Feel the chill in the air. Watch the leaves change. Smell the pumpkin spice wafting out of every corner Dunks.
It’s fall and it’s time to do fall things. To help you get into the season, we’ve made a list of some classics and fresh autumn adventures.
Topsfield Fair, Oct. 2 – 12, Topsfield
Question: Should all foods be either on sticks or deep fried? Don’t answer before you do your research with some fried Oreos and candy apples at the fair. Beyond the sticks and friedness, check out the demolition derby, Ferris wheel, lumberjack show, pro pumpkin carving, and Chubby Checker. Note: Do not do the twist after eating a dozen fried Oreos. topsfieldfair.org
SpicetoberFest, Oct. 3, City Hall Plaza
Turns out there are more spices than salt, pepper, and pumpkin. Proof will be on display at this free food fest. Featuring dozens of vendors from local restaurants, shops, and farms, Spicetober will have empanadas and ice cream, cupcakes and chai, hot sauce and hot sauce, and more hot sauce — no joke, there will be a hot sauce tasting challenge. spicetoberfest.com
Davis Mega Maze, opens Oct. 3, Sterling
Often ranked the best corn maze in Massachusetts (and one of the best in the country), this maze is, well, mega. Test your brain while trying not to lose your mind as you uncover clues and solve a Halloween whodunit that takes you through the labyrinth. davismegamaze.com
Honk! Festival, Oct. 9 – 12, Somerville & Cambridge
Nothing says fall like activist street bands blowing trumpets and raging against the machine. For two decades, Honk! has been taking over the streets and squares with a parade of brass bands, banging drums, wild costumes, and whimsy. The free weekend party will close on Sunday with the bands marching from Davis Square to Harvard Square and meeting up with Harvard’s 46th annual Oktoberfest for one big celebration. honkfest.org
Harvest Party, Oct. 16, Boston Public Market
Come raise a decorative gourd to 11 years of the Boston Public Market. Snack on local snacks, sip on local sips, snap a picture next to the collections of giant pumpkins. Free entry so no excuse to not swing by. bostonpublicmarket.org
AppleFest, Oct. 17 & 18, Oct. 24 & 25, Wachusett Mountain
Wachusett Mountain’s 42nd annual AppleFest has it all. And by all, we mean all the apple cider donuts from Red Apple Farm. Don’t like apple cider donuts? Wow, just wow. Guess you’ll just have to enjoy apple cakes, apple soda, apple cider, spiked apple cider slushies, plus live music, magic, circus shows, and fall foliage viewed from the ski lifts.
Boston Book Festival, Oct. 25, Copley Square
“Odyssey” ace Emily Wilson, literary fiction heavyweight Imbolo Mbue, and YA superstar Renée Watson join scores more speakers at the city’s top book fest. Beyond the speakers there will be workshops, live music, food trucks, and much more. Oh, it’s also free. bostonbookfest.org
People line up behind a line of giant pumpkins to watch the competition during the 40th annual All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Topsfield Fair in 2024. Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images
