A weekend-long festival inspired by the small-town autumn coziness of The Gilmore Girls will double as a rare tourist draw for the East Bay hamlet of Danville this October.
Some call it Spooky Season, but for others, fall is a time wrap yourself in a thick wool scarf, burn a pumpkin spice candle, wear only browns and neutrals, and sip coffee (or wine) out of large mugs while rewatching The Gilmore Girls. If the seasonal New England comforts of the show are something you’d be willing to travel a short distance and spend money for, the town of Danville is hoping that you’ll accept their simulacrum this October, at an event they’re calling Flannel & Foliage.
Do they get fall foliage in Danville? Apparently they do, though this has not been well marketed as far as I can tell. Downtown Danville, and other parts of the San Ramon Valley, have clusters of deciduous trees that do change color in the fall, and maybe they’ll get lucky and it will be peak foliage time on October 23, when this three-day event kicks off.
The Chronicle caught word of the Flannel & Foliage event, which comes from an outfit called Small Town Venture that appears to have been created to host this one event. And Danville Mayor Newell Arnerich is fully onboard, telling the paper he hopes the event will become “a new fall tradition.
“Danville’s small-town charm, walkable downtown and strong sense of community make it a natural setting for an event inspired by the warmth and character that Gilmore Girls fans have embraced for so many years,” Arnerich said in a statement.
So what will be happening for three days at this ticketed event? Organizers are promising music performances, hosted panels, and “small group Q&As,” the latter two presumably featuring several Gilmore Girls cast members whose attendance has allegedly been secured. Those cast members include Kelly Bishop, who played matriarch Emily Gilmore, mother of Lorelei, played by Lauren Graham, and grandmother to Rory, played by Alexis Bledel. (Neither Graham nor Bledel appear to be attending.)
Also taking part, the organizers say, will be Scott Patterson, who played Luke on the show, Sean Gunn, who played Kirk, and Emily Kuroda, who played Lane’s mom Mrs. Kim. Three other supporting cast members, Yanic Truesdale (Michel the concierge), Todd Lowe (Lane’s boyfriend Zach), and John Cabrera (Lane’s bandmate Brian), will also be in attendance.
The seven-season comedic drama was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who went on to create The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The show maintained a cult following for years after it aired its last regular-season episode in 2007, and was rebooted for one four-episode season on Netflix in 2016, with rumors of a follow-up still lingering.
The show served as a career launchpad for Melissa McCarthy, who played Lorelei’s best friend Sookie St. James; Milo Ventimiglia, who played a short-lived boyfriend of Rory’s starting in Season 2; and Adam Brody, who played Lane’s first boyfriend in Season 1.
As the Chronicle notes, with the fictional Stars Hollow being in Connecticut, and with Gilmore Girls nostalgia apparently gaining traction, the city of Hartford, Connecticut is also hosting a Stars Hollow Weekend in early October, complete with Gilmore Girls triany of the cast to attend, at least not yet
Organizers of Flannel & Foliage say that general-admission tickets will be free, but VIP tickets will go on sale next week, and they’ve got a block of hotel rooms reserved at the Hyatt House San Ramon. Find more info here.
The organizers note that this event is not affiliated with the show’s creators or with any production studio or TV network.
