21 Great Fall Festivals

Celebrate the cooler weather with ripe apples and pumpkins, hot air balloon rides and spectacular leaf-peeping at these top fall festivals across the country.

July 27, 2021

By: Lynn Coulter

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Photo By: Billings Farm and Museum

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Welcome the Season at a Fall Festival

After months of isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, the world is opening up again. As the temperatures drop, the leaves turn brilliant colors and apples and pumpkins ripen, we're ready to have some fun again. Try your hand at pumpkin bowling (shown here at the Billings Farm and Museum Harvest Celebration), hop on a hayride, shop for arts and antiques or quaff a foamy beer at an Oktoberfest. Fall festivals around the country are waiting for you.

Before you go, confirm dates and times to be sure there are no changes or cancellations.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico

Whether you sail through the clear blue sky or float in a glowing balloon at twilight, the International Balloon Fiesta will make your spirits soar. It lifts off in Albuquerque, "The Hot Air Balloon Capital of the World," in early October. Watch the Dawn Patrol pilots launch their balloons as the first rays of sunlight streak the sky, root for your favorite special-shaped balloon in the rodeo or catch a spirited flying competition. Don't miss the chainsaw carving demos and spectacular fireworks.

Columbus Oktoberfest, Ohio

Put on your lederhosen and kick up your polka heels on the weekend after Labor Day at the Schmit Oktoberfest in Columbus, Ohio. Then stop to feast on pillowy cream puffs, delicious brats, goulash with spaetzle, frankfurters and sauerkraut and other German delights. Wash everything down with a fine wine or a mug of ale, lager or craft beer. Dozens of arts and crafts vendors will sell their wares in the eclectic Marktplatz; let the kids cavort in the free Kinderplatz area and catch live entertainers performing on three stages. How's your voice? Find out at the yodeling contest.

Sea Witch Festival, Delaware

Bring the kids to the Sea Witch Festival on Halloween weekend and let them fill up their goodie bags along the Trick-or-Treating Trail. This for-all-ages fest runs from downtown Rehoboth Beach into the town of Dewey Beach, onto the coastal highway and into the surrounding resort area. Dress yourself and your pup in costumes and join in a parade, play horseshoes, take a hayride, compete in a broom toss, see magic shows and enjoy other games and live entertainment.

Fall for Greenville, South Carolina

Greenville isn't just one of the South's hottest cities for foodies; it's also home to the 40th annual Fall for Greenville Festival. The fun kicks off with a concert on the Friday before the second full weekend of October. Regional craft breweries will pour more than 50 brews, the famous Budweiser Clydesdale Horses will appear, and attendees can catch more than 60 acts on five stages along Main Street. Most of the 250 dishes offered cost just $3-5 each; choose from everything from authentic Jamaican and Greek cuisine to Southern barbecue or tacos. Festival entrance is free and open to all ages.

Rise Festival, Nevada

Few events are held in the middle of the Mojave Desert — except for the Rise Festival. On the first Friday and Saturday in October, weather permitting, festival-goers write messages on paper lanterns and release them into the night sky simultaneously. The event isn't just a beautiful light display and chance to take in live musical performances. The lanterns let attendees send up their hopes and dreams, like wishes or prayers, in hopes of seeing them realized. Organizers practice sustainability by collecting the 100-percent biodegradable lanterns after they land, along with any pre-existing litter. The festival is held 25 miles south of Las Vegas on the Jean Lake Dry Bed. See the website for details on parking and shuttle buses.

Shenandoah Autumnfest, Virginia

Leaf-peepers and BBQ lovers, this one's for you. Some of the country's most spectacular fall foliage can be found in mountainous western Virginia, home to the annual Shenandoah Autumnfest. It's known for its craft beers and whole hog and chicken BBQ. You'll see how Virginians barbecued whole hogs for hundreds of years, the same way George Washington and James Madison cooked them over pits of oak and hickory coals. There's also a log-splitting contest, harness racing, apple butter demos and an old-fashioned car display. The festival is for ages 21 and up because alcohol is sold. Watch for the festival in early to mid-October at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Woodstock.

