Fall Festivals

Make Time for Fall FAMILY Fun!

Festivals, Oktoberfests, Hayrides, Pumpkin Patches…we’ve got you covered for all the fall family activities in and around D.C. this month!

Key:

$ = $1 – $5

$$ = $6 – $20

$$$ = $21 – $50

1. Oktoberfest Reston

Free admission, $ (for food and carnival tickets), Oct. 10, Noon-11 p.m. (Race begins at 8:30 a.m.); Oct. 11, Noon-8 p.m.

Reston Town Center, 11900 Market St., Reston, VA

Looking for all-day fall fun? Then celebrate the season at Northern Virginia’s largest outdoor fall festival. Oktoberfest Reston features seasonal beers, live entertainment, German fare from local restaurants, a chili cook off (organized by the Northern Virginia Police and Fire and Rescue Departments), a 5K race and much more. Kids are sure to get a kick out of the Kids Pumpkin Dash and carnival rides, while parents enjoy a variety of tasty, fall refreshments and traditional German music performances.

2. Taste of Bethesda

$ -$$ (price varies by amount of tickets), Oct. 3, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Along Norfolk, Fairmont, St. Elmo, Cordell, and Del Ray Avenues in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle

Sample foods from more than 50 restaurants, dance along to live music at five different stages, and let the kids run off to enjoy crafts, face painting and balloon making. At Taste of Bethesda, no one will leave hungry. Local restaurants will be on hand with massive amounts of food and baked goods, including 20 gallons of chili from Hard Times Café, 800 slices of pizza from Mamma Lucia and over 1,000 slices of apple pie and other treats from Spring Mill Bread Company (to name a few). This event is a must for foodies!

3. Northern Virginia Brewfest

$$$, Oct. 17-18, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Special Events Center at Bull Run Regional Park, 7700 Bull Run Dr., Centreville, VA

Beer lovers, seek no further. At the Northern Virginia BrewFest, over 60 breweries promote their greatest American style beers (more than 85). The festival highlights the intricacies of each particular beer, how beer is made and how to brew your own. To compliment each beer selection, an array of foods will be available for purchase, including chicken wings, chili, barbeque and more. Although it’s a beer festival, you don’t need to leave the kids at home with a sitter. Bring them along for the kid-friendly activities like face painting, airbrush tattooing, moon bounces and rock climbing.

4. Maryland Renaissance Festival

$$ – $$$ (prices vary by age), Weekends through Oct. 25,

10 a.m.-7 p.m.

The intersection of Route 450 and Crownsville Rd. in Crownsville, MD (about 8 miles northwest of Annapolis)

Families can get a festive feel of 16th century England at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Anne Arundel County. The festival includes crafts, food, live performances, a jousting arena, free pony rides, a maze and lots of games. With 130 craft shops (full of stained glass, sculptures, pottery, leather-work, and more), there are a ton of unique items to browse through and purchase throughout the day!

5. Harvest Festival at Agricultural History Farm Park

$$, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD

Spend a day out on the farm at Agricultural History Farm Park! Harvest Festival is the largest one-day fall festival in the county and gives visitors a taste of farm life from the 19th century. Horse lovers will enjoy this year’s festival theme, “Horse Power,” showcasing roles of horses in everyday farm life. Come check out the farm demonstrations, archaeology digs, crafts, hayrides, music and more!

6. Fall Wine Festival & Sunset Tour

$$$, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA

Soak in the spectacular views of the Potomac River while sampling wine from 16 Virginia wineries. Guests of Mount Vernon’s Fall Wine Festival will also be entertained with live blues music and are welcome to take a tour of the Washington’s home, with special appearances by “George and Martha Washington.”

7. Fall for Fairfax KidsFest

Free admission, $ (for rides and concessions), Oct. 3-4

Fairfax County Government Center, Fairfax, VA

For parents of younger children, Fall for Fairfax KidsFest is the perfect event. The festival is especially designed for families with elementary and preschool aged children and includes interactive educational programs, entertainment and activities, including scarecrow making, pumpkin painting, public safety and recycling-themed exhibits, pony rides, a petting zoo, hayrides, model trains, rides, bounces and attractions. Adults will also be entertained with more than 75 exhibits, live entertainment and delicious food. A win-win for the whole family!

