Autumn is in full swing, and that means appreciating the changing leaves, getting your geek on, trying pumpkin spice everything, and enjoying lots of fall fun along the Lakeshore. From festivals and trick-or-treating to parades and exploring the great outdoors, there are plenty of things to do in October in Allegan, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties. Our list includes options for everyone, regardless of age, ability, or interest.
Fall Festival
Muskegon County Fairgrounds, 6621 Heights Ravenna Road, Fruitport
Friday, Sept. 30 – Sunday, Oct. 2
Join in the fun at the second annual Fall Festival! Carnival food trucks, haunted attraction evenings, flea market, trick-or-treating, a costume contest, hayrides, and pony rides. Check website for details and event times.
Details:
https://fb.me/e/2PKjfYZ1V
OctoberBurZfest
The Village Baker, 617 E. Savidge St., Spring Lake
Friday, Sept. 30 5-10 p.m. - Saturday, Oct. 1, 2-10 p.m.
Enjoy live music, food trucks, and German beer at the Oktoberfest-themed beer tent.
Details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1085539965703437?ref=newsfeed
Coopersville & Marne Pumpkin Train Ride
306 Main St., Coopersville
Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 8
Costs: Prices vary (see website for details)
Enjoy a fun train ride with the Grand Pumpkin, Scarecrow, and Little Crow. Each child gets a free pumpkin at the end of the ride.
Details:
Pumpkin Train | Friends of Coopersville and Marne Railway (mitrain.net)
The Wonderful World of Spiders
Hemlock Crossing, 8115 W. Olive Road, West Olive
Saturday, Oct. 1; 2-4 p.m.
$5; must pre-register
Has the state of Georgia really been invaded by spiders the size of your hand? Join YouTube personality,
Bob the Spider Hunter, and learn more!
Details:
https://www.miottawa.org/parks
International Festival
Holland Civic Center, 150 W. Eighth St., and downtown Holland
Saturday, Oct. 1, 3-9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Enjoy the Festival Mercado, award-winning international music performances, and a children’s Fiesta.
Details:
https://www.internationalfestivalholland.com
Fueldfed Car Show
Center Street, Downtown Douglas
Saturday, Oct. 1, 9-11 a.m.
Head to downtown Douglas to see an amazing collection of privately owned classic European cars.
Details:
https://saugatuck.com/event/fueldfed-car-show-1/
WEEK 2
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Zeeland’s oldest and most beloved festival is back. Pumpkinfest is a 30-year tradition celebrating community, family fun, and fall activities.
Goose Festival
Throughout Fennville
Thursday, Oct. 6, to Sunday, Oct. 9
Live music, car show, carnival, parade, 5K, Goose Market, and more!
Check out the website for the “evolving” schedule of events.
Details:
https://www.fennvillegoosefestival.com
Fire Truck Parade
Begins at Eighth Street and Columbia Avenue, and ends at the Holland Civic Center
Friday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.
Watch as over 50 firetrucks roll through downtown Holland. They will be on display at the Holland Civic Center following the parade. What a great way to kick off Fire Prevention Week and learn some fire prevention safety tips.
Details:
https://www.holland.org/events/fire-truck-parade
PumpkinFest
Downtown Zeeland
Friday, Oct. 7, and Saturday, Oct. 8
There is definitely something for everyone at PumpkinFest: kids’ tractor pull, pet costume contest, senior bingo, hayrides, 5K run, and even a pie-eating contest.
Details:
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | zeelandfestivals
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Halloween’ Classic Drive-in Movie
Getty Drive-In, 920 E. Summit Ave., Muskegon
Friday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m.
You won’t want to miss the 1978 horror classic, “Halloween,” at one of only nine drive-in movie theaters left in Michigan.
Details:
https://bit.ly/3fx2zKq
Halloween Bash
Muskegon Farmers Market, 242 W. Western Ave., Muskegon
Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Decorate pumpkins, hang out with princesses and superheroes, go trick-or-treating, and take a horse-drawn cart ride through downtown Muskegon.
