The leaves are changing colors, the air is cooling, and pumpkin-flavored snacks are popping up everywhere—there’s no denying that fall is upon us. While some people may be a little bummed that summer has ended, throwing a fall festival is a great way to get people into the seasonal spirit. Frequently thrown by churches or community organizations, such festivals often include a ton of fall-themed decorations, activities, and treats so visitors can gather with others and spread seasonal cheer. If you’re throwing an event and need some fun fall festival event ideas, check out the exciting activities listed below.
Hay ride
Hay rides are a classic fall festival activity and a crowd favorite. To include this attraction at your event, fill a wagon with hay and attach it to a tractor, horses, or a truck. Then, take people for a spin around the block or along a trail in the area.
Pumpkin picking
To attract more people to your festival, give guests the opportunity to take home their own fall icon—a pumpkin. Block out a patch of land in your festival area, and stock it with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. As a bonus, selling pumpkins could be a great way to fundraise for your event or raise money to support a local charity.
Pumpkin carving/decorating
After guests pick out a pumpkin from your patch, set up a carving station to let them get creative. If scooping out pounds of pumpkin guts sounds too messy, pumpkin decorating can be just as fun. Simply lay out craft supplies such as stickers, googly eyes, paint, yarn, and glue, and let visitors have fun customizing their pumpkins.
Halloween-themed bounce house
It’s hard to find a child that doesn’t light up when they see a bouncy castle. Including a Halloween-themed bouncy house at your event is a great way to increase the energy and entertain the kids for hours on end.
Corn/hay maze
If you have the space, corn mazes make a great addition to any fall-themed festival. If you don’t have a corn field, you can make your own maze with stacked hay bales.
Photo area
Help guests remember all the fun times they had at your festival with a photo area. Depending on your budget, the photo area could be a booth, a photo prop board, or a festive backdrop.
Haunted house/forest
Walking through a haunted area is a spooky fall tradition that many enjoy. Depending on where your fall festival takes place, you can decorate a house or forest with spooky decorations to get your guest’s blood pumping. In addition to decorations, have a few volunteers dress up in scary outfits and jump out at people as they walk through the “haunted area.”
Face painting
Get into the Halloween spirit by playing make-believe with fun face paint. Face painting can turn you into anything, from a butterfly to a zombie. To set up a face painting booth, get a book of face painting ideas, a volunteer makeup artist, and some skin-friendly paints.
Dunk tank
For a couple dollars, guests can dunk someone in a tank with a few balls. If you can find a willing participant, having a dunk tank at your festival provides a great opportunity to fundraise at your festival.
Corn hole
Create some competition at your fall event with a fun bag toss game. Getting fall-themed corn hole boards or bean bags will make the activity even more festive.
