Fall fairs in LA! From the largest corn mazes to the best photo-ops imaginable, discover the best fall festivals in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, with its plentiful palm trees and summery temperatures, may not feel like fall, but there are still plenty of chances for you and your kiddos to experience some of those classic autumn experiences aka: the fall festival (if you’re looking specifically for apples and pumpkins and leaf peeping—check out all the best places to go apple picking around LA, where to find your perfect pumpkin and all the nearby fall foliage spots we love around LA).
What makes the SoCal fall festival different from a regular pumpkin patch? There are loads more to discover than just the gourd—learn about and explore farm goods, wander fields and pick your own flowers, veggies (and yes, pumpkins), get lost in corn field mazes, ride an amusement park ride or two, and eat your way through loads of fall-friendly fare—all this and more at our favorite fall festivals in LA, SoCal, Orange County, Ventura and everywhere in between.
The Best Fall Festivals in Los Angeles County
Pumpkin Festival at Cal Poly: Cal Poly's College of Agriculture grows 40,000 pumpkins for this annual event, a smorgasbord of fall harvest traditions, including (obviously) a massive pumpkin patch, horse and pony rides, a petting zoo, duck races, a sunflower field, live music, games, a food court, and two corn mazes. What makes this festival different than some of the others is the focus on education (it's a college, after all). Families can wander down "Ag Discovery Lane" to check out various live demonstrations of things like blacksmithing, soap-making, beekeeping, sheep shearing and live cow-milking (which'll make your kid either appreciate—or abandon—their daily cup of milk). New this year: Pumpkin Land, a garden “gallery” of uniquely decorated pumpkins. And for an additional entrance fee, little bug-lovers will want to get a ticket for the festival's Insect Fair, which has 500,000 live and preserved insects from around the world.
Dates: Oct. 1-30
Cost: Thurs. & Fri.: Adults, $6; children 3–12, $5; kids under 3 are free. Sat. & Sun.: Adults: $10; children 3–12, $7. Certain events require additional tickets on the weekends
AGRIscapes Center
4102 S. University Dr.
Pomona
Online: cpp.edu
LA Fall Fair: The largest Fall Festival in Los Angeles County, you'll find 12 acres of amusement rides, live music, games, arts & crafts, and an international food court. Fair-goers can purchase a presale unlimited ride wristband for $25 that allows the fairgoer to ride all the rides as many times as they want for any one day of the event from open until close.
Dates: Oct. 21-Nov. 6
Cost: $5 per person; Under 12 and over 65 are free
1600 Rosemead Blvd.
South El Monte
Online: lapradaevents.com
Día de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever Cemetery: For a different direction than farms and pumpkin patches, head to Hollywood Forever Cemetery for their spectacular Día de los Muertos event. Tour over 100 vibrant altars, uniquely decorated in honor of community members’ ancestors and loved ones; awards are given at the end of the day to the most memorable altars and best-dressed Calacas (skeletons). Many event goers arrive in magical costumes (best costume is awarded $500!). At the Children’s Plaza, kids can participate in art and crafting activities, face painting, and performances by the Bob Baker Marionettes. Families can also watch the procession featuring hundreds of Aztec ritual dancers, listen to music on five different stages and sample food from LA vendors.
Date: Oct. 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $35 (under 5 don’t require a ticket)
6000 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles
Online: hollywoodforever.com
The Best Fall Festivals in Ventura County
Underwood Family Farms: Celebrating its 21st year, Underwood Family Farms is the best-known fall festival in Los Angeles—and it's no wonder why. The (slightly steep) ticket price gives families a whole day's worth of activities, including a massive corn maze, a tractor-drawn wagon ride, an animal center with a menagerie of adorable farm animals, a chicken show (!), a farm-themed playground, pig races, and acres of open space for kids to sprint their sillies out. Shell out additional bucks and you can add more to your day, including pony rides, kid-drivable mini-tractors, and a train ride. There's also Moorpark's amazing farm stand, and enough pumpkins in the patch that you'll be sure to find one that's Jack-O-Lantern-worthy.
Dates: Oct. 1 through 31. The festival is open seven days a week, but the major programming, live music and shows happen on the weekend.
Cost: $22-$28 on the weekends; $14 on weekdays; kids under 2 are free. (Hint: Online tickets are required for weekends; for certain weekends, you can buy advanced tickets online for a discounted price.)
Weekend programming highlights include:
Oct. 1-2: "Friends of the Farm Weekend," a public safety-themed weekend, when the fair will be filled with all sorts of real-life superheroes including Bomb Squad and SWAT members, police K-9s, a Disaster Action Response Team display (DART)—plus police cars and police motorcycles that your kids will love getting to see up close.