Details:
https://visitmuskegon.org/event/halloween-bash-at-muskegon-farmers-market/
26th Annual Pumpkinfest
Downtown Montague
Saturday, October 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Enjoy a full day of pumpkin festivities, including pumpkin painting, pumpkin seed-spitting contest, best pumpkin pie contest, biggest pumpkin weigh-in, pumpkin roll, pet costume contest, and an artisan and farmers market.
Details:
https://visitmuskegon.org/event/pumpkinfest-2/
Comic Con, The Geeky Experience
Holland Civic Center Place, 150 W. Eighth St., Holland
Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $5, kids 5 and younger admitted free
Looking for something different to do? Then bring out your “inner geek” at Comic Con! There will be a children’s coloring room, a board game room, and a costume contest for both kids and adults, and there will be food and drinks.
Details:
(20+) The Geeky Experience Comic Con | Facebook
Grand Opening of the Hemlock Crossing Observatory
Hemlock Crossing, 8115 W. Olive Road, West Olive
Saturday, Oct. 8, 7-9 p.m.
Cost: Free
After a long summer of hard work, the Hemlock Crossing Observatory is complete. Stop in for a tour, build a planisphere, walk a solar system model, and learn about tools used by astronomers.
https://www.miottawa.org/parks
Grand Valley Renaissance Festival
1 Campus Drive, Allendale
Saturday, Oct. 8, and Sunday, Oct. 9
Free
Held on the Grand Valley State University campus, you will enjoy entertainment, merchants, and other Renaissance shenanigans.
https://www.facebook.com/events/526571982479099?ref=newsfeed
WEEK 3
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Piper’s Palace Kitten & Costumes
Park Theatre, 248 S. River Ave., Holland
Thursday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.
Cost: $20 or $200 for a table for four with special amenities
Dance the night away at this Halloween-themed fundraiser for Piper’s Palace. A costume contest, photo booth, auction items, and spooky Halloween beverages all add to the fun.
Details;
Pipers Palace "Kittens and Costumes" | Park Theatre, Holland, MI | Thu October 13, 2022 (goallevents.com)
Haunted Museum
Tri-Cities Historical Museum, 200 Washington Ave., Grand Haven
Saturday, Oct.15, 1-4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Wear your costume and explore spooky exhibits, go trick-or-treating, make crafts and play games.
Details:
Haunted Museum - Grand Haven (visitgrandhaven.com)
Slightly Spooky Cemetery Tour
Pilgrim Home Cemetery, Holland (meet in the parking lot at Ray & Sue Smith Stadium, 313 Fairbanks Ave.)
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2-3 p.m. (Rain date is Nov. 5)
$5 (plus a $1.94 processing fee; must register through Eventbrite)
Take a historical, family-friendly slightly spooky cemetery tour with Deb Wake from the Holland Museum.
Details:
Slightly Spooky Cemetery Tours Tickets, Sat, Oct 15, 2022, at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite
Free Family Movie
Frauenthal Center, 425 W. Western Ave., Suite 200, Muskegon
Sunday, Oct.16, 3 p.m. (Doors open at 2:15 p.m.)
Cost: Free, no tickets required
A family-friendly showing of the original “Hocus Pocus,” about three 17th-century witches who are resurrected on Halloween in modern-day Salem by an unsuspecting boy, who must now figure out how to get them back in the ground.
Details:
https://shows.frauenthal.org/hocus-pocus
WEEK 4
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Appraisers from DuMouchelles Auction House in Detroit will be on hand at the Muskegon Museum of Art to evaluate fine art, antiques, and other collectibles on Oct. 22.
Treats and Trails
Outdoor Discovery Center, 4214 56th St., Holland
Saturday, Oct. 22, 2-7 p.m.
Cost: $10 per family — no new admission after 6 p.m.
Bring your entire family out for a safe and fun walk along the trails of the Outdoor Discovery Center. There will be wildlife encounters, games, and candy. Don’t miss seeing the live birds of prey or roasting marshmallows. The North American Wildlife Exhibit in the visitors center will be open for exploration throughout the event.
