As autumn rolls in, it’s the perfect time to embrace the holiday season and create unforgettable memories. And it’s more than just Thanksgiving and Halloween; it’s a season of joy and relaxation.
As per the study, fall is a high consumer spending season. As an event organizer, you don’t want to miss out on the incredible opportunities this season brings. By kickstarting your fall festival promotion before summer’s end, you’ll have a head start with less competition and more attendees.
So, you make the most out of this fall season, we are bringing you the top fall festival ideas to make your event irresistible for everyone- from adults to kids.
Firstly, here are four must-haves for every fall festival.
🍂 Fall Fest Theme Ideas
🎉 Fun Fall Activities
🎲 Fall Party Games
🍔 Food & Drinks
From spooky scavenger games to Harry Potter’s quidditch tournaments, we have sorted out everything for you.
Fall Festival Theme Ideas
1. Fall Fest traditional theme
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” – Jim Bishop
This simple and inviting theme is perfect for all ages, providing a serene and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Fall is the season of changing leaves and cool breezes, providing a beautiful natural backdrop for your event. Embrace the scenic beauty with arts and crafts activities, good music, and delicious food. It’s a perfect party theme to keep kids entertained while adults enjoy their time at the event.
The idea for you: “Harvest Market” – Create a mini marketplace with local vendors selling fresh produce, artisanal crafts, and homemade goodies. It adds a rustic charm to your fall festival and supports the local community.
2. Glitter, Gold, and Glam
This is one of the best party theme ideas! As fall is about bright orange color, you can decide your party theme around gold and glitter—pumpkin painting, painting fabrics and making drapes, painting walls, with some sparkling candles.
For example, you can ask people to dress up in glitter costumes for the fall-themed party. To make it more fun, you can ask them to put on glamorous facemasks and turn them into a masquerade party.
3. Mega Gala
Looking to host some formal events for fundraising? Gala night makes the best one. A gratitude gala is best suited for charity events and social gatherings. Don’t forget to include fine wine and dining. You can also get sponsorship for charity events quite fast.
For instance, imagine a dazzling Gala night adorned with glamorous decor and heartwarming stories beneficiaries share. Influential figures and kind-hearted donors come together to support a cause.
4. Food Trucks
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
It is really fun to grab food from the food trucks. You can invite such food trucks to your party and host a fall food truck festival.
Example: Organize a food fest in a local park, where various food trucks gather to showcase their culinary prowess. Families and friends stroll through the event, exploring various cuisines, from traditional fall favorites to unique fusion dishes.
You may also get a better idea with this blog:
5. Indoor Trick or Treat
Parents often don’t feel comfortable sending their kids to the neighborhood. Well, this makes a great replacement for that. Host your trick-or-treat event on or in parking lots where adults and kids can dress up and have fun together.
Kids can dress up in their favorite costumes, ready to embark on a candy-filled adventure. The event offers a variety of themed stations, each manned by friendly volunteers and adorned with creative decorations.
Little superheroes, witches, and princesses excitedly move from station to station, collecting candies, stickers, and small treats.
6. Crafting Events
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso.
Channel children’s creativity and create a heartwarming crafting event for a good cause.
Craft events can be great events for kids’ fundraising. It keeps kids engaged, and the fall festival is for a good cause. This can make a good family bonding fun event. Get greeting cards to invite inspiration here.
7. Hi-fi with Pie
“A party without cake is just a meeting.” – Julia Child.
From classic pumpkin pies to scrumptious pecan delights, the judges and attendees are treated to a delectable array of flavors and textures. The bakers’ creativity extends beyond taste, as they beautifully decorate their pies with intricate patterns, edible art, and autumn-themed motifs.
Example: A local community center organizes a Hi-fi with Pie event for its fall festival. Talented chefs, amateur bakers, and even kids participate in the contest, bringing their best pie creations to the table.
8. Grills and Chills
As the saying goes, ‘Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.’ Embrace the joy of grilled delights, live music, and refreshing drinks at a delightful Grills and Chills event.
Picture a sun-kissed autumn afternoon, where the air is filled with the tantalizing aroma of BBQ. Gather food enthusiasts and music lovers for a fantastic outdoor gathering celebrating delicious food and good company.
9. Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest can be fun, even with beer or without one! Decorate the place with red, blue, yellow, and other bright colors. Grill some sausage, have some pretzels, root beer, salad, and apple strudel. Don’t forget to call the DJ!
Create a festive ambiance that resonates with the jovial spirit of Oktoberfest. Hang colorful banners and traditional Bavarian flags to infuse the venue with an authentic touch.
10. Halloween party
Halloween is a must-have fall party idea. Your fall party events are incomplete without a Halloween party. Turn your place into a spooky haunted place and ask people to dress up in costumes. Read this to get more inspiration on Halloween party ideas.
Example: A community center organizes a Halloween party that promises spooky delights for guests of all ages. They deck out the space with eerie decorations, cobwebs, and glowing jack-o’-lanterns, casting an enchanting spell on the venue.
11. Pumpkin Carving
Gather around the pumpkin patch for it’s time to carve and create! Pumpkin carving event is a beloved fall tradition that delights kids and adults alike. Embrace the seasonal spirit and adorn your outdoor space with artfully carved pumpkins, setting the perfect autumn vibe.
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” – Emily Bronte.
Example: A local community center hosts a Pumpkin Palooza, inviting families and individuals of all ages to join in the pumpkin carving festivities. The event occurs in the center’s charming garden, where various pumpkins in all shapes and sizes await their artistic transformations.
12. Face painting
“Every artist was first an amateur.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Example: The local community center hosts a “Brushstrokes of Fun” Face Painting Fiesta, a captivating event that brings together families and friends for a day of artistic enchantment.
The event takes place in a spacious, colorful room adorned with balloons and streamers, exuding an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation.
13. Scarecrow Making
Scarecrow is pretty much a mascot for the fall fests. It will keep the crows away and the boredom from your party. You’ll need a stack of hay, drapes, and paint. It is a fun activity with fewer art supplies.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein.
Kids and adults alike create whimsical scarecrows, laughing and bonding as they shape artful characters.
14. Photo Booths
Photobooths are fun and keep the audience engaged. Keep a photo booth, let people pose for instant photos, and just see how long the queue gets.
“In photography, there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.” – Alfred Stieglitz
Decorate the booth with fall-themed props and backgrounds, sparking laughter and spontaneity.
15. Mummy-making competition
Take your party to the next level with mummy-making content. Divide people into groups and ask them to dress one of their members into a mummy. Maybe cover them head to toe in toilet paper or white fabrics.
Try trial madness: Set a time limit for each team to wrap their mummy. Create a thrilling countdown to add excitement and challenge to the competition.
16. Football games
“Organize a friendly football or hockey tournament at your fall party, and let the games begin!
“Winning doesn’t always mean being first; winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before.” – Bonnie Blair.
Example: Set up a mini football field or a hockey rink, and invite guests of all ages to participate. Divide them into teams based on age groups, or let them form their own squads. Provide match speculators to create a lively atmosphere and cheer on the players.
17. Quidditch tournament
“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” – J.K. Rowling.
Embrace your inner Potterhead and host a Quidditch tournament at your fall event.
Example: Create a modified version of the Quidditch game suitable for non-magical folks (no flying brooms required!). Divide participants into teams representing different Hogwarts houses, or let them create their own team names.
18. FarmVille
Partner with local farms or wineries to organize a delightful Fall FarmVille tour. Offer guided tours where attendees can learn about the art of farming, from the harvesting of crops to the care of livestock. Educate them on the latest agricultural technologies and sustainable practices.
To add more fun, include wine-tasting sessions provided by the winemakers themselves. It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to connect with nature, appreciate the harvest season, and enjoy the fruits of the land.
19. Hayrides
Organize a captivating hayride event with two unique experiences. For thrill-seekers, a haunted hayride with spooky decorations and surprises along the trail.
For families, a serene hay wagon tour through picturesque countryside. Add excitement with a pumpkin carving contest before the hayrides and display the creations around the venue. Create an unforgettable fall event that everyone will enjoy!”
20. Hot air balloon
Experience the breathtaking fall foliage from the heights with a hot air balloon adventure. Enjoy the good weather and stunning views as you float above the colourful landscape.
Organize a memorable hot air balloon event during the fall season, and let your attendees experience the magic of soaring amidst the autumn beauty.
