Under clear October skies, thousands of residents gathered on October 11 for the annual Wayland Festival, transforming Town Center into a daylong celebration of local spirit. The event featured a parade, live performances, food trucks, artisans, and family activities, reflecting what Carol Martin called “a model for community connection.”
“This event shows what happens when every part of the town — volunteers, departments, businesses, and families — comes together,” an organizer said at a recent Select Board meeting.
The morning kicked off with a parade led by the Wayland High School Marching Band followed by Girl Scouts Troop 01778, youth athletes and cultural performers carrying banners of unity. A highlight of the parade was a traditional Chinese dragon dance, its vibrant costume weaving through the street to applause. Families lined the sidewalks, waving and snapping photos as the procession passed from Elements Massage to Spark Orthodontics.
After the parade, families explored the festival grounds where rows of booths, crafts, and food vendors created a lively market atmosphere. The Touch-a-Truck exhibit drew long lines of children eager to climb into DPW tractors, loaders, and police vehicles. Officer Shane Bowles and his K-9 partner greeted visitors, while Eversource volunteers offered bucket-truck rides high above the crowd. The Roaming Railroad train and inflatable games kept kids entertained throughout the afternoon as music drifted across the green.
An outdoor feast
Food trucks and local restaurants lined the streets serving everything from barbecue and tacos to the festival favorite, Uncle Joey’s Cannoli.
The Wayland Post booth became a gathering spot for conversation and community updates. The Villa Restaurant donated sandwiches and pizza, feeding more than 300 festivalgoers for free as part of its ongoing support for community event, a gesture that drew steady lines and appreciative smiles, reinforcing the festival’s spirit of generosity and neighborly care.
A cultural showcase
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and Recreation Department coordinated performances that organizers said captured “the spirit of who we are as neighbors.” The main stage hosted a full schedule of performances beneath banners reading “In Wayland We Are Many, In Wayland We Are One.” Student musicians, community ensembles, and multicultural dance groups reflected the town’s growing diversity.
Main Street turned into an open-air gallery as local artists displayed ceramics, woodcraft, fine art and photography. Among the participants were Jane Fagone Studio, Emily’s Pottery Studio, Peter Harding Studios, Crazy for Canines, Dave Austin Woodworks, Wonderstruck Studio, Dee Golm Fine Art and Divine Art Decorations.
Festival-goers browsed booths, chatting with artists and picking up early holiday gifts while acoustic musicians played nearby.
In the afternoon, colonial reenactors and veterans staged a tribute on the hillside behind the stage.
The event was organized through months of coordination among staff from the Recreation Department, DPW, police and fire departments, and dozens of volunteers. Local businesses and nonprofits staffed booths and sponsored activities. Organizers estimated attendance was the largest in the festival’s history. Planning for the 2026 event is already underway.
“This is what community looks like,” a Select Board member said, “Wayland came together — and it showed.”
As the sun set over Route 20, families lingered on the grass listening to the final notes from the main stage — a fitting end to a day that celebrated everything that makes Wayland home.
