Fun Fall Festivals in Westchester and Rockland

UPDATED FALL 2015: Celebrate the harvest season in the Hudson Valley at these fall fairs and festivals in Westchester and Rockland counties, including Bear Mountain, Brewster, Cortlandt Manor, Katonah, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, and beyond. Bring the kids for apple picking, pumpkin carving, hayrides, corn mazes, and more fun fall activities.

Fall Festivals in Westchester

CORNucopia
Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015-Monday, Sept. 7, 2015
10am-5pm

Philipsburg Manor
381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow

Online Admission: $16; $12 for seniors; $8 for children 2-17; free for members and children younger than 3

CORNucopia, the Hudson Valley’s first-ever corn festival, will feature a bounty of corn-centric delicacies and interactive, corn-related activities over Labor Day weekend. Ideal for all ages, this celebration of all things corn will feature hands-on activities, craft and cooking demonstrations, lots of corny cuisine, bluegrass music, and a friendly scarecrow come to life. All visitors get a free bag of popcorn as they enter. Maize-inspired food selections like sweet corn ice cream will be available for purchase. Visitors can compete in a corn-shucking contest, participate in a barn dance, and play corn-inspired games like Ring-a-Cob in the CORNival gaming area. Other activities include scarecrow making, open-hearth cooking demonstrations, and demonstrations of coopering (barrel-making) and milling. A kid-sized “mini maize maze” will beckon the little ones, and live bluegrass and folk music will take place throughout the day.

Honey Harvest Party
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015
2pm

Greenburgh Nature Center
99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale

Admission: register by 9/12 for $4 for members; $8 for non-members; free for children younger than 2; day of event is $6 for members; $10 for non-members.

GNC’s naturalists prepare tasty treats from their organic garden. Learn about beekeeping, the fascinating social network of honeybees, and how honey is harvested. The harvest from the hives will be extracted indoors and away from the active outdoor beehives by beekeeper H. Peet Foster. Free tasting of fresh honey from the hives, and the newly harvested honey will be available for purchase.

Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst
Friday, Sept. 18, 2015 – Sunday, Sept. 20
Friday and Sunday 10am-5pm; Saturday 10am-6pm

Lyndhurst
635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown

Admission: $12 regular; $11 for seniors 62+; $4 for children 6-16; free for children younger than 6.

Shop for one-of-a-kind and limited edition jewelry, fashion, and accessories, furniture and home decor pieces, as well as functional and sculptural work in ceramics, glass, metal, painting, photography, wood, and mixed media. Visitors can enjoy live music all weekend long, watch craft demonstrations, participate in children’s activities, eat in the expanded food court, and purchase specialty foods.

Barn Dance at John Jay Homestead
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015
5-10pm

John Jay Homestead
400 Jay St./ Route 22, Katonah

Admission: $60-$250 for adults; $25-$30 for children.

Expect lots of old-fashioned fun, including an informal barbecue, ice cream sundaes, a campfire, and music by local bands, at the Barn Dance at John Jay Homestead. The swimming pig races (held at 5:30pm and 7:30pm sharp) are always a crowd favorite. New this year: racing dachshunds!

Fieldhome’s 11^th Annual Fall Festival
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015
11am-4pm

The Seabury at Fieldhome
2300 Catherine St., Cortlandt Manor

There’s something for everyone at Fieldhome’s 11th Annual Fall Festival—arts and crafts, a classic car show, pumpkin patch, homemade bake sale, fall plant sale, great food, and live entertainment. Little ones will head straight to the Kids’ Zone for inflatable rides, pumpkin decorating, face painting, a petting zoo, pony rides, games, and prizes. Bring canned and dried foods to donate to the food drive benefitting Yorktown Community Help, Inc. FREE!

Green Chimneys’ Fall Harvest Festival
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015
10am-4pm

Green Chimneys
400 Doansburg Road, Brewster

Admission: Online $5 for adults; $10 for children 16 years and younger; $15 for Children’s Fun Run; infants free. All ticket prices $2 more at the door.

