There is much more to do on a fall weekend in New Hampshire this fall than just leaf peeping. There are festivals too. Here are 14 of them.
No one loves fall more and knows how to celebrate the season like New Hampshire folks. From pumpkins to sheep, haggis to hot dogs, we know how to do it up big all over the state. Here are just some of the choices to add an activity to your leaf peeping trip this year.
White Mountains
1. The New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival
Date: Sept. 18–20
Admission: Single Day Admission $48.99 adults, $7.61 children 6 to 14; children 5 and under are free.
Location: Loon Mountain Resort, Lincoln
You don’t have to be of Scottish heritage to visit the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, an annual fall favorite in the Granite State. This is a serious event for Scotophiles and anyone else who wants to attend this three-day event, which includes highland dance, Scottish delicacies, sheepdog trials, curling, stone lifting, and bagpipes, of course. New Hampshire has hosted this event, now considered one of the largest Highland Games on the continent, since 1975.
2. Halloween Express at Conway Scenic Railroad
Date: Oct. 24 and 25, with rides leaving at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m.
Admission: $21–$26
Location: North Conway Station, 38 Norcross Circle, North Conway
The folks at the Halloween Express at Conway Scenic Railroad describe this ride as a “one-hour, fun, kid-friendly, not-too-spooky Halloween party on the rails.” The vintage train will be decked out in black and orange while Halloween characters visit riders, who can munch on Halloween goodies. Passengers are encouraged to wear costumes and pick out their own pumpkin when the ride ends.
Seacoast
3. Harvest Weekend at Coppal House Farm
Date: Sept. 26–27
Admission: Free, but there may be charges for individual events.
Location: 118 North River Rd., Lee
Harvest Weekend at Coppal House Farm is a celebration of autumn at a working farm. It will feature horse-drawn wagon rides, a chipmunk-themed corn maze, food trucks, music, fall decorations, and lots of pumpkins. Learn about this self-sustaining farm and take a peek at their Dorper Katahdin breeding ewes, heritage-breed chickens, hogs, draft horses, and sheep-guarding dogs.
4. Fall Equinox Fest
Date: Sept.19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Admission: Free
Location: Swasey Parkway, Exeter
The Fall Foliage Fest will kick off the season with live music and dance, cultural exhibits, food, art, artisan vendors, and lots of activities for children. Swasey Parkway, the event’s venue, is the perfect place to see the very beginnings of foliage season. The park runs along the Squamscott River, lined with trees and offering a perfect autumn photo op.
Lakes Region
5. New Hampshire Pagans Faire
Date: Sept. 19, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Sept. 20, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and a night market Saturday, 7–9:30.
Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for first responders and military; children under 10 are free
Location: Belknap County Fairgrounds, 174 Mile Hill Rd., Belmont
Fall seems like the perfect time to visit the New Hampshire Pagans Faire for what promises to be a magical weekend, according to the presenters, who promise a “community gathering that celebrates metaphysical wisdom, spiritual traditions, and the unity of all paths.” The fair will include the work of pagan artists and artisans, live music, demonstrations, and workshops.
6. Autumn Craft Festival on the Lake
Date: Oct. 3, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Oct. 4, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Admission: Free
Location: Mills Falls Marketplace, Meredith.
For 27 years, the Autumn Craft Festival on the Lake has offered lake views, changing foliage, and crafts galore. This year, over 70 juried artists, artisans, and specialty food producers will offer their wares on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.
7. Laconia Pumpkin Festival
Date: Oct. 23, 4 p.m.–10 p.m., Oct. 24, 11 a.m. –10 p.m.
Admission: Free
Location: Downtown Laconia
You can’t miss this giant tower of lighted jack-o’-lanterns, costume parades, live music, and fall sweets and treats at the Laconia Pumpkin Festival. Need more family fun? Pop by the Lakes Region’s iconic Funspot, home to the American Classic Arcade Museum, a collection of over 300 vintage coin-operated arcade video games, pinball, and early arcade machines.
