The Best Fall Festival in Every State
There is so much about the season to fall for it's hard to imagine there's anyone who can't find something to enjoy.
Related: The Most Romantic Destination in Every State
So celebrate the changing of the seasons the best way: with a fall festival. Here are some of the festivals that put the changing seasons center stage in every state.
Alabama
Alabama hosts a variety of fun fall activities from Mobile to Birmingham. For five days worth of festivities, check out the Cullman Oktoberfest, an annual event in the city since 1982. The Oktoberfest festival will have German style craft beers made by Alabama brewers such as Straight to Ale Brewing and Blue Pants Brewery, a car show and will even crown Miss Oktoberfest! Top it all off with wiener dog races, a bratwurst eating contest and even a Burgermeister Ball.
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Alaska
Sitka, Alaska, celebrates fall with the Alaska Day Festival. The festival commemorates the Transfer of Russian claim of Alaska to the United States of America at Sitka. The event includes historic sites and buildings tours, pipe band appearances, Alaska Native dancing, road races, kayak races, croquet games, and more.
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Arizona
Arizona has numerous Oktoberfest-themed and art-centric fall festivals, but a highlight in this state is the Taco Festival. More than 100,000 tacos will be served during this two-day event. And, more than 90 percent of the vendors are locally owned and operated. The festival will also have live music, lucha libre wrestling, hot chili pepper eating contests and a Chihuahua beauty pageant.
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Arkansas
Timberfest has been held for more than 30 years in Sheridan, Arkansas. Get ready for lumberjack competitions, games and fun for children of all ages, arts and crafts, 5K run, a parade and much more.
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California
California pays homage to its past with several interesting fall festivals, including the Paul Bunyan Days in Fort Bragg, California. The celebration of the bigger than life logger and his giant blue ox, Babe, includes parades, a craft fair, logging show and a barbecue.
Honorable mention, though, goes to Sacramento Gold Rush Days, which features a beer crawl, train ride, river cruise, wagon and stagecoach rides.
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Colorado
Fort Collins is home to the FORToberfest, a celebration of Fort Collins with live music, seasonal beer from Fort Collins breweries and bicycle booths. While the music lineup ranges from funk to bluegrass to rock and indie, costumes are encouraged. This event draws in thousands of people every year.
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Connecticut
If you love garlic, the Olde Mistick Village garlic festival should be on your festival bucket list. Peppered with live music and activities for kids, the real highlight is the local produce, preserves, baked goods, prepared food, crafts and concoctions all made with garlic. Additionally, Olde Mistick Village restaurants will feature special garlic related foods.
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Delaware
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Florida
Coconut Grove Pumpkin Patch Festival is sure to get Florida residents and visitors in the fall spirit. The fall fun includes a pumpkin patch, carnival for all ages, corn and hay bale maze, pumpkin food court, and beer bars.
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Georgia
More than 100 scarecrows will line the streets of Alpharetta, Georgia, for its annual Scarecrow Festival. Play a little cornhole, take a hayride and dance through the streets while listening to country music.
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Hawaii
Now in its 71st year, the Floral Parade in Honolulu includes a colorful procession of female and male pau horseback riders, floats covered with Hawaiian flowers and Hawaiian music.
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Idaho
The Eagle Wine and Food Festival, located in Eagle, Idaho, celebrates the culinary and viticulture delights by select Idaho wineries and pairing them with premier local chefs. A portion of the proceeds from this festival, which also includes live music, is donated to local charities.
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Illinois
The oldest and largest fall festival in southern Illinois, the Murphysboro Apple Festival contains a car show, parade, activities for kids, a golf classic, carnival and more. It boasts more than 45,000 attendees each year as well. There is a caveat for those looking to imbibe: The festival is alcohol free.
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Indiana
If Indiana’s Festival of Turning Leaves doesn’t say fall, what does? The annual event includes a plethora of activities and events, including a corn hole tournament and a classic car show.