At Green Chimneys’ Fall Harvest Festival, the fun starts with the Children’s Harvest Fun Run around the Green Chimneys Horse Barn. The rest of the day features great seasonal activities, including pumpkin decorating, hay rides, the little folks’ hay maze, and make-your-own scarecrow. Also included: live animal demonstrations, nature activities, kids’ crafts, and the bungee trampoline.

Dobbs Ferry Festa
Saturday Sept. 26, 2015
1-8pm

Dobbs Ferry Streetfront
Main and Cedar Streets, Dobbs Ferry

Stroll the streets and shop for collectibles, arts and crafts, toys, clothes, and more, all while listening to the sounds of live music. There will be inflatables for kids, an obstacle course and bouncy castle, more than 100 vendors, and many local restaurants serving their fare al fresco. Rain or shine.

Rosenthal JCC’s Fall Harvest Hoedown
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015
4pm-6pm

Rosenthal JCC
600 Bear Ridge Road, Pleasantville

Admission: Pre-pay $6 per person, $20 per family; at the door $7 per person, $25 per family.

Rosenthal JCC’s Fall Fest includes a barnyard petting zoo, pony rides, touch-a-truck, a trackless train, bounce house, pumpkin patch and decorating, wacky photo booth, water slide (weather permitting), crafts, and refreshments. Ride/activity tickets are sold in advance at a discount. FREE!

5th Annual Hounds on the Sound Dog Walk-a-thon & Festival
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015
10am-3pm

Harbor Island Park
123 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck

Hundreds of walkers and their dogs will take a leisurely 1.5-mile stroll along Long Island Sound as they walk the perimeter of Glen Island Park. After the procession, browse the wares of two dozen vendors (with lots of dog-related merchandise), listen to music, and enjoy refreshments such as pizza, home-baked treats, and ice cream. Get a take-home photo of you and your dog posing at the water’s edge, get a balloon shaped like a dog, watch an agility demonstration, and stop by the “kiddie korner” for some face painting, a game of musical chairs, or best trick competitions.

Peekskill Rotary 45th Annual Horse Show & Country Fair
Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 3-4, 2015
Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 8am-5pm

Blue Mountain Reservation
Welcher Avenue, Peekskill

The only show in Westchester County with both English and Western riding contests. Fair attractions include pony and hay rides, a country fair and craft market, bounce and slide rides, and a “Kountry Kitchen” featuring baked goods. Rotary members work in the foot tents serving up a full range of grilled foods, beverages, and ice cream. FREE admission and parking.

12^th Annual Harvest Fest
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015
10am-3pm

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills

Admission: $40 for adults ages 16 and older, $20 for children 2-15 years old; Free for children 2 and younger

Festivities for the whole family include live music, hayrides, farm Olympics, food-crafting, farming demonstrations, and square dancing.

Fall Festival
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015
11am-3pm

Greenburgh Nature Center
99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale

Admission: Advance tickets $5 for members; $10 for non-members. Day of tickets $8 for members; $15 for non-members. Children 2 and younger are free.

Enjoy scarecrow-building and pumpkin-carving or painting, cider making, petting zoo, scavenger hunts, tractor rides, and more. Food available for purchase. Rain or shine.

Wave Hill’s Honey Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 17-18, 2015

Wave Hill
West 249^th Street at Independence Avenue, Bronx

Free with admission to the grounds

Wave Hill’s Honey Weekend features demos, art projects, information stations, and tastings. Most events take place throughout the weekend. Visit the website for a full listing of Honey Weekend activities.

Autumn Celebration
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015
12-3pm

Muscoot Farm
51 Route 100, Katonah

Spend the day listening and dancing to a band, watch a blacksmithing demonstration, make origami, visit the antique cars, try your hand at a variety of farm games, decorate a sugar pumpkin, visit the Farmers’ Market, take a peaceful hayride to the back fields, and more. There is a small fee for the farm games, decorating a sugar pumpkin, and hayride.

Fall Festivals in Rockland County

Oktoberfest
Saturday, Sept. 12 –Sunday, Oct. 25, plus Monday, Oct. 12, Columbus Day
12-6pm

Anthony Wayne Recreation Area
Exit 17 off Palisades Parkway, Bear Mountain

Free admission. $8 parking fee.

Bear Mountain once again hosts Oktoberfest, with seven weekends full of German music, food, beer, and vendors. Stroll around Hessian Lake, take in the park’s fall foliage, and enjoy the season at this family-friendly event.

