Columbus Day weekend is a popular time for apple and pumpkin picking in NJ. From corn mazes to fall festivals and more, there’s lots to do with your crew this weekend!
WEEKEND
Atlantic City Restaurant Week
Atlantic City
Thursday – Friday
Participating restaurants will offer a multi-course meal for a fixed price.
We+They=Us Exhibit
The Gallery Space, Rahway
Thursday – Friday
Artists will showcase their art to the Hispanic community during Latin & Hispanic Heritage Month.
HT Pride
Haddon Twp.
Thursday – Friday
The theme for 2023 is “Educate + Celebrate!” to normalize LGBTQIA+ families, combat stereotypes, recognize history, and celebrate progress in LGBTQIA+ rights. On Thursday there will be a pride parade and after-party, and Friday will be Pride + Progress Community Night.
Paranormal Cirque
Menlo Park Mall, Edison
Thursday – Saturday
This circus is not for kids: it’s a sensual journey of acrobatics, contortion, aerial acts and more. There will be death-defying stunts, creepy creatures, provocative illusionists, freaks and mysterious creatures. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. This show has adult language and material.
Festival of Sunflowers
Dalton Farms, Swedesboro
Thursday – Sunday
The golden fields include not only sunflowers but also dahlias this year. The farm is open every day, but there will also be Oktoberfest and the Two Bridges wine trail announced later in the season.
Puffs, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
Theater 180, Montclair
Friday – Saturday
For seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs, who just happened to be there, too.
SolMar’s Seafood Festival
SolMar Restaurant, Newark
Friday – Sunday
The Ironbound section of Newark is known for its Portuguese culture. Taste local delicacies like goose barnacles (percebes), stone crabs (sapateiras) and tiger prawns to more exotic catches like sea bass and grouper. Portugal is also known for its national dish, salted cod (bacalhau). There will also be velvet crabs (navalheiras), cockles (berbigão), spider crabs (lapas), jumbo shrimp, prawns, clams and Portuguese octopus, plus sardines, horse mackerel, grouper, sea bass, black swordfish and halibut, among others.
Ocean County Columbus Day Parade and Italian Festival
Point Pleasant Beach
Friday – Sunday
The area around Jenkinson’s Breakwater Beach will be set up for musical acts, tons of food, children’s activities, pony rides, a beer and wine truck, broadcast booths from radio stations, and the culminating parade on Sunday at 1 pm.
Atlantic City Comedy Festival
Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City
Saturday – Sunday
Comedians on the bill include Earthquake, Ray Dejon, Bill Bellamy, Dominique, Tony Roberts, Sommore, Donnell Rawlings, Bruce Bruce and Arnez J.
Stafford Fall Harvest & Wine Festival
Heritage Park, Manahawkin
Saturday – Sunday
Sample wines from nine different local wineries. There will be food trucks and crafters on site. Music is by Local Honey on Saturday and Goldenseal on Sunday.
SJ Pumpkin Show & Carve
Salem County Fairgrounds, Woodstown
Friday – Sunday
Talented artists will transform ordinary pumpkins into extraordinary works of art. Take a stroll through the pumpkin patch and pick your favorite to take home. There will be food vendors and warm apple cider. At the Kids’ Zone, little ones can participate in pumpkin painting, bounce houses, archery, pumpkin bowling, a hobby horse barrel race and festival games. There will be a magician on Friday and Sunday, hayrides and a PG-rated kid’s haunted house. Enter the pie eating contest, dog costume contest, pumpkin throw contest, and headless horseman story and show.
Oktoberfest
Asbury Festhalle Biergarten, Asbury Park
Friday – Sunday
The annual Columbus Day Weekend celebration of all things German includes food, beer, polka, and a stein-holding competition.
Oktoberfest
Morey’s Piers, Wildwood
Friday – Sunday
The German-style activities and food include keg tapping, a stein holding contest, a Muddy Schnitzel Family Fun Run, German bands on stage and strolling throughout the fair, authentic German food and beer, and a hotel-ride package at the four Morey’s resorts.
PUFFS, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years At A Certain School of Magic and Magic by Matt Cox
LeVoy Theatre, Millville
Friday – Sunday
For seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs, who just happened to be there, too.
Atlantic Visiting Nurse 2023 Fall Rummage Sale
Far Hills Fairground, Far Hills
Friday – Sunday
This is one of the largest rummage sales in New Jersey. Clothing, household merchandise, sporting goods, toys, books and other items will be for sale. Proceeds go to providing home health and hospice care for uninsured and underinsured patients.
New Jersey Film Festival
Voorhees Hall, Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Plus Virtual Option
Friday and Sunday
The films range from the topics of nature to culture to history to music documentaries to romance, and everything in between.
Family Weekend Arts Retreat
Appel Farm Arts & Music Center, Elmer
Saturday – Sunday
The overnight experience includes four arts workshops in visual arts, music, writing, and movement; overnight accommodations; Saturday lunch and dinner; a campfire and special snack; late night fun time; early morning activities; and brunch.
Festival of Fine Craft
WheatonArts, Millville
Saturday – Sunday
There will be more than 125 juried artists, craft demos, a beer and wine garden, a glass pumpkin patch fundraiser, hands-on family art activities, gourmet goods and food trucks, live music and door prizes.
Journey Through the Past
Somerset County
Saturday – Sunday
Bring the whole family as you explore the vast history of Somerset County and discover what life was like 50, 100, or even 200 years ago. Thirty historic sites throughout Somerset County will be open free to the public.
