Harvest Festivals, Hayrides, and Fall Fair Fun in New Jersey

The air is crisp, the apples are ripe, and fall fair and harvest festival season is about to get underway! We've rounded up 26 great harvest fests in New Jersey, all packed with signature autumn activities like hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin decorating (and picking), pie contests, scarecrow making, live animals, live music, and more. Some even incorporate a little early Halloween fun.

Read on to find an event near you, including the Great Pumpkin Festival, the Blackwood Pumpkin Festival, and more.

For more seasonal activities around the Garden State, be sure to check out our Fall Fun Guide and our list of 40 Things We Can't Wait To Do with NJ Kids This Fall. 

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Johnson's Corner Farm has special activities every weekend this fall. 

Johnson's Corner Farm Fall Festival Weekends – Medford
September – October (weekends plus Monday, October 8)
Fall weekend fun includes live music, food, a giant corn maze, pumpkin and apple picking, hayrides, gem mining, and more.

Great Pumpkin Festival – Vernon
Saturday, September 15 – Sunday, November 4 (weekends plus some weekdays in October)
Heaven Hill Farm's fall festival takes place every weekend and certain weekdays through early November. This event has it all: a hay maze, spider web crawl, monster slingshot, boo barn, obstacle course, duck and pig races, and much more. Times and prices vary weekend/weekday.

Family Fall Fun Weekends – Princeton 
Saturday, September 15 – Sunday, October 28
Get ready for seven weekends of family fun at Terhune Orchards. Pick your own apples and pumpkins, listen to country music, paint pumpkins, and enjoy tons of children’s activities on the Mount Family’s 200 acre farm.

Morey's Piers bring a taste of Oktoberfest to the Wildwoods Boardwalk. Photo courtesy of Morey's Piers

Annual Oktoberfest Fun at Morey's Piers – Point Pleasant
Friday, September 21 – Sunday, October 7 (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays only)
This fall, Oktoberfest takes over Morey’s Piers with three consecutive weekends of German-themed revelry, live entertainment, a kids “Rootbier Garten” activity area, and much more.

Hopewell Harvest Fair – Hopewell
Saturday, September 22
Located at Hopewell Elementary School, this festival has tons of fun activities for kids, including hayrides, pony rides, a petting zoo, and face painting, plus contests and competitions in baking, art, photography, doggie dress-up, and more. FREE

Edison Fall Family Spectacular – Edison 
Saturday, September 22
Tons of fun is on tap at this fall fair, featuring two stages of entertainment, pony rides, a petting zoo, kiddie rides, sand art, food, and more.

RELATED: Amazing Corn Mazes at New Jersey Farms

Enjoy a truly old-fashioned harvest fest at the 19th century–themed festival at the Historic Village of Allaire.

19th Century Fall Harvest Festival – Farmingdale
Saturday, September 22
Celebrate the fall harvest at The Historic Village at Allaire, where you can try your hand at cider pressing, games, dancing, and much more. Horse and wagon rides will also be available for an extra cost.

Westfield FestiFall – Westfield
Sunday, September 23
This 28th annual festival will feature entertainment, food, more than 300 vendors, and a special KidZone with rides, games, and activities just for children. FREE

The Giant Pumpkin Carve & Pumpkin Pageant – Woodstown
Saturday, September 29
Come to the Salem County Fairgrounds for this fun event that features pumpkin carving, scarecrow construction contest, free hayrides, food vendors, music, and lots of family fun.

Bergen County Fall Harvest Festival – Paramus
Saturday, September 29
This family event features a craft fair, carnival rides, a petting zoo and other animals, archery, a farmer's market, pumpkin picking, music, entertainment, and more. FREE

RELATED: Halloween and Fall Foliage Train Rides for NJ Kids

Corn shucking, hayrides, food, and games are all part of the fun at Historic Longstreet Farm. 

Harvest Home Festival – Holmdel
Sunday, September 30
If a quieter, simpler harvest celebration is more your style, bring the family to Historic Longstreet Farm, where the old-fashioned fun includes wagon rides, games, craft demonstrations, and entertainment. Don't forget to say hi to the farm animals. FREE

Hometown Harvest Fair – Hightstown
Saturday, October 6
Join community members for food trucks, live music, kids' rides, arts, crafts, vendors, and other special attractions. FREE admission, with small fee for kids' activities

Blackwood Pumpkin Festival –  Blackwood
Sunday, October 7 (rain date: Sunday, October 14)
Sponsored by Mainstage Center For the Arts, this festival draws 10,000 people each year to enjoy food, games, music, shopping among 200 vendors, and four stages of entertainment. Activities include pumpkin painting, hayrides, amusement rides, scarecrow making, bounce houses, a pumpkin-carving contest, face painting, a costume contest, talent contest, and more. FREE admission, with certain activities ticketed.

