Old Town Tustin's Construction Season Is Ending Right as Tiller Days Begins
September 17, 2026
September 17, 2026
Back in January, walking Main Street meant stepping around orange cones and construction fencing, with the sidewalk narrowed to a single file in front of the shops between Newport Avenue and C Street. The Old Town Improvements Project had just broken ground, and the timeline the city posted said the work would run through summer. Eight months later, with Tiller Days about two weeks out, that timeline is finally catching up to the calendar. The street residents have been detouring around since the first week of the year is the same street that carries the parade route and hosts thousands of visitors every October.
That timing is not a coincidence so much as a planning outcome, and it changes what this year's Tiller Days actually looks like on the ground. The festival itself hasn't changed. What surrounds it has.
The Old Town Improvements Project and its companion Main Street Improvements Project trace back to the 2018 Downtown Commercial Core Specific Plan, a document that spent years outlining what a rebuilt Old Town should include: reconstructed sidewalks to fix uneven surfaces, upgraded landscaping, raised medians, new signage and right-of-way markings for drivers, bikers, and pedestrians, added parklets for people to actually sit in, and a gateway sign meant to give Main Street a clearer sense of arrival. Construction on El Camino Real between First and Sixth Streets and on Main Street between Newport Avenue and C Street began January 5, 2026, with the city's own project page setting completion for sometime this summer.
For anyone who lives in or near Old Town, that has meant months of intermittent lane closures, detoured sidewalks, and the occasional lost parking space in front of a favorite shop. The city has been upfront that construction noise, dust, and short-term detours come with the territory. What residents get on the other side is more parking capacity than before, wider and more even sidewalks, and gathering space that didn't previously exist along the corridor.
If you haven't walked Main Street in a few weeks, the difference is worth seeing for yourself before the festival crowds arrive.
Old Town's market calendar quietly doubled this year. The Wednesday certified farmers market at El Camino Real and Third has been a fixture for years, run under Orange County Farm Bureau standards with inspected growers selling produce directly to shoppers, alongside vendors known for fresh fish and handmade pasta. That market still runs every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What's new is the Saturday market, which the city introduced as an addition to the weekly lineup rather than a replacement. It runs the same hours, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the same general area, and gives Old Town regulars a second weekly option instead of one. If your routine has been built around a single Wednesday stop, this is the year to notice there's now a Saturday version too.
Old Town's other seasonal tradition is on its way out for the year. The Sunset Market runs the third Thursday of each month from May through September at El Camino Real and Third, combining the farmers market format with live music, a beer and wine garden, and food trucks from 5 to 8:30 p.m. September is the last month on that calendar, which means the evening market season is closing out right as the festival season opens.
That handoff is worth noticing because it's how Old Town's calendar actually works. The Sunset Market carries the neighborhood through the warm months, and Tiller Days picks up the evening-event role once October arrives. There isn't a gap between the two, just a change in what's drawing people to Main Street after dark.
The last year has also added names to the list of places worth a stop before or after the parade. Centro Storico brought a trattoria feel to Old Town with brick walls and house pastas. Honda-Ya has built a following as an izakaya with yakitori skewers and a menu built for sharing. GEN Korean BBQ gives groups a tableside-grill option a short walk from the festival grounds. Chaak Kitchen has become a dinner destination on El Camino Real. And Belly of the Beast, tucked inside the Stowaway Tiki Bar, has quietly become one of those spots regulars mention almost as an inside tip.
None of that replaces what was already there. Rutabegorz has been serving health-conscious plates in Tustin since 1970, and Cream Pan remains the reason some people plan an entire Old Town trip around a pastry case. The list just got longer, and Tiller Days weekend is as good a time as any to work through it, since most of these spots sit within a few blocks of the festival grounds.
Tustin Tiller Days runs Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4, 2026 at Columbus Tustin Park, marking one more year in a run that traces back to 1957 and traditionally falls on the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of October. The festival itself is free to enter, with rides, food, and drinks sold separately.
The weekend's fixed points:
One-day carnival wristbands run around $40 in advance and $45 at the gate this year, and parking near the festival grounds runs about $15, with proceeds benefiting a Columbus Tustin Middle School fundraiser. Street parking is available where allowed, and rideshare pickup zones are set up near the festival entrance for anyone who'd rather skip the lot altogether.
Here's the part that's easy to miss if you're only thinking about the parade. The Old Town Improvements Project was designed, in part, to add parking capacity to the corridor long-term, more spaces along El Camino Real and Main Street than existed before construction started. That's the net gain from eight months of detours.
Parade day works against that gain temporarily. Street closures for the parade route run from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the day itself, covering stretches of Main Street, Irvine Boulevard, and several connecting side streets, with any vehicles left in the closure zone past 5 a.m. subject to towing. So the neighborhood ends the year with more parking than it started with, and still needs a plan for one specific Saturday morning when a meaningful chunk of that parking disappears for a few hours. Both things are true at once, and only one of them shows up if you're just checking a festival flyer.
None of this changes what Tiller Days is. It's still a parade, a carnival, a pancake breakfast, and a weekend built around Columbus Tustin Park, the way it has been since 1957. What's different is the street it runs through and the routines built around it. The sidewalks are wider. There are two farmers markets instead of one. The restaurant list is longer. And the parking situation, like most things in Old Town this year, is better on balance and still worth planning around for one specific Saturday.
If you've been meaning to walk Main Street since this construction started wrapping up, Tiller Days weekend is as good a reason as any.
We write these neighborhood updates because Rance Cooper works and lives in this part of Orange County, not because a festival calendar needs promoting. If you're curious about what else has shifted in Old Town or anywhere else in Tustin lately, our Tustin neighborhood page is a good place to browse, and if you ever want to talk through what any of this means for a home you own or one you're watching, Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
With deep roots in Orange County and a background in business and real estate investment, he brings local expertise, strategic guidance, and genuine care to every transaction. Whether buying or selling, he is committed to delivering personalized service, strong results, and a seamless experience from start to finish.
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