Autumn is here again, and we’re finally updating this post about Seattle fall events as well as Puget Sound fall events and things to do around the PNW and western Washington State this fall.
At the end of this post, you’ll find a list of ALL upcoming events under the “Autumn Festivities” category. If you know of one that should be on this list, you can add it by clicking here.
Please note: We’re currently in the process of updating this post for 2024. Currently, it may be out of date.
Table of Contents
Puget Sound Autumn Activities: Some recommendations
Here are a few of the ways to spice up your Autumn in the Puget Sound area:
- Going to a small pumpkin farm, taking a stroll, picking a pumpkin, and carving it.
- Sampling some local ciders. Autumn abounds with cider events. Look for the Gig Harbor Cider Swig or take a trip to Finn River in Chimacum (in the evening for entertainment).
- Taking a walk in the fall leaves. I’m going to force myself to get outside on a lovely autumn day, find a park, and do some serious leaf-stomping this year.
- Turkey Trots: In Person or Virtual: I hate to say it, but I’ve not used this “opportunity” to get into better shape. But it’s time to start. I can do a virtual turkey trot at turtle-pace without feeling any shame.
- Craft Shows and Fairs. Get an early start on your holiday shopping with craft fairs that start in Autumn.
- Trying to go to a local park to try to view the salmon. In Kitsap county, WSU usually holds salmon tours. This year, they’re hosting virtual events, but that doesn’t stop one from going to try to view the salmon on your own.
- Other than that, I’ll be celebrating fall by making some seriously yummy butternut squash soup, photographing birds, finding a good book to read, taking a bike ride on a trail somewhere.
Oktoberfest
If you’re a beer lover, this is a great area with lots of local microbrews. And plenty of Oktoberfest events to choose from. Here are a few of them on our radar:
- Fremont Oktoberfest: But, darn it, this one has already passed by the time we updated this post for 2024! Be sure to catch it early in Autumn 2025.
- Oktoberfest Northwest happens in early October at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup. German biers, brats, entertainment, games, and more.
- If you really want to celebrate Bavarian-style and want to take a trip out of the Puget Sound area, you can’t beat Leavenworth Oktoberfest. Celebrate over three weekends from late September to mid-October.
Cider Time
Autumn is a great time for cider!
- We heartily recommend going to Finn River and having a flight of cider. Go in the evening for entertainment and try some of the food. My favorite is the vegan pecan burger with kimchi.
- The annual Cider Swig is back on. Formerly the Gig Harbor Cider Swig, it’s now at Le May’s Car Museum in Tacoma. This is a great chance to taste a bunch of local ciders.
- In October, you can go to the Olympic Peninsula Apple and Cider Festival and taste the ciders of the region.
- Vashon Ciderfest happens early in October.
Go Pumpkin Hunting
Autumn, of course, is the time for pumpkin hunting. We now have a better guide to the many pumpkin farms and pumpkin patches in the area.
View our pumpkin patches guide.
For convenience, we’re also adding the map from the post here.
Northwest Glass Pumpkin Patch
Every year Tacoma Glassblowing Studio hosts several glass pumpkin patches. Click here for more information or you can see the individual events on our events list below.
Paranormal Adventures
Autumn glows but also lends itself to ghost stories. If you want to learn more about PNW hauntings, or are a Bigfoot Believer, here are some Puget Sound Autumn events to satisfy your supernatural inclinations.
- Port Gamble Paranormal hosts things like ghost walks. I believe that in 2023, their ghost walks took place during the Summer, but in November, they’ll have their annual Ghost Conference.
- Take a ghost tour. There are several area groups that do ghost tours. We mentioned some of them in our post on the subject.
- If, somehow, you do not believe in ghosts but you DO believe in Bigfoot, you can attend the annual Sasquatch Summit in November in Ocean Shores or
Halloween Festivities
Halloween events sometimes tend to be non-recurring. There are some different parties, shows, etc every year.
Haunted Houses and Escape Rooms
One fun thing we did one year that we’ll likely write about in another post at some point was visit the Georgetown Morgue — which is an escape room in the Belltown area. Pretty fun and challenging escape room, though one of their clues was a bit off for my daughter and I, both of us who have a medical background. Well, I guess it’s a haunted house, too. But the one we did was definitely an escape room and less a haunted house.
Perhaps we’ll research and write a post about all of the haunted houses sometime in the future, but here are a few in western Washington known to us:
- Nightmare on 9 in Snohomish.
- Nile Nightmares haunted house in Mountlake Terrace.
- The Fright Factory in Buckley.
- Fright House Station in Tacoma.
If you’ve visited any haunted houses and want to add them to the locations section of our website, you can do so here. If we get enough locations entered, we’ll add a post on the subject.
Halloween Events
Below is a list of any specific Halloween events we have on our calender. If you’d like to add one, you can do so here.
Spirit of Halloweentown
Fall Foliage Day
Trolloween
GeekCraft Expo Seattle
Thanksgiving
How to spend Thanksgiving Day? Watching football or parades, overeating and falling asleep?
Many people go volunteer on Thanksgiving — so much so that usually shelters and food backs are overrun with volunteers. If you want to help, are unable to volunteer and want to help, donations to your local food bank — nonperishable food or money — is a way to help. But consider that they may need your help just as much or more at time of the year that are NOT Thanksgiving.
Turkey Trots
Ahhh…the annual burning of calories pre-Thanksgiving. Read our post listing local Turkey Trot events.
Craft Shows
Seattle Autumn events include the beginnings of holiday craft shows, in case you want to get a head start on your holiday shopping.
Here are a few annual craft and gift shows that we know of:
- The Tacoma Holiday Food and Gift Festival happens annually at the Tacoma Dome in late October. Tons of vendors.
- Gobble Up Seattle is Urban Craft Uprising’s annual craft food fair. Every year in November at Magnuson Park Hangar 30 in Seattle, UCU presents this wonderful food show.
- Also at Magnuson Park Hangar 30 in Seattle, in November you can shop for your love of fantasy, Anime, or Animal Crossing at Geek Craft Expo.
Some Other Miscellaneous Ideas for Puget Sound Autumn Activities
Here are some other miscellaneous ideas for Puget Sound area and Seattle Autumn events to to this season.
Cultural Festivals
Usually, throughout the year, the Seattle Center holds its Festál series of cultural events. The annual Dia de Los Muertos festival is one such festival held at the end of October to celebrate the day of the dead.
Fall Colors
Though perhaps Seattle doesn’t have the fall colors of New England, there are places to catch autumn colors around here. Perhaps the best place is the Washington Park Arboretum. The Japanese gardens, in particular, show stunning fall foliage. While I haven’t been there for many years, in my younger days, I recall frequently stomping through maple leaves in Autumn on the trails at Carkeek Park.
Welcome Fall with Luminata at Greenlake
At the Autumn Equinox Fremont Arts Council holds its annual lantern festival at Greenlake. We’re keeping this on this post for next year but we missed it this year as it happens right at the Fall Equinox.
Puget Sound and Seattle Fall Events From Our Calendar
Below are any events from the “Autumn Festivities ” portion of our events calendar. They’re some selected events that we’ve either chosen to add, or that hosts of local events have added. This lists only future events, so as Autumn ends, this section may be empty until next year. Again, if you want to add an event, you may do so here.
Snoqualmie Valley Sunflower Festival
Bumbershoot
Forever Twilight in Forks Festival
CIDER SWIG - the Greater Peninsula Cider Festival
Spirit of Halloweentown
Oktoberfest Northwest
Leavenworth Oktoberfest
Northwest Trek Pumpkin Chomp and Stomp
Leavenworth Oktoberfest
