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Best 2025 Fall Festivals and Fairs in NYC this September and October

Try your hand at corn husking and more analog entertainment during the Corn Fest at the Queens County Farm Museum. Photo courtesy of the Queens County Farm Museum
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8/31/25 - By Drew Kristofik

Fall festivals in NYC punctuate the changing of seasons with all the pleasures autumn conjures: apple cider doughnuts, hay rides, the hunt for the perfect pumpkin, and cozy family vibes. New York City fall festival favorites include the Richmond County Fair, the West Side County Fair, and the Brooklyn Children's Book Fair. Plus, Mommy Poppins is hosting a Back to School Fall Fest at Pier 57 on Sunday, September 21, and programming Playtopia at the Atlantic Antic on Sunday, October 5, with help from our friends at Brooklyn Bridge Parents.

There are also some cool under-the-radar events you may not have heard of, including an Italian fair in the Bronx that is a lot less crowded than Little Italy's San Gennaro and the Annual Bus Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Tips for Visiting Fall Festivals With Kids

  • Go early to avoid crowds.
  • Bring cash for food vendors and rides.
  • Check for online tickets or reservation requirements.
  • Be sure to wear sunscreen!
  • Dress in layers and bring extra sunscreen and water.
  • Keep your phone and/or camera ready for photo-ops. NYC loves to "dress up" for the season, so you might come across some cool decorations as you walk the city streets.

Frequently Asked Questions for Fall Festival Fun in New York City

Q: When do fall festivals in New York City typically happen?
Fall festivals abound in September and October in NYC. The weekend after Labor Day and the week of Halloween are particularly busy for festival fun.
Q: Are these festivals stroller-friendly?
Festivals can be quite crowded and busy, and if you want to take the kids on rides, stroller parking might be an issue. We recommend leaving the stroller at home if you can.
Q: Do we need to buy tickets in advance?
Better safe than sorry. But don't despair if you've left things till the last minute.
Q: What age are these festivals best for?
It depends on the festival, of course! Even very little ones enjoy a music fest or food fest. Carnivals and rides are usually best for older kids, especially if there are height restrictions.

As always, if an event piques your interest, click through to our listing for all the details, including addresses and times. And keep in mind: Really cool things to do with kids often book up quickly, so register or buy your tickets ASAP.

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The Feast of San Gennaro takes to the streets of Little Italy again this September. Photo by Teri Tynes
The Feast of San Gennaro takes to the streets of Little Italy again this September. Photo by Teri Tynes

Top Fall Festivals in NYC in September 2025

Richmond County Fair

Richmond, Staten Island
Through Monday, September 1, 2025
An old-fashioned county fair in New York City, the 42-year-old Staten Island tradition features family fun and entertainment for all ages, including circus performers, crafts and rides for the kids, live music, plenty of eats, and contests. READ MORE

Down to Earth Festival

Citywide
Saturday, August 30-Sunday, September 7, 2025
Down to Earth brings world-class international performance, theater, contemporary circus, an opera installation, and participatory events directly to New York City’s vibrant, diverse communities. The 2025 festival features seven international productions, workshops, interactive events, and local presentations of PRELUDE, a festival-within-a-festival.   READ MORE

2025 Back to School Wellness Dance Festival in East Harlem

East Harlem – FREE
Saturday, September 6, 2025
KR3TS Dance Company hosts a family-friendly festival with a great lineup of free activities, services, and performances designed to energize and support the community. READ MORE

Corn Fest at the Queens County Farm Museum

Floral Park, Queens
Saturday, September 6, 2025
The Queens County Farm Museum hosts Corn Fest to celebrate the grand opening of the 2025 Amazing Maize Maze. The event is jam-packed with a-maize-ing activities, games, and food.  READ MORE

BRIC Family Day: Back To School

Downtown Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, September 6, 2025
BRIC House invites families to participate in an afternoon of creativity and excitement for the upcoming school year with a whole bunch of activities. READ MORE

Uptown Kid Lit in Inwood Hill Park

Inwood – FREE
Sunday, September 7, 2025
Uptown Kid Lit—Word Up’s book festival for kids—showcases the fun and possibilities of books, reading, writing, and art, for kids of all ages and backgrounds, and their adults. Free books and school supplies are provided for all who register in advance! READ MORE

