TUESDAY
27
OCTOBER
Fall Festivals Near Washington, DC
Fall festival season around Washington opens in early September and runs deep into November. What varies between farms is not the attractions but what a ticket includes: Cox Farms hands you a pumpkin, Butler's charges by the pound, Gaver lets you pick with no ticket at all, and Yankey Farms has no gate fee.
Season: Sept–early Nov · Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- Cox Farms Fall Festival: Centreville, VA — Sept 19–Nov 8, open Thu–Mon; $15–$30, pumpkin included
- Butler's Orchard Pumpkin Festival: Germantown, MD — Sept 19–Nov 1, Wed–Sun plus Columbus Day; pumpkins $0.79/lb
- Maryland Renaissance Festival: Crownsville, MD — weekends Aug 29–Oct 25, 10am–7pm; online only, no gate sales
- Gaver Farm Fall Fun Festival: Mt. Airy, MD — Sept 4–Nov 1, daily 10am–6pm; $14.50–$24 by day
- Farm Harvest Fest & Carnival: Frying Pan Farm Park, Herndon — Oct 16–18; parking $10, ride wristbands $28.25
The two anchors: Cox Farms and Butler's Orchard
Two farms anchor the season, one on each side of the river, and both sell out their good weekends. Buy before you drive.
Cox Farms Fall Festival — Centreville, VAVisit official site →
The biggest fall operation in the region: giant slides (the Safari Slide is 180 feet across eight lanes, the Dino Slide 142 feet across six), the twenty-minute World-Famous Hayride, the Cornundrum corn maze, Foamhenge, a Kiddie Zone, Goat Village, milking demos, the Imaginature Trail and a live music stage.
Dates
- Sept 19 – Nov 8, open Thursday to Monday, plus Tuesday, Nov 3
- 10am–6pm in September and October, last entry 5pm
- 10am–5pm in November, last entry 4pm
Tickets
$15, $20, $25 or $30 per person on a four-tier date calendar; which dates land in which tier shows only inside the ticket calendar. Everyone two and older pays the same — no child or adult split, no senior discount, no group rate, under-24-months free — and admission includes a patch pumpkin.
Know before you go
- Online only and date-specific; there is no box office, and the farm warns that busy dates sell out
- Parking is free, and re-entry is allowed with a wristband through the main entrance
Who it's for
A whole day out at any age, toddlers included
Skip if
You are counting heads — everyone over two pays the same rate
Butler's Orchard Pumpkin Festival — Germantown, MDVisit official site →
The Maryland-side counterweight and the closest full festival farm to Bethesda and Rockville: pick-your-own pumpkins, hayrides, jump pads, a playground, hayloft jumping, farm animals, a corn maze, live music, slides, cornhole and pedal tractors.
Dates
- Sept 19 – Nov 1, Wednesday through Sunday plus Columbus Day
- 1–6pm Wednesday to Friday; 9am–6pm Saturday, Sunday and Columbus Day
- Last entry 4:30pm either way
Tickets
$12 per person on weekdays, $18 on select weekends and $20 on peak weekends when reserved online; walk-ins pay $15, $23 and $25. Pumpkins are $0.79 per pound, weighed at purchase.
Know before you go
- Most weekend days sell out — reserve
Who it's for
Montgomery County families who would rather not drive into Virginia
Skip if
You want the pumpkin in the price — here it is weighed separately
The Maryland Renaissance Festival: buy before you drive
The region's biggest non-farm fall event has the strictest ticketing: online only, date-specific, and no gate sales at all. Six-and-under is free but still needs a ticket.
Maryland Renaissance Festival — Crownsville, MDVisit official site →
A seven-hour day out in a permanent Elizabethan village outside Annapolis.
Dates
- Weekends, Aug 29 – Oct 25
- Aug 29 and 30; Sept 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27; Oct 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25
- 10am–7pm
Tickets
$31 for adults aged 16 to 61, $27 for seniors and $17 for children aged 7 to 15, plus a 10% amusement tax and fees. Active-duty military get $4 off with ID. The four-day “Villager of Revel Grove” membership is fully claimed for 2026.
Know before you go
- A family of five books five tickets even if two of them are three years old
- The late-October dates combine best with a pumpkin stop elsewhere in the state
Who it's for
Families with a full day and school-age children
Skip if
You are deciding on the morning — buy the night before at the latest
Farm festivals: what your ticket actually includes
Five more farms, and the difference is what the ticket covers rather than what is on the ground. Hayrides, pumpkins and evening hours are where they diverge.
Gaver Farm Fall Fun Festival — Mt. Airy, MDVisit official site →
The longest season here and the most transparent pricing, across 65-plus attractions including a seven-acre corn maze, slides, a zipline, jumping pillows and animals.