Pumpkin Pawlooza – Cherry Hill
Saturday, October 6 – Sunday, October 7
Double the fun at this dual-location festival, hosted jointly by Paws Discovery Farms and the Garden State Discovery Museum. Activities at Paws Discovery Farm include pony rides, pumpkin decorating, hayrides, a petting zoo, and an obstacle course courtesy of Kid Fit. Activities at the Garden State Discovery Museum include fall crafts, a moon bounce, and a puppy patrol meet-and-greet. Pick up your admission bracelet at either location for a full weekend of fall fun.

Dunellen HarvestFest – Dunellen
Sunday, October 7
Bring the family to Washington Park for this annual downtown festival featuring food, carriage rides, contests, dancing, music, and kids' activities. If you're feeling crafty, don't miss the chance to enter the apple pie, art, or scarecrow contests. FREE

RELATED: 20+ Fun-Filled Fall Day Trips for New Jersey Families

The Pumpkin Festival at the Whippany Railway Museum is a big hit with train lovers!

18th Annual Pumpkin Festival – Whippany
Sunday, October 7
Celebrate the Fall Harvest at the Whippany Railway Museum with train rides and a Halloween fair. Take a 30-minute aboard the "Pumpkinliner" train, then check out the pumpkins, crafts, antique farm tractors, and more on the grounds of the museum.

Sussex County Harvest, Honey, and Garlic Festival –  Augusta
Saturday, October 13
This family-friendly event features a farmers' market, an educational honey display, kids' activities, vendors, artisans, and more. FREE

South Jersey Pumpkin Show – Woodstown
Friday, October 12 – Sunday, October 14
Got a pumpkin fan in the family? This is the fall festival they've been waiting for. Cheer on the child competitors in the Little Miss & Mister Pumpkin Show Pageant (open to children ages 4-9), eat your heart out at the Pumpkin Fun Food Contest, ogle the giant pumpkins at the Pumpkin Weigh-Off, and check out the Giant Pumpkin Pyramid. Other activities include a decorated stroller/wagon parade, kids' costume contest, painted rock hunt, and a visit from the Headless Horseman. FREE

Harvest Festival – Ringwood
Saturday, October 13 – Sunday, October 14
Hitch a hayride, decorate pumpkins, dance to live music, shop a plant sale, and more at this fall festival put on by the New Jersey Botanical Gardens. FREE  

Fine Crafts Fall Festival and Family Day – Mays Landing
Saturday, October 20
This fun family event includes free train rides, a bouncy castle, music, hay toss, mummy wrap, and pumpkin painting (pumpkin and paint included with a $5 fee). FREE

RELATED: 40 Things We Can't Wait To Do with NJ Kids This Fall

Find your way out of this urban corn maze at the Hoboken Harvest Festival. 

Harvest Festival – Scotch Plains
Saturday, October 20
Everyone's invited to celebrate the success of the new Scotch Plains Fanwood Community Garden at this Harvest Homecoming fundraiser. Come to the historic Frazee House family farm for live music, pony rides, a haunted trail, a costume party, and more. FREE admission, but some activities are ticketed.

Hoboken Harvest Festival – Hoboken
Saturday, October 20
Come to Pier A Park for pony rides, a petting zoo, pumpkin painting, hayrides, moonwalk, face painting, a hay maze, crafts, and more. FREE

Fresh cranberries at the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival make for tasty baked goods! 

Chatsworth Cranberry Festival – Chatsworth
Saturday, October 20 – Sunday, October 21
If you need a break from all those pumpkins, check out one of the "berry" best festivals in the mid-Atlantic region, celebrating New Jersey's famous cranberry harvest. In addition to countless cranberry treats, the fair will feature visiting wolves from the Howling Woods Farm, live music, and antique cars. FREE

Autumn Fest – Pitman
Saturday, October 20 – Sunday, October 21
The third annual Autumn Fest includes a Children's Halloween Fest for kids 12 and under, featuring magicians, illusionists, jugglers, coloring contests, pony rides, a pumpkin pie–eating contest, music, and more.

Celebrate Fall – Summit
Sunday, October 21
Head on over to the Reeves-Reed Arboretum for a fun-filled autumn day. Explore the Spooky Trail, decorate a pumpkin, and join the costume parade.

Pumpkin Patch Day – Union
Saturday, October 27 (rain date Sunday, October 28)
Enjoy a day filled with pumpkin picking, hayrides, pumpkin carving and painting, and crafts at Liberty Hall Museum. 

All photos courtesy of the festivals/farms