Pumpkin Fests, Corn Mazes, PYO Apples, Fairies, Hobbits, Giant Puppets, Cornhole Tourney, Oktoberfests and More: New England Fall Events Top Picks for Oct 5-11

When New England Fall Events takes a peek at the events calendar and we see all the delicious, quirky, memorable, and traditional events and festivals lined up, we know all this local outdoor goodness is just what our site was truly made for!

Peak PYO Apple Season is Upon Us--Get Picking!!!

It's all apples all the time these days! Apple Festivals, Apple Days, apple pies, applesauce, and apple picking!
Look for McIntosh, Cortland, Macoun and Liberty apples are still hanging around in southern New England while Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, Gala, Pink Beauties, Creston, early-Fuji, Empire, Jonamacs, and Primas are the show-offs right now.

If you're curious about "antique" apples you might check out Smolak Farms' antique apple orchard or pop by Old Sturbridge Village this weekend for their Apple Days Festival which offers heirloom apple tastings and you can try your hand apple picking in their orchard with a long "fruit picker" for fun!

As always, New England Fall Events has your complete guides, features, maps, and contact details for your local or destination-area New England PYO apple orchards. Here are your quick links to our apple picking guides: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Pumpkins are Everywhere - Find a Local Pumpkin Patch!

Fun in the Pumpkin Patch

Everywhere you turn you will see piles of gorgeous pumpkins of every size, shape, and personality! What better sign of fall is there?

Your local pumpkin patch is likely to be in full swing too so support your local small farmers by popping by their pumpkin patch to load up on pumpkins for your home, front steps, centerpiece, flower vase, pie, carving, and pumpkins for toasting seeds---shall we go on?

Here are  New England Fall Events' Pumpkin Patch Guides for CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.

Corn Mazes are Wonderful Outdoor Fun for Families

Wojcik Farm Corn Maze

If you haven't treated yourself to a corn maze yet this fall we ask, what are you waiting for?

We're always surprised by how many New Englanders have never enjoyed a corn maze so if that sounds like you, please don't wait another year to explore one!

Most corn mazes have a different themed design every year and many will incorporate statues, surprises, characters, signs, and props that support that year's theme--imagine coming across the Tin Man while inside a Wizard of Oz theme corn maze. Not only do the goodies or puzzles inside the maze fit the theme but the paths through the giant cornfield will create a picture as seen with a birds-eye view.

Escobar Farm Corn Maze Map

You might be given a map to carry with that overhead maze pattern to help you guide your way or you may just wing it as most people seem to enjoy. Some mazes will have puzzles to solve, clues to find, raffles you can enter when you discover hidden boxes within the maze, and more. It's common that there will be a tall bridge somewhere within the maze where you can pause to get a view of the whole maze from a different vantage point and soak up the scenic moment.

Kids and adults alike will have fun and if you call ahead to a farm, you can often get an idea how long it might take to go through. Some, like Sterling, MA Davis MegaMaze could take up to 3 hours to get through whereas local farms like Portsmouth, RI's Escobar Farm has two smaller, adjacent corn mazes so you can complete one and decide if you'd like to re-enter to complete the second (perfect if you have little ones and aren't sure what you're in for).

Dozens of Corn Mazes in New England

This year RI's Escobar Farm features a "RI ComicCon themed Super Hero" design and Mike's Maze in central MA has a theme called "See America". Riverview Farms in CT has you covered with all kinds of fun at their corn maze including additional farm activities like a petting zoo and an ice cream shop!

Gaines Farm in Vermont hosts a 7-acre "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" design celebrating 50 Years of the Peanuts. With its location just 1.5 miles over the Massachusetts border, Gaines Farm is a snap to get to whether you live in central MA, Connecticut or Vermont. We have a full list of New England Corn Mazes at our website so you can easily search by state.

CT's Pumpkins on the Pier is returns to Milford this Saturday!

Pumpkins on display at the Milford CT
Pumpkins on their Pier event.