Merrimack Valley
8. Milford Pumpkin Festival
Date: Oct. 9, 5–9 p.m., Oct. 10, 10 a.m.–9 p.m., and Oct. 11, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Admission: Free
Location: Downtown, Milford
For many, the Milford Pumpkin Festival is the highlight of the fall season. It’s a three-day party that features all things pumpkin, including a pumpkin weigh-off, pumpkin carving demonstrations, a pumpkin catapult, a pumpkin mural, and the Friday-night lighting of the Town Hall Pumpkin. The event also includes live music, a Haunted Trail, a 5K race, and food vendors.
9. Beaver Brook Association’s Fall Festival
Date: Sept. 26, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Admission: Free
Location: Beaver Brook Association, 117 Ridge Rd., Hollis
With its 35 miles of trails and exquisite gardens, a trip to this jewel of a nature preserve in the fall is worth a trip in itself. The Beaver Brook Association’s Fall Festival makes the visit even more enticing. The day will include live falconry and other wildlife demonstrations, puppet shows and scavenger hunts, Beaver Brook field trips, food trucks, cider press, a book talk, and an artisans market.
10. Fall Fair at Joppa Hill Educational Farm
Date: Oct. 10, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Admission: $45 per family (up to 6 people) or $15 per person
Location: 174 Joppa Hill Rd., Bedford
Celebrate the season with the family at the Joppa Hill Educational Farm’s Fall Fair, a fun fundraiser for this non-profit farm focused on preserving the region’s agricultural heritage. Enjoy tractor rides, farm animal meet-and-greets, apple cider donuts, pumpkins, food trucks, kids’ games and activities, live music, crafts, and art.
11. Goffstown Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off and Regatta
Date: Oct. 17 and 18, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Admission: Free
Location: Goffstown Village
The Goffstown Pumpkin Weigh-Off and Regatta begins with the pumpkin weigh-off, featuring some of the biggest orange gourds you’ve ever seen—some weighing over 1,000 pounds and includes vendors, contests, family fun, and food leading up to Sunday’s regatta, where costumed local residents float down the Piscataquog River in hollowed-out and decorated pumpkins.
Dartmouth–Lake Sunapee
12. The Harvest Moon Festival
Date: Sept. 26, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Admission: Tickets are included with admission to the museum. $15 adults, $12 seniors, students, and veterans, $10 children 6 to 12; Native Americans and children under 6 are free.
Location: Mr. Kearsarge Indian Museum, 18 Highlawn Rd., Warner
The Harvest Moon Festival at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum is a family event celebrating the autumn harvest, the bounty, and the work that goes into gleaning crops. The festival will include storytelling, walks in the Medicine Woods, and demonstrations in basketmaking, flint-knapping, and making flour from acorns. Visitors can make corn husk dolls and taste bison stew and three-sisters soup.
13. Warner Fall Foliage Festival
Date: Oct. 9, 10, and 11. Check site for times.
Admission: Free. All-day midway ride tickets are $25
Location: Main St., Warner
The Warner Fall Foliage Festival is a three-day celebration of the changing leaves, which serve as a backdrop for fun and festivities. Main Street is decked out with rides, games, food stands, craft vendors, live music, a 5K race, oxen and lumberjack competitions, an ice cream eating contest, and a parade on Sunday.
Monadnock
14. New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour
Date: Oct.10, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Oct. 11, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Admission: Free.
Location: Five area farms (see site for details)
What better way to spend a foliage weekend than touring picturesque farms with warm, cuddly sheep and exploring the fine crafts made from their wool? The New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour takes place at five farms in the region: Deering, Antrim, Bennington, Greenfield, and Lyndeborough, all of which have lots of sheep and demonstrations of yarn making, weaving, knitting, felting, and handmade wares from wool and yarn artisans. Live music and food vendors will also be available.
