What is a fall fair? I define a fall fair as a pumpkin patch and corn maze with carnival rides, usually opening in August or September and operating through Halloween. While most farmers who make a fall corn maze don’t end up putting in full-blown rides, more elaborate seasonal operations may contain agritainment rides such as those provided by ADM Rides. Hayrides, haunts, scare mazes, and silo slides — or even full-blown classic giant slides — are also common staples.
Fall festival season is significantly shorter and more varied than water park season, at least in temperate and seasonal climates. This means that unlike the long days of summer, where each day seems to blur into the next, each little piece of fall fair season is unique.
Most information on fall fairs is usually found through the following avenues:
- local websites, which don’t provide much info other than hours and location and “Top 10 places to take your kids!”, and
- mommy bloggers.
Which is great! But here at A&A, we go a little bit more in-depth than that.
My main data points are Cornbelly’s in Spanish Fork and Lehi, and Wilkerson Farm (RIP). But this is the evolution that I observe.
Late Summer (End of August / Early September)
This is actually my favorite time to visit fall fairs, and my second favorite time of year (after the opening of water park season in late May)! The weather is hot, and water parks are still open — meaning that you can go overheat yourself at a fall fair, and then cool off afterwards at a water park!
Picture green cornfields, low crowds, sweat, and apple cider slushies. The air is hot with the promise of a long, fun season ahead. It’s jarring to go from a sweaty cornfield straight into a tunnel filled with pumpkins when water slide season is still in full swing — but jarring in the best possible way. There may be sunflowers in addition to pumpkins, adding to that Indian summer feel.
I love picking up my punch pass and getting started on the season!
Definitely get a slush, is all I’m saying…You’ve got to experience the entirety of the fall festival season.
Early Fall (Mid-to-late September)
This is where the crowds start to pick up, but slowly. You’ll see lots of season passholders, especially families. The GP have started to arrive, too. But there aren’t too many yet. Why? Most GP don’t realize that fall is here until the leaves actually start dropping and it’s October and the FM radio is playing Monster Mash and Thriller. Ask any random GP and there’s probably a 30-40% chance they don’t even know that the fairs and pumpkin patches are already running.
The weather is cooling, but there are still some hot days. And plenty of those lovely perfect-weather days where it feels like California: 60s, 70s, you couldn’t go wrong with a hot apple cider or a cold slush.
Peak Fall (Early to Mid October)
Ah, peak fall! Everywhere is CROWDED. Holy CRAP. Everyone suddenly remembers that haunts exist. GP everywhere, plus us diehards who have been showing up since opening weekend. If your friends and family are the type to only do fall fairs once a year, this is likely when they finally go, and then they wonder why it takes 45 minutes to get in. Bring audiobooks or ebooks, people. Otherwise you will die of boredom while watching the kids who got there earlier than you jump on those bouncy things. And the queues for rides just keep getting longer.
It’s cool, the weather is beautiful sometimes and downright unpleasant at others, instagram people have their fancy sweaters and flannels and PSLs (well, maybe outside of Utah County) because it’s an aesthetic. The corn is now golden and still stands tall. This is one of the best times to do a maze. Unless it rains, and it rains a lot during this period. If it rains, wear your hiking shoes and worst jeans, and get ready to be muddy.
The world around you will likely be filled with fallen, crunchy leaves, the forests lit up like fire.
Night falls early, and the fair becomes a cozy beacon of warmth against the encroaching darkness. It’s a world of spinning lights, creepy scare mazes, hay rides, and lovely scents of cinnamon and barbecue from the food trucks. Hay still makes your eyes itch. I like to stand in line with my water park hoodies, because it’s peak hoodie season, and think about how much I miss the warmth and daylight of summer. But while I may miss those long days of light and life, I love this time of year too.
Halloween Weeks (Late October)
Right around Halloween is peak crowds, peak spooky. This is definitely the most crowded time for pretty much everything: fall fairs, haunts, and theme parks. Indoor water parks might be the only thing that isn’t slammed during these precious few weeks. Lose yourself in the dark world of Halloween, thinking about abandoned, decaying manors, black lakes, and dark forests. And candy, costumes, and spooky music.
The corn also starts to look a little sorry at this point, but everyone is having too much fun to notice. This is probably the most crowded time to do the haunted attractions while at a fair, but also the most fun and seasonal.
Oh, and it’s usually pretty cold.
Post-Halloween: Crashout in early November
These days, most fairs stay open through Day of the Dead, and sometimes even an extra week after that. This is excellent. That said, the farm/fairgrounds are usually pretty trashed. The scare mazes are empty, the weather foggy and bleak and freezing. The corn is dead, wilted, and droopy, kind of like your dreams. Winter coats and beanies symbolize a sort of defiance against what’s coming, the darkness of winter. There is very much a feeling of deflation in the air, of trying to get one more dash of fun before winter overtakes us and we wait for spring.
You might get a free pumpkin (which definitely won’t sit on your porch rotting for the next 3 months) and maybe some last-minute souvenirs to commemorate another fun season.
Also, RIP Wilkerson Farm. Still mad about that and will die mad about it. Another post on that incoming.