Pumpkins on the Pier is one of our favorite family-friendly festivals of the season. Featuring pumpkin displays (some carved, some decorated/painted) local families, small businesses and others contribute to this showcase of our season's iconic squash. The displays are featured all along the Walnut Beach pier so you can walk on the pier over the water to see the dozens of funny and clever pumpkin displays. The pier is well-fenced and you can feel safe walking your children out to see the pumpkin displays.

Back on the beach, away from the water, there are dozens of games, pumpkin carving, pumpkin activities, games, a pumpkin patch costume contests, and more activities under the giant pavilion or on the stage. Read about what you can expect from the Pumpkins on the Pier Festival (plus family tips).

Where is New England Fall Events Headed this Weekend?

Giant Puppets at Night Fall Hartford

With so much going on over the long weekend we're keeping all our options open to see how we can fit as much in as possible.
We've definitely circled Hartford's Night Fall for this Saturday! We'll be swinging through CT for a few days and nights so we'll see how many day and nighttime events as we can get to!

With Halloween before us we're also getting into the spirit of more nighttime and Halloween-focused events so we'll be checking out local flashlight corn mazes and a couple ghost tours while we can! Our companion website Halloween New England has all your guides to nighttime events, attractions, haunted houses, night hayrides, Salem attractions, costumes, and Halloween fun.

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun

During the long weekend will offer you no shortage of fantastic local events. If you're headed out of town to a neighboring New England state, New England Fall Events makes it super easy to see what's happening in your getaway area.

This is one of the biggest fall events weekends of the year so please don't pass up the opportunity to support your local farms, seasonal attractions, and community festivals of every size and shape. We've narrowed down our long weekend's Top Picks (and you'll find even more online). 

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for October 5th- 11th, 2016

Wee Faerie Village presents A Flutter in Time
Old Lyme, CT         Click for details
Wednesday through Monday, October 5th - 10th, 2016
Click for more Fairy and Princess Fall Events in New England.

Damariscotta PumpkinFest and Regatta
Damariscotta, ME          Click for details
Friday through Monday, October 7th-10th, 2016

Milford NH Annual Pumpkin Festival
Milford, NH          Click for details
Friday through Sunday, October 7th-9th, 2016

Stargazing Night at Frosty Drew Observatory
Charlestown, RI          Click for details
Friday, October 7th, 2016
Click for more Moonlight and Sunset Fall Events.

Star Party at the Northern Skies Observatory 
Peacham, VT          Click for details
Friday, October 7th, 2016
Click for more Moonlight and Sunset Fall Events.

Oktoberfest - Loon Mountain
Lincoln, NH           Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, October 8th & 9th, 2016

Stratton Chili Cook-off and Brew Fest
Stratton Mountain, VT           Click for details
Saturday through Monday, October 8th-10th, 2016

Pumpkin Weigh-Off at Frerichs Farm
Warren, RI           Click for details
Saturday, October 8th, 2016

Fall Foliage Festival at Waterville Valley
Waterville Valley, NH           Click for details
Saturday through Monday, October 8th-10th, 2016

Old Sturbridge Village presents Dig In: A Field to Table Festival
Sturbridge, MA           Click for details
Saturday through Monday, October 8th-10th, 2016

New Hampshire Fall Festival
Portsmouth NH          Click for details
Saturday, October 8th, 2016

Cranberry Harvest Celebration
Wareham, MA          Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, October 8th & 9th, 2016

Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival
Bethlehem, CT           Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, October 8th & 9th, 2016

King Richard's Renaissance Faire
Carver, MA         Click for details
Saturday through Monday, October 8th-10th, 2016
Find everything you want to know about the KRF
experience in our  article "King Richard's Renaissance
Faire Offers Costumed Charm and Good Cheer"

Fairy and Hobbit House Festival Fundraiser
Lee, NH           Click for details
Saturday through Monday, October 8th-10th, 2016
Click for more Fairy and Princess Fall Events in New England.

Annual North American Wife Carrying Championship
Newry, ME           Click for details
Saturday, October 8th, 2016

Pumpkins on the Pier Festival
Milford, CT          Click for details
Saturday, October 8th, 2016 (rain date: Oct 9th)
Read why we love Pumpkins on the Pier and find family tips!

