Celebrating Pumpkins, Pecans, and Everything Fall Without Getting Lost in a Corn Maze!
As autumn blankets the United States in vibrant hues of gold and crimson, communities across the country come together to celebrate the season’s bounty through various fall harvest festivals. From the pumpkin fields of Ohio to the apple orchards of Pennsylvania, these festivals showcase local produce, honor agricultural traditions, and offer a taste of regional flavors.
Whether you’re craving pumpkin pies, apple cider, or a glass of wine from the fall grape harvest, these events provide a perfect opportunity to embrace the sights, sounds, and tastes of autumn. These festivals also reflect the rich cultural diversity of the U.S., with each region celebrating its unique traditions and flavors.
Here’s a roundup of notable harvest festivals across the U.S., celebrating local produce, farming traditions, and autumn festivities:
Circleville Pumpkin Show (Circleville, Ohio)
When: Mid-October
Highlight: Known as the “Greatest Free Show on Earth,” this festival celebrates all things pumpkin, from giant pumpkin weigh-ins to pumpkin-flavored treats. It includes parades, craft shows, and amusements for all ages.
National Apple Harvest Festival (Biglerville, Pennsylvania)
When: First two weekends of October
Highlight: Set in the heart of apple country; this festival features everything apple-related, from cider to pies, live music, arts and crafts, and orchard tours.
Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival (Half Moon Bay, California)
When: Mid-October
Highlight: Celebrating its coastal pumpkin heritage, this festival showcases giant pumpkins, an iconic pumpkin parade, carving contests, and plenty of fall-inspired food and crafts.
Harvest on the Harbor (Portland, Maine)
When: Late October
Highlight: This food and drink festival celebrates the best of Maine’s fall harvest with local chefs, winemakers, and brewers. It also includes tastings, farm-to-table experiences, and sustainable food workshops.
Cranberry Harvest Festival (Wareham, Massachusetts)
When: Early October
Highlight: Located near the cranberry bogs of New England, this festival offers cranberry bog tours, cranberry product vendors, and family-friendly events like boat tours and pie-eating contests.
Hood River Valley Harvest Fest (Hood River, Oregon)
When: Mid-October
Highlight: Set in the scenic Columbia River Gorge, this festival celebrates the bounty of local fruit, including apples and pears. Enjoy live music, crafts, cider tastings, and farm-fresh produce.
Harvest Moon Festival (Richmond, Rhode Island)
When: Mid-October
Highlight: Known for its small-town charm, this festival features a farmer’s market, hayrides, a scarecrow contest, and local harvest foods. It’s a family-friendly event with a rural New England feel.
Harvest Festival Original Art & Craft Show (Ventura, California)
When: Late October
Highlight: This festival focuses on handcrafted arts and crafts and includes autumnal harvest foods and treats. Visitors can enjoy live entertainment and shop for unique, seasonal decor.
North Carolina Pecan Harvest Festival (Whiteville, North Carolina)
When: Early November
Highlight: Dedicated to the region’s pecan harvest, the festival features local pecan products, cooking contests, arts and crafts, a parade, live entertainment, and a pecan-themed 5K run.
Did you know?
One thing you might not know about harvest festivals is that some have deep historical roots dating back to ancient pagan celebrations, such as Lammas Day in the U.K., which honored the first wheat harvest. Many modern harvest festivals in the U.S. and worldwide still incorporate elements from these ancient traditions, like cornucopias (horns of plenty) and giving thanks for the season’s bounty. In some rural American communities, these festivals even include “blessing of the fields” ceremonies, echoing ancient rituals to ensure future prosperity and good harvests.
A little History?
The tradition of harvest festivals dates back thousands of years, with roots in ancient agricultural societies that celebrated the successful gathering of crops. One of the earliest known harvest festivals is Lammas Day, an Anglo-Saxon tradition celebrated on August 1st in the British Isles. It marked the first wheat harvest of the year, and people would bring a loaf of bread made from freshly harvested wheat to church as an offering, asking for blessings on the rest of the harvest. This practice was deeply intertwined with pre-Christian pagan rituals that thanked the gods for agricultural abundance and asked for the protection of the crops.