Yellow Daisy Festival, Georgia

Shoppers, grab your wallets. The 53rd Yellow Daisy Festival at Georgia's Stone Mountain Park is the South's largest outdoor arts and crafts show. Voted a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event, it offers over six acres of food and jury-selected arts and crafts vendors. Enjoy the yellow daisies growing in the park while you're there; they're a special type, discovered in 1864, and grow only within 60 miles of Stone Mountain. The festival is in early September when the flowers bloom.

Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, New York

Get ready for one of the biggest Halloween-inspired events in the country when the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze lights up again. Over 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins glow from mid-September through Halloween and again on selected dates in November at the Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson

Another pumpkin display, Blaze Long Island begins the third week of September and goes through Halloween. It opens again on selected dates in November. Look for the pumpkin “star tunnel,” a working lighthouse replica and an 80-foot circus train. Don’t miss an electrifying performance of Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow on Fridays through Sundays in October at Sunnyside, Irving’s home on the Hudson River.

Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta, New Mexico

When is a festival a fiesta? When it celebrates the spicy chiles and traditional cuisine of beautiful Santa Fe, considered one of the best small-town foodie destinations in the country. For its 30th anniversary, the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta, held around the third week in September, will offer two "Grand Tastings" on grassy Magers Field in the historic downtown area. The tastings will feature 90 wineries and 35 local restaurants plating up their signature dishes. Enter a Sunday golf classic, catch cooking demos, wine seminars and a live auction, or reserve your tickets for a champagne brunch or the all-day Rosé Extravaganza.

Scarecrow Festival, Illinois

Lions, tigers, and...scarecrows? Oh my! At the Scarecrow Festival, you can pose for selfies beside hundreds of handcrafted scarecrows displayed throughout downtown St. Charles, Illinois, on the second weekend in October. Cast your vote for a prize-winning favorite at a local store or eatery. Want to make one, too? Buy a Scarecrow in a Box and get pantyhose, twine, straw, an outfit and directions to assemble your own stuffed creation. Don't miss the kids' activities and entertainment in Lincoln Park.

Harvest on the Harbor, Maine

Not all fall harvests come from farms. Harvest on the Harbor, held in early November in Portland, Maine, showcases the flavors of lobsters fresh from the sea at one of New England's finest foodie festivals. In the "Meet Your Maker" area, visitors can sample the best of Maine's distilleries. Other events include an Oysterfest and the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition.

Frankenmuth Oktoberfest, Michigan

Held in Heritage Park in mid-September, Frankenmuth's 31st Oktoberfest serves up such traditional German foods, events, performances and dancing, you'll imagine you're in Munich. Register your Weiner dog — your dachshund — in a race to compete for prizes, or march your pup in the Weiner Dog Parade and take home a ribbon. There will be plenty of polkas, accordion music, authentic Hofbrauhaus Oktoberfest beer, souvenirs and food choices to keep you hopping, polka-style.

Warrens Cranberry Festival, Wisconsin

Tiny Warrens, Wisconsin, population 400 souls, draws 120,00 visitors each year to its nonprofit Cranberry Festival, billed as the world's largest. (Yes, Massachusetts has lots of bogs, but the tangy, tart fruits are a big deal here, too.) Browse more than 1,300 street booths for arts and crafts, antiques, flea market finds and fresh fall flowers and produce on the last weekend in September. Ask about a free walking tour of a cranberry marsh. We think you'll have a berry good time.

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, Rhode Island

Come rain or shine, pumpkins carved with fantastic designs will glow at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island during the yearly Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. The ornate orbs will light up the zoo's Wetlands Trail from late September to Halloween night, backed by a soundtrack of the greatest rock and roll, hip hop, swing and ragtime hits from the last 150 years. For sensory-sensitive visitors, special dates and times are available without music or special effects. See the website for details.