Astoria Alive Street Fair

Astoria, Queens
Sunday, September 7, 2025
The annual Astoria Alive Street Fair runs along 31st Street between Ditmars Boulevard and 21st Avenue, with fun food, great shopping, and exciting kiddie rides.   READ MORE

Ferragosto 2025 in the Bronx

Belmont, the Bronx
Sunday, September 7, 2025
The Belmont section of the Bronx hosts the annual Ferragosto festival in the original Little Italy: Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street. READ MORE

West Side County Fair

Upper West Side
Sunday, September 7, 2025
Rescheduled due to last weekend's rainy weather, Summer on the Hudson's biggest event of the season—the West Side County Fair—brings with it a full afternoon of county fair magic in Manhattan. READ MORE

Taste of Times Square 2025

Midtown West
Monday, September 8, 2025
This year’s Taste of Times Square features more than 30 participating restaurants, ranging from Mexican to Caribbean, Argentinian, Italian, Indian, American, and beyond.   READ MORE

99th Annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy

Little Italy
Thursday, September 11-Sunday, September 21, 2025
The Feast of San Gennaro honors Italian Americans in professional baseball this year with its blocks-long street festival dubbed the "Feast of all Feasts!" Enjoy food, entertainment, and vendors along Mulberry Street from Houston to Canal.  READ MORE

FAMChella on Fifth

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, September 13, 2025
Brooklyn Bridge Parents and the 5th Avenue BID host a free family-friendly block party inspired by the fun and flair of Coachella, turning the car-free stretch of 5th Avenue from 68th to 81st Street into a lively festival zone filled with free kids' activities, including a bouncy house, arts and crafts, Lego play, water fun, DIY bedazzled headbands, and more.   READ MORE

One Bite Pizza Festival on Randall's Island

Randall's Island
Saturday, September 13, 2025
The greatest gathering of pizzerias ever features all-you-can-eat pizza from over 40 iconic pizzerias. Enjoy delicious Italian bites in the Ferraro Foods Piazza, sweet treats in the Italian Dessert Village, unlimited Pepsi products, and access to interactive pizza experiences, saucy brand activations, and tons of surprises along the way. READ MORE

United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Saturday, September 13-Sunday, September 14, 2025
Prospect Park Alliance, Eenda-Lunaapeewahkiing Collective, and American Indian Community House host the Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow, welcoming the original Indigenous Lenape peoples with a weekend of family-friendly fun, culture, art, and learning with Indigenous dancers, drummers, and artisan craft and food vendors. READ MORE

City Island Fall Arts & Crafts Fair

City Island, the Bronx – FREE
Saturday, September 13-Sunday, September 14, 2025
Featuring fine art, jewelry, photography, wood crafts, candles, soaps, body care, crochet, face painting and more, the City Island Art Fair hosts 50+ vendors and local businesses displaying their work on the sidewalk from Bay Street to Schofield Street in the center of City Island.  READ MORE

Back-to-School Party in Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn – FREE
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Brooklyn Bridge Parents host an annual back-to-school party during Open Streets on Montague, with 25 free kids' activities, a dance party, and a science show. Stop by for games, arts and crafts, soccer, face painting, building activities, an obstacle course, and more.   READ MORE

Community Street Fair on the UWS

Upper West Side
Sunday, September 14, 2025
This high holiday block party and street fair features inflatables, games, interactive shows, crafts, delicious kosher barbecue, and more kid-friendly fun!   READ MORE

Celebración Latina: Family Day Block Party at Ballet Hispanico

Upper West Side – FREE
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Ballet Hispánico's Celebración Latina: Family Day Block Party transforms the block into a joyful, music-filled playground of dance, sabor, and community. Enjoy two outdoor stages, free performances and dance classes, surprise giveaways, special offers, food trucks, live music, family-friendly art activities, and appearances from cultural partners.   READ MORE

Brooklyn Book Festival

Prospect Heights – FREE
Sunday, September 14-Monday, September 22, 2025
Dive into some great books at the 2025 Brooklyn Book Festival. Kid-friendly programming abounds during Children's Day on Saturday, September 20. READ MORE

Brooklyn Americana Music Festival

Multiple Brooklyn Locations
Thursday, September 18-Sunday, September 21, 2025
Americana musicians perform original and traditional songs on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, ukulele, and more, spanning a range of genres including country, folk, blues, old-time, bluegrass, and jazz. READ MORE