Pretty Woman
State Theatre New Jersey, New Brunswick
Saturday – Sunday
The classic movie starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is turned into a stage play.
Oktoberfest
Village Greene, Historic Smithville
Saturday – Sunday
There will be over 100 juried crafters, an international food court, music, kids’ activities, non-profit organizations, and more. All of this is in addition to 50 shops, seven eateries, a carousel ride, a train ride, paddle boats, an arcade, on-site lodging at the Colonial Inn and more than 26 free weekend events.
FRIDAY
Teen Night Dance Party
Marlboro Recreation Center, Marlboro
Teens in grades 6-8 will wear specially designed headphones so that they can choose from three different music channels to listen to while their friends choose something else.
Dragon Flight Night Market
The Shoppes at Dragon Village, Bridgeton
This is not your grandmother’s craft fair! Vendors will be selling all your alternative needs, like crystals, tarot readings, modern crochet, witch balls, and more. Entertainment will include live music, a roving fire/LED dancer, lyra performers, fairies and pirates.
Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Walk
Dandelion Plaza, Vineland
Survivors Diane Dixon and Liza Rivera are the guest Champions of Hope. Nate Offer will provide dance fitness instruction. Hair braiding expert Andrea from Tropic Braids will style hair. Pizza Queen mobile food truck will be on site. Presented by Dixon’s Dance Academy.
Garba Workshop
City Hall Plaza, Jersey City
Learn the steps to traditional Indian dances ahead of Navratri and Diwali.
Umfundalai X Legacy
Stockton University Performing Arts Center, Galloway
Students and alumni of Stockton University’s Dance Company will perform a Pan-African dance tradition on the main stage.
Sew A Fabric Pumpkin
Eclectic Chic Boutique, Montclair
No sewing experience is necessary for this family-friendly event! Learn how to make your own fabric pumpkin using scrap fabrics or upcycled materials. The instructor will provide stuffing, needles, thread and some fabrics so you can sew, stuff and decorate a pumpkin to take home.
Hugs for Brady Fall Mixer
Pierre’s of South Brunswick, Monmouth Junction
The Hugs for Brady Foundation is dedicated to helping children with childhood cancers. Get ready for lots of dancing to a live orchestra and other performances. Dinner will be a full banquet.
First Friday Roots & Culture
Downtown Trenton
There will be performances, vendors and food celebrating all Trenton has to offer. Presented by the African American Cultural Collaborative of Mercer County, in partnership with 1911 Smokehouse BBQ, Trenton Downtown Association and The City of Trenton.
Star Talk and Live Observing Event
New Jersey State Museum, Trenton
After a sky talk in the planetarium, everyone will form a convoy to drive up to the observatory at Washington Crossing for star observations with members of the Amateur Astronomy Association of Princeton. A second event will be held on October 20.
“Unscripted” Authors Meet-and-Greet
Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown
As part of The Morristown Festival of Books, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams will discuss their “New York Times” bestseller, “Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy.” “Unscripted” is the inside story of the struggle for power and control at Paramount Global, the multibillion-dollar entertainment empire controlled by the Redstone family, and the deceit that threatened the future of the company.
Baby Playdate at the Park
Teetertown Preserve, Port Murray
Naturalist and new mom Laura will have you and your baby sit on the grass, explore sensory activities, read nature books and play games.
SATURDAY
Calpulli Mexican Dance
Berrie Center For The Arts, Mahwah
The Calpulli Mexican Dance Company will showcase their movement of Nayarit, Veracruz and Jalisco in colorful and vibrant attire.
Crystal Springs Resort Music Festival
Crystal Springs Resort, Hamburg
Musical acts include Gypsy, a Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band; Nashville’s Madison Pisani; ’70s Rock Parade; local favorite Sean O’Flynn and guitarist/singer Joe Var Veri. Those who are 21+ can order wine, beer and cider, including the resort’s specialty drink, Cider Sangria. There are fall-themed activities for the whole family like balloon rides, hayrides and lawn games. The resort’s culinary team will offer an autumn menu with an international flair including tacos, bratwurst, curry, ribs, shawarma and more, plus a variety of food trucks will be on site.
Hayrides & Food Drive
Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell Twp.
Take a free hayride around the farm. Kids can make their own mini wreaths during the craft session. Please bring a non-perishable food item for local food pantries and soup kitchens.
Fall Floral Arranging Workshop
MarketFair, Princeton
Sign up for a one-hour session to learn how to make a floral arrangement for your upcoming holiday get-together. This is appropriate for adults and teens age 13 and older.
Zombie Walk
Asbury Park Convention Hall and Boardwalk
Zombie makeovers are back! You can get your face airbrushed prior to the Zombie Walk and costume contest. The 15th annual walk is expected to draw thousands of zombies in their best attire. The afterparty is at Johnny Mac’s following the walk.
Healing Stream Breast Cancer Walk & Run
Mercer County Park, West Picnic Area, West Windsor
Rain or shine, dress in your best pink outfits and join the walk around the park.
Chilifest
Avenue A Beach (Seastreak Parking Lot), Atlantic Highlands
You can have unlimited chili samples while overlooking the NYC skyline. There will be Carton beer on tap, Brinley Gold Shipwreck Rum Bar, live music by Tommy Grasso and The Elastic Waist Band & Hooper, craft vendors, and outdoor fun.
