Fall is here, Cincinnati, and that means it’s time to do all the autumnal things: pumpkin picking, haunted houses, drinking apple cider and donning costumes. As for where you can take part in all these fun fall activities, Greater Cincinnati offers a ton of fall festivals and events, from annual traditions like HallZOOween at the Cincinnati Zoo and the Sunflower Festival at Gorman Heritage Farm to new events like America’s River Roots and Factory 52’s inaugural House of Cards Carnivale. Keep scrolling to see 13 festivals and events happening in Greater Cincinnati this fall.
Country Applefest
Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 27-28
Warren County Fairgrounds, 665 N. Broadway St., Lebanon
The perfect place to feel like a protagonist in a romantic fall Hallmark movie, Lebanon’s annual Country Applefest is back this weekend. The festival features over 300 arts, crafts and food vendors and live entertainment — not to mention plenty of apples.
House of Cards Carnivale
Wednesday-Sunday, Oct. 1-5
Factory 52, 4590 Beech St., Norwood
The inaugural House of Cards Carnivale will transform Factory 52’s Eastern parking lot into a five-day pop-up fair, complete with rides, games and live entertainment like magicians, aerialists, balloon artists, face painters and clowns. Food and drinks from Factory 52’s The Gatherall food hall, plus Fretboard, Braxton Brewing and Aces Pickleball Bar + Grill, will also be available.
Fall Family Festival
Saturday, Oct. 4
Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown
Enjoy family-friendly programming like unique art and science projects at the Contemporary Arts Center’s unique fall event. During the Fall Family Festival, artists of all ages can design a painted tapestry inspired by garden banners created by local artist Julia Bianco. You can also experiment with botanical paints and seed paper, make your own magnet with Indigo Hippo and create art from repurposed materials. At 1 p.m. that day, Bianco, along with fellow local artist Sarah Rodriguez and CAC teen apprentices, will take part in a family-friendly artist talk.
Sunflower Festival
Saturday-Sunday. Oct. 4-5
Gorman Heritage Farm, 10052 Reading Road, Evendale
You can explore a sunflower wonderland and even cut a few to take home at the annual Sunflower Festival at Gorman Heritage Farm this October. In addition to crafting your own sunflower bouquet and snapping Instagram-worthy selfies, attendees can also enjoy other fall activities, including “Ready-Set-Grow” activity stations, hayrides, a crop maze and the chance to meet friendly farm animals like Eddie the Cow, sheep, goats, mules, miniature horses, turkeys and more. There will also be a craft market, featuring over 30 vendors and artisans, and you can sample food from over 10 food trucks and beer from HighGrain Brewing. If you can’t make it to the festival, or if you want to come back for more autumnal fun, the farm will also host Fall Fun Days the following two weekends (Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 18-19).
Mammoth Music & Arts Festival
Sunday, Oct. 5
Along Sixth Street between Saratoga and York in Newport
Mammoth Music & Arts Festival features musical performances across a range of genres, from punk and hip-hop to Kentucky’s bluegrass and country roots. This year, the festival is back with more genre-spanning fun to be held across five stages. The lineup will include over 30 local, regional, national and international artists, with rock bands Fishbone (Los Angeles) and Cowboy Mouth (New Orleans) headlining.
America’s River Roots
Wednesday-Sunday, Oct. 8-12
Along the riverfront in downtown Cincinnati, Newport and Covington
A five-day-long celebration of inland river culture to kick off official festivities for America’s 250th birthday, America’s River Roots will bring together nine riverboats from Cincinnati and beyond for races, cruises and parades. In addition to the riverboats, the festival will also feature tons of live music, cuisine from the United States’ river cities, bourbon, beer, history and a vendor’s market along the Purple People Bridge. You can read CityBeat’s full guide to America’s River Roots here.
Haunted Village
Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 10-25
Heritage Village Museum, 11500 Lebanon Road, Sharonville
During October, Heritage Village Museum offers slight frights for the whole family as the museum transforms into an otherworldly 19th-century village. At the Haunted Village, your kids can trick-or-treat through the town, meeting ghosts, witches and even a fortune teller along the way. And, if you dare, you can brave the Spooky Woods and make your way to the Elk Lick Haunted House; enjoy sea shanties with a crew of singing pirates; or pay a visit to Dr. Langdon’s Office, now under the direction of the tooth fairy. Professor Bubbles will also be on hand to create a whimsical time for everyone, and the haunted train will make stops during the last two weekends of the event. New this year are the Cryptid Quest, where participants will search for curiosities, and a spooky stage show, Pride, Prejudice, & The Pursuit of Brains. There are also fall-fun activities, like a maze, crafts and games.