Fall Equinox Garden Party in Rockefeller Park

Battery Park City – FREE
Friday, September 19, 2025
Wind down your week in the Children’s Garden and celebrate the changing of the seasons. Enjoy fall-blooming flowers, treats from the garden, and a fun take-home craft in a festive atmosphere. Plus, Sarabesque performs. READ MORE

Making Moves Dance Festival 2025 at Jamaica Performing Arts Center

Jamaica, Queens – FREE
Friday, September 19-Sunday, September 21, 2025
For 16 years, Making Moves Dance Festival, presented by JCAL, has served as a platform to promote new, emerging, and underrepresented dance companies. This year presents an exciting lineup of talented dancers and choreographers. READ MORE

Battery Park City Block Party

Battery Park City – FREE
Saturday, September 20, 2025
The beloved neighborhood tradition returns to Battery Park City, with children’s games and family activities, live musical performances, local business and restaurant vendors, contests, prizes, and much more! READ MORE

Family Fun Day at Hudson Yards

Midtown West – FREE
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Hudson Yards hosts an action-packed day of family-friendly entertainment, with music, magic, and interactive performances that include a Back to School, Back to Rhythm concert by Mozart for Munchkins, a high-energy western set by Hopalong Andrew, and a magic show you won’t want to miss! READ MORE

National Dance Day Festival in Fort Tryon Park

Washington Heights– FREE
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Celebrate National Dance Day with an immersive, multi-disciplinary arts experience in Fort Tryon Park!  Walk the Broadway path and encounter Uptown Dance Collective’s (UDC) “Tales: Altered and Repaired,”  inspired by folk and fairy tales with dance, music, and spoken word all woven into the landscape of the parkland.  READ MORE

NYSoM SuperHero Festival in Sherman Creek Park

Inwood– FREE
Saturday, September 20, 2025
NYSoM celebrates the arrival of autumn with Batman, the Incredible Hulk, Darth Vader, Harry Potter, Pokemon, and more during this daylong celebration. READ MORE

Climate Fest at the American Museum of Natural History

Upper West Side
Saturday, September 20, 2025
ClimateFest, a full-day celebration of science, sustainability, and community, brings the science of climate change to life through hands-on activities, communal art projects, pop-up presentations, and live demonstrations across the museum. READ MORE

Back to School Fall Fest at Pier 57

Chelsea – FREE
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Join Mommy Poppins at Pier 57 in Chelsea for a day of free fall fun. Enjoy games, crafts, magic and puppet shows, circus and martial arts, pencil pouch decorating, face painters, STEM activities, and dozens of free activities for kids of all ages. Discover schools, after schools, enrichment and preschool programs while having a blast! READ MORE

Flatbush Frolic

Flatbush, Brooklyn
Sunday, September 21, 2025
One of NYC's largest street fairs, featuring thousands of visitors and hundreds of vendors, the Flatbush Frolic dizzies up Cortelyou Road with food, games, pony rides, carnival rides, music, and more.  READ MORE

Annual Bus Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Dumbo, Brooklyn – FREE
Sunday, September 21, 2025
The New York Transit Museum invites visitors aboard some of its beloved vintage vehicles at this annual fest. Explore buses from the vintage fleet representing more than 80 years of New York City surface transit history.  READ MORE

Park Fair in Forest Park

Forest Park, Queens
Saturday, September 27, 2025
The Richmond Hill Block Association hosts its 50th annual Park Fair in Forest Park. Enjoy a day full of rides, food, and more. READ MORE

Poseidon Parade

Rockaway Beach, Queens– FREE
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Family-friendly and art-centered, this annual march celebrates self-expression, community, and the beauty of the Rockaway shore. READ MORE

Queens Agricultural Fair at the Queens County Farm Museum

Floral Park, Queens
Saturday, September 27-Sunday, September 28, 2025
Get a little bit country at the Queens Agricultural Fair! Enjoy pie-eating and corn-husking contests, hayrides, carnival rides, and midway games. Visit the main stage and family entertainment tents featuring live music and theatrical performances, check out local craft and food vendors, and more.  READ MORE

Family-Friendly Fall Festivals in NYC in October 2025

Little Red Lighthouse Festival

Washington Heights – FREE
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Celebrate Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse with Urban Park Ranger presentations, readings of The Little Red Lighthouse and The Great Gray Bridge children’s book, live music, and activities for all ages. READ MORE

