As September “leaves” and October arrives, the excitement of Halloween and everything pumpkin begins. From pumpkins to decorate your yard, to pumpkin pie and carving jack-o’-lanterns for the big night, we’ve got all your autumn outings and opportunities covered with festivals taking place throughout the Granite State and beyond.

 

Laconia Pumpkin Festival

Moved to downtown Laconia from Keene, the annual Pumpkin Festival l is New Hampshire’s most popular and well-known fall festival. This event has even been a previous Guinness World Record holder for the “Most Lit Jack-o’-Lanterns in One Place at One Time” (over 30,000!). Attendees are encouraged to bring along their carved pumpkins and help the community attempt to win another world record. Fun activities and many attractions and events are planned for visitors of every age, as well as a food and craft court. The festival takes place on October 22 and admission is free. “Live Free & Carve!” For more information, click here.

 

Harvest Festival

Saturday, October 29, is the Harvest Festival in Littleton, New Hampshire’s Main Street area from 10am to 9pm. Fun events include the Gathering of the Jack-o’-Lanterns on the Ammonoosuc River, a ride with the Headless Horseman, a chance to savor family-friendly trick or treating on Main Street, and a haunted walk along the Ammonoosuc. For more information, click here.

 

Pumpkin Festival

Charmingfare Farm on Route 27 in Candia, New Hampshire, hosts its pumpkin festival on Saturday, October 1, and Sunday, October 2, and on Saturday, October 8, through Monday, October 10 from 11am to 3pm. Spend a day at the farm as we celebrate the mighty pumpkin. Bring the whole family and join in all the festivities. The kids will love the Funny Farm bounce house plus new Pumpkin Festival games including sack races, pumpkin spoon races, and a pumpkin-rolling contest. Enjoy live music, face painting, pumpkin art (decorate your pumpkin), tractor train rides, horse-drawn hayrides, and more. Admission is $19 and includes all activities and unlimited rides; children 23 months and younger get in free. For more information, visit the website.

 

Pumpkin & Apple Celebration at Billings Farm

Billings Farm & Museum, gateway to Vermont’s rural heritage, will host its annual Pumpkin & Apple Celebration on Saturday and Sunday, October 1 & 2, from 10am to 5pm. The weekend features hands-on activities and programs, plus pumpkin and apple displays highlighting these two important fall crops, their historical importance, and their many uses. Horse-drawn wagon rides are included with admission. Take the apple taste test and vote for your favorite! Lend a hand pressing cider, making pumpkin or apple ice cream, and peeling apples for drying. Join in the “pumpkin and apple fun” with apple races, pumpkin bowling, apples-on-a-string, sampling pumpkin bread and watching apple butter being made in the farmhouse kitchen, and take home a recipe for “Pumpion Pye.” Admission: adults, $14; 62 and over, $13; children 5–15, $8; ages 3 and 4, $4; and under 3, free.

 

Stowe Oktoberfest

Saturday and Sunday, October 1 and 2, the town of Stowe’s event field will be transformed into a Bavarian village under a traditional tent for this annual celebration of the harvest and fall foliage. From oompah bands to authentic Bavarian foods and freshly brewed Vermont beers to traditional sing-a-longs and dancing, plus a silent auction, there’s something for every “villager” of every age from nearby and far away. It’s a weekend full of music, dancing, and of course, great beer. Oktoberfest is a great time for a good cause. Last year, the funds from Oktoberfest allowed the Stowe Rotary to provide over $50,000 worth of support to over 20 local charities and scholarships in the greater Lamoille/Washington County region. Find out more at stoweoktoberfest.com and check it out on Facebook.

 

Riverview Farm in Plainfield

Riverview Farm offers apple picking and a pumpkin patch, as well as a family-friendly corn maze. Each year Riverview creates a one-of-a-kind maze for kids of all ages to navigate, with a different theme of riddles and puzzles to help you find your way out. Gary Hamel is a local artist whose works have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the country, and Riverview Farm is lucky to have his skills at their disposal for this fun and unique activity. Plan to visit the farm and enjoy all that it offers now to October 30. Then, for older kids and adults, plan to return for the Haunted Corn Maze on October 30 and 31 from 7 to 9 pm! Admission is $7 and you should bring your own flashlight, but leave your costume at home. “Chainsaw Man” is waiting for those who dare!

69th Annual Warner Fall Foliage Festival

Since 1947, the good people of Warner have hosted their town’s Fall Foliage Festival and welcomed old and new friends to their community. The festival is Warner’s invitation to share the natural splendor of New Hampshire’s vibrant autumn colors while enjoying entertainment and events on Warner’s Main Street. The event takes place October 7 to 9 and includes a 5-mile road race, food vendors, petting zoo, performances, pumpkin picking, cider donuts, and everything else autumnal! Don’t miss out on all the fun. Click here for more information.

 

Cedar Circle Farm

Pick your own great pumpkin, Charlie Brown! With Cedar Circle own farm stand on site, you can select from many of the produce that’s in season, including apples and cider, beets, dried beans, parsnips, onions, sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabaga, and so much more. Don’t wait too long to choose your pumpkins for the best jack-o’-lanterns ever! Right now, you can visit anytime from Monday through Saturday, 10am–6pm, and on Sunday 10am–5pm. For more information, click here. 

 

Harpoon Brewery Octoberfest

Enjoy the fun and the foliage, and hoist a pint at the brewery in Windsor, Vermont during Harpoon Brewery biggest festival of the year on Saturday, October 8, from 11am–6pm and Sunday, October 9, from 12pm–6pm (doors close at 4:30pm each day). Entrance to the festival is $15 and includes your first beer/soda ticket. Tickets are not sold in advance; the festival takes place rain or shine (hopefully shine!). Attendees must be 21 years old or over for beer. Children under 12 get in free with an adult. For all the details, click here.