Welcome to your ultimate, slightly pumpkin-obsessed guide to fall festivals in Harrisburg and the West Shore, PA! If you're ready to dive into a world where flannel is the dress code, pumpkin spice is the unofficial currency, and getting lost in a corn maze is basically a rite of passage, then you’re in the right place. We've scoured central Pennsylvania to bring you the best of the season—everything from top-rated pumpkin patches and apple cider donuts that should come with a warning label, to festivals where you can sample every autumn treat under the sun.
Looking for the best hayrides, the most Instagrammable fall backdrops, or the hidden gems that only locals rave about? We’ve got all that and more, because let's face it, fall in the Cumberland Valley and Capital Area isn’t just about the leaves changing color—it’s about you finally having an excuse to eat your weight in pumpkin-flavored everything.. So, grab your coziest sweater (you know, the one that makes you look like you just stepped out of a fall catalog), pour yourself a mug of something hot and spiced, and get ready to plan your perfect fall adventure in Harrisburg and the West Shore. Because let’s be honest—fall isn’t just a season here, it’s a full-on festival frenzy, and you don’t want to miss a thing!
Know of a festival that's missing? Email me at rachaelb@macaronikid.com or submit it directly HERE
Here’s a list of exciting festivals happening in the Harrisburg and West Shore area during September & October:
September
🆓 🌉 🫧Kipona Festival @ Riverfront Park and City Island (Harrisburg)September 1, 2024 || September 2, 2024
🎶🍷🎷Jazz and Wine Festival of Dauphin County @ Fort Hunter (Harrisburg) (DCPR)September 7, 2024 || September 8, 2024
🆓🎶🥧Fort Hunter Day Festival @ Fort Hunter (Harrisburg) (DCPR)September 15, 2024
🫖Pennsylvania Tea Festival @ Rosemary Tea House (Mechanicsburg) (Teen pick)September 20, 2024 || September 21, 2024
🆓🦆 🦋Celebrate Wildwood Festival @ Wildwood Park (Harrisburg) (DCPR)September 21, 2024
Enchanted Fairy Festival (York)September 21, 2024
🆓🎃🍁Fall Festival @ Winding Hill Park (Mechanicsburg)September 27, 2024
🆓Upper Allen Township Fall Festival 2024 (Mechanicsburg)September 27, 2024
🆓🍎New Cumberland Apple Festival @ New Cumberland Borough ParkSeptember 28, 2024
🆓Fall Festival @ Stony Ridge Park (Carlisle)September 28, 2024
🆓🌻Sunflower Festival @ Meadowbrooke Gourds (Carlisle)September 28, 2024 || September 29, 2024
October
🆓Maple Valley Acres Community Fall Festival @Maple Valley Acres (Harrisburg)October 5, 2024
🆓🍂Fall Fest @ George Park (Harrisburg)October 5, 2024
🆓🍂Garden Harvest Festival @ Kings Gap (Carlisle)October 6, 2024
🆓25th Annual Pennsboro Pumpkin FestOctober 12, 2024 || October 13, 2024
🆓Fall Festival @ JFT Lemoyne (Lemoyne)October 12, 2024
Pumpkin Palooza Festival @ Hershey GardensOctober 19, 2024 || 26, 2024
🆓🍂Lemoyne Pumpkinfest @ Grace United MethodistOctober 26, 2024
These events are all within a 15-mile radius of Harrisburg and the West Shore Area and offer a great mix of cultural, festive, and family-friendly activities.
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Disclaimer: While the ideas and the bulk of the brilliance are all mine, I confess that I enlisted the help of ChatGPT to search for information and polish things up. Why? Because AI is the friendliest grammarian I know—no red pen, no judgment, just pure, unadulterated love for a well-placed comma. So if you find any rogue semicolons or unnaturally perfect phrasing, you can thank my digital editor for that.