Dates
- Sept 4 – Nov 1, daily 10am–6pm
Tickets
$14.50 on weekdays, $20.50 on September weekends and $24.00 on October weekends, with under-24-months free and a $55 season pass. Hayrides are free, and pick-your-own pumpkins are pay-after-picking at the market.
Know before you go
- Daily tickets are limited, and walk-up entry is not guaranteed on October weekends
- The zipline, pedal karts and gem mining run weekends only
Who it's for
School-age children — the zipline and the seven-acre maze are the draw
Skip if
The pumpkin is the whole point — you need no activity ticket for that here
Great Country Farms — Bluemont, VA
A 15-acre play area with an 80-foot slide, two jumping pillows, rope swings, mini golf, a ninja obstacle course, farm animals and the corn maze.
Dates
- Sept 19 – Oct 31
- Market, bakery and play area open daily 9am–5pm; last wagon 4pm
- Weekends add pig races, cider pressing and live music
Tickets
Online: $12 a child and $14 an adult on weekdays, $14 and $16 at weekends and on Columbus Day. At the gate: $16 and $18 for everyone 3 and up. Pumpkins are $0.69 per pound.
Who it's for
Two-year-olds and up — the jumping pillows and play area work young
Farm Harvest Fest & Carnival — Herndon, VAVisit official site →
A county-park carnival with a working farm attached.
Dates
- Oct 16 to 18
- Carnival Friday 5–9pm, Saturday 11am–9pm, Sunday 11am–6pm
- Farm Harvest Days Saturday and Sunday 10am–3pm
- Big Truck Night is canceled
Tickets
Parking is $10 per vehicle; unlimited-ride wristbands are $28.25 per person per day, online.
Who it's for
Ride-age kids who want a carnival with farm animals next door
Belvedere Plantation — Fredericksburg, VA
The only farm here open on Friday evenings, and the one that ends its season by smashing the pumpkins.
Dates
- Sept 12 – Nov 7
- Friday evenings 6–10pm
- Pumpkin Smashing closes the season on Nov 7
Tickets
$18.95 on September weekdays, $24.95 on September weekends, $20.95 on October weekdays, $27.95 on October weekends and $24.95 on November weekends. Pumpkins are $0.75 per pound, and gate tickets cost $5 more than online.
Know before you go
- Fully cashless
Who it's for
Families who can only get out after dark on a Friday
Yankey Farms — Bristow, VA
No gate fee at all — you pay for the pumpkins, and for the activities only if you want them.
Dates
- Oct 3 – Oct 31
- 10am–6pm Monday to Saturday, noon–6pm Sunday
- Closes 4pm on Saturday, Oct 31
Tickets
Free to enter; pumpkins $0.89 per pound; an $8 activities wristband, ages two and up, covers the corn maze, hayrides, cow train, animal exhibits and play area.
Who it's for
A short stop, or a family that only came for the pumpkin
Apple picking after the spring freeze
A hard spring freeze damaged tree fruit across the region, and several of the orchards families default to say so on their own sites. Pumpkins are a different crop on a different calendar, and every festival farm above is running normally.
- Phone the orchard the morning you plan to go if apples are the point of the trip
- Great Country Farms pairs September apple picking with its harvest festival, which makes it the best combined bet — call ahead there too
Homestead Farm — Poolesville, MD
A pick-your-own farm whose 2026 apple crop was devastated by a spring freeze.
Skip if
Apples are the point — there are none here this season
Marker-Miller Orchards — near Winchester, VA
An orchard that lost the majority of its apple crop to April freezing temperatures.
Know before you go
- Apples in the farm market, plus large bins to choose from in the orchard Fridays to Sundays in September and October
Skip if
You wanted to pick from the trees — that is not running this year
Hartland Orchard — Markham, VA
The one of the three with an open apple season, picking Golden Delicious, Fuji and Granny Smith.
Dates
- Pick-your-own daily 9am–2pm through October
Tickets
$25 a half-bushel — cash and checks only, no cards.
Know before you go
- No cherries this year, and the peaches are sold out
Who it's for
Apple picking that is actually happening, if you bring cash
Upcoming fall festivals in our catalog
Live from our catalog — 26 upcoming, refreshed weekly.
Pumpkin Decorating Contest (Parklands‑Turner Neighborhood Library) — participants receive pumpkins to paint and craft into favorite book characters, displayed for community voting, ages 5+.
Pumpkin Carving for Teens (Centreville Regional Library, Conference Room) — Teens carve their own pumpkins with all supplies provided, wearing comfortable, messy‑friendly clothes, registration required, ages 13–18.
Pumpkin painting at Long Branch Library lets participants paint and decorate their own pumpkin with supplied materials, taking it home afterward, ages 5–13.
Paint and decorate a pumpkin with supplied paints, decorations and snacks, pumpkins handed out first‑come, first‑served at Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library, for ages 5–12.
