a costume contest. (501) 244-8800; Ticketmaster.com.
DANCE
Arkansas Festival Ballet kicks off its 2026-27 season with a program called “Fall for Ballet,” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the “black box” at its headquarters, 518 Main St., Little Rock. (501) 443-7207; arkansasfestivalballet.org.
ART AND EXHIBITS
New this week:
“I am asking you to endure it,” digital and mixed-media works by Hannah Perkins, opens with an Argenta Arts District’s Third Friday Art Walk reception, 5-8 p.m. Friday at the Argenta Library Gallery, 420 Main St., North Little Rock. It’s up through Nov. 6 during regular library hours — 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. (501) 687-1061; nlrlibrary.org.
And a 5-7 p.m. reception Friday marks the official opening of “Memento of Mortality,” pen drawings on paper, mounted on cardboard and cut by hand by North Little Rock artist Paul Perkins, at the William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock, on display through Nov. 28, during regular library hours, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday-Saturday. (501) 758-1720; nlrlibrary.org.
Continuing:
“The Age of Anxiety: German Expressionism in Art and Film,” a melding of early 20th century German Expressionist art and period films, is up through Jan. 10 at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 372-4000; arkmfa.org
“Painting the Arkansas Parks,” a traveling exhibition of paintings based on sketches at state parks in each of Arkansas’ five major geographic regions, is on display through January in Trinity Gallery for Arkansas Artists at Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock.
“In Hot Water: Betting on the Spa City,” an exploration of the rise and fall of gambling in Hot Springs, is on display through 2027 at the Old State House Museum, 300 W. Markham St., Little Rock, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. arkansasheritage.com/events/
“Unexpected Perspective,” paintings with abstract elements by Matt McLeod of items he has viewed through a camera lens, is up through Oct. 31 at The Art Group Gallery, in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, 11525 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday or by appointment. (501) 690-2193.
“Big Fig,” large figurative portraits by Jason McCann and Ray Allen Parker, is on display through Oct. 24 at Boswell Mourot Fine Art, 1501 S. Main St., Suite H, Little Rock. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and by appointment. (501) 454-6969.
“Pulp Fictions,” works by Central Arkansas artists Robert Bean, Phillip Rex Huddleston and Greg Lahti that explore the shadowy world of dime-store novels, femmes fatale, retro sci-fi, horror and more, is on display through Oct. 31 at Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday. (501) 664-8996.
“Barbie and Friends,” a display of “the dolls, styles, and cultural moments that have inspired generations,” including the first Black Barbie and Black Ken, is up through Feb. 28 at ESSE Museum & Store, 1510 Main St., Little Rock. (501) 916-9022.
Made-in-Arkansas objects, including paintings and sculptures, is on display in the “Collecting Arkansas Made” exhibit at Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 324-9351.
“Will Barnet: Seasons of Life,” works on paper by Barnet from the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Collection, is on display through Oct. 11 at the museum, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. arkmfa.org.
“In Natural Space,” recent landscapes and other paintings by Pope County artist David Mudrinich, a professor emeritus in art at Arkansas Tech University, “drawn from many of his experiences roaming within the Arkansas River watershed,” is on display through Oct. 17 at Cantrell Gallery, 8202 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The exhibit remains up through Oct. 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. (501) 224-1335; cantrellgallery.com.
“Clara Barton: Angel of the Battlefield,” a traveling exhibit on loan from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine showcasing the life and legacy of one of the most celebrated Civil War caregivers, is on display through Oct. 31 at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 376-4602.
“Icons in Transformation,” three-dimensional paintings inspired by traditional Russian icons by Ludmila Pawlowska, is on display through Nov. 8 in The Oasis at St. Margaret’s at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, 20900 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock. Gallery hours are 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, 1-5 p.m. Saturday. theoasisatstmargarets.com.
“Play in Arkansas,” examining how people have created joy through play and how the history of play can contribute to understanding of both past and present, is on display through Dec. 15 at the University of Arkansas Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. The exhibit includes handmade and mass-produced toys, dolls and game paraphernalia, as well as a memories section, where individuals can share their personal reflections on childhood play. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.
“Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad,” color photographs by Jeanine Michna-Bales and narratives that tell the story of the Underground Railroad and the enslaved people who risked their lives along its many routes, is on display through Jan. 7 at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 376-4602.
“Material Nature: Gifts From the John and Robyn Horn Collection” is on display through April 25 in the Robyn and John Horn Gallery in the Windgate Art School at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 372-4000; arkmfa.com.
“Kuimeaux’s World,” drawings and paintings by late Little Rock native Dwight “Kuimeaux” Drennan, is on display through spring 2027 at Little Rock’s Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 324-9351.
“Manufacturing Victory in Arkansas: Supplying the Battlefront and Changing the Homefront During World War II,” “highlight(ing) the role and contributions of ordnance plants in Arkansas during the war,” remains on display through Dec. 31, 2027, at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 376-4602.