Maker Faire on Coney Island

Coney Island, Brooklyn
Saturday, October 4-Sunday, October 5, 2025
Head to Coney Island for hands-on exhibits, demonstrations, and workshops in fields such as robotics, crafts, engineering, art, music, 3D-printing, and future technologies, designed by students, teachers, and independent folks who build interesting things. READ MORE

50th Annual Atlantic Antic: Playtopia

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn – FREE
Sunday, October 5, 2025
NYC's largest street fest, the Atlantic Antic fills Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue with food and craft vendors, family fun, and amazing performances. A highlight for families is Mommy Poppins and Brooklyn Bridge Parents' Playtopia @ Atlantic Antic, powered by Prospect Schools, a block-long family fun zone stuffed to the brim with STEM activities, balloon twisting, freebies, arts & crafts, interactive games, circus activities, and more for kids of all ages. READ MORE

Fungus Festival on Randall's Island

Randall's Island – FREE
Sunday, October 5, 2025
The New York Mycological Society (NYMS) hosts its annual Fungus Festival, welcoming mushroom-curious amateurs and experts of all ages. READ MORE

Blessing of the Animals at St. John the Divine

Morningside Heights – FREE
Sunday, October 5, 2025
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine welcomes families for a day of music, prayer, joy, blessings, and fun in honor of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment. READ MORE

Fall Fest Atlantic Terminal Mall Plaza

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn– FREE
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Atlantic Terminal Mall and Brooklyn Bridge Parents host a free family-friendly fall festival on Atlantic Terminal’s outdoor plaza and car-free Fort Greene Place with an "urban pumpkin patch" with 1,000 pumpkins waiting to be decorated by the kiddos, along with arts & crafts, pumpkin painting, block building, haunted trucks to enter (if you dare), soccer, costume dance party, face painting and more!  READ MORE

Indigenous Peoples Weekend at Wave Hill

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, October 11-Monday, October 13, 2025
Wave Hill celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day with an indigenous-themed birding walk and corn husk doll workshops. Admission is free on Monday. READ MORE

Festa D'Italia & Motori D’Italia at Casa Belvedere

Silver Lake, Staten Island
Saturday, October 11-Sunday, October 12, 2025
Celebrate Italian culture at Staten Island's Casa Belvedere with live entertainment, homemade Italian delicacies, games, rides, crafts, all-you-can-eat contests, and a display of exotic cars and motorcycles. READ MORE

Diwali at Times Square

Midtown West – FREE
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Billed as "the largest Indian Festival outside India," Diwali at Times Square features cultural performances, folk dances, concerts, Indian food, Indian clothing and jewels, Henna/Mehandi artists, balloon figures, and face painting plus free gifts and raffle drawings.   READ MORE

Open House New York

Citywide – FREE
Friday, October 17-Sunday, October 19, 2025
Open House New York is an annual festival that unlocks 300 destinations across the five boroughs for behind-the-scenes tours and special activities. Look at new buildings transforming the skyline, step inside infrastructure facilities keeping the city running, explore parks offering respite, discover state-of-the-art performance spaces, visit manufacturing workshops, browse private collections, and much more. READ MORE

Old Home Day at Historic Richmond Town

Richmond, Staten Island
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Head to Historic Richmond Town for the annual Old Home Day. Visitors can witness historic trade demonstrations like blacksmithing, tinsmithing, carpentry, cabinet-making, and more. Enjoy music, food, crafts, and sweet treats.  READ MORE

College Point Street Fair

College Point, Queens – FREE
Sunday, October 19, 2025
College Point boasts the only NYC street fair that offers free rides, including a bouncy house. Enjoy games, fair food, and more. READ MORE

Court Street Spectacular Street Fest

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, October 26, 2025
Brooklyn's last big street festival of the year features shopping, food, and lots of kid-friendly amusement rides. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Various locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens
Inwood Hill Park - Pat's Lawn
Riverside Park South - Pier I
LeFrak Center at Lakeside
Multiple locations in Brooklyn
Emily Warren Roebling Plaza
Little Red Lighthouse (in Fort Washington Park)
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Citywide and online

About the Author

Drew Kristofik
Drew Kristofik’s career took a twist from editing teen magazines to a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a long run at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick Online and Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com. A founding member of the Webby Award-winning GoCityKids, she’s written for Family Fun, Vanity Fair, and New York. Her middle school novel, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. Drew keeps the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar spot-on and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.
Recent Articles By Drew Kristofik:
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