October in Cincinnati – so many events are ramping up for fall! Plan some days to get outside and enjoy some fall events, from pumpkins to corn fields to hayrides!
Enjoy this month long list of Things to Do in Cincinnati for the month of October:
You might also want to check out these seasonal guides:
Pumpkin Patches
Corn Mazes
Fall Festivals and Events
Haunted Houses and Haunted Events
October 4-6: Donauschwaben’s Oktoberfest happens in October! Check out our Guide to Cincinnati Area Oktoberfests {2024} for details.
October 4-5: The Amped Up Concert Series continues at Sawyer Point. Enjoy some casual and competitive pickle ball accompanied by food and live music! The band for Friday night is Retrovention (6-9pm) and the band for Saturday is Dangerous Jim and the Slims (6-9pm).
October 4-6: Kentucky Wool Festival will be held in Falmouth, Ky. Live animals/petting areas for the kids, over a hundred arts/crafts vendors, live bluegrass music, sheep shearing demonstrations, local farm products, historical/pioneer village reenactments and demonstrations, and loads of food vendors – from barbeque to chili to corn on the cob to homemade fudge – you’ll go home happy! Admission charged.
October 5-6: Head to Gorman Heritage Farm for the Sunflower Festival. Live music, hayrides and mule carriage rides, craft vendors, food trucks, meet the farm animals, visit education stations, High Grain Beer Garden and Cut Your Own sunflowers ($1 per stem). Admission charged. Save when you buy tickets online / in advance.
October 5-6: Get some shopping started at the Lakota West Arts and Crafts Show. You’ll find 200 indoor booths, concessions, and on-site parking at this craft show. They’ll even have food trucks this year! $3 regular admission ($5 early bird) – cash only.
October 5: It’s CAM Kids Day at the Cincinnati Art Museum, 11am-3pm. Explore the museum with drop-in themed activities, story times, performances, and hands-on artmaking. New additions this year include family favorites such as Art Together: Artmaking for Families with Children Ages 3–5, Family Studio: Artmaking for Families with Children Ages 6–12, and Family Storytime and Gallery Walk.
October 5: Springfield Township’s Fire Department Open House will be happening from noon to 3pm. See firefighters in action, see fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, spray water from a fire hose, learn about fire safety, watch fire extinguisher demos, and much more. Happens at 9150 Winton Road.
October 5: The City of Milford hosts a Fall Festival at Valley View Nature Preserve, 12-3pm. Enjoy an afternoon of fall family fun!
October 5: Head to Wyoming, Ohio for the 41st Annual Fall Festival, 10am-5pm. The day includes live music, great food, inflatables, petting zoo, and more than 100 artists, crafters, vendors, and organizations.
October 5: The 3rd Annual Brew Ash is taking place at Summit Park, 1-8pm. The day starts with the Brew Ash Beer Run and continues afterwards with live music, food trucks, and lots of local brew.
October 5: Barktoberfest is happening at the Harry Whiting Brown Community Center in Glendale, 2-6pm. Enjoy training and demos, a costume parade and contest, dog games, live music, family friendly games and activities, and more.
October 5: The Great Pumpkin Fest is happening at Keehner Park in West Chester, 2-6pm. All are invited for an afternoon of fun and entertainment. Activities typically include a puppet show, a petting zoo, a costume contest, a hay bale maze, the “Not-So-Scary” haunted trail, games, crafts and more. Children are encouraged to wear a costume and bring a bag or basket to collect candy.
October 6: Flea in the Fort returns for one last time for the 2024 season, 10am – 3pm. This artisan craft show is held in Ft. Thomas, Ky. inside Tower Park. They’ll have more than 70 artists and crafters, live music, food trucks, and craft beer.
October 7-13: It’s Cincinnati Taco Week! Enjoy $2.50 tacos from some of Cincinnati’s most popular taco joints. Each participating Cincinnati Taco Week restaurant will be offering their own unique tacos.
October 10-12: The Original Sewing and Quilt Expo will be at the Sharonville Convention Center. It’s three days full of sewing, quilting, machine embroidery, and more.
