Fall 2024 food festivals worth checking out around New England

In a region where residents actually get to see all four seasons, fall is undoubtedly New England’s favorite. 

It’s the time of year when trees cast hues of red, orange, and yellow on towns across the area, bringing tourists near and far on a fall foliage pilgrimage. But it’s also when our fall crops are at their best and most bountiful, giving us something else to celebrate: food and libations.

Autumn is the season for pumpkins, apples, cranberries, and oysters, and in New England you’ll find a festival for those foods and so much more. 

Boston.com put together a list of festivals and events that every New England foodie should keep handy this season — we’ll update it, too, throughout the fall — to celebrate the farmers, chefs, and brewmasters that make the region a food and drink paradise.

Sure, it’s more than a food festival, but you could spend an entire day at The Big E bouncing from one vendor to another. All of the state fair food groups are represented: Fried (Oreos, corn dogs, cheese curds), Baked (mac and cheese, pizzas, cream puffs), Smothered (nachos, ice cream waffle bowls, burgers). Stop by the State Houses for regional specialties, like the loaded, baked Maine potatoes and crisp apples from Massachusetts farms. (Friday, Sept. 13 to Sunday, Sept. 29; West Springfield)

Autumnal foods and wine? Yes, please. The Mount Snow Resort in West Dover will host the signature event of this festival weekend, a Grand Tasting featuring more than 70 vendors, including more than a dozen New England wineries and distilleries, plus small specialty food producers, chefs, cheese makers, and farmers. Attendees can also attend a Wine Tasting and Soup Stroll in downtown Wilmington. Take a tasting break and ride the Bluebird Lift for a summit view of Vermont’s spectacular fall foliage. (Friday, Sept. 20 to Saturday, Sept. 21; West Dover and Wilmington, Vermont)

Archibald Query invented Fluff in Somerville’s Union Square in 1917. Celebrate this sugary white stuff at the What the Fluff? Festival taking place in, of course, Union Square. Festival goers can play fluff-themed games like a marshmallow toss and Fluff musical chairs, listen to live music, and, most importantly, eat lots of Fluff. The rain date is Sept. 22. (Saturday, Sept. 21; Somerville)

Prefer your festival on wheels? More than 50 food trucks will park in downtown Salem for the annual Salem Food Truck Festival. Stop by Cheese Louise, Binge BBQ, The Lobster Roller, The Cookie Monstah, and other trucks for a weekend of serious noshing. (Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22; Salem)

This meat-free event is also admission-free, and while you won’t be scarfing down giant plates of food, you will have access to plenty of small samples from vegan and vegetarian food providers. Learn about new products in the vegetarian market, chat with speakers and chefs, and shop items at discounted prices. (Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29; Boston)

How many pumpkins can you fit in one festival? Find out in Damariscotta, Maine. This pumpkinfest attracts up to 15,000 visitors for its pumpkin parade, giant pumpkin weigh-off, pumpkin soapbox-style derby, pumpkin hunt, pumpkin pie-eating contests, pumpkin dessert contest, and pumpkin boat-building. During the Pumpkin boat Regatta held Monday at noon, contestants race down the Damariscotta River in 400- to 700-pound hollowed-out pumpkins transformed into boats. (Friday, Oct. 11 to Monday, Oct. 14; Damariscotta, Maine)

The Boston Public Market brings back its annual Harvest Party, a celebration of all things autumn. The theme this year will turn the downtown market into a carnival, and a ticket gets guests bites from food vendors, one drink ticket for Pine Bar’s craft beer and cocktails, and a silent auction. A cash bar is also available for additional beverages. (Thursday, Oct. 17; Boston)

Oyster fans should flock to Wellfleet this fall for the annual oyster festival, a two-day celebration of the shellfish and their history in this town. Raw bars from Chopper’s Choice Oyster Bar, Holbrook Oyster, and Pirate Shellfish will provide the slippery bivalves, while other vendors will round out the food lineup with dishes like stuffed clams, lobster rolls, cod tacos, and scallop stuffies. Attend the Oyster Shucking Competition for a Herculean display of shucking. (Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20; Wellfleet)

A crisp, fall afternoon spent by the water while digging into New England seafood — it’s just another day in seafood paradise at the Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival. As you move among vendors stocked with fish tacos and calamari, shrimp and stuffed quahogs, be sure to take in the sounds of the fest, including bands playing folk, surf rock, Caribbean, and blues music. (Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20; Newport, Rhode Island)

Walk among glowing jack-o’-lanterns at this Laconia, New Hampshire festival. Enter cuteness overload with a pet costume parade, shop and eat at food and craft vendors, and quench your thirst in a beer garden. Events are spread over a week-long period, so check the festival website for specific event dates. (Tuesday, Oct. 22 to Thursday, Oct. 31; Laconia, New Hampshire)

Two words: apple cider. At this three-day festival in Franklin County, take an orchard tour, enjoy a cider and cheese pairing, the list goes on. (Friday, Nov. 1 to Sunday, Nov. 3; Franklin County)