Fall Family Fairs & Festivals in Marin & the Bay Area
The Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival takes place October 18–19.
Fall is one of our favorite times of year, with so much family fun happening in Marin and the Bay Area! Discover family-friendly fall festivals, fairs, Oktoberfests, and seasonal celebrations for kids and families. We’ll keep updating our list with more fall events throughout the season. If you have a family-friendly event you’d like to see added, please contact us.
- Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival
Old Mill Park, Mill Valley
Saturday & Sunday, September 19 & 20
Gather under the redwoods at Old Mill Park to celebrate art and creatvitity. Kids' activities include puppet shows, music, hands-on art activities, and more. Browse the work of 135 fine art and craft artists. Event details - Heirloom Apple Festival
Gold Ridge Organic Farms, Sebastopol
Saturday, September 19, 10 am–3 pm
Welcome the arrival of fall and beloved heirloom apples at this family-friendly event, featuring curated tastes of some of the 70+ heirloom apple varieties grown onsite and other fall specialties and locally produced foods. Kids can win a prize on an apple-themed scavenger hunt. Event details - Oktoberfest
Tam Valley Community Center, Mill Valley
Saturday, September 19, 3–8 pm
Join us for this fun community event! Great food, authentic German music, activities for the whole family and of course...BEER! Get your tickets here. - San Rafael PorchFest
Gerstle Park Neighborhood, San Rafael
Sunday, September 20, noon–5 pm
Gerstle Park hosts over 60 live musical groups on 20 porches at this neighborhood community music festival, with genres ranging from folk and country to jazz and opera. Food trucks will be on hand, too. Admission is free. Event website. - Weekend Along Farm Trails
Various locations in Sonoma County
Saturday and Sunday, September 26 & 27
Meet your farmers and vintners, shop from delicious farm stands, see how cheese is made, pick pumpkins, meet farm animals, learn about beekeeping, sample delicious food and libations and discover some of Sonoma County's best kept secrets! Free, but advance registration is required. - Goblin Jamboree Fundraiser
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Saturday and Sunday, October 3–31, 9 am–4 pm
Calling all little goblins and their families! Join us for a spooktacular time at the Goblin Jamboree where the museum transforms into a wickedly fun Halloween wonderland! Event website - Halloween Harvest Festival
Marinwood
Friday, October 9, 5–6:30 pm
Come to Marinwood for its annual Halloween Harvest Festival for children 12 and under. Activities include carnival games, pumpkin carving and decorating, face painting, trick-or-treat bag decorating, and caramel apples. Tickets: $25 kids ($5 sibling discount), adults are free. Food available for purchase. Event website - Western Railway Museum Pumpkin Patch Festival
Suisun City
Weekends October 10–25
The Western Railway Museum holds its celebrated Pumpkin Festival on weekends in October. Ride a vintage electric express train to the pumpkin patch for fall fun and pumpkins for sale. Admission includes museum entry, unlimited train rides, picnic area use, and parking. Event details - Corte Madera Oktoberfest
Menke Park, Corte Madera
Saturday, October 11, noon–5 pm
Corte Madera's annual Oktoberfest features ice-cold beer from local breweries, amazing food from local food trucks and vendors, live music, and fun for the whole family. Event details - Tahoe Donner Fall Festival
Northwood Clubhouse. Tahoe Donner
Saturday, October 10, 11 am–4 pm
Now in its 15th year, Fall Festival is Truckee’s premier family-friendly autumn celebration and one of Tahoe Donner’s largest community events of the year! Fall Festival is a favorite for all ages, featuring a full day of harvest-themed events and activities. Event website
The Goblin Jamboree takes place at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, October 18–19 & 24–26.
- Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
Historic Main Street, Half Moon Bay
Saturday & Sunday, October 17–18, 9 am–5 pm
The World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay celebrates its bountiful fall harvest and autumn splendor with a special display of enormous, heavyweight champion pumpkins, three stages of entertainment, non-stop live music, the Great Pumpkin Run, pumpkin pie eating contest, pancake breakfast, homestyle foods, pumpkin carving, and more. Admission is free. Event website - SuperNatural
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
Saturday, October 24, 6:30–9 pm
Join the Cal Academy for a fright at the museum! Embrace your eerie side and and haunt the halls in costume for this annual family-friendly, scientifically spine-tingling Halloween event. Tickets: general admission adult (18+): $60, youth (3–17): $45. Purchase ticktes here. - San Domenico Garden Fair
San Anselmo
Saturday, October 25, 11 am–2 pm
Live music, wagon rides, delicious local gourmet foods, student contributions, and more! Peruse a variety of exhibits and the farmer’s market while the kids entertain themselves with crafts, games, face painting and more! Location: San Domenico Garden of Hope, 1500 Butterfield Road, San Anselmo. Event details. - Scary at the Berry
Strawberry Recreation, Mill Valley
Friday, October 30, 5–8 pm
Wear your favorite costume, bring your treat bag, and work up an appetite trick-or-treating around Strawberry Rec Center. Come see the Scary Barnyard, Harry Potter, Aliens, Ghostbusters, Disney Princesses, Toy Story, the Spectacular Glow-In-The-Dark Tunnel and more. After gathering your candy, stop by the Food Trucks for dinner with family and friends. 118 E Strawberry Drive, Mill Valley. Event details - Halloween Sausalito
Saturday, October 31, 5:45–7:30 pm
Downtown Sausalito
Enjoy Halloween fun for the entire family in Sausalito with a parade, trick-or-treat, pumpkin carving contest, dog costume contest, and more. Event details.
