Gilmore Girls Festival in Brighton, Michigan Expands for 2025

The viral Michigan fan festival has expanded to three days in 2025. Here's what you need to know for the 2nd annual event! Turns out Stars Hollow is closer than you might think:

Destination Stars Hollow - Sep. 19-21, 2025

In 2024 Gilmore Girls super-fans Kathleen London and Laura Boote's inaugural event drew nearly 40,000 visitors to downtown Brighton, Michigan. According to MLive that's five times the town's population!

If you're not familiar with the show, Gilmore Girls was a comedy/drama that aired on the WB and was considered must-watch television for nearly every female Millennial. From 2000-2007 we watched intently as Lorelai and Rory Gilmore loved, lost-- and learned.

The 2024 event went viral for some of the wrong reasons. Due to overwhelming turnout attendees complained of long lines in the hot sun and overcrowding, but they've had a whole year to work out the kinks. Destination Stars Hollow is back in 2025 and better than ever! According to the event website:

This free immersive weekend experience sprinkles a little fairy dust on reality, letting visitors imagine life as a true Stars Hollow resident. Participating businesses join in the fun with exclusive merchandise, delicious themed treats, adorable photo ops, and so much more.

For the 2025 return of the festival fans can expect to see businesses along downtown Brighton transformed into their favorite Stars Hollow shops such as Kim’s Antiques or grabbing a bite at Luke's diner.

This year there's also a special VIP preview night on Friday, a look-alike contest, and special add-ons like meet and greet with stars from the show Scott Patterson (Luke) and Michigan native Rose Abdoo (Gypsy)!

Find more details on the 2025 event here.