KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Fall is around the corner, and you know what that means. It’s not just the leaves changing colors but fall festivals happening throughout the Kansas City metro.
Here are some the festivals you can look forward to:
Cider Festival
KC Wine Co. is holding a 21+ weekend of fun, hard cider and nostalgic games. Admission also includes a stroll through the Olathe farm, hard cider samples, a keepsake KC Wine Co. glass and plenty of fall photo opportunities.
The festival runs Saturday, Sept. 16, from noon to 9 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 17, from noon to 6 p.m. Buy tickets online.
Waldo Fall Festival
The 31st annual Waldo Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. near Gregory and Wornall Road.
Guests can enjoy live local bands, food trucks and more. The event, which is free to the public, features Waldo businesses and local vendors. There will also be kids activities like a free bounce house and Party Cube.
Liberty Fall Festival
Liberty’s annual fall celebration has over 200 artists and vendors, as well as two stages for entertainment and plenty of food to try at the Historic Liberty Square.
The festival is scheduled from Friday, September 22 through Sunday, Sep. 24. Friday’s hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Only the carnival and surrounding booths are open Sunday.
Admission is free, but tickets are required for the carnival.
Lee’s Summit Oktoberfest
Lee’s Summit Oktoberfest is set to return once again. The event will be held Friday, September 22 through Sunday, Sep. 24.
On Friday, the event will be from 5-11 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. The carnival part of the festival will close at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Only the carnival will be open on Sunday.
It will be located in Downtown Lee’s Summit between 2nd and 4th streets and Green and Market streets.
Along with the carnival, there’ll also be live entertainment, an arts and crafts fair, a petting zoo, Kids Street and more.
Admission for the festival is free.
Louisburg Ciderfest
If you’re looking for some old-fashioned apple cider fun to start the fall season off, look no further than the Louisburg Cider Mill.
The popular Louisburg Ciderfest is back for two weekends this year: Sept. 23-24 and Sept. 30 through Oct. 1. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for both weekends.
Activities include pony rides, inflatable slides, cider and donut making, and craft booths.
Overland Park Fall Festival
The Overland Park Fall Festival returns Friday, Sep. 29 and Saturday, Sep. 30. On Friday, the festival hours will go from 5-8 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It will take place in Downtown Overland Park, located at 7935 Santa Fe Drive. There will be a free shuttle bus you can take from Shawnee Mission West High School to Downtown Overland Park.
The bus will run every 15-20 minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and will drop passengers off at 80th and Cosner.
There will be plenty of hands-on activities, live entertainment, food, games and vendors for festival-goers to partake in.
KC Oktoberfest
KC Oktoberfest will take place Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7. On Friday, the hours will be from 5-11 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. It will be located at Crown Center.
The festival is presented by the Kansas City Bier Company, and it celebrates German-style bier, food and entertainment.
There will also be games, family-friendly competitions, live entertainment and more.
Tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the gate. You can use the Fast Pass entry lane if you purchase tickets online.
General admission tickets are $12 during the Early Bird sale that runs through Sep. 22. After that, they will be $15 each.
Scarecrow Festival
Shawnee’s annual Scarecrow Festival will take place at City Hall starting at 9 a.m. Oct. 7.
The family friendly event is free and has something for everyone, including scarecrow making, pumpkin decorating, a farmers market and seasonal displays. Supplies and decorations will be provided at no cost.
Zona Rosa Fall Fest
The second annual Zona Rosa Fall Fest will feature yard games, food trucks, beer tasting, pumpkin decorating, live music and more.
It’s scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at Zona Rosa’s North Park and The Bridge.
Weston Applefest
Weston, Missouri, will host its popular Applefest on Oct. 7-8, and the fun kicks off with a parade at 10 a.m. Oct 7. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The event offers crafts booths, produce vendors and plenty of apple picking. This year there will be even more music, food and craft vendors at O’Malley’s pub, at the outdoor stage and the parking lot!
Downtown parking is $20 at the lot on the southwest side of Main Street or the school parking lot on Washington. Fairgoers can also catch the free shuttle bus from the lot off of P Highway and 45 Highway where the cost to park is $15.
Cornucopia
Cornucopia will be held from Friday, Oct. 13 through Sunday, Oct. 15. in the Kansas City Power & Light District.
On Friday, the event will go from 5-9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free for all ages.
There will be family-friendly fun, an abundance of food, vendors and more.
Lenexa Chili Challenge
Nothing says fall like a warm bowl of chili. The Lenexa Chili Challenge has about 200 teams compete in chili, hot wings and salsa contests.
This year’s Chili Challenge runs from 6-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. Admission is free, and there are free samples on Saturday while supplies last.
Enjoy live music and fireworks on Friday night. There will also be face painting, balloon artists and the Kids Kornbread Contest.