Elk Fest, Colorado

Fall is mating season for herds of elk that live in and around Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, and the bulls announce it by bugling loudly. Seeing them at this family-friendly event, against a background of bright gold aspen trees, is one of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the country. The town of Estes Park celebrates its yearly, two-day Elk Fest on the last weekend in September or the first weekend in October. Enter a contest to see if you can out-bugle the real deal, hear Native American music and stories and learn about indigenous traditions as you watch the animals.

AppleJack Harvest Festival, Nebraska

Every year, Nebraska City’s AppleJack Festival draws some 60,000 to 80,000 apple fans. Beginning in mid-September, the festival lasts for the entire harvest season (about three weeks) or, as the organizers say, until the last apple is eaten down to the last core. Come for pies, doughnuts, fritters and salads made with this delicious fruit, or snack on candy and caramel-coated yummies. Sign up for a water barrel fight, fun run, apple tasting or bull riding, hear live music or see a parade, classic car show and more.

National Apple Harvest Festival, Pennsylvania

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, imagine what apple pie, candied apples, apple guacamole or plenty of pre-picked or pick-your-own apples can do. October is harvest time in the heart of Pennsylvania apple country. Held at the South Mountain Fairgrounds near Arendtsville, just outside Gettysburg, visitors to this apple-palooza can imbibe fresh-pressed cider and enjoy all sorts of apple dishes. The National Apple Harvest Festival takes place, rain or shine, the first two full weekends of October. Visitors can also enjoy craft demos, Native American dances, steam engine and antique car displays, a petting zoo, hay rides, orchard tours and live entertainment.

Trailing of the Sheep, Idaho

Repeatedly named one of the top festivals in the world, Ketchum, Idaho's Trailing of the Sheep honors a 150-year-old tradition of moving these wooly beauties from their summer pastures to their southern winter grazing and lambing areas. Typically beginning the first full week in October, this living history event will also offer wool classes and workshops, folk arts activities and Basque, Scottish and Peruvian dances and music. Acclaimed storytellers will spin sheep "tales," border collies will compete in championship sheepdog trials, and chefs will serve up lamb tastings as some 1,500 sheep hoof down Main Street in a big parade.

Natchez Balloon Festival, Mississippi

The East won’t be outdone when it comes to hot air balloon festivals. New Mexico has one in Albuquerque, but Mississippi floats its own version with the Natchez Balloon Festival. Starting in mid-October, visitors can climb aboard for hot air balloon rides or cheer for their favorites in balloon races. The fun starts at historic Rosalie Mansion, located southwest of the downtown area. A carnival, arts and crafts market, live music, a balloon glow and fireworks make this a family-friendly event. Football fans, don't worry about missing your favorite games. A sports tent equipped with HD TVs will tune in to the best channels for NCAA and NFL teams.

Arizona Taco Festival, Scottsdale

Launched over a decade ago, the Arizona Taco Festival says it was first of its kind in the world. Usually held from mid to late October, the event lets you sample some of the most scorching and unusual hot sauces around, strut your chihuahua in a beauty pageant, sip tequila, sotol, bacanora, mezcal and more at the Tequila Expo, pig out in a taco-eating contest or just enjoy live music and dancing. Think you're hot stuff? Eat your way through five servings of increasingly hot peppers until a fireproof winner emerges (or survives). The festival is held at Salt River Fields in Talking Stick, about a two-hour drive from Scottsdale.

Billings Farm and Museum Harvest Celebration, Vermont

Once called the Woodstock Pumpkin and Apple Festival, the Billings Farm and Museum Harvest Celebration is still held in Woodstock, Vermont. On the second weekend in October, kids of all ages can see farm animals like these Jersey cows and demos of 19th-century harvest activities, like cider-pressing and shelling beans. Later, swing your partner in a lively barn dance with traditional music, learn how to "put food by" and rack up your score at pumpkin bowling. Don't leave without warming up with hot cider and local apple cider donuts.