Flemington Firefighter’s Fall Festival
Lone Eagle Brewing, Flemington
There will be food vendors, craft beer vendors, two live bands, firetrucks and fire equipment, games and kids’ activities.
Children’s Book Festival
Hinds Plaza, Princeton
Under the tents on Hinds Plaza, next to the Princeton Public Library, your whole family can take part in a celebration of books and the people who make and read them.
Breast Cancer Awareness Walk
Four Seasons, Manalapan
Make a donation to Play for P.I.N.K. and walk around the housing development for a good cause.
Haunted Woodbridge
Tanzman Park, Woodbridge
Haunted History Productions presents a one-hour walking tour where you will meet famous and infamous residents who “still reside” on the streets of town. It’s family-friendly, but it will still spook you.
Oddities Show at The Carnival
Carnival of Collectables, Sicklerville
The art, objects, taxidermy, jewelry, medical devices, memento moiré, horror, funeral objects and more will be lots of oddities. DJ Hale-Bop, Kitty Rotten and The Little Kiss Band will perform. The Side Show Museum takes place indoors with the Carnival of Collectables Presents Ken Johnson’s Museum of Creepy Crawlies and Critter Cuddles, and outside there will be more than 30 artists and vendors. Across the street will be Camden County Technical School Fall Food Truck Festival and Craft Fair.
Hightstown Fair
Memorial Park, Hightstown
The festival brings the community together with a focus on local businesses and sponsors. Part of the family fun will be vendors and food trucks in the park.
Family Day: 50 Years of Hip-Hop
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, New York
Kids ages 3–10 and their caregivers can take a spin at being a DJ, make your own beats, learn about the history of hip-hop, dance and sing to performances, create your own personalized graffiti artwork, and more.
Princeton University Eating Club Tours
Colonial Club, Princeton
Join author Clifford Zink, who wrote the book “The Princeton Eating Clubs,” on a walking tour outside Princeton University’s eating clubs. Learn about the architecture, origins, and development of the sixteen Classical and Gothic-style clubhouses, which date from 1895 to 1928.
NJ Audubon Employee & Volunteer Art Show
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
The artwork will be focused on nature.
Elmer Harvest Day Festival
Elmer Borough
Restaurants and businesses will offer special deals and discounts. Vendors will sell treats.
Fall Food Truck & Craft Festival
Camden County Technical Schools, Sicklerville
There will be 12 assorted food trucks, 80 crafters, games and prizes for children, a scarecrow-making station, pumpkins and mums for sale, pumpkin painting, sand art, live music and fall photo op stations.
Fall Arts Festival
Main Street, Lawrenceville
This street fair-style event will feature over 150 artists, crafters and vendors along with dozens of live musical and community acts. There is also a Kids Zone.
Morristown Festival of Books: KidFest
St. Peter’s Church, Morristown
Meet more than 50 children’s authors, including Dan Gutman (My Weird School chapter book series), Rajani LaRocca (Mirror to Mirror), Peter Lerangis (Throwback), Barry Lyga (The Flash Crossover Crisis), Wendy Mass (Lo & Behold), Rachel Vail (Sometimes I Kaploom), Colleen AF Venable (Katie the Catsitter).
Glenn Burtnik’s Summer of Love
Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center, Carteret
The concert presents classic rock and soul of the Woodstock generation from the ’60s and ’70s. There will be 16 performers comprised of vocalists, a horn section, strings, keyboards, background vocalists and a rock rhythm section, enhanced by a psychedelic lighting and video show.
Downtown Street Fair
Main Street, Ridgefield Park
Walk along from Cedar Street to Park Street. Shop from various vendors, watch live entertainment, take the kids to their very own play area, order food from the food trucks and check out the freebies being handed out by civic organizations.
Party At The Palace
The Growing Stage – The Children’s Theatre of NJ, Netcong
The fundraiser includes a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, wine and beer and raffles.
Indigenous Peoples Day
Discovery Center at Point Breeze, Bordentown
Bring the family for a day of storytelling with a variety of activities including arts and crafts. Chief Redfeather, Clan Mother Cinnamon, Blue Jay and Jane Walkingstick will share their stories.
Breast Cancer Awareness Adult Skate
Millenium Skate World, Camden
Grab your adult friends for a fun night out skating around the rink.
Last Blast Food Truck and Music Festival
Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta
Celebrate a day in the autumn sun with food trucks, arts, and great live music. Dogs will be up for adoption by Save the Satos. Bring ID to drink alcoholic beverages. The event is kid- and pet-friendly.
New Jersey Strollathon
Thompson Park, Lincroft
During October’s Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, families in the community are joining together to host an all-ages, family-friendly event that will raise awareness and money to support Rett syndrome, a devastating and rare neurodevelopment condition.
Collingswood Book Festival
Haddon Avenue, Collingswood
Readers will connect with more than 60 presenting authors and an additional 275 authors and exhibitors, plus music, food, and literary games and activities.
St. Leo’s Church Fall Celebration
Church of St. Leo’s, Elmwood Park
There will be a pumpkin and mum sale, food trucks, hourly raffles, a beer and wine garden, a kid’s zone, and a performance by Kevin Grace & The 50s Experience.
Bloomfield Center Harvest Festival
Glenwood Avenue and Washington Street, Bloomfield
Celebrate the community through live music, food trucks, vendors, games, a photo booth, a Kid’s Corner and a DJ.