WEDNESDAY
28
OCTOBER
Fall Festival on Woodrow Wilson Plaza (Ronald Reagan Building) — pumpkin decorating, hay bale maze, face painting, balloon twisting, stilt walkers, live DJ music, complimentary cider, all ages, free.
Pumpkin painting at Rosedale Neighborhood Library, Washington, with 11 a.m. session for ages 5‑8 and 4:30 p.m. session for ages 9‑12, for ages 5–12.
Butler's Orchard hosts a pumpkin festival with hayrides, jump pads, corn maze, farm animals, slides, pedal tractors and live music, pumpkins $0.79 per pound, all ages.
Hands‑on workshop at Hillcrest Heights where participants bring projects or learn to crochet a pumpkin bear amigurumi, suitable for ages 13 and up.
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THURSDAY
29
OCTOBER
Cox Farms offers giant slides, hayrides through Imaginature Trail, a corn maze, farm animals, apple cider and pick‑your‑own pumpkins, all ages.
Pumpkin decoration craft with spooky music and snacks in the Large Meeting Room at Southwest Neighborhood Library, for ages 5–12.
Paper pumpkins and jack‑o‑lanterns crafted in the Library Program Room, with school students present, for ages 3–18.
Music, a movie, crafts, a photobooth, and snacks fill the Bellevue Library’s Main Meeting Room for the Annual Harvest Festival, ages 5–12.
Pumpkin Decorating (Davis Library, Bethesda) — Decorate pumpkins with provided materials, creating fall and Halloween masterpieces; registration required, ages 11–17.
FRIDAY
30
OCTOBER
Non‑alcoholic beer tasting, pretzels and live music create an autumn vibe at Langston Brown, for all ages.
SATURDAY
31
OCTOBER
Hot Cider Hustle at 137 National Plaza, Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Pick a pumpkin from the water, craft a project, and receive a festive goodie bag at Chinquapin Park Recreation Center, with 45‑minute slots, all ages.
At Temple Hall Farm, participants pick a pumpkin in the field, decorate it with crafters using acrylic paint pens, and leave with their finished pumpkin; $5 fee.
Make cider with a press at Colvin Run Mill, bringing up to eight people, 100 apples and containers for two gallons, pressing and carrying fruit, for all ages.
Adaptive Recreation's Got Talent Show performs at Segra Field Parking Lot, with a library info table offering treats, for all ages.
Pumpkin Decorating Workshop at Anacostia Community Museum’s Program Room offers painting pumpkins with bold patterns, whimsical characters, abstract designs, or dried‑flower adornments; all materials provided, all ages.
Paper quilling workshop at Green Spring Gardens teaches rolling, shaping, and gluing paper strips into pumpkin frames; $30 supply fee, for ages 8 and up.
SUNDAY
1
NOVEMBER
Pumpkin Smash at Tuscarora Creek Park lets participants smash carved pumpkins for compost, plus sustainable ornament making, pumpkin tips, seed mix, and sweet treats.
SUNDAY
8
NOVEMBER
Hands‑on pumpkin seed‑saving demo followed by mini‑pumpkin painting at Reston Regional Library’s Reston ELL and Citizenship Center, for ages 5–10 and 13 and up.
FRIDAY
13
NOVEMBER
Harvest Moon Hayride (Riverfront Park, Avondale Street, Laurel) — Brisk autumn hayride along the Patuxent River with drinks, snacks, games around a roaring bonfire; $4 pre‑registration, $5 on‑site.
TUESDAY
17
NOVEMBER
Needle felting basics taught to craft a pumpkin, limited supplies on a first‑come, first‑served basis at Rust Library, Leesburg, ages 14 and up.
SATURDAY
21
NOVEMBER
Cider tastings, souvenir cup, music, tavern games, VA250 Mobile Museum Experience, and food trucks fill Lloyd House and Queen Street; tickets $50–$55, $25 driver, $65 door, all ages.
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FAQ
When do fall festivals near DC start in 2026?
Earlier than most people plan for. Gaver Farm opens September 4, Larriland Farm September 8, Belvedere Plantation September 12, Cox Farms and Butler's Orchard on September 19, and Summers Farm September 26. The Maryland Renaissance Festival starts earliest of all, on August 29.
Which fall festival near DC is best with toddlers?
Cox Farms, for the Kiddie Zone beside the animals and the hayride. Great Country Farms' jumping pillows and 15-acre play area work from about two. Save Gaver's zipline for school-age kids.
Do you have to buy tickets in advance?
For three of them, effectively yes. Cox Farms sells online only with no box office and warns that busy dates sell out. The Maryland Renaissance Festival has no gate sales at all. Butler's Orchard sells out most weekend days.
Can you still pick apples near DC in 2026?
In fewer places than usual. Homestead Farm's crop was devastated, Marker-Miller lost most of its crop and has no pick-your-own from the trees, and Hartland has apples daily 9am to 2pm. Great Country Farms and Larriland Farm both advertise apple picking. Call first.