Fall Festival Game Ideas
21. Scavenger Hunt
Well, this should top your list. Prepare a fun hunt that matches your event’s theme and includes items related to autumn and your organization.
22. Barrier Course
Games are more fun when you make them challenging. Create exciting challenges using everyday objects like spoons and chairs, or try a thrilling bean bag toss game.
23. Candle Making
People often use candles to decorate their houses during the fall. Let people of all ages enjoy DIY candle-making, a perfect activity for fall decoration enthusiasts.
24. Bonfire Bash
You can plan many games around the bonfire. Charades, outdoor karaoke, and such small activities. Plan games around a cozy bonfire, such as charades and outdoor karaoke, while roasting marshmallows.
25. Pumpkin Bowling
Get creative with the games. Get creative with a pumpkin-based bowling game using pumpkins as rolling bowls and bales as pins.
26. Over and Under
Remember to pass the ball from one person’s head and under the leg of the next person in the line. Passing a pumpkin from one person’s head and under the leg of the next adds a twist to the classic game.
27. On the hunt
Just like the easter egg hunt, plan a treasure hunt like the same. Organize a treasure hunt, hiding small pumpkins or candies for both kids and adults, with cash prizes.
28. Classic old-school games
Jenga, monopoly, battleship, to bingo are never getting out of trend. Classic Old-School Games: Keep boredom away with timeless games like Jenga, Monopoly, Battleship, or Bingo.
29. Tug of war
Bring people together in an old-fashioned way. Bring people together with a good old-fashioned tug-of-war competition with a prize for the winners.
30. Movie Night
Host an outdoor movie night with cozy blankets, drinks, and popcorn for a perfect fall chill-out.
31. Wreath Making
Whether it is Halloween or New Year’s, you need a wreath to decorate your front doors. Wreath-making is fun for people of all ages. Supply basic art and supplies to your participants and ask your attendees to bring in extra decoration material if they want.
Gather participants of all ages to create festive wreaths with basic art supplies and additional decorations.
32. Chilli Cook-Off
You must have friends flaunting around about their chilli. This makes a perfect occasion to find out whose chilli is the absolute best. Me to settle the score! Invite friends for a chilli face-off and vote for the best. The judge is based on creativity, flavours, and spice.
33. Wine and dining
Indulge in fall’s best wines with an elegant dinner. Consider a wine-tasting event led by an expert for a delightful experience.
34. Food Harvest
Celebrate fall’s bounty with a grand dinner featuring a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables like potatoes, apples, figs, and pumpkins. Host a grand dinner for your friends and have every dish on your platter. Here are some ideas:
- Brussel sprouts
- Quinoa salad
- Butternut ravioli
- Roasted corn
- Berry mocktails
- Pumpkin or apple pie
35. Cocktail Making
At your fantastic soiree, raise a toast with seasonal mocktails like apple sangria, cranberry margarita, and hot bourbon. Send the recipe and ingredients in advance for attendees to prepare.
Pro tips for last-minute fall festival ideas that won’t fail
If you decide to organize a fall party at the eleventh hour, here are some pro tips for you.
Do not panic if you haven’t even started. There is a long list of event planning, and you need to check all the boxes. So here are a few things that will make your work easy peasy.
Prioritize: Focus on essential elements like music, food, drinks, theme, and activities.
Event Ideas: Consider pumpkin carving, apple picking, candy corn, football, and Halloween costume parties.
Plan Ahead: Don’t miss out on anything. Carefully plan and implement your fall festival ideas.
Promotion: Once your event is ready, promote it to attract attendees and sell tickets.
Now, Moving Forward!
Planning and implementing the fall festival ideas is daunting as it is one of the biggest times of the year you don’t want to miss out on anything.
Moving forward, when you’re done planning your entire event, you need to promote and sell fall festival tickets next.
While you are busy planning your events, don’t forget your end goal to invite people to your event and sell your event tickets.
‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that count.’ – Winston Churchill.
For example, you can use AllEvents to showcase your events to millions of potential attendees without any cost. So, publish your events now and kickstart ticket sales. Happy fall fest organizing!”
Now, what are you waiting for? Publish your events now and start selling tickets.
