October is a month of several seasons in Pennsylvania. Think spooky season, fall foliage season, apple season, and, of course, Oktoberfest season. And the festival lineup reflects as much. Because whether you want to have the daylights scared out of you, take in dazzling fall foliage, eat some apples, or raise a stein full of beer while an oompah band plays, there’s plenty of fun to be had across Pennsylvania. And if you want to watch a 1,000-pound pumpkin get dropped on a car, you can get that too.
Here are 12 October festivals to put on your calendar.
Hundred Acres Manor – Bethel Park (Allegheny County)
Dates: Various nights, Oct. 1-Nov. 1
Hundred Acres Manor has been named one of the best haunted houses in the country by the Travel Channel and other travel outlets. The attraction is made up of five different terrifying themes, like “The Sisterhood” and “South Valley Hospital,” together forming a walk-through haunt spanning over a mile. The haunted house is even home to a “Scream Bar” hosted by local brewery Cinderlands (which is located outside the manor if you’re more interested in sipping than shrieking). Plus, while most haunted attractions are for-profit enterprises, Hundred Acres is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that has donated millions of dollars to local charities since it first opened two decades ago.
Reading Liederkranz Oktoberfest – Reading
Dates: Now through Oct. 4
Reading Liederkranz Oktoberfest is often touted as one of the best Oktoberfest celebrations in the country, and it regularly appears on best-of lists. The festivities, which are hosted by Reading Liederkranz, an area German American club, include a variety of German eats from bratwurst to schnitzel, a wide selection of German beer, live music (both traditional German music and that from local musicians), and other ways to enjoy German culture right in Berks County.
Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary – Philadelphia
Dates: Friday to Sunday through Nov. 7
Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary is the historic prison’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and it goes all out with Hollywood-quality sets, special effects, and scares. The festival features five haunted houses like “Dark Tides,” a creepy “abandoned” fishing village, and “Apocalypse Pass,” where, according to Eastern State, “containment has broken down, giving way to an unpredictable outbreak.” Beyond the scares, Halloween Nights also offers themed bars, lounges, and live entertainment areas.
Shocktoberfest – Sinking Spring (Berks County)
Dates: Various nights, Oct. 2-Nov. 7
Shocktoberfest near Reading is often referred to as a “haunted theme park”—or a scream park. The attraction has been designed as “Zombie World Theme Park,” where guests can view an array of natural and genetically engineered zombies “in a safe and controlled habitat,” according to Shocktoberfest. You can take a hayride tour with the “Zombie Safari Company” or see the renovated “prison” where zombies are contained in a quasi zoo. The park also offers food and drink options, including adult beverages. And if the zombies are too scary for young kids or kids at heart, “Spooktoberfest” is a family-friendly version of the attraction open two hours before the real frights begin.
Oktoberfest at SteelStacks – Bethlehem
Dates: Oct. 2-4, 9-11
Oktoberfest at SteelStacks is a free festival in Bethlehem that will feature plenty of German food and drink, plus activities like the Pennsylvania State Steinholding Championship, dachshund races, a bratwurst eating contest, and an Oktoberfest dog parade. More activities, though less on theme, include drag shows, hot glass classes, a 5K race, and karaoke. The event’s four beer gardens will also feature performances from polka and oompah groups like Polkadelphia.
Phantom Fall Fest – Pittsburgh
Dates: Friday to Sunday through Nov. 1
Phantom Fall Fest is held each Halloween season at Pittsburgh’s Kennywood amusement park. When the sun goes down, things get spooky with more than 30 rides and attractions including classic rollercoasters like Phantom’s Revenge and the Jack Rabbit, and haunted houses like the pitch-black Dark Shadows, and the creepy-puppet-inspired Detached. When you need a break from all that spooky stuff, there’s plenty of fall-themed food and drink to enjoy.
Bedford Fall Foliage Festival – Bedford (Bedford County)
Dates: Oct. 3-4, 10-11
As they do each fall, tens of thousands of people will make their way to historic downtown Bedford to enjoy the Bedford Fall Foliage Festival, two weekends of fun set against a backdrop of stunning fall colors in the foothills of the Alleghenies. Now in its 62nd year, the festival features more than 400 vendors selling art, crafts, furniture, comfort food, sweet treats, and more. Festival goers also come for live music, an antique car parade, and kids’ activities like scarecrow making.
National Apple Harvest Festival – Biglerville (Adams County)
Dates: Oct. 3-4,10-11
Biglerville is one of Pennsylvania’s top apple-producing towns, making it the perfect home for the National Apple Harvest Festival, which has been drawing crowds of apple lovers for more than 50 years. Visitors can tour the festival site’s orchards as well as the booths of more than 300 arts and crafts vendors while also taking in live bluegrass music, puppet shows, apple syrup-making demonstrations, and more.
Fort Ligonier Days – Ligonier (Westmoreland County)
Dates: Oct. 9-11
More than just a commemoration of the French and Indian War’s Battle of Fort Ligonier, Fort Ligonier Days is a fall festival that transforms the charming town of Ligonier into Westmoreland County’s signature autumn destination. Festival events take place in downtown Ligonier as well as at the historic fort, with activities ranging from an arts and crafts fair and live music to live battle reenactments and a 5K race. Add the spectacular fall foliage of the Laurel Highlands, a parade, and fireworks, and it’s no surprise that the festival brings out tens of thousands of people each year.
Pennsylvania State Flaming Foliage Festival – Renovo (Clinton County)
Dates: Oct. 9-11
The Pennsylvania State Flaming Foliage Festival has celebrated the dazzling fall colors in Renovo for more than 75 years. The community festival highlights the rugged beauty of fall in the Pennsylvania Wilds while also featuring an arts and crafts show, a local talent show, and the crowning of Miss Flaming Foliage. Besides the official festival activities, visitors can take in views of the surrounding Appalachian Mountains set ablaze with color, plus the nearby West Branch Susquehanna River.
Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival – Jim Thorpe (Carbon County)
Dates: Oct. 3-4, 10-11,17-18
The Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival runs multiple weekends in October, with craft vendors, scenic train rides, delicious food, and live entertainment in the town known as the “Switzerland of America” because of its mountain setting. Fall is the perfect time to take in the beauty of Jim Thorpe and the fall colors of the surrounding mountains while exploring the shops and small businesses of the downtown area, many of which will offer seasonal specials and festive activities.
Fall Pumpkin Fest at Conneaut Lake Park – Conneaut Lake (Crawford County)
Dates: Oct. 9-11
Fall Pumpkin Fest, held at Conneaut Lake Park on the shores of Conneaut Lake, is one of the biggest fall festivals in northwestern Pennsylvania. The annual fall celebration features carnival rides and games, homestyle food, live music, and kids’ activities, while the unquestionable headliner of the whole affair is the 1,000-pounds pumpkin that dropped from above onto a vehicle below.
