Family & Dog-Friendly Fall Events in Philadelphia 2024
Here is a collection of family and dog-friendly Fall events happening throughout Philadelphia and surrounding areas! I’ve gathered everything from fall festivals to ghost tours that are dog-friendly happening this Fall in the city. If you have any questions regarding the events, please contact the events coordinators using the links below.
Traditional Fall Fun
Dilworth Parks Maze Days
From October 18th through the 27th, Dilworth Park is hosting Maze Days, which will be filled with various activities! Maze Days, taking place from 9:00 am – 9:00 pm will feature children’s storytimes, pumpkin carving, themed happy hours in Dilworth Park’s seasonal beer garden, and much more! In addition to Maze Day’s daily activities, on October 18th & 26th, the park will be filled with live music, fresh apple cider making, a Stein-hoisting contest, and bingo with prizes. Maze Days will also be taking place on the same days as Dilworth’s Made in Philadelphia Fall Market, where you can browse through all the vendors and check out local small businesses. Dilworth Park is pet-friendly, making Maze Days a great opportunity for family fun for everyone!
Styer Orchard
Styer Orchard is a dog-friendly orchard that offers apple picking and hayrides. While dogs are welcome on the orchard, they must remain on leashes and be cleaned up after. The orchard is open Tuesdays through Sundays, with shortened hours on Sundays. Styer’s has hayrides running throughout the day, with the last one taking place a half hour before they close. Styer Orchard makes for a great place to bring the whole family together for apple picking and a day filled with fall fun!
Maple Acres Farm Market
Maple Acres Farm is a dog-friendly farm filled with lots of fresh produce, flowers, hayrides, farm animals, and even a pumpkin patch! Hayrides are offered every first Saturday of the month at 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. Hayrides cost $12 per child and $6 per adult. It can be great to spend the day taking a hayride through the farm to meet all their animals and browsing all of their produce and flower options.
Apple Festival at Peddler’s Village
November 2nd and 3rd, Peddler’s Village is hosting its annual Apple Festival from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm. While admission is free, all attractions and products are pay-as-you-go. While the festival is over at 6:00 pm, the shops at Peddler’s Village are open until 8:00 pm on Saturday, November 2nd! Dogs are welcomed at Peddler’s Village but must remain on leashes at all times and must be cleaned up after. Dogs are allowed on Earl’s New American’s patio if you’re looking to grab dinner there, but only service animals are allowed inside restaurants.
Fall Festivals
Fall for Ardmore
On September 28th, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Schauffele Plaza is hosting the Fall for Ardmore festival. You, your dog, friends, or family can spend the day shopping from local vendors, trying all the food and drinks available for purchase, enjoying live music, and exploring all the family-fun activities available!
Roxtoberfest
Roxborough’s annual Roxtoberfest is taking place on October 5th, from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, along Ridge Ave. from Lyecum to Leverington. Ridge Avenue will be filled with various food trucks, craft brews, German-themed entertainment, live music, and different competitions and activities for kids! Roxtoberfest is a great day to have a casual, fun-filled Saturday with your pet and family!
Evil Genius’ Fall Family Fest Block Party
This year, on October 12th, Evil Genius Beer Company is hosting a free Fall Block Party from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The block party will feature craft beer, a food truck, games, a DJ, local vendors, and much more! Evil Genius Beer Company welcomes dogs every day, but bringing them to the block party will make it even more fun and special!
Howl-O-Ween
There is a fall day specifically for dogs happening on October 19th (rain date October 20th) at Harford Park in Randor, PA! The event will take place from 11:00 am through 1:00 pm and is free to enter, you just need to pre-register! Howl-O-Ween will be a day where your pup can run through an agility course, participate in a costume contest, and take cute photos at the photo booth. There will also be stands there for dog first aid and different animal organizations to present you with information, treats, prizes, and more! Treat your dog to their own Fall and Halloween festival at Harford Park!
HarvestFest
Awbury Arboretum is hosting a Harvest Festival on the Arboretum’s farm on October 20th from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Bring your dog, friends, and/or family for a Fall-filled day on the farm, where you can enjoy live music, a brew garden, and a bunch of local vendors. There will also be hayrides, s’mores pits, crafts, games, and local apples and pumpkins to choose from!