Details:
https://outdoordiscovery.org/treats-trails/
Second City Comedy at SCA
Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St., Saugatuck
Saturday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m.
Cost: $54
The Second City’s Touring Company is back, live and in person. Join this raring-to-go cast of comedians for this laugh-packed adventure. From improv games to classic sketches from the archives, this experience is a great way for us all to laugh our way into the new normal.
Details:
https://saugatuck.com/event/second-city-comedy-at-sca/
MMA Appraisal Fair
Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W. Webster Ave., Muskegon
Saturday, Oct 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets: $30 for non-members and $20 for MMA members.
Unlocks the mystery behind your treasured work of art, antique, or collectible at the MMA Appraisal Fair. Appraisers from DuMouchelles Auction House in Detroit will be on hand.
Details:
https://muskegonartmuseum.org/event/2022-mma-appraisal-fair/
WEEK 5
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Pumpkin Walk
Second Church Allendale, 6950 Lake Michigan Drive, Allendale
Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 27-29, 6-9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Take a stroll down a tenth-of-a-mile path and feast your eyes on over 600 carved and lit pumpkins! Suitable for all ages. Bring the family and join the festivities!
Details:
https://www.secondchurchallendale.org/pumpkinwalk
A Bright Night
Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St., Saugatuck
Friday, Oct. 28, 6-9 p.m.
Celebrate the closing of the 20th anniversary season with the SCA at the all-ages dance party. Under the pavilion, guests can join the silent disco dance party. Headphones are provided to all guests that can be tuned into one of three DJ channels. Each DJ will be associated with a different color, and lights on each guest’s headphones will signal to DJs and to other guests who is jamming along with them. Join the battle of the DJs to get the biggest crowd on their channel.
Cost: Free
Details:
https://www.saugatuck.com/event/a-bright-night/
Fright Night at the Museum
Lakeshore Museum Center, 430 Clay Ave., Muskegon
Saturday, Oct 29, 7:30-10 p.m.
Cost: $18 for museum members and $20 for non-members
Fright Night is back, and this time museum staff have upped the ante by pulling the most deadly things from the Dangerous Things Exhibit. From getting twisted in holiday lights to hiding from a hunter playing the most dangerous game, who will make it out alive? Will you?
Details:
https://www.experiencegr.com/event/fright-night-at-the-museum/76869/
Hauntings and History Nights at Felt Mansion
Felt Mansion, 6597 138th Ave. Holland
Friday-Sunday Oct., 28-30, 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m., and 10 p.m.
Cost: $25
Learn more about the history of the estate and hear about the paranormal occurrences from people who have experienced them firsthand. Explore the mansion, carriage house, and grounds in the dark of night — guided only by candlelight. This 60-minute self-guided tour includes areas normally restricted to the public, and tour sizes will be limited.
Details:
https://saugatuck.com/event/hauntings-and-history-nights-at-felt-mansion/
Boo At The Barn
Critter Barn, 9275 Adams St., Zeeland
Saturday, Oct. 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Adults, $5; Ages 3-12, $5; Children 2 and younger, free; Family Ticket (5+ people), $25
Critter Barn is celebrating Halloween at the farm! Tour the entire farm, visit the animals and go through the Spook-tacular Barn Trail.
Details:
https://www.critterbarn.org/boo-at-the-barn
Douglas Halloween Parade for Adults
City of the Village of Douglas, 86 W. Center St., Douglas
Sunday, Oct. 29, 10 p.m.
Over the years, our Halloween parade has grown into one of the biggest events of the year, drawing thousands of spectators from all around the country. If you're interested in being more than a spectator, get into the lineup and strut your stuff down the parade route. Our giant parade mascot, The Pumpkin King, rises from the ashes at 10 p.m. to get the whole thing rolling. Lineup for the parade starts at 9:30 p.m. at Berry Field.
Details:
https://saugatuck.com/event/douglas-halloween-parade-for-adults/