Fall in the Northeast is about much more than colorful leaves.
It’s the smell of apple cider drifting through a farm stand. It’s a hayride through an orchard, a pumpkin patch filled with orange gourds, a small-town harvest celebration and a giant pumpkin being launched through the air. It’s cider donuts, corn mazes, craft fairs, live music and, eventually, thousands of glowing jack-o’-lanterns.
From northern New England to the Hudson Valley and down through Pennsylvania and New Jersey, autumn brings an incredible variety of festivals and seasonal celebrations.
If you’re looking for an excuse to get outside and embrace fall this year, here are some of the best fall and pumpkin festivals happening across the Northeast in 2026.
Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival — Stowe, Vermont
September 27, 2026
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine autumn, pumpkins and medieval siege technology, head to Stowe.
The Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival turns the humble pumpkin into a projectile, with teams building trebuchets and other contraptions designed to send pumpkins flying across Mayo Farm Events Field.
It’s wonderfully ridiculous—and exactly the sort of fall tradition that makes a great Northeast road trip.
There’s also a chili cook-off, family activities and plenty of opportunities to watch pumpkins meet their spectacular fate. Proceeds from the event support local charitable organizations.
Best for: Families, pumpkin enthusiasts and anyone who enjoys watching things fly through the air.
Pumpkintown USA — East Hampton, Connecticut
September 19–October 31, 2026
You won’t find Pumpkintown on most maps, but you’ll know you’ve arrived when you start seeing the town’s wonderfully strange pumpkin-headed residents along Route 66.
Pumpkintown USA transforms part of East Hampton into a whimsical fall attraction featuring dozens of elaborately decorated pumpkin characters. A hayride takes visitors through the attraction, making this one of the more unusual family-friendly fall destinations in New England.
It’s less traditional festival and more immersive autumn attraction—but that’s part of the appeal.
Best for: Families with younger children and anyone looking for something a little different.
Apple Harvest Festival — Southington, Connecticut
October 2–4 and October 9–11, 2026
Apples take center stage at Southington’s annual Apple Harvest Festival.
Held around the town green, the festival combines the classic ingredients of a New England fall celebration: food, crafts, live entertainment, carnival rides and plenty of apple-themed treats.
There’s also a parade and evening fireworks, making this a particularly good option if you’re looking for an event that can fill an entire fall day—or weekend.
Best for: Families, food lovers and classic small-town fall atmosphere.
Apple Harvest Day — Dover, New Hampshire
October 3, 2026
Downtown Dover becomes one giant celebration of autumn during Apple Harvest Day.
The one-day event brings together hundreds of vendors, live entertainment, children’s activities, food and plenty of apple-themed festivities. More than 60,000 people reportedly attend, making this considerably bigger than your typical small-town harvest festival.
For visitors exploring southern New Hampshire in early October, it’s an easy way to combine fall foliage sightseeing with a lively community event.
Best for: A big, energetic fall festival experience.
Laconia Pumpkin Festival — Laconia, New Hampshire
October 23–24, 2026
Thousands of pumpkins take over downtown Laconia during this popular New Hampshire tradition.
The Laconia Pumpkin Festival features carved pumpkins, food vendors, live entertainment and family activities, creating a spectacular autumn atmosphere in the heart of the Lakes Region.
The event is particularly appealing if you’re looking to pair a festival with a foliage road trip around Lake Winnipesaukee and the surrounding mountains.
Best for: Pumpkin displays, families and a Lakes Region fall getaway.
Keene Pumpkin Festival — Keene, New Hampshire
October 17, 2026
Few Northeast communities have embraced the jack-o’-lantern quite like Keene.
The Keene Pumpkin Festival returned after a hiatus and has evolved into a smaller, family-oriented celebration, with thousands of carved pumpkins helping illuminate downtown.
Keene itself is also a terrific fall destination, making the festival an easy centerpiece for a weekend exploring southwestern New Hampshire.
Best for: Jack-o’-lanterns, photographers and a quintessential New England town setting.
Jack-O’-Lantern Spectacular — Providence, Rhode Island
October 1–November 1, 2026
For sheer pumpkin artistry, it’s hard to beat the Jack-O’-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo.
The nighttime event features thousands of carved pumpkins arranged along a walk-through display. The pumpkins are continually carved and refreshed throughout the run, with the event using an estimated 20,000 pumpkins over the course of the season.
This is less about pumpkin patches and hayrides and more about seeing just how creative people can get with a pumpkin and a carving tool.
Best for: Couples, photographers and anyone who appreciates elaborate Halloween displays.
Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta — Damariscotta, Maine
October 2026
This may be the Northeast’s most gloriously unusual pumpkin celebration.
The Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta takes the giant pumpkin phenomenon and brings it to the Maine coast. The event includes enormous pumpkins, creative pumpkin sculptures, pumpkin boats and the famously unconventional Pumpkin Regatta.
Giant pumpkins are also weighed as part of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth’s Northeast competition circuit.
It’s a perfect example of why fall festivals in the Northeast can be so much fun: they don’t necessarily take themselves too seriously.
Best for: Road trippers, photographers and people who want something beyond the traditional harvest festival.
Topsfield Fair — Topsfield, Massachusetts
October 2–12, 2026
The Topsfield Fair isn’t technically a pumpkin festival, but it belongs on any Northeast fall bucket list.
Dating to 1818, it is recognized as America’s oldest continuously operating agricultural fair. Along with livestock, agricultural competitions, food, rides and entertainment, the fair features a giant pumpkin competition and plenty of other harvest-season traditions.
For anyone who grew up going to New England fairs, Topsfield is practically an autumn rite of passage.
Best for: The full classic New England fair experience.
Great Pumpkin Festival — Vernon, New Jersey
September 12–November 8, 2026
Down in New Jersey, Heaven Hill Farm goes all-in on fall with its Great Pumpkin Festival.
The festival runs for weeks rather than a single weekend and includes more than 35 attractions and activities. Visitors can take hayrides to the pumpkin patch, explore a corn maze, see farm animals, watch pig races and enjoy carnival rides.
There’s enough going on that this is less of a quick pumpkin-picking stop and more of a full-day autumn outing.
Best for: Families looking for an all-in-one fall destination.
Great Pumpkin Farm — Clarence, New York
October 2026
Just outside Buffalo, Great Pumpkin Farm turns autumn into a full-scale festival.
The attraction is particularly well known for its giant pumpkin displays and Great Pumpkin Farm World Pumpkin Weigh-Off, which is part of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth’s competition circuit.
Western New York also offers some spectacular fall scenery, making this a good candidate for a longer autumn road trip.
Best for: Giant pumpkins and Western New York fall adventures.