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Iowa
For more than 100 years, Beaverdale has been putting on its fall festival. A float contest joins the likes of a dog parade and on-site games.
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Kansas
Celebrate in Lexena, Kansas, also known as the Spinach Capital of the World (declared in the 1930s), with thousands of others. The world’s largest spinach salad, spinach recipe contest, cooking demonstrations, and kids’ activities.
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Kentucky
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Laurel County, home of the original KFC restaurant, celebrates the life of Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Located in London, Kentucky, the world’s largest stainless steel skillet will also be on hand for the occasion.
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Louisiana
Louisiana’s oldest agricultural festival is the International Rice Festival, located in Crowley, Louisiana. This event includes a pageant, poker rice run, classic car show, parades, rice creole and cookery contest, rice eating contest, live music and carnival.
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Maine
Damariscotta celebrates fall with the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. Pumpkin boats are paddled or motor powered in this famous regatta on the Damariscotta River. This festival also includes giant pumpkin weigh-off, parade, pumpkin drop, and pumpkin pancake breakfast.
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Maryland
Ocean City hosts a two-weekend celebration, dubbed O.C.-toberfest, with a beach maze, pet parade, great pumpkin race and a Halloween costume party for kids.
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Massachusetts
The Big E, located in West Springfield, is the biggest fair in the Northeast, with nearly 1.5 million people attending in 2014. It features a circus, mardi gras parade, agricultural competitions, arts and crafts, food contests and live music, just to name a few events.
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Michigan
The Color Cruise & Island Festival, located in Grand Ledge, Michigan, is a three-day festival that was developed for attendees to appreciate the colors of the season by riverboat, canoe, horse and wagon, bicycle or air. There is also cider pressing, pumpkin painting and a car show.
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Minnesota
Said to be one of the top events in Minnesota, the annual Minnesota Oktoberfest will take place at four locations in New Ulm on the first two weekends in October. The four locations are the Best Western Plus, Downtown New Ulm, Morgan Creek Vineyards and Schell’s Brewery.
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Mississippi
More than 15,000 gathers for the Cleveland Octoberfest in Cleveland, Mississippi, every year for the event that has been called one of the best outdoor festivals in the Delta. Bring your appetite: It's a Memphis Barbecue Network sanctioned event.
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Missouri
The National Harvest Festival in Branson features more than 125 visiting craftsmen, a barn dance, Buck Taylor’s Cowboy Emporium and a Wild West Show inspired by Buffalo Bill.
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Montana
Held in the Chokecherry Capitol of Montana, Lewiston, and attended by more than 4,000 people each year, the Chokecherry Festival pays homage to the small fruit that grows wild in Montana.
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Nebraska
The Nebraska City-based Apple Jack Festival is said to attract more than 70,000 people for all things made of apples, including apple pie, cider, caramel apples, apple fritters and more. There’s also a parade, classic car show, live music and three-day carnival.
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Nevada
The RiSE Lantern Festival, which takes place in the Mojave Desert, is designed to elevate hope, ignite dreams and create memories as we move into the holiday gathering season with the release of thousands of lanterns.
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New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival is not for the faint of heart. Located in Laconia, New Hampshire, the annual fall celebration includes more than 20,000 pumpkins, as well as rides, games, live music, food and beverages, haunted attractions and more.
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New Jersey
Join 30,000 visitors to downtown Jersey City for the All About Downtown day street fair featuring food trucks, art work, jewelry, crafts, and hundreds of vendors.
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New Mexico
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a must-see fall event. With hot air balloon launches, live music, flying competition and car show, the simplicity and beauty of hot air balloons lit up as night falls is not to be overlooked.
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New York
Macedon Center Lumberjack Festival in Macedon boasts an amateur lumberjack competition that includes log rolling, two-man cross cut, buck saw, chain saw, log chop and fire starting. Sunday is the pro competition with ax throwing, hot saw, two man crosscut and spring board. There is also a petting zoo with pony rides, craft and collectibles sale.