Midwest Fall Festivals You Won't Want to Miss

As summer heat fades and hardwood trees start to show their fall colors, Midwest communities welcome the changing of the season with autumnal celebrations. To inspire your next regional road trip, we've rounded up some of the best Midwest fall festivals that promise fun for the whole family.

Junkstock at Sycamore Farms, Waterloo, Nebraska

This funky fall festival (with another spring iteration) features live music and hundreds of vendors spread over two weekends (September 29-October 1 and October 6-8, 2023). Kids' activities, vintage vibes, pumpkin photo ops and food trucks highlight a day at Junkstock, which has become a major fall draw to the Omaha area.

Warrens Cranberry Festival, Warrens, Wisconsin

A juggernaut of a fall festival, this fruit-forward celebration, always the last full weekend in September, marks 50 years in 2023. The Warrens Cranberry Festival (September 22-24, 2023) embraces its theme with walking tours of a nearby cranberry marsh and tons of cranberry-themed foods and drinks. (In typical Midwest fashion, visitors can enjoy deep-fried cranberries on a stick, of course.) There's even a Cranberry Discovery Center & Cafe, open year-round, too, and the town sits on Wisconsin's Cranberry Highway.

AppleJack Festival, Nebraska City, Nebraska

One of the best fall festivals in the U.S., Nebraska City's AppleJack Festival truly has it all: apple cider slushies, a parade, food trucks, extreme bull-riding, U-pick apples, Tree Adventure fun at Arbor Day Farm. This annual fete draws nearly 100,000 visitors and celebrates the all-important apple harvest. It's held over two September weekends in Nebraska City (September 15-24, 2023).

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, Cincinnati

One Oktoberfest to rule them all! A slew of these festivals take place throughout the Midwest, but Cincinnati's extravaganza is the largest in the United States. More than half a million guests celebrate with a "prost" as 5th Street downtown transforms into a pedestrian-friendly Bavarian village (September 14-17, 2023). Entrance is free, though of course you'll need to to pay for the hearty German food and beverages. Don't miss the Running of the Wieners, a dachshund-focused race featuring pups dressed up as hot dogs.

Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival, South Dakota

The annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival (September 28-30, 2023) attracts more than 20,000 spectators to watch these magnificent animals be guided in from the open range to check their health and chart their future. While the actual roundup takes only a couple of hours, an arts fest lasts all weekend, with bison-themed art, hand-woven bullwhips and turquoise jewelry.

Covered Bridge Festival, Parke County, Indiana

In a sleepy, scenic pocket of western Indiana, you'll find the Midwest's largest concentration of covered bridges—and each October, a huge festival to celebrate them. Thirty-one covered bridges dot Parke County's landscape, 55 miles west of Indianapolis. The half-century-old Covered Bridge Festival (Oct. 13-22, 2023) brings food vendors, crafts and entertainment to Rockville and nearby towns. Whether you visit during the festival or drop by another time during the year, stop by the visitors center in Rockville, pick up maps and set out on a self-guided trip.

Neewollah, Independence, Kansas

This festival, whose name is actually Halloween spelled backward, is the largest annual festival in Kansas. The 9-day celebration, which dates back to a shorter gathering in 1919, runs from October 20-28, 2023. Visitors to Independence (about 2 hours east of Wichita) can expect more than 30 food vendors, live music, multiple (3!) parades, a carnival, a fun run, pumpkin decorating contest, scarecrow contest, and more.

Morton Pumpkin Festival, Morton, Illinois

This fall fete (September 13-16, 2023) regularly draws crowds of 75,000 to four days of seasonal fun. Morton, just a few miles southeast of Peoria, carries the nickname Pumpkin Capital of the World, because 85 percent of the world's canned pumpkin is packed in the Nestle's/Libby's plant there. The Morton Pumpkin Festival lives up to its name with a pumpkin fishing derby, pumpkin pedal race, pumpkin photography contest, family fun pumpkin patch, and a pumpkin recipe challenge. Other highlights include a pickleball tournament, parade, and a pumpkin pancake breakfast. (Say that five times fast.)

Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival, Jefferson, Ohio

A northeast Ohio mainstay, the Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival (October 14-15, 2023) has two parts: a self-guided driving tour of 19 area bridges and a main festival at the fairgrounds. Highlights include the longest covered bridge in the country (Smolen Gulf), a parade, kids' activities and free admission. It's all about an hour east of Cleveland.

Moose Madness Family Festival, Grand Marais, Minnesota

This quirky festival (October 20-21, 2023) fully embraces an intriguing theme in the arts hub of Minnesota's North Shore. Moose Madness Festival is a family-friendly gathering that includes a fun run, moose safaris, scavenger hunts, dance challenges, and arts and crafts. Earn moose bucks on an educational scavenger hunt or medallion hunt, then spend your bucks on treats at participating local businesses. Suggested driving tours take you into moose country where you might spot this mammal, the largest existing member of the deer family.

Kiwanis Indiana Balloon Fest, Bloomington, Indiana

Multiple hot air balloon launches every day, fireworks, a wine and beer garden, and pyrotechnic skydivers (yep, it's a thing) are just some of the draws travelers can expect at the Indiana Balloon Fest (October 26-28, 2023). This year, family-friendly offerings like hayrides and a costume parade make for a classic fall ball.

Norsk Høstfest, Minot, North Dakota

The continent's largest Scandinavian festival, Norsk Høstfest, arrives in the small north-central city of Minot each fall (September 27-30, 2023). High-quality handcrafted merchandise and traveling shows make for a one-of-a-kind experience. New in 2023: a lutefisk eating competition, bunad (traditional costume) show, and Bunad Parade, as well as a Scandi smorgasbord competition.

Scenic Drive Festival, Bentonsport, Iowa

Autumn color paints the valleys and family farms between the Villages of Van Buren County, seven historic burgs punctuating a quiet 110-mile drive on the Historic Hills Scenic Byway along the Des Moines River in southeast Iowa. During the Scenic Drive Festival (October 13-15, 2023), craft vendors, a parade, live music and pancake feeds add to the small-town appeal.