Food, Wine & Brew Festival
Bee Meadow Park/Brickyard Field, Whippany
Members of Hanover Township PBA 128 present a full day of food, entertainment, live music, and family fun. Anyone 21+ can sample beer and wine. There will be activities for kids and teens.
Quinn’s Corner at Tabby’s Place
Tabby’s Place, Ringoes
Pop in for the grand opening of the cat sanctuary’s expansion for vulnerable cats. The day will include self-guided tours, vendors, activities for kids, a speech from Tabby’s Place Founder Jonathan Rosenberg, and the opportunity to meet the sanctuary’s 100+ cats. Quinn’s Corner is a haven for cats with feline leukemia virus (FeLV).
SUNDAY
Pumpkin Plunge Halloween Party
Five Star Swim School, Cherry Hill
Families can swim, play party games, eat snacks and decorate a pumpkin. Feel free to change your child into their Halloween costume after swimming.
Open Cockpit Days
New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame, Teterboro
You’ll have the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a very rare Lockheed Bushmaster plane and a U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter. Sit inside a M*A*S*H Bell 47 helicopter made famous during the Korean War. See the cabin and cockpit of the world’s only surviving Martin 202A Airliner. Also popular with young people is to sit inside the official airport rescue firefighter truck. Also on display are the Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter and the OV-1A Mohawk Observation/Attack Aircraft.
Forest Bathing Walk
The New Weis Center for Education, Arts & Recreation, Ringwood
This walk will be at an easy pace and focus on connecting to nature through mindfulness. There will be short, guided, meditations and breathing exercises in the forest using all of your senses.
HarvestFest
Washington Park, Dunellen
Crafters and artisans from across NJ, vendors and local nonprofits will offer activities for kids, food, and free entertainment. Bring your pumpkin for the pumpkin decorating contest.
Columbus Day Parade & Family Fun Day
Lurker Park, East Hanover
Join the East Hanover Italian American Club for a Columbus Day parade. After, there will be a rock wall, trackless train, inflatable castle and slides, face painting, food vendors, craft vendors, a live DJ and a live performance by Dancing With Danielle.
The Wildwoods Food & Music Festival
Byrne Plaza, Wildwood
The day will be filled with food, live musical performances, shopping, and family-friendly activities. Music is by Animal House, 99 Reasons and Basic Cable. There is a dedicated Kids Korner with games, pumpkin painting, and inflatable bounce houses.
Oktoberfest
George Street, New Brunswick
Dress up in your best dirndl or lederhosen and enter the stein-holding contest. Sample many craft brews and German beers while eating local and traditional food. The music lineup features performances from a broad mix for all age groups, including traditional German music.
Hispanic Heritage Celebration
Boro Bandshell, Hawthorne
Come to this free family event with live entertainment and food vendors that serve some of the best Latin food in the area. Stay to dance the day away with family and friends as you listen to the multiple types of music the Latin scene has to offer.
Jersey Eats: A Taste of New Jersey
The Asbury Hotel, Asbury Park
This food fest will highlight foods from the Jersey Shore, including Olde World Cannoli, Hoboken Farms Marinara, Mutiny BBQ Co., The Vintage Cake, Whitehouse Station Sauce Company, MozzArepas, Harper’s Cafe, and Paws and Pastries. Vendors will offer samples, and then you can buy food as well.
Giants Foundation NY5K
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
The race begins in the MetLife Stadium sports complex, continues around the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, and finishes in the Giants end zone inside MetLife Stadium. There’s also a kids run for kids ages 5-10. NY Giants legends will be there to greet you. Plus, after the race there will be a festival with a DJ, performance by The G-Line and more.
Oktoberfest
Veterans Park, Highlands
Authentic German food, live music, dancing and other entertainment will be part of this free, family-friendly celebration. There will be live Oompah, and polka music performed by the Dance Hall Detour. Bahrs Landing Restaurant will prepare bratwurst, knockwurst, kraut, potato pancakes, goulash, sauerbraten and Bavarian noodles. Wash that down with light and dark Oktoberfest beers. Enter the Best Dressed or Beer Stein Holding contests. Visit the craft vendor booths.
Charlotte Joy Touch-a-Truck Festival
East Freehold Showgrounds, Freehold
There will be more than 100 trucks of all types: classic cars, motorcycles, the RE/MAX Realtors hot air balloon, an NJ State Police helicopter, racing boats, vintage buses, the Batmobile, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and more. There will be food trucks, inflatables, a rock climbing wall, a trackless train, a petting zoo, vendors, live entertainment and other activities throughout the day. The Ashley Lauren Foundation supports those dealing with pediatric cancer.
Festival Cultural Latino
Princeton YMCA, Princeton
The YMCA, Princeton Public Library, Arts Council of Princeton and other groups have come together to create an event filled with the diversity of Latin American culture, showcasing the music from local artists, Latin food, arts and crafts too. Kids can take a turn at hitting the community’s piñata.
Oysterfest
Mudhen Brewing Co., Wildwood
Watch live oyster shucking, or sign up for the amateur shucking contest. Head outside to the patio for the raw bar.
Forest Bathing
New Weis Center for Education, Arts & Recreation, Ringwood
The practice of forest bathing means immersing oneself in the forest and soaking in the atmosphere through the senses. The walk will be at an easy pace and focus on connecting to nature through mindfulness. There will be short, guided meditations and breathing exercises in the forest. Then, you’ll sample some hot tea to close out the session.
