Fall means festival season in New Hampshire! From seafood by our shore to pumpkins, pickles, Scottish traditions, and plenty of foliage-season fun, these seven festivals are worth adding to your fall calendar.
Hampton Beach Seafood Festival, Hampton
September 11-13, 2026
Kick off fall with a weekend by the ocean at the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival.
More than 50 Seacoast restaurants serve up everything from lobster and fried clams to plenty of non-seafood favorites, while craft vendors, sidewalk sales, chef demonstrations, live music and family-friendly activities fill Ocean Boulevard. Saturday night enjoy fireworks and be sure to catch the always entertaining lobster roll eating contest. Now it its 37th year, this Seacoast tradition is a wonderful way to savor the last days of summer.
NH Highland Games & Festival, Lincoln
September 19-21, 2026
Get your Scot on at the NH Highland Games & Festival, a 3-day celebration of Scottish culture at Loon Mountain Resort. Watch traditional heavy athletics and sheep dog trial, hear the sounds of pipes and drums echo through the mountains, explore the Clan Village and vendor areas, and sample Scottish food and drink. With music, dance, cultural demonstrations, Highland cows, and plenty of activities, you don’t need to actually be of Scottish heritage to enjoy this celebration!
Winchester Pickle Festival, Winchester
September 26, 2026
Did someone say pickles? We’ve got just the thing! Head to Winchester for a festival devoted entirely to pickles! This annual festival brings more than 5,000 visitors together for a day of live entertainment, local food, vendors, and of course a whole lot of pickle-themed fun. Test your skills in the pickle-eating contest, check out the Pickle Parade, or see which local pickles take top honors in the canning contest. It’s quirky, and without a doubt quintessentially New Hampshire.
Dover’s Annual Apple Harvest Day, Dover
October 3, 2026
Celebrate the star of the season at Dover’s Annual Happle Harvest Day, one of New Hampshire’s largest fall festivals. Downtown Dover is a hub of activity with more than 300 vendors, live entertainment, food, shopping and plenty of apple-themed treats. Spend the day exploring the city’s historic downtown while enjoying all the sights and sounds and flavors of fall. It’s the perfect excuse to gather the family, grab something apple-inspired and enjoy a classic autumn day in New Hampshire.
Warner Fall Foliage Festival, Warner
October 9 - 11, 2026
Few things say New Hampshire quite like the Warner Fall Foliage Festival. For more than seven decades, this beloved community tradition has brought together locals and visitors for a weekend of live entertainment, local food, crafts, amusement rides, and plenty of fall fun. Watch the excitement of the famous ox pull, browse the work of local makers, and stay for the festival’s colorful parade through town. With foliage as the backdrop it is the quintessential small-town New Hampshire fall experience. 
RiverFire Festival, Berlin
October 17, 2026
When the sun goes down in Berlin, the Androscoggin River becomes the focal point. RiverFire packs a full day of fall fun with family-friendly activities, local food and craft vendors, live entertainment, a Halloween costume parade, and the ever popular Zombie ATV Poker Run. As day turns to night, jack-o-lanterns and towering flames illuminate the river for a dramatic celebration of the season. It’s a uniquely New Hampshire event you have to see for yourself.
NH Pumpkin Festival, Laconia
October 23 - 24, 2026
It’s all about the pumpkins at this annual event. Downtown Laconia transforms into a sea of orange during the NH Pumpkin Festival, a celebration of autumn featuring thousands of carved pumpkins, family-friendly activities, local artisans, food vendors, live entertainment, and so much more. Bring your own carved creation to add to the display. It’s a fitting finale to a fall festival season filled with classic New Hampshire traditions.