Halloween on the Hill
Chestnut Hill’s annual Halloween on the Hill will be taking place from October 26th through the 31st, with its trick-or-treating event on October 27th. Halloween on the Hill is a great opportunity for all Autumn and Halloween fun for everyone in your life – from your kids, friends, and even your dogs, spend a day in Chestnut Hill experiencing outdoor dining in the crisp Fall weather or enjoy one of the local shops! Halloween on the Hill’s trick-or-treating will take place on October 27th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, where participating businesses along Germantown Ave and Bethlehem Pike will be handing out candy and non-food treats to those in costume! You may spot some businesses with a teal pumpkin, which indicates they are also giving out non-food treats – in case someone in your group has a food intolerance or allergy!
Pet Costume Contests & Parades
Evil Genius’ Tricks & Treats: Doggie Costume Contest
Evil Genius Beer Company is hosting a dog costume contest, where your pet can compete for prizes, on October 19th. The Tricks & Treats event will be supporting charitable dog organizations, so it’s a great way for you and your pup to have fun while helping to make a difference! The costume contest and other festivities will take place from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Tickets to the event are $10 and can be purchased here.
Admore Day: A Spooktacular Celebration
Ardmore Day is taking place on October 19th, from 11:00 am through 4:00 pm, at Schauffele Plaza, and will be a fun-filled day for everyone in your family! The Ardbark Dog Parade and Contest is definitely the main attraction this year! Dress your pup up in their best costume and enter them in the parade and contest, which will be presented by Michael Barkann and NBC Sports Philadelphia! You can register for the costume and parade at 11:00 am, and the contest will begin around 11:30 am. There will also be a haunted house and spooktacular activities for kids to enjoy starting at 2:00 pm. Some other fun activities taking place on Ardmore Day are trick or treating, games, face painting, live music, and even a special appearance for Swoop and the Eagles Cheerleaders!
Hound-O-Ween
Street Tails Animal Rescue is hosting a Pet Costume Contest at Liberty Lands Park on October 20th, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Bring your pet in a costume and let them walk the stage at Hound-O-Ween, where they have a chance to win from their variety of contest categories! The largest prize for one of the costume contest categories is a grand prize of $500, so make sure your dog brings their A-game! In addition to the costume contest, there will also be various raffles, vendors, food trucks, and more to enjoy! To secure your spot in the costume contest, Street Tails Animal Rescue is asking for you to pre-register for the event with a $30 donation – you can register for the event here.
Manayunk Costume Parade & Trick-or-Treating
Manayunk is hosting its annual Costume Parade and Trick-or-Treating along Main Street on October 26th! The costume parade starts at 11:00 am at Pretzel Park and will make its way down Main Street, where select businesses will take place in handing out candy for trick or treating until 2:00 pm. The costume parade is for everyone!! All adults, kids, and pets are welcome to dress up and show off their costumes around Manayunk!
Walking Ghost Tours
Ghost Tours of Philadelphia
Ghost Tours of Philadelphia is a dog-friendly “candlelight walking tour along the back streets and secret gardens of Independence National Park, Old City, and Society Hill, where ghostly spirits, haunted houses, and eerie graveyards lurk in the night!” Tickets are $27 for adults and $16 for kids ages 4-12. The tour lasts on average from 75 to 90 minutes and is open year-round! The tour is available every day from March through November, while December through February, it is only open on weekends.
The Founding Phantoms Ghost Tour
The Founding Phantoms Ghost Tour is a dog-friendly walking ghost tour of some of Philadelphia’s haunted locations, while you hear the lesser-known haunting stories of the Founding Fathers. The tour costs $35, is adults (and pets!) only, takes place nightly at 9:00 pm, and lasts around 90 minutes.
Haunted Philadelphia Ghost Tour – Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours
The Lizzie Borden Ghost Tour company is a dog-friendly walking tour available daily, rain or shine. There are four tours to choose from: Philly Ghosts: Phantoms of Philadelphia, Philly Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl, Philly Ghosts Ultimate Dead of Night, and Rockstars of the Revolution: American Founders and Patriots. Tours start at $25, and last on average 2 hours. Extended tours are offered, where you get to attend additional locations after the regular tour ends. Extended tours add about four locations and an additional 30 minutes.
To find more activities to treat your dog to – check out my Philadelphia Dog-Friendly Ice Cream blog to find all the best places in the city to get your dog a yummy sweet treat!
