After the success of last fall’s “Destination Stars Hollow: A Gilmore Fan Celebration,” this event is returning to downtown Brighton the weekend of Sept. 19-21, expanding from initially one day to now three days.
The Brighton City Council approved the return of “Destination Stars Hollow” on Jan. 28. The event – inspired by the 2000-07 TV show “Gilmore Girls” (which returned for a sequel mini-series in 2016) – will run on:
- Friday, Sept. 19, from 5-9pm
- Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9:30am to 9pm
- Sunday, Sept. 21, from 9:30am to 6pm
Between 30-40,000 people attended last year’s event, according to organizers
Kathleen London and Laura Boote. Main Street became Stars Hollow, the fictional town the show occurs. For instance, Captain’s ön Main became Antonioli’s Pizza, while 2 Dandelions Bookshop became Stars Hollow Books. Brighton businesses had increased foot traffic and sales.
“Laura and I are absolutely honored that people want to spend a weekend with us in our small town celebrating this amazing show,” said London. “The attendees really wanted more time to explore and shop. We are adding more events, a better VIP package and coordinating lots more services to support the needs of the event like shuttles, parking, water, food and bathrooms.”
Created by Amy Sherman Palladino (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), “Gilmore Girls” chronicles the lives of single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham, “Parenthood”) and her teenage daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel, “The Handmaid’s Tale”), whom she had when she was 16. Both mother and daughter love coffee. They live in Stars Hollow, CT, a quaint little hamlet.
“As a downtown resident, I’ve always felt like our town resembles Stars Hollow, not necessarily in direct looks, but the different stores, shop owners and sense of community. It’s my favorite part of living downtown and as Kathleen noted it just felt like a natural way to celebrate our town,” explained Boote.
RELATED: Spoiler Alert: “Ann Arbor” is a Film that will be About Ann Arbor
In the show, Lorelai advances in her career as a hotel manager at the Independence Inn, while Rory navigates the trials and tribulations of high school and aspires to attend Harvard University. To pay for Rory’s tuition to attend the prestigious – and expensive – Chilton Preparatory School, Lorelai swallows her pride and turns to her estranged yet wealthy parents Richard (Edward Hermann, “The Lost Boys”) and Emily (Kelly Bishop, “Dirty Dancing”). They are willing to pay with the caveat Lorelai and Rory have dinner with them every Friday night, setting up one of the show’s main conflicts as the family hashes out their differences.
London and Boote advise people not to expect any stars to show up at this event.
“It’s more about pretending you’re in the show for a weekend,” said Boote.
Both London and Boote gave their insight about the show’s staying power nearly 25 years after it debuted.
“Relationships between mothers and daughters always stand the test of time but also the brilliance of the writing, directing, and acting makes this just so watchable at any age,” said London.
Added Boote, “Even though it’s almost 25 years old, it never feels old. There’s so many important lessons to be learned from all the characters. It’s such a comfort show for so many people.”