Fall Festival at Dog Mountain
Johnsbury, VT           Click for details
Saturday, October 8th, 2016
Click for more Dog-friendly Fall Events.
Click for Dog-friendly Apple Orchards.

Maine Fall Foliage Canoe Tour
Durham, ME          Click for details
Saturday, October 8th, 2016
Click for more Moonlight and Sunset Fall Events.

Night Fall Hartford
Hartford, CT          Click for details
Saturday, October 8th, 2016

Anthony Bourdain at Foxwoods Resort Casino
Mashantucket, CT          Click for details
Saturday, October 8th, 2016

New England Cornhole Championship
Newry, ME         Click for details
Sunday, October 9th, 2016

Harpoon Octoberfest
Windsor, VT         Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, October 8th & 9th, 2016

Prescott Park Chili Cook-Off
Portsmouth, NH         Click for details
Sunday, October 9th, 2016

Heading out for some fall fun this weekend? 

Need help mapping out where to go? New England Fall Events’ state page maps are handy for scrolling and spotting farms near home or near your road-trip destination.
Find Orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.

Pumpkins on the Pier Puts a New Spin on Pumpkin Fun in Milford, CT

The Pumpkins on the Pier marquis
arching over the pier welcomed us.

The Pumpkins on the Pier celebration in Milford, CT is one of our very favorite events of the fall season!

Full details can be found here at Halloween New England.  
You can also find the full schedule of events at this link.

Pumpkins on the Pier is a cheerful and scenic annual festival hosted by The Boys & Girls Club of Milford, CT at the pavilion and pier at Walnut Beach—a gorgeous 17-mile stretch of glistening white sands facing Long Island Sound. The day was blue-skied and relatively warm but windy windy windy!

Walnut Beach's long pier stretched

out into Long Island Sound 

This is very much a community event--lots of happy volunteers, a great organization, charming pumpkin displays sponsored by local businesses and families. It was a very well-attended event but never felt overly crowded—there was plenty of free parking and the activities were spread out enough over the pavilion and its surroundings. Although you could say this is a family event, there were plenty of folks sans kids having a wonderful time. In fact, one couple was married on the pier during the morning and we could see the appeal—the scenic pier is a rather romantic setting and pumpkin displays really set the scene in October.

A PYO pumpkin patch set the
scene in front of the pavilion

The festivities kicked off at 11:00am but since we spent the morning in Wallingford at the Scarecrow Fest, we arrived around 2:30pm. We parked down the street about 5 minutes away and boy, did we notice right away how much windier it was by the ocean—it was the first time all day we needed our jackets! 

As we approached the pavilion which was the center of the action, we passed a medium-sized pumpkin patch (less of an actual “patch” and more of a large selection of pumpkins for picking). Although this was situated in a grassy patch near the edge by the street, the area was gated which could give parents peace of mind to let their children explore in search for the perfect pumpkin.

Pumpkin carving demonstrations

The festival was free and you simply walked in to enjoy. A sandwich board posted the day’s lineup of events and we were disappointed to have missed the entertainment of a costume parade, a family concert, a rollergirls demo, and an antique and classic car show. However, there were still many ongoing kid-friendly activities under the pavilion such as pumpkin painting and decorating, carving demonstrations by expert pumpkin carvers, and just outside was the aforementioned pumpkin patch. A Pumpkin Playland was situated just beyond the pavilion with inflatable bouncy houses, face painting, games and a toddler hay maze. You could purchase tickets to these activities in the Playland which ranged from 1-4 tickets (.50 to $2) and the opportunity to buy discounted ticket packs for $5 or $20 were an option as well. There was a tractor hayride making the rounds and a “mini”-mini golf each for $2.

Even the mayoral candidates couldn't
resist the pumpkin pie eating contest! 