Pumpkin Painting Workshop
Eclectic Chic Boutique, Montclair
Whether you want to create a spooky jack-o’-lantern, a silly cartoon character, or a modern sparkly pumpkin, you’ll have all the tools and materials you need to get started. This class is appropriate for kids, teens and adults.
Fannywood Day Street Fair
South and Martine Avenues, Fanwood
Kids Zone activities include corn hole, soccer goal kicks, obstacle courses, a scavenger hunt, pizza eating, ice cream eating, bubble blowing contest and a water balloon toss. Professional wrestling by Wrestling Pro will be on the Main Stage, in addition to live music from local bands. There will be food vendors and food trucks. Vendors will sell jewelry, handbags, sports collectibles, clothing, home decor, and more.
Heritage Day
Community Park, North Brunswick
The festival is designed to celebrate all of the cultures and traditions of the township. Expect rides, games, vendors, food concessions, live music, giveaways and lots of family fun. There will be fireworks after the evening band performance.
Florham Park 5K and Food Truck Festival
Florham Park Corporate Park, Florham Park
MegaBite Events has joined the Florham Park PBA to combine two great events into one event: a 5K charity race and a food truck and music festival. The 5K starts at 10 am followed by a traditional food and music fest that will include more than a dozen food vendors, live music from Naughty Humphrey and Grand Theft Audio NJ, craft vendors, games and activities, a bar for adults tended by Florham Park police.
Earth Care Day
Cheesequake State Park, Matawan
There will be demos, live wildlife, guided nature walks, and games and crafts focusing on how to protect and save the environment.
Tug of War
Manasquan Inlet, Manasquan
This year’s event will have nine teams engage in intense tugs of war, pitting the strengths of Manasquan against Point Pleasant Beach across the 450-foot-wide Manasquan Inlet. There will be two festivals and after parties.
MONDAY (Columbus Day)
Farm School
Montclair Community Farms, Montclair
Honor Indigenous Peoples Day through an exploration of indigenous farming. Through storytelling, cooking, and crafting, children will discover the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash, which are plants central to indigenous farming and culture.
Taylor Swift Camp
TPAP NJ, Verona
Kids from 2-14 can sing her songs, make Swiftie bracelets and learn the dances to some of her videos during this one-day camp.
T-Rex Takeover
Field Station: Dinosaurs, Leonia
Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day is also bring your dog to the park day! Lead them by leash as you walk around looking at the giant, lifelike dinos. You can also go on the Jurassic Jump attraction, play dino trivia, feed a T-Rex, speak with actual paleontologists and go on a scavenger hunt.
Boo at the Zoo
Bronx Zoo, The Bronx, NY
Dress as your favorite animal (or in any costume) and listen to folktales from around thew rold featuring animals you can see in the zoo, check out sekeltons from a collection of animal species you see at the zoo, watch the costume parade and pumpkin carving demos, make your own Hallloween crafts, play in the Boo Playground and go trick-or-treating.
ONGOING
Haunted Ridgewood
Downtown Ridgewood
Fridays in October
Ridgewood Walks and the Ridgewood Halloween Maze put on a popular walking tour of the year called Haunted Ridgewood. Find out what secrets hide behind certain stately mansions in Ridgewood’s historic district. See the houses where some guests have never left and hear the history that marks them forever. End up at Ridgewood’s notorious haunted maze. Find your way through the maze’s one secret passage. Spooky attire is encouraged.
Haunted House and Hayride
4-H Youth Center, East Brunswick
Fridays and Saturdays in October
Older kids will like the haunted house and hayride, but there will be less spooky activities for younger kids, such as pumpkin decorating and snacks.
Wayne PAL Antique Collectibles Show and Vintage Flea Market
Wayne PAL Athletic League Complex, Wayne
First Sunday of every month, through April
The show features over 150 vendor tables in two large rooms and the front lobby where you can find vintage and sterling jewelry, glassware and Lenox, toys and trains, antique and collectible dolls and action figures, vintage postcards and photos and artwork, military, political and sports memorabilia including cards, magazines and newspapers, vintage coins and watches, classic rock CDs and more.
Monsterville
Downtown Merchantville
Select dates, October 6-31
Throughout the month the downtown will be transformed into a Halloween scene. Events include Spooky Story Time, the Merchant School Haunted House, a Mystery and Magic Street Fair, a Zombie Run and trick-or-treating.
Mercer County Ropes Course
Mercer County Park, West Windsor
October 7, 14; November 5, 18
The ropes course contains 12 “challenges” or elements, including the Zigzag, Swinging Logs, and the Postman’s Walk. You’ll have to use balance, focus and teamwork skills to get across. There is also a zipline. The course is open to kids and adults 12 and older.
Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour
October 7, Menlo Park Mall, Edison
October 14, Cherry Hill Mall, Cherry Hill
Check out the new Dreamhouse Living Tour with exclusive merch only available on the Barbie Truck Tour.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Algonquin Arts Theatre, Manasquan
October 7-22
This stage version is based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature.
Spooky Fest
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
October 7-29
Watch Boo! A Halloween Laser Show or the Haunted House 3D. Hunt for creepy, giant spiders in the Spider Scavenger Hunt, and seek 13 Spooky Skeletons, too. See what’s inside every jack o’ lantern in the Pumpkin Dissection Lab, and check out real animal skeletons in the Boneyard. LSC’s resident bugs, spiders, and more critters are the stars of the Creepy Crawler Corner shows. Work it out on the dance floor at the daily Halloween Dance Party.