Septemberfest Street Fair
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015
10am-5pm

Main Street and Broadway, Nyack

Take a break from an otherwise busy month by stopping by Nyack’s fall street fair. Check out the event’s selection of traditional “fair food,” street cafes, live music, funky crafts, antiques, collectibles, jewelry, art, kids games, and rides. Rain or shine.

Rock the Block: Community Block Party
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015
10am-2pm

JCC Rockland
450 W. Nyack Road, West Nyack

Admission: $5 pre-purchase by 9/15; $7 day-of

Families are invited to spend a “fun day at the J” at this annual event, which this year falls during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Kids can enjoy activities in the JCC’s sukkah while parents check out the community center’s new group exercise schedule, learn about new offerings, and try out demos of new specialty classes such as Kettlebell, Get Fit for Baby, and IntenSati. The day also includes programs on nutrition, heart health, and healthy living.

Oktoberfest at Platzl Brauhaus

Platzl Brauhaus
Saturdays, Sept. 26, Oct. 3, 10, 17, 2015
11am-6pm

127 Call Hallow Road, Pomona

Admission: Adults, $47; children, $13.

Platzl Brauhaus offers a buffet of German food and beer, live music, folk dancing demonstrations, and amusement rides for kids. Reservations are required.

Annual Fall Festival and Crafts Fair
Saturday, Oct. 10 – Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015
10am-5pm

Belleayre Mountain, Overlook Lodge
181 Galli Curci Road, Highmount

Belleayre Mountain hosts this fall festival weekend with live music, theater performances, children’s crafts, fishing, inflatables, mountain bike riding, kyaking demonstrations, a sky ride, guided hikes, and winter apparel sales.

9^th Annual Pearl River Day Festival
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015
11am-6pm

Central Avenue, Pearl River

Stop by for food, music, entertainment, demonstrations, shopping specials, face painting, pumpkin painting, balloon twisting, bouncy attractions, and more.

First Annual Cropsey Harvest Festival
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015
12-5pm

Crospey Community Farm
220 & 241 S. Little Tor Road, New City

Enjoy farm tours, demonstrations, children’s activities, and displays from local nonprofit groups. Real food, local beer, hayrides, pony rides, live music, and family workshops.

Fall Fair
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015
10am-5pm

Greenmeadow Waldorf School
Corner of Hungry Hallow Road and Route 45, Chestnut Ridge

The school hosts a fall fair with children’s activities including cider pressing, pumpkin carving, face painting, and hayrides. Adults can check out vendors, live music, organic food, and much more.

Smoke-N-Fire Food Fest
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015
11am-6pm

Provident Bank Park, Pomona

Sample specialty foods from hot sauce and spice companies as well as food from area restaurants and produce from local farms. The event will include a Rockland County culinary competition. Activities for the public include live music, children’s entertainment, a fire juggler and, of course, a spicy food-eating contest. Chili contest and craft beers.

Nyack’s Famous Street Fair
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015
10am-5pm

Main Street and Broadway, Downtown Nyack

Get a jumpstart on holiday shopping at this final event of Nyack’s street fair season. The fair features more than 250 exhibitors with hand made crafts, art, photography, unique retail items, collectibles, and delicious festival food. Kids can have fun at a large children’s area set up in the Main Street parking lot. Rain or shine. FREE!

Apple Fest
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015
Noon-3pm

Memorial Park, Piermont Ave., Nyack

Jeffrey and his Bossy Frog Band will provide the entertainment. Activities include an apple pie baking contest, “William Tell” (with a member of the Village Board balancing an apple on his/her head), apple face making, a guest appearance by the Hudson Vagabond Puppets, and more.

26th Annual Nyack Halloween Parade
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015
3pm-8pm

Memorial Park, Piermont Ave., Nyack NY

Dancing ghouls, marching bands, floats, stilt walkers, and giant puppets are all part of the action at this major annual event. Immediately following the parade, don’t miss Nyack Center’s Monster Mash, with live music, dancing, and a dinner buffet for kids of all ages. The parade begins at 5:30pm, and ends at the Main Street parking lot, where cash-prize winners are announced.