We did arrive in time for the giant pumpkin auction at 3:00pm which was hosted by a local radio DJ. His upbeat personality kept the auction ticking along at a good pace. At the conclusion of the auction the stage was cleared and tables were set up for the pumpkin pie eating contest. The crowd really began to gather in anticipation of the contest and soon there was standing room only. The contestants were introduced one by one—some were local pumpkin pie lovers, two were running for mayor (great publicity!), and a few were volunteers for the Boys and Girls Club, and last year’s contest winner made a reappearance.

Each pumpkin display was more
creative than the last!

The pies, sponsored by Whole Foods, were laid in front of each contestant. Having eaten a slice of Whole Foods' pumpkin pie before, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had the chops to have given everyone a run for their money. Resigned to my status as merely a spectator, I resisted the urge to jump on the stage to take the prize. Once the contest commenced, it drew great applause, laughter, cheerleading, and enthusiasm from the onlookers. The first one to complete a full pie won the event—I believe it was the previous year’s contest winner who stole the gold again!

These expressive pumpkins were crowd favorites

After the contest, we made our way to the beach and up onto the pier. The arched sign welcomed us and the long pier was home to jack-o’-lanterns and painted pumpkin displays. Each display was sectioned off and was sponsored by a local business or organization—some with a particular story, exhibit, or theme. The local florist displayed different floral arrangements using the pumpkin as its vase and pumpkins that were hand-painted or decorated with ribbon or charms. One family had a display where each family member dolled up their pumpkin with hand-prints, stencils, and words. 

The Snow White and the Seven Dwarf characters on display

The local bank branch had a Snow White theme while another had created pumpkin “people” lounging on beach chairs and BBQ’ing. People would take their time slowly walking down the pier and appreciating each display’s unique theme or style. You could hear people laughing out loud at the humorous pumpkins and kids thrilling over the pumpkins or characters that caught their eye. The pier was stroller friendly but kids could also walk safely along the well-fenced in pier and many did.

Some pumpkins incorporated props

Arriving at the end of the pier many stopped just to soak up the waning sunlight, the rolling ocean, and the pure joy of the whole experience. The beach and the ocean are quite scenic so many also paused to take a photo or two. The October wind eventually nudged people back toward the shore making the lingering moment short-lived.

We left about 5:00pm but there were still many events going on—we were sad to miss the pumpkins on the pier “best display” awards and the fireworks at the end of the evening which we’re sure was the perfect ending to a perfect day. 

The well-fenced pier was a comfort
to parents with little ones in tow.

2013 was the 3rd year of this festival and it was exceedingly well laid out and organized. The volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club—adults and teens--wore bright orange shirts which was useful if you needed help or had a question. One of our strongest memories from this event was how truly happy everyone was—there was a smile on every volunteer, participant, and attendees face. There was a genuine family feel to this event which is certainly owed to the great organization who hosted this special day.

This was a destination event for us and it was absolutely worth the trip! You can't beat the scenic setting or the wonderful fundraising purpose. A great time was had by all.

Circle your calendar for this year's Pumpkins on the Pier event--you will not want to miss this memorable fall festival.
Click for details.

Pumpkins on the Pier Festival Tips:

• Although the admission is free, this is a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Milford so anything “extra” that you buy (picking a pumpkin at the patch, etc.) is going to support a great organization for this community.

• Cash is the name of the game, as usual.

• Although there is parking near the festival, it’s a well-attended event so if you arrive later like we did, you might be parking a 10-minute walk away.

• A light jacket or sweatshirt could come in handy as it was much windier down by the pier.

Pumpkins on the Pier Festival Family Tips:

• Bring cash. There are tons of kids activities that are extras—bounce houses, face painting, mini-golf.

• They’re affordable and you won’t mind springing for the extras as they’re all part of the fundraiser.

• Visit their schedule of events so you can make sure to be there in time for any special highlights—kids costume parade, roller derby demos, and others.

• The pavilion provides plenty of shade and it’s a great place for the pumpkin carving and crafts.

• We saw some food trucks but I’m not sure whether it will sustain your little ones.

• Stroller friendly around the festivities including the walk on the pier.

• If you have questions or need something, the plentiful number of volunteers were easy to spot with their bright orange shirts.