HallZOOween
Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 11-26
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale
Halloween fun just got a little wilder at the Cincinnati Zoo. Free with admission, Cincinnati Zoo guests during the last three weekends of October will get to experience trick-or-treat stations, themed animal enrichment activities, illusion shows and the Pumpkin Express train. The zoo also encourages kids to come in costume, but check the zoo’s costume guidelines before you go. The zoo is also bringing back its Jack O’Lantern Glow during select nights throughout October. The attraction features thousands of creative, hand-carved pumpkins and displays.
Cincinnati Coffee Festival
Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 25-26
Cincinnati Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
Cincinnati will be abuzz with the annual Cincinnati Coffee Festival this October. Acting as the Ohio River Foundation’s major fundraiser, the festival has become the premier coffee event in the Midwest. Thousands visit the festival every year to experience the variety of coffee roasters, tea purveyors, bakers, pastry shops and chocolatiers. Popular local roasters like Seven Hills Coffee, Deeper Roots and People’s Choice Award winner Viva Coffee Roasters will be on hand, and attendees can enjoy hundreds of free tastings, plus live music, latte art, professional demonstrations and the chance to see the latest equipment and accessories.
Ohio Renaissance Festival
Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 27
Renaissance Park, 10542 Ohio 73, Waynesville
Don your capes and crowns for the ultimate fantasy cosplay experience of the fall. The Ohio Renaissance Festival takes place every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 27 in a Waynesville park modeled after a 16th-century village. Visitors can experience shows like jousting, juggling and the “Mudde Show,” where guests can hear classic literary tales in a mud pit. Vendors and artisans sell their wares — everything from handcrafted jewelry and crowns to swords and kilts — from booths and storefronts. There are also rides like the “Ship Swings” and games like archery, axe throwing and storming a castle, plus plenty of mead, ale and turkey legs to go around. Each weekend features a different theme, like Viking Weekend, Romance Weekend and Heroes & Young Adventurers. Be sure to buy your ticket online ahead of time as the Renaissance Festival now limits capacity.
Fall on the Farm
Daily through Oct. 31
Blooms & Berries Farm Market and Garden Center, 9669 S. SR-48, Loveland
For wholesome, family-friendly fall fun on the farm, take a trip to Blooms & Berries. The farmer’s market offers a host of activities, like hayrides, a bounce pad, a corn maze, games, a petting zoo and even a low-ropes course. A beer garden is also open Friday through Sunday, so adults can enjoy a craft beer or glass of wine in between activities.
Halloween Haunt
Select nights through Nov. 1
Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason
One of Greater Cincinnati’s biggest Halloween events, Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt is back and spookier than ever. Enter, if you dare: Guests can make their way through several bone-chilling haunted mazes and scare zones, enjoy scary-good live shows and try delicious Halloween-inspired treats. New this year is the Order of the Dragon, where you’ll brave the Vampire King’s catacombs to escape The Dragon’s hunger. Also new is The Conjuring: Beyond Fear attraction, inspired by The Conjuring universe. In the experience, you’re a paranormal investigator, recruited by the legendary Ed and Lorraine Warren to return and lock up cursed artifacts before supernatural terror strikes, encountering entities like Annabelle, The Nun, The Crooked Man and The Ferryman along the way. If you’re looking for some Halloween fun at Kings Island that’s not so scary, you can also visit during the daytime for Tricks and Treats.
Underwater Pumpkin Glow
Daily through Nov. 2
Newport Aquarium, 1 Levee Way, Newport
The Newport Aquarium is going through a fall GLOW-up. This one-of-a-kind, under-the-sea adventure features larger-than-life sculptures of some of the aquarium’s animals reimagined as pumpkins. These sculptures include giant, selfie-ready pumpkin versions of animal friends, like a smiling sea turtle, which can be found throughout the exhibits. Other attractions include a giant, glowing underwater octopus that will double as an artificial reef for fish and sharks and special animal enrichment activities.