“Gilmore Girls’” Stars Hollow Was a Love Letter to Small Town America. Now, a Michigan Town is Recreating The Magic (Exclusive)

Destination Starz Hollow is taking over Brighton, Mich. from Sept. 25-27, and several ‘Gilmore Girls’ stars will be in attendance

NEED TO KNOW

• Brighton, Mich. transforms into the beloved fictional town from Gilmore Girls for Destination Starz Hollow from Sept. 26-27
• The festival features themed activities, local business transformations, and appearances by cast members like Scott Patterson and Kelly Bishop
• The organizers tell PEOPLE exclusively that the show’s intergenerational appeal and its connection to small-town charm inspired them to create the event

As autumn returns, so do seasonal re-watches of the beloved WB show Gilmore Girls. Now, fans of the show can visit a real-life version of its iconic small town setting.

Destination Starz Hollow transforms the quaint town of Brighton, Mich. into Stars Hollow, the fictional Connecticut hamlet that mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory Gilmore call home in the hit show. The festival is free to attend on Sept. 26 and Sept. 27, with a VIP night on Sept. 25.

Established in the mid-19th century, Brighton, like Stars Hollow, has no shortage of historical charm and traditions. 

“We have this interesting concept that so much of Gilmore Girls and Stars Hollow is inspired by what small towns like ours live and do every day,” executive director Anne Adams tells PEOPLE exclusively, noting that a part of the festival’s goal is “shining a light on a small town and small town businesses.”

“Every town has quirky characters,” adds Adams, who co-founded the festival in 2024 with Kathleen London. “Every town has fun fundraisers and interesting people that take a chance and open a business. They all have a story to tell, just like in Stars Hollow.”

The event takes over the town’s main street and its local businesses, set against the backdrop of the Midwestern autumn foliage. The shops transform into their own versions of Stars Hollow’s Weston’s bakery, Luke’s beloved diner and, of course, Stars Hollow Books, where bookworm Rory was always picking up her latest read. The festival will also include a Bop It contest, basket bidding, dance contest, fashion show, knitting and a golden egg hunt, all homages to the unique dynamic of the fictional town.

Kristine Eckart, the author of Meet Me at Luke’s: Lessons in Life and Love from Gilmore Girls, will host a book signing and two book club events, titled “Rory’s Book Club.”

The festival will also feature appearances from three cast members — Scott Patterson, who played the grumpy yet lovable local diner owner Luke Danes; Sean Gunn, who played the creative and spirited Kirk Gleason; and Kelly Bishop, who played the matriarch of the Gilmore Girls, grandmother Emily Gilmore.

All three will appear at meet-and-greet events. A $75 ticket covers a party of two adults and one child under 12.

Bishop, 82, will additionally participate in a “Coffee & Cotillions” Q&A about her recent memoir, The Third Gilmore Girl, chronicling her illustrious career in Hollywood and her performance in the hit WB show.

Both Patterson, 68, and Gunn, 52, will also be participating in Q&A sessions, with Gunn’s aptly named “Coffee and Chaos” and Patterson’s titled “A Very Coffee Morning.”

The events will all take place at a local church, mimicking the feeling of the colorful town meetings featured in Gilmore Girls.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

London recently appeared on Patterson’s I Am All In podcast, and says his fellow Gilmore Girls alum Rosa Abdoo (who played town mechanic Gypsy), a Michigan native, was responsible for first bringing his attention to the event. In the episode, London discussed just what makes Destination Starz Hollow so unique.

“We realized that we’re not trying to be Stars Hollow, Stars Hollow is trying to be us,” London says of Brighton’s real-life small-town charm. 

The festival, which comes on the heels of the 25th anniversary of Gilmore Girls‘ premiere, is uniquely immersive — instead of opting for the traditional street fair model, the festival instead highlights the town’s local businesses and the similarities they bear to those of the unique characters in Gilmore Girls.

“We’re not a Comic-Con,” London says. “It’s not in our ethos. And there is a place for Comic-Cons, don’t get me wrong. But we felt that in including the actors in this event that [was already happening] prior to their showing up, the important part for us was kind of immersing them into the vibe of what we were doing.”

“We jokingly call it Comic-Con through the female gaze,” Adams adds. “So we draw in women from all over the country, and it’s just a new way, a fresh way of looking at it. It was born out of such an authentic [place].”

Beyond the aesthetic charm of Gilmore Girls, part of what has kept viewers coming back year after year is the cross-generational relationships and friendships of its central female characters.

“One thing that is so interesting to us is how it’s activated the younger generations,” Adams says. “So Gilmore Girls strikes a tone with women of all ages, and it’s really something interesting to hear about 15-year-old girls coming with their millennial moms to play for the day in Brighton dressed up as Stars Hollow.”

“And their boomer grandmothers!” London adds of the fans that may find themselves relating to Emily’s character.

Gilmore Girls aired for seven seasons from 2000 to 2007 and followed Lorelai’s (Lauren Graham) journey as a single mother of a teen daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel). Throughout the series, Lorelai finds a passion for hospitality and Rory chases a dream to be a journalist, as both mother and daughter navigate the ups and downs of life and love in their characterful small town.

The show has become a cultural touchstone and in August, it was announced that a new documentary about the making of Gilmore Girls would be released on HBO Max.

When asked which Gilmore Girls characters they relate to the most, London and Adams were quick to agree that it’s the relationship between chef Sookie St. James’s (Melissa McCarthy) and Lorelai, and in particular, the moment when they decide to take the risk of opening the Dragonfly Inn together.

Says Adams, “It all comes together, and we both have our talents and things that we’re good at, and it just shines through.’”

Further details about Destination Starz Hollow can be found on the festival’s official website.

Read the full article here