Patch & Halloween Trains
Whippany Railway Museum, Whippany
Sundays, October 8 and 15
The Pumpkin Patch Train is a 10-mile, 45-minute round trip from Whippany to Roseland and the return trip. After each ride, kids with a valid train ticket can go to the Pumpkin Patch and pick out a free kid-sized pumpkin and receive a pumpkin decorating kit, while supplies last. Kids can come dressed up in their Halloween costumes.
Quest Middlesex County
Throughout Middlesex County
Through October 11
Solve riddles and take photos from 25 different spots throughout the county. Prizes will be awarded.
Amazing Pumpkin Carve
Woolsey Park, Titusville
October 11-15
Local artists transform colossal pumpkins into masterpieces—grinning skeletons, gooey goblins, and more. Enjoy live music, a kid’s maze with hay bales, face painting, cornhole, and games.
Fall Flower Festival
Holland Ridge Farms, Cream Ridge
Through October 15
There will be thousands of rainbow blooms including sunflowers, gladiolus, dahlias, calla lilies and mums; dozens of food options; more than 25 floral photo activations; a hundred vendors; live music and more family-friendly activities.
Harry Potter: The Exhibition
50 West 34th Street, New York, NY
Through October 15
This immersive exhibit is dedicated to all things Harry Potter. The exhibition features the iconic moments, characters, settings and beasts seen in the films and stories of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and also includes the costumes, props and imagery from the Broadway production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. You can choose a Patronus, cast a spell, test their Quidditch skills, and brew potions while you’re there.
Mountain Creek Resort Fall Fest
Mountain Creek Resort, Vernon
Saturdays-Sundays, through October 22
This is the first year Mountain Creek will hold a Fall Fest with lots of music, fall snacks, drinks, giant games and access to trails. You can also go on the zip tours or Alpine Mountain Coaster.
Halloween Haunt
Dorney Park, Allentown, PA
Fridays – Saturdays, through October 28
Also Sunday, October 8
Halloween Haunt is not recommended for kids under 13 because of its haunted scare mazes, scare zones and live entertainment. There will be zombies and vampires walking around.
Ode to New Jersey Opening Reception
West Windsor Arts, Princeton Junction
Through October 28
Celebrate New Jersey, known as The Garden State, the Diner Capital of the World and the Crossroads of the American Revolution. Our state is famous for the Jersey tomato, cranberry bogs and growing blueberries (the state’s official fruit). An opening night reception is planned for September 8.
Kids Boo Fest
Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson
Select dates, through October 29
Bring your little goblins to Great Adventure for daytime Halloween fun. There will be family-friendly trick-or-treating, fall festivities, character photo opportunities and treats. This is not Fright Fest.
Fall Family Fun Weekends
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Saturdays – Sundays, through October 29
Choose just the right pumpkin for your jack-o’-lantern or decorations, and let the kids have fun at the pumpkin painting station. Then take them to the area with pony rides, pedal and play tractors, children’s games and activities, the Corn Stalk Maze and Hay Bale Maze, Adventure Story Barn and the barnyard of farm animals. Take a stroll along the pollinator sunflower trail and go on a scavenger hunt. Get lunch from Pam’s Food Pavilion and then take the adults in your group to the orchard for Terhune’s own wines. Local musicians will play during the weekend.
Boo at the Zoo
Bronx Zoo, The Bronx, NY
Saturdays-Sundays, September 30-October 29
Also Monday, October 9
Dress as your favorite animal (or in any costume) and listen to folktales from around thew rold featuring animals you can see in the zoo, check out sekeltons from a collection of animal species you see at the zoo, watch the costume parade and pumpkin carving demos, make your own Hallloween crafts, play in the Boo Playground and go trick-or-treating.
Great Pumpkin Fest
Dorney Park, Allentown, PA
Saturdays – Sundays, through October 29
This Halloween celebration is all fun and no fear, so it’s great for kids of all ages. Located in Wildwater Kingdom, you’ll find family-friendly activities, games, play zones, costume contests, dance parties and more.
Misfits Farmstead Festivals
Manalapan and Monroe Twp.
Saturdays-Sundays, through October 29
Meet the new Misfits (the family of goats) during festival weekends. There will be cornhole, tug of war, tractor rides, pumpkin picking, a corn maze, pony rides and a petting zoo.
Fall Family Fun & Farm of Horrors
Schaefer Farms, Flemington
Select dates, through October 29
Take your family on a scenic hayride to 40 acres of homegrown pumpkins. While on the patch, you can go through the Corn Maize or Hay Maze, play with the corn cannons, and feed some farm animals. At night, the farm transforms into the Farm of Horrors where you will ride, walk and then run for your life through the Halloween-themed attractions.
Little Falls Farmers Market
Little Falls
Sundays, through October 29
Soupeteer, Doughboy On The Rise, Jersey Pickles, High Mountain Foods, Pastabalities, Rosie’s Empanadas, Jersey Spirits, Seven Tribesmen and Cousins Main Lobster are just some of the returning vendors for the season. Live music will be from Your Mom’s Hot and new this year will be live jazz music from Hunter Hays – plus DJ Allstar Spotlight.
Fall Into Fun
Storybook Land, Egg Harbor Twp.
