Fall Family Fairs & Festivals in the Bay Area
The Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival takes place October 18–19.
Fall is one of our favorite times of year, and there's so much family fun to be found in Marin and beyond. Find a family-friendly fall festival, fair or Oktoberfest to celebrate the season. We'll keep updating our list of events for Marin and beyond as we find more this fall. If you have an event you'd like to see added to the list, please contact us.
- Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival
Old Mill Park, Mill Valley
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21
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 20, 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 20, 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 21, 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 27 & 28
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. - Oktoberfest at the Mart
Marin Country Mart, Larkspur
Sunday, October 5, 11 am–6 pm
Join Marin Country Mart for traditional food, live music, kids pretzel crafts, and of course plenty of beer! Take part in stein holding and best dressed contests and enjoy live music by the Bohemian Broihers and the Marin Symphony Brass Quintet and food and beer from Suppenküche. Event details - Halloween Harvest Festival
Marinwood
Friday, October 10, 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 11–26
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 live music, kids' activities, local microbrews, and great food. Proceeds support Corte Madera's hanging flower baskets. Event details - Zootoberfest
San Francisco Zoo
Saturday & Sunday, October 11 & 12
The zoo's Lemur Café transforms into a family-friendly German beer hall with special food and drink and music by the Schwabenland German Band from noon–2 pm. Event website. - Tahoe Donner Fall Festival
Northwood Clubhouse. Tahoe Donner
Saturday, October 11, 11 am–4 pm
Now in its 14th 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. Tickets on sale soon. Event website
The Goblin Jamboree takes place at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, October 18–19 & 24–26.
- Goblin Jamboree Fundraiser
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Saturday and Sunday, October 18–19 & 24–26
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 - Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
Historic Main Street, Half Moon Bay
Saturday & Sunday, October 18–19, 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 - 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. - SuperNatural
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
Saturday, October 24, 6:30–9 pm
Join us for a fright at the museum! Embrace your eerie side and and haunt our halls in costume for our annual family-friendly, scientifically spine-tingling Halloween event. Tickets: general admission adult (18+): $60, youth (3–17): $45. Purchase ticktes here. - Halloween Sausalito
Thursday, 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.