8. Apple Harvest Festival

Free for kids under 12, $$ (adults and seniors), Oct. 10, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

3035 Cedar Creek Grade, Winchester, VA

Everything apples! Explore and choose from 20 varieties, with pick-your-own apples available. Relax on the main porch while tasting apple cobbler and apple cider slushees, and let the kids roam and have fun on the cow train and playground. A variety of food will be available, and the whole family can enjoy wagon rides around the farm scheduled throughout the day. Be sure not to miss out on the live music from 1-3 p.m.!

9. Oktoberfest at the Kentlands

Free admission, $$ (for food and drinks), Oct. 11, Noon-5 p.m.

Kentlands Village Green, Gaithersburg, MD

This annual, family-friendly Oktoberfest includes Bavarian music, horse-drawn wagon rides, dancing, food, crafts, pony rides, moonbounces, pumpkin decorating, face painting and more! Adults can spend some time at the traditional Beer Garden and Wine Terrace. And with this year’s new layout, there will be additional main stages for a variety of musical performances as well as a new Business Expo area.

10. Cox Farms

$$, Sept. 26- Nov. 3, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. in November)

Last admission is one hour before closing.

15621 Braddock Road, Centreville, VA

Come on out to one of the largest fall festivals in Virginia! This year, Cox Farms is entertaining visitors with five giant slides, hayrides, rope swings, farm animals and their babies, CORNundrum® cornfield adventure, straw tunnels, farm chores, a kiddie zone, a goat village, apples and cider, food, entertainment and over 90 acres of fun! With tons of activities to choose from, you can easily stay all day. And as an added bonus, with paid admission, you get to take home a small patch pumpkin!

11. PetOberfest

Free, Oct. 17, Noon-4 p.m.

Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA

Celebrate the fall season with your pet at PetOberfest! All are welcome to attend and enjoy free family and pet-friendly activities, including a pet parade, pet contests, pet-friendly exhibitors, a fashion show, children’s entertainment, store discounts, prizes, and much more! To benefit the Prince William SPCA, the Pet Photo Booth will be taking donations — so you can enjoy adorable, Instagram-worthy snaps of your pet while also helping out a local animal shelter.

12. Temple Hall Farm Maize & Fall Festival

$$, Now Through October, Daytime Hours: Friday, 4-6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Nighttime Hours: Friday and Saturday, 6-10 p.m.

Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, 15855 Limestone School Rd., Leesburg,VA

Adventure out to Leesburg, VA, for one of Loudoun County’s favorite fall festivals! Want to launch a pumpkin 100 yards through the air? Then they’ve got the perfect toy for you: Pumpkin Blasters. Meanwhile, see how high you can jump on the massive jumping pillows. These huge air-filled bubbles will send you and your family bouncing into the air, producing unlimited fun for everyone. Try your hand at their Paintball Shooting Gallery, watch some pig races, and of course, challenge yourself to their infamous maize! The festival also includes a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, hayrides and plenty of food.

13. Germantown Pumpkin Festival

$$, Oct. 3-4

22200 Davis Mill Rd., Germantown, MD

Pumpkins galore! At the Germantown Pumpkin Festival, you can take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, jump in the hayloft, swoosh down the giant slides, visit barnyard buddies, create wonderful crafts, play the rubber ducky derby, and explore their straw maze. While you take in the beautiful fall foliage, you and the kids can munch on delicious hand-dipped caramel apples and listen to live music!

14. Taste of D.C.

$$, Oct. 10-11, Noon-7 p.m.

Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Between 9th St. and 14th St.,

Washington, D.C.

Taste of D.C. is a premier food festival featuring tastings from more than 70 of D.C.’s best restaurants, food trucks, caterers and purveyors, a beer garden with more than 50 local, national and international brews, and a wine walk with more than 100 wines. In addition, the event hosts a Farm-to-Fork Zone, a Family Zone with interactive games and entertainment, and demonstrations from local chefs cooking up their favorite recipes. Live entertainment will be performed on the main stage with local and national headlining acts, as well as the Annual Ben’s Chili Bowl’s World Chili Eating Championship.

15. Pumpkin Trolleyfest

$, Oct. 19, 12:30-3:50 p.m.

National Capital Trolley Museum, 1313 Bonifant Rd.,

Silver Spring, MD

Forget driving, take a trolley! At Pumpkin Trolleyfest, the National Capital Trolley Museum is featuring trolley trips to Pinson’s Pumpkin Market from 12:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. Children can collect pumpkin tokens to “purchase” and decorate a small pumpkin at the Pumpkin Market in the Museums Car Barn.

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