October 10: Head to the Cincinnati Museum Center for their “Off the Rails: Halloween Edition at the Hall of Justice” event. Assemble your super friends and dress as your favorite hero (or supervillain, ghost, ghoul or Green Goblin) while you explore the “haunted” halls of the Cincinnati History Museum. Keep your costume on for “masked singer” karaoke. Plus, explore iconic issues from some of your favorite comic book shops, enjoy themed drinks like a Joker Julep or Batman-garita and revel in tales of legends and phantoms from Cincinnati’s past. Tickets required.
October 11-13: Operation Pumpkin returns to Hamilton, Ohio in October. The largest festival in Butler County, this family-friendly event features over 100 artisan and food vendors, giant pumpkins, live entertainment, costumes, and more. Hours are Friday and Saturday: 11am-10pm and Sunday: 11am-5pm.
October 12-13: The Ohio Sauerkraut Festival will be happening in Waynesville. This regional favorite includes lots of great food, entertainment, and vendors/artisans. Held on historic Main Street in downtown Waynesville, hours are Saturday: 9am-8pm and Sunday: 9am-6pm.
October 12: City Flea will cover Washington Park with their urban flea market vendors, 10am-4pm.
October 12: The Historic Hunt House (4364 Hunt Road) will hold an Open House, 1-4pm. The Ladies of Living History will be at the Hunt House on October 12. Dressed in period-appropriate attire, the ladies will demonstrate different handiwork done by women in the 1850s-1860s. The Hunt House will be open and the Blue Ash Historical Society will be available to answer questions about the house.
October 13: Art on Vine will have a Fall Market at Fountain Square, 12-6pm.
October 13: Stricker’s Grove is opening up for a Customer Appreciation Day starting at noon. Admission charged.
October 17-20: BLINK will light up the city again this year! See more than 80 projects by hundreds of artists as they illuminate Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky this year.
October 18-20: Big Bone Lick State Historic Site hosts their annual Salt Festival. The festival features demonstrations of European settler living and skills, frontier ingenuity, traditions, and lifeways. Browse the crafter’s corner to see the many unique and hand-crafted items for sale and find lots of good eats at the food court. Enjoy folk and bluegrass music, listen to a storyteller, view prehistoric artifacts, and watch traditional Native American drumming and dancing. See how salt was extracted from the springs of Big Bone, explore environmental education, and watch a flintknapper make a stone point. Explore the children’s activity area with a petting zoo, haybale climbing, pumpkin painting, and more! (Free pumpkin included with admission for children 12 years of age and younger). Admission charged.
October 18: Head to Summit Park for Spooky Cinema, 8pm. Details TBA.
October 18: Get yourself registered for the Costumed Character Halloween Hike at Caldwell Nature Preserve. Registration is required and it usually sells out so don’t delay!
October 19: Enjoy a Jack-O-Lantern Hike at Caldwell Nature Preserve, 7-9pm. Enjoy the jack-o-lanterns and luminaries on the trail. There will be no costumed characters during this Saturday evening event. This a great “date night for adults” or a low-key walk for families. Groups leave every 5 minutes. Registration required.
October 19: Take a Norwood Historic Home Tour by bus starting at 6:30pm. You’ll view three historic homes. Tickets required.
October 20: Head south to the Boone County Fairgrounds for the Burlington Antique Show, 6am-3pm. This is the last show for 2024. Admission is charged; parking is free.
October 25-26: Miami Whitewater Forest presents Spooky Tales on the Trail: Sparse Series. Go on a moonlit evening hike, complete with spooky tales, in the park after dark! This family-friendly night hike is recommended for ages 5 and up. Timed tickets include Friday and Saturday at 7-8pm, 7:30-8:30pm, 8-9pm. Tickets required.
October 25: Cincinnati Art Museum’s Art After Dark event – info TBA.
October 26: Blue Ash Nature Park hosts a Halloween Walk in the Woods, 12-3pm. Enjoy trick-or-treating, crafts, concessions and shows. Free & open to the public. Geared towards ages 10 & under.
October 26: Go on a Pumpkin Hike at Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve. Jack-o’-lanterns will light your path as you discover the wonder of nature at night along the Pin Oak Trail. The guided hikes kick off at 6:30pm. Tickets required.
ONGOING OCTOBER EVENTS:
The Ohio Renaissance Festival is open every weekend in October. Each October weekend has a special theme (Viking Weekend, Romance Weekend, Feast of Fools, Heroes and Young Adventurers Weekend).
“Mums the Word” is at the Krohn Conservatory through Oct. 13.