Select dates, through October 29
The park will be decorated with haystacks, cornstalks and fall fun activities. Climb aboard the Happy Hayride, decorate a mini pumpkin and go through Elmer’s Hay-Mazin Maze. Kids are encouraged to dress in costume.
Mountain Creek Resort Bike Park
Mountain Creek Resort, Vernon Twp.
Through October 29
The bike park at Mountain Creek has 52 downhill trails that challenge everyone from first-time bikers to downhill professional racers. Zip tours feature a series of ziplines ranging from 200 feet to 1,500 feet in length.
Fall Fun Fest & Pumpkin Picking
Maple Leaf Farms, Manalapan
Saturdays – Sundays, through October 29
There will be live bull riding and country music, plus more than 20 activities, including a wooden train, wooden tractor swing, horse tire swings, tetter ball, pumpkin village, hay ride, corn maze, animal barnyard, pig races, goat mountain, hay maze, sand box, tiny trike track, pumpkin bowling, observation bridge, backhoe play yard, corn tunnel, rubber duck races, pillow jump, rodeo show, bean bag toss, pedal karts, corn crib, spiderweb, hay climbing and candy corn toss.
Fall Festival
Wightman Farms, Morristown
Saturdays – Sundays, through October 29
The mazeland includes a giant corn maze, hay bale maze, rope maze, paver maze, rock labyrinth, hay bale pyramid and hay bale tunnel. The picnic area includes corn hole, Hula hoops, and an educational display in the farm schoolhouse about bees and apples. The pumpkin slingshot will open at a later date.
Scarecrows in the Village
Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA
Through October 29
More than 100 scarecrows will be on display throughout the village. If you want to try your own, sign up for a scarecrow-making workshop. Throughout the season there will be a series of events, like Food Truck Thursday, a wedding show, a murder mystery dinner show and a free movie. During the weekend of September 16 and 17, Peddler’s Village will host a Scarecrow Festival that will include scarecrow workshops, live music, a juggling show, pumpkin painting, axe throwing, sand art, and outdoor food and drinks.
Welcome to Matteson
New Jersey Repertory Company, Long Branch
Thursdays – Sundays, through October 29
A suburban couple hosts a welcome-to-the-neighborhood dinner party for their new neighbors — a couple recently relocated from Cabrini Green, Chicago’s roughest housing project — but it’s anything but welcoming. This is a dark comedy about reverse gentrification and how we deal with the “other” when the other looks just like us.
Pumpkin Trains
Black River & Western Railroad, Flemington
Saturdays – Sundays, through October 29
Catch the train at Flemington Station for a ride to Everitt Farms at Pumpkin Junction. Your ticket includes the round-trip train ride, entry to the corn maze, a kid’s corn box activity, a wagon ride, music and games. You can also pick your own pumpkins.
Fall Farm Run
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, Morristown
Saturdays – Sundays, through October 29
Start with a wagon ride around the 200-acre property. Watch apples being pressed into cider and take your “turn” with the old-fashioned screw press. Pick your own pumpkin from the patch. Take a guided tour of The Willows 1854 mansion. Visit the farm animals and see a corn cracking demonstration and then feed the chickens. Check out Well Played, an exhibit about childhood 100+ years ago, and the Transportation Exhibit which features a climb-on Model T truck and restored antique vehicles that were driven around town in the 1920s.
Pumpkin Nights
Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY
Thursdays – Sundays, through October 29
Pumpkin Nights tells the story of What Animals Do After Dark through intricately carved pumpkin sculptures and scenes, music and special lighting. The zoo’s newest attraction features more than 5,000 carved animal-themed pumpkins over a half-mile jack-o’-lantern trail, food trucks and fall treats, live pumpkin carving, seasonal games and more. Even though it’s at night, the activities are family-friendly.
The Great Pumpkin Train
Delaware River Railroad Excursions, Phillipsburg
Through October 29
Ride along the Delaware River and get off at Snyders Station, where you will spend 2 hours at the mine panning for gemstones you can take home and/or take on the challenge of the corn maze. Every train stops at the Pumpkin Patch on the way back so kids can pick a pumpkin for free, and you can all check out the century-old Carpentersville Lime Kilns which date back to before the Revolutionary War.
Halloween Light Show
Demarest Farms, Hillsdale
Select dates, through October 31
Drive through 32 acres of Halloween lights displays, enjoy farm fresh goodies in the retail farm market, warm up by the fire pits, make your own s’mores, and sip hot cocoa.
Fall Harvest Days
Norz Hill Farm & Market, Hillsborough
Select dates, through October 31
Start with the Fall Harvest Days, which include the corn maze, farm tours, a Kids CORNer, pumpkin patch and food stand. Then, mark your calendar for Scare Farm, where the farm transforms into nightly terrors.
Fright Fest
Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson
Select dates, through October 31
This is not for the faint of heart! Recommended for teens and adults 13 and older, this is one of the area’s scariest Halloween events. Nighttime festivities include a ghoul parade, live stage shows, terrifying scare zones, plus six haunted houses designed for the ultimate scare.
Halloween House Paramus
Paramus Mall, Paramus
Through November 1
Halloween House has a series of fully immersive, uniquely themed rooms including the Trick or Treat Room, the Glow in the Dark Room, the Horror Movie Graveyard, the Vampires’ Lair, and the pumpkin patch. These rooms are designed to be more fun than scary. There are no actors, jump scares or strobe lights. It takes about 45 minutes to walk through. Note: The attraction is closed on Sundays.
