"Our goal is to create an experience where people can come together, discover incredible food, enjoy Asian culture in a fun and accessible way, and leave having experienced something they may not find anywhere else," Panda Fest founder Xuan "BiuBiu" Xu told WJCL in September. Panda Fest has toured Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Dallas, Nashville, Chicago and Orlando. For its first stop in the Savannah area, it picked 200 Tanger Outlets Blvd. in Pooler.
Tanger Outlets Savannah has become the place where Pooler's fall festivals happen. Between October 3 and November 15, the outlet center hosts an event on four of the seven Saturdays. The city's own fall events run on a separate, smaller track across town. If you plan your weekends around that split, you'll have fewer surprises this fall.
Four of the Next Seven Saturdays
All four events below are on Tanger's own events page for this fall.
| Date | Event | Hours | Where on the property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 3 | Pink Party: Pinking of the Fountain | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | The "50 Yard Line" |
| Fri.–Sun., Oct. 16–18 | Panda Fest | Fri. 4–10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | 200 Tanger Outlets Blvd. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Big Bash Fall Festival & Car Show | 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 200 Tanger Outlets Blvd. |
| Fri.–Sun., Nov. 13–15 | Foodees Fest | Fri. 1–7 p.m., Sat.–Sun. 11 a.m.–7 p.m. | 200 Tanger Outlets Blvd. |
The schedule starts small. The Pink Party is a two-hour, free gathering, and its raffle proceeds go to Keepers of the Flame. It ends with the biggest event, Foodees Fest, a three-day festival that lists more than 100 food vendors. Between them come two more weekends at the same address. A few dates on Tanger's site have small mismatches, so the table uses the dates the event organizers confirm. The Foodees page header shows November 11 to 13, but the event's own listing says November 13 to 15.
These Are Repeat Bookings, Not One-Offs
What makes Tanger the season's main venue is that most of these events have come back. Foodees has set up at Tanger Outlets Savannah at least twice before. WSAV's community calendar listed it there on March 21, 2025, and it returned November 21 to 23, 2025. This November is its next visit.
The Big Bash is on Tanger's calendar twice in 2026. A spring edition ran on Saturday, April 18, with $15 admission and free entry for kids under 12. William Bannon, who started the event three years ago, described it to WJCL this way: "We have the largest gathering of Transformer replicas and themed vehicles in the country." The October edition, listed on the City of Pooler's site, includes:
- Dukes of Hazzard vehicles and a TV & Movie Car Row
- Celebrity impersonators, including Burt Reynolds and Jack Sparrow
- 12 or more food trucks
- A Kids Zone with bounce houses
- Vendors, crafts, raffles, prizes and trophies
The city's listing describes the show as "Saturday, October 25th," which appears to be carried over from last year's post. October 24 is the Saturday this year, and Tanger lists it with hours of 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Panda Fest is the only first-timer in the lineup. More than 80 Asian food vendors are expected, serving over 200 street-food items. Named vendors include Chan Bai Mei from New York with tanghulu, which is candied hawthorn, plus King Squids, Mumu Sweets for mochi doughnuts, and Dumpling King. General admission is $14 and VIP is $35. Saturday admission costs $2 more. Gate tickets are $20, depending on capacity, and children under 6 get in free. Organizers are still announcing vendors, and the full entertainment schedule hasn't been released.
Nothing on Tanger's current calendar runs past mid-November. In 2024, the center hosted a "Merriest Tree Lighting of All" on November 9. As of today, Tanger hasn't posted a 2026 holiday event.
The City's Own Circuit Runs on Preston Stokes Drive
The City of Pooler's fall calendar is shorter and stays mostly on city property. The Recreation Complex at 200 Preston Stokes Drive anchors the two biggest dates.
- Pooler Community Blood Drive, Friday, October 2, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., City Hall Public Parking Lot, 100 US Highway 80 SW.
- Pooler Public Safety Trunk or Treat, Wednesday, October 28, 5 to 7 p.m., at the Recreation Complex parking lot and the Pooler Recreation lot at 900 S. Rogers St. The rain date is Thursday, October 29.
- City of Pooler Tree Lighting & Movie Night, Saturday, November 14, 4 to 7:30 p.m., at the Recreation Complex. The rain date is Sunday, November 15.
Trunk or Treat falls on a weeknight, so it doesn't overlap with anything at Tanger. November 14 does. That Saturday, Foodees Fest runs at Tanger from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the city's tree lighting starts at 4 p.m. at the Recreation Complex. If you want both, go to Foodees for lunch and then head to Preston Stokes Drive for the lighting. The city notes that its listings can change because of weather or scheduling conflicts, so check the calendar the week of.
The Market Off the Festival Grounds
The Savannah Sunset Market is the one recurring fall event in Pooler that happens neither at Tanger nor on city property. WTOC reported in January that the market, which brings together farmers, fishermen, artisans and performers, added Pooler as a regular stop. It meets the second Sunday of each month at The Ascot in Savannah Quarters, and the first Pooler market was January 11, 1 to 4 p.m.
October may be different. The market's homepage currently promotes the Savannah Quarters market for Thursday, October 8, 5 to 8 p.m., at 102 Lusk Lane, The Ascot at Savannah Quarters. The page doesn't print a year, though October 8 does fall on a Thursday this year. Pooler Magazine's 2026 calendar still lists the usual second-Sunday slot instead, October 11, 1 to 4 p.m. Check savannahsunsetmarket.com the week of to see which date holds, and do the same before planning a November Sunday around the market.
If the Thursday date holds, it puts the market on a free weeknight, five days after the Pink Party and a week before Panda Fest opens.
Eating Along Tanger Outlets Boulevard
The restaurants around the festival grounds are growing too. Savannah Morning News reported in May that two new spots had opened.
- Moo Bong Ri Korean Restaurant, 220 Tanger Outlets Blvd., Unit 102, open daily 4 to 10 p.m.
- Dalkom Cafe, 1 N. Godley Station Blvd., A-102, open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Moo Bong Ri opens at 4 p.m., the same time Panda Fest opens on Friday, October 16. That makes it an easy sit-down dinner on the boulevard during the festival.
California Tortilla announced in May that its first Georgia restaurant would open in Pooler this fall at 260 Tanger Outlets Blvd. As of late September, the brand's Pooler location page still shows "Coming Soon" in place of hours. It could open during festival season, but there's no announced date yet.
For mornings, Bagel Dock Express held its grand opening on June 6 at 101 E. Marketplace Way, Unit 100A. The Big Bash opens at 11:30 a.m., so there's time for breakfast first.
Kelly Strojny and the team at Vaden Realty Group keep up with what's happening on Tanger Outlets Boulevard and Preston Stokes Drive for the same reason you do: it's part of everyday life here. If you're curious what your Pooler home is worth this fall, try our free Get Home Value tool. We'll walk you through the number, no pressure.