Fall has finally kicked into gear. This weekend, and throughout the coming month, there are plenty of ways to celebrate across the United States. These fall food and harvest festivals should be at the top of any foodie’s October weekend to-do list:
1. Chicago, IL: The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Fall Bulb Festival is a fun day for the whole family with local cider, food, vendors, and a straw bale maze. More information can be found here. Friday, October 4th through Sunday, October 6th, 10-4 PM.
2. Santa Fe, NM: Join in “bringing in the harvest.” Crush grapes, make tortillas, and string chiles! For more information, visit this website. Saturday, October 5th through Sunday, October 6th.
3. Washington, D.C. Metro Area: The Harvest Festival in Montgomery County’s Agricultural History Farm Park includes pumpkin carving, corn mazes, garden talks and demos, live music, and scarecrow-making. More information can be found here. Saturday, October 5th, 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Admission is $10 per car.
4. Boston, MA: Boston’s Local Food Festival at the Greenway features live music, tons of food demos on anything from seafood to “campfire risotto”, a “fun zone”, DIY programs, and more. Visit here for more information. Sunday October 6th, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
5. Santa Rosa, CA: At the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, visitors can expect three days of food, cider, a marketplace, chef demonstrations, and plenty of wine tastings. Fairgoers can even stomp the grapes for wine themselves. More information can be found here. Friday, October 4th, 4:00-9:00 PM, Saturday & Sunday, October 5th & 6th, 12:00-5:00 PM.
6. Biglerville, PA: Ten miles from Gettysburg, PA is the 49th Annual National Apple Harvest Festival, celebrating crafts, music, art, food, and – of course – apples. In the center of Pennsylvania’s apple country and within a 2 hour drive of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit the festival website. Saturday, October 5th; Sunday, October 6th; Saturday, October 12th; and Sunday, October 13th.
7. New York, NY: The theme of this year’s New York City Wine & Food Festival is “Eat. Drink. End Hunger.” The festival includes a wide array of events spread throughout the city. For tickets and more information, visit the festival’s website. Thursday, October 17th through Sunday, October 20th.
8. Hood River, OR: During the Annual Hood River Valley Harvest Fest, come celebrate everything local with heirloom pears, apples, pumpkins, berries, and other local produce, plus arts, crafts, wine and more! More information can be found here. Friday, October 18th through Sunday, October 20th.
9. Portland, ME: At the biggest harvest festival in Maine, come enjoy food, beer, demonstrations by award-winning chefs, and live entertainment. For more information, visit the festival’s website. Wednesday, October 23rd through Saturday, October 26th.
10. Whiteville, NC: The 21st Annual North Carolina Pecan Harvest Festival includes events for the whole family with a pecan harvest festival parade, “Queen’s lunch”, and plenty of food. More information can be found here. Friday, November 1st through Saturday, November 2nd.