Little One’s Nature Class
Plainsboro Preserve, Cranbury
Fridays, through November 3 (no class Oct. 27)
Learn about the squirrels, turkeys and changing leaves in the Plainsboro Preserve through stories, crafts and nature exploration. This series of classes is for kids ages 3 to 5, plus an adult.
Grow Little Gardner
Veblen House Lawn, Princeton
Fridays, through November 3
Certified Master Gardener and local mom Mathilde Burlion will teach a weekly youth gardening class in Herrontown Woods. In these sessions, kids ages 6-12 will learn and grow by exploring the woods and interacting with nature.
LuminoCity Dino Safari
Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold Twp.
Through November 5
From the triceratops to the Pterosauria to the brachiosaurus to the oviraptor, your kids will have a roarin’ good time checking out the lifelike animatronics that have special effects like their jaws opening, heads and tails swaying, the sound of breathing and wings fluttering. A special Halloween makeover with gigantic, illuminated jack o’lanterns, spiders, graveyard stones and skeletons goes through October 31.
Jack O’Lantern Experience
Skylands Stadium, Augusta
Select dates, through November 5
There will be thrills and chills for the whole family, including seasonal food and drinks, outdoor games, pumpkin picking and painting, and a stroll through over 6,000 hand-carved Jack-O-Lanterns.
Fintastic Fall Days Festival
Adventure Aquarium, Camden
Through November 5
See countless aquatically-themed displays throughout the aquarium, both floating on the surface and sunken deep below among sharks, rays, and other aquatic animals. Check out seasonal sensory tables featuring pumpkin slime and other hands-on sensory experiences. You can pay $5 to paint and take home your pumpkin masterpiece. If you’re looking to learn more, dive into the “What Goes Bump in the Midnight Zone” show, which demystifies the animals living in the dark depths of the ocean’s Midnight Zone.
Oktoberfest
Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson
Select dates, through November 5
This German heritage festival is a new fall tradition filled with authentic fare and a large selection of seasonal craft lagers and beers from around the world, including the Gutentag One Man Band.
The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular
Sesame Place, Langhorne, PA
Select dates, through November 5
Dress your kids in their Halloween costumes and bring them to the Sesame Street-themed theme park for Halloween-themed shows and parades, a scavenger hunt, a trick-or-treat trail, pumpkin decorating, photo ops with their favorite furry friends, and the new Count’s Hello Halloween Spectacular.
Great Pumpkin Festival
Heaven Hill Farm, Vernon
Through November 5
There is so much to do on the farm! There’s everything from a tractor hay ride to a corn maze to a hy crawl and barnyard sports ball-cade, plus a Chicken Little Show, the Boo Barn, a dancing robot show, pedal cars and an obstacle course, Skee-Ball, a giant straw bale pyramid, boat racing, pig racing and the Canine Stars Stunt Dog Show.
Hill Creek Farms Fall Season
Hill Creek Farms, Mullica Hill
Fridays – Sundays, through November 5
2023 season highlights include u-pick apples, Asian pears, sunflowers and vegetables; live music at The Loft; kids’ activities, including moon bounce, barrel train rides, gem mining and a playground; photo ops around the farm; local wine, small bites, food trucks, ice cream and freshly baked apple cider donuts.
Duke Farms Market
Duke Farms, Hillsborough
Sundays, through November 12
The best farms and artisan vendors from the Raritan Watershed region will offer items for all your grocery needs.
Chrysanthemum Festival
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA
Through November 12
Walk through displays of 5,000 yellow, orange, lavender and maroon chrysanthemums. It’s based on an ancient art from Japan and China, where flowers are arranged in the shape of spirals, obelisks, columns and clouds.
T-Rex Takeover
Field Station: Dinosaurs, Leonia
Select days, through November 12
The park is home to more than 30 larger-than-life-sized dinosaurs and includes the Jurassic Jump attraction, activities like dino trivia or feeding a T-Rex, time to speak with actual paleontologists and a scavenger hunt. Starting now, you can go for Dinosaurs After Dark on Friday and Saturday nights.
Aerial Adventure Park Night Climb
Great Gorge Golf Club, Vernon
Select dates, through November 18
Night climbs give you three hours of access to the 10 original aerial obstacle courses, plus the new zipline course, The Black Creek Flyer. You can spend the night climbing, zipping, scrambling and scampering through the trees. Stop for something to eat or sit by the fire to relax before heading up again.
Morning Walks
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
Saturdays, through November 18
During a quiet morning at the sanctuary, walk the trails with an NJ Audubon staff member or associate naturalist and learn about the birds, trees, tracks, wildflowers, reptiles and amphibians that you come across.
Food Truck Festival Season
Laurita Winery, New Egypt
Select Saturdays and Sundays, through November 19
Each weekend will have a different theme with food trucks to match, plus a glass of wine or two. There will be family activities, too.
Hopatcong Sunday Market & Craft Fair
Park & Ride, Hopatcong
Sundays, through November 26
Each week, bring the kids and shop from a variety of food, produce and craft vendors.
Diggerfest
Diggerland USA, West Berlin
Saturdays-Sundays, through November 26
Diggerland’s Fall Festival includes live music, special foods, hay rides, Circus Stella, fun and games, fire truck rides, a petting zoo, pumpkin decorating, a pipe roll, a corn maze, photo stands, fire pits and a fall parade.
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