Fall Fest
October 10–16, 2026
Celebrate the season with Fall Fest! Join Southbury Parks & Recreation October 10–16 for a week of fall-themed activities, community programs, contests, crafts and family fun. Activities throughout the week include scarecrow building, pumpkin carving, community workshops, fall activities, contests, a sensory-friendly movie matinee and more! Fall Fest will also feature our Trick-or-Treat Costume Parade & Outdoor Movie Night on Thursday, October 15, featuring Toy Story 5, co-sponsored by the Southbury Public Library!
Select activities require advance registration and space is limited.
Programs are FREE for Southbury residents. A $5 fee applies to non-residents for select registered programs. Please see each individual activity for registration requirements, times and locations
All are welcome to attend our Trick-or-Treat Costume Parade & Outdoor Movie Night—no registration required!
Saturday, October 10 | Fall Fest Kick Off | 10:00AM–1:00PM | Town Hall Green
Meet and interact with some furry farm friends- including pigs, goats, and baby cows! Enjoy a fall scavenger hunt, lawn games, craft vendors, seasonal activities, and more! Enjoy free cider served by the Knights of Columbus, apple cider donuts donated by ShopRite, and apples donated by Hidden Gem Orchard.
Scarecrow Building
Build your own scarecrow to display during Fall Fest! Parks & Recreation will provide stuffing, stakes, and twine needed to build your scarecrow. A variety of clothing and accessories have been donated by the Southbury Training School Thrift Shops for participants to use. Participants are welcome to bring clothing or accessories from home to give their scarecrow some extra personality!
Special Treat for Registrants!
Participants who registered for Scarecrow Building by the original registration deadline will receive a sweet treat from Bruno's on October 10.
Still want to build a scarecrow? Walk-ins welcomed! Bruno's Food Truck will be on-site with food and beverages available for purchase by all attendees.
We would love to display your scarecrow outside of the Parks & Recreation Building for our movie night and scarecrow contest. Winners will be announced at 6:15PM on Thursday, October 15 at Parks & Recreation! Scarecrows can be taken home anytime after our movie night.
All entries must be submitted to the Parks & Recreation Building by 4:00PM on Wednesday, October 14.
Registration required for Scarecrow Building | Choose from three available time slots when registering | FREE for Southbury residents | $5 non-residents NOTE: Only one registration per family is necessary, there will be a question during the registration process to indicate how many people will be working on each scarecrow!
NOTE: Event is weather dependent. The decision to move event location will be posted as an ALERT on the Parks & Recreation website.
Rain Location: Parks & Recreation Building
Tuesday, October 13 | Pumpkin Carving | 4:00PM–6:00PM | Parks & Recreation Building
Get creative and carve a pumpkin for Fall Fest! Pumpkins and carving supplies will be provided while supplies last!
Participants are encouraged to submit their finished pumpkin to our Fall Fest Pumpkin Contest. All entries must be submitted to the Parks & Recreation Building by 4:00PM on Wednesday, October 14. Entries will be displayed outside of Parks & Recreation. Submitted pumpkins will be illuminated and displayed during our movie night. Winners will be announced at 6:15PM on Thursday, October 15! Pumpkins can be taken home anytime after our movie night.
Pumpkin scraps will be collected by Sustainable Southbury and distributed to local farms for animal feed and composting. Read more about what Sustainable Southbury does here
Registration required | FREE for Southbury residents | $5 non-residents NOTE: each person who wishes to carve a pumpkin must register, parents helping children only need one person to register. Each registration is a future jack-o-lantern!
Wednesday, October 14 | American Red Cross Blood Drive | 9:00AM-2:00PM | Southbury Senior Center
Give back to the community by donating blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive.
To Sign Up- Click Here
Following the Blood Drive, join us for more Southbury Fall Fest activities!
Wednesday, October 14 | Southbury Land Trust: Into the Wild | 4:00PM–6:00PM | Parks & Recreation Building Go Into the Wild with Southbury Land Trust! Eagle Scout Bryan Wood will share his work researching Little Brown Bats and will discuss the bat houses he built and installed at Phillips Farm Preserve!
Stop by the Parks and Recreation building to learn about local wildlife and explore a variety of hands-on educational items, including a bat skeleton and other interesting specimens Visitors can also take a close look at monarch butterflies, moths, and insects- including their wings and antennae- and may have the opportunity to see animal skulls and pelts from native wildlife.
A fun and educational opportunity for families to learn more about the wildlife that calls Southbury home!