Oct. 15-16: "Antique Tractor Weekend" where dozens of old tractors will be on display and their owners available to answer all your littles’ burning tractor questions. Plus, tractors go on parade at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 22-23: "Wild West Weekend," filled with cowboy entertainment including stunt ropers, a gold miner, a covered wagon, music, and more.
3370 Sunset Valley Rd.
Moorpark
Online: underwoodfamilyfarms.com/fall-harvest
The Best Fall Festivals in Orange County
Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch: Tanaka's 30-acres of Irvine farmland are open to the public year-round via U-pick and guided walking and wagon tours, but the farm ups its game during the Halloween season. This Fall Harvest Festival features carnival-style games, ATV and wagon rides, a pumpkin cannon, a corn maze and pumpkins as far as the eye can see. While you're there, pick up some farm-fresh veggies (straight out of the ground via U-Pick or from the farm stand), grab lunch from the Tanaka Farms Grille, or let the kids have some QT with the critters in the petting zoo. Note: There is no public drinking water, so bring your own water (or be prepared to buy drinks there) because it can get hot.
Dates: Weekends, Sept. 17 through Oct. 31
Cost: $10, with various activities costing additional fees
5380 3/4 University Dr.
Irvine
Online: tanakafarms.com
Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch: You’ll find this pumpkin patch just behind the Irvine Park Railroad station in Orange County. There’s a wide mix of classic fall activities. Free-of-charge ones include a haunted house, a hay maze, hay pyramids for kids to climb and photo stations. Buy tickets for pumpkin decorating, John Deere racers (the mini-sized versions, whew), panning for gold, hay and train rides, carnival games and more. And on Sept. 24, starting at 9 a.m., bring your best estimating skills to The Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off where prizes will be awarded to the biggest pumpkins.
Dates: Sept. 17-Oct. 31
Cost: Entrance to the pumpkin patch is free. Activity tickets are $7; pack of 15 tickets is $90. There is also a park entrance fee per vehicle of $3 on weekdays, $7 on weekends
1 Irvine Park Rd.
Orange
Online: https://www.irvineparkrailroad.com/events/pumpkin-patch/
The Best Fall Festivals in the San Fernando Valley
Forneris Farms Fall Festival: Forneris Farms' annual fall festival boasts a four-acre cornfield maze that is so big that it takes about an hour to complete—and kids under 12 aren't allowed without a parent. Which is to say, it's super big, super fun and super worth it! Festival-goers can also enjoy pony rides, a tractor-pulled train ride and a tractor ride around the farm. Your littlest celebrants will be in Halloween heaven at the "Farm Frolic" area, which includes a giant pumpkin jumper, a hay bale pyramid, a hay bale mini-maze and more.
Good to Know: All attractions are cash only; there is an ATM on site.
Dates: Sept. 30 through Oct. 31
Cost: Entry is free to the farm and pumpkin patch, but attraction passes—which include the corn maze, train ride and Farm Frolic area—are a separate fee (ages 2 and under are free)
15200 Rinaldi St.
Mission Hills
Online: fornerisfarms.com
Calabasas Pumpkin Festival: Did you know that Calabasas comes from the Spanish word ‘calabaza’ meaning ‘pumpkin’ or ‘gourd?’ So, it makes sense that Calabasas would go all out for its annual weekend-long Pumpkin Festival, a Halloween-time tradition that been holding strong from more than 40 years. This year, festival-goers can expect a slew of fun seasonal entertainment, including live music, food booths (orange flags signify vendors with pumpkin-based treats), tons of vendor stands, spooky squash sculptures, a beer garden (with pumpkin beer!), pumpkin carving with Peculiar Pumpkin Portrait's Doug Goodreau, and kids' games. Admission price includes all inflatables, a giant slide, Halloween carnival games, reptiles and bug shows, and a Saturday morning costume parade.
Dates: Oct. 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cost: $10-15, kids under 2 are free
3701 Lost Hills Rd.
Calabasas
Online: cityofcalabasas.com
The Best Fall Festival in Riverside County
Big Horse Corn Maze: Speaking of corn mazes, if you really want to get lost in the crops, it's worth the hour-ish drive out of town to test your navigation skills at the Big Horse Corn Maze & Harvest Festival, where its whopper of a maze is ranked as the biggest in all Southern California. We're talking over 11 acres of corn stalks to navigate, which is no easy task, especially with little ones in tow. (FYI: If you give up, there are emergency exits along the way. And your bigger Harry Potter fans will love how much like the Tri-Wizard Tournament's final task this feels!)
Dates: Oct. 1-3; Tues.-Fri. 1-5 p.m.; weekends 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cost: $15 (ages 5 and under are free). Each group must have a parking pass as well, parking $5
33320 Temecula Pkwy.
Temecula
Online: bighorsecornmaze.com