Read more about all the Southbury Land Trust does here
Registration required | FREE for Southbury residents | $5 non-residents
Thursday, October 15 | Trick-or-Treat Costume Parade & Outdoor Movie Night | 5:00PM–9:00PM | Parks & Recreation Building
Put on your Halloween costume and join us! Children will make their way around the green space between the Parks & Recreation building and Pomperaug Elementary School during our Trick-or-Treat Costume Parade, stopping at participating local businesses and community organizations for candy along the way. Step off for parade is 5:00pm SHARP!
Next we will be hosting a fun, family-friendly dance party with our Zumba Instructor Karen! The night culminates in the contest winner announcements and our outdoor showing of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, co-sponsored by the Southbury Public Library.
FREE popcorn and water will be available! Families are welcome to bring picnic dinners to enjoy with the movie.
Toy Story 5 (rated PG) has a run time of 1 hour, and 42 minutes and will be starting at 6:30PM. Bring blankets and lawn chairs and dress for the weather!
FREE | No registration required
Please note: Event is weather dependent. The decision to cancel due to weather will be made in the afternoon and posted as an ALERT on the Parks & Recreation website.
Rain Date: Saturday, October 17, 5:00PM–9:00PM
Friday, October 16 | Sensory-Friendly Matinee Movie | 1:00PM–3:00PM | Parks & Recreation Building
Enjoy a sensory-friendly indoor showing of Toy Story 5 co-sponsored by the Southbury Public Library in a comfortable, welcoming environment for children and families. Bean bags, a cozy quieter atmosphere and free popcorn will be provided.
Bring your favorite blanket and get comfortable for the movie!
FREE | Registration required | Space is limited
Take & Make Fall Craft | Available October 13–16 | Parks & Recreation Building
Can’t make one of our scheduled Fall Fest activities? Register for a Take & Make Fall Craft and enjoy some fall creativity at home! Craft kits may be picked up at Parks & Recreation during Fall Fest week while supplies last.
Registration required | FREE for Southbury residents | $5 non-residents
NOTE: Parks & Recreation will be closed Monday, October 12
Fall Fest Contests | Pumpkin & Scarecrow Contests
Show off your fall creativity by entering your pumpkin, scarecrow or both in our Fall Fest contests!
All entries must be submitted to the Parks & Recreation Building by 4:00PM on Wednesday, October 14. Entries will be displayed as part of Fall Fest, and winners will be announced before the outdoor movie on Thursday, October 15!
Pumpkin Contest Awards: Adult, Teen, Child and Family
Scarecrow Contest Awards: Best Overall and Runner-Up
Entries may be brought to the Parks & Recreation main office during regular business hours
Guess the Number: Candy Corn Jar!
Available October 1–14 | Parks & Recreation Building
Ready, Set, Guess! Come by Parks and Recreation building to submit your guess of how many candy corns are in the jar. The winner will be announced before the outdoor movie showing on 10/15!
Deadline to submit your guess is 4:00PM on 10/14!
Prize: The closest guess will win the Candy Corn PLUS a Toy Story prize pack, featuring a Mr. Potato Head and Toy Story Great Smile Set!
Thank you to Our Fall Fest Community Partners!
Southbury Parks & Recreation would like to thank the local businesses, organizations and vendors supporting our Fall Fest. Your participation and generosity helps make this event possible for our community!
Fall Fest Donations & Support:
ShopRite | Hidden Gem Orchard | Southbury Training School Thrift Shops | Southbury Library | The Southbury Arts and Culture Alliance (SACA)
Local Vendors Joining Us on 10/10:
Bruno's Café | Celtic Cottage Bakery | Sassy & Sweet Boutique | Cadence Academy Preschool | Strawberry Fields Hat Bar | Honey Flower Farm | Southbury Juniorettes
Candy Stop & Community Partners:
Ink Therapy | Knights of Columbus | Laurel Diner | Lions Club International | The Local Gourmet | Mercato | Mikee's Place | Miranda's Pizza | Pomperaug Basketball Community | Rathskeller | S.M.A.R.T. | Senior Panchos | Southbury Counseling | Southbury Juniorettes | Southbury Library | Southbury Police Department | Speech Pathology Group | Tender Years Too | The Cottage on Main | Women's Auxiliary- Southbury VFD
We will be collecting non-perishable foods all week long! All goods will be donated to the Southbury Food bank. A list of critical need items can be found here
Space and supplies are limited for select activities. Advance registration is strongly encouraged where registration is required. All activities, times, and locations are subject to change. All Parks and Recreation programs are covered by the Universal Disclaimer.