View more California Festivals, Fairs and Parades.
Fall festivals in California are among the grandest and most memorable. The Golden State’s autumn season of events is filled with music festivals that bring together the best of various genres, food themed festivals with a multitude of cuisine, and of course, legendary Oktoberfest celebrations. Find an excellent way to celebrate fall with these awesome festivals in California.
Each fall, the LA County Fair comes to town, giving city-dwellers a taste of the simple life. For almost a full month, you can taste crazy concoctions that defy your weekly calorie count, catch famous and favorite music acts, watch parades, participate in charity events and more. Check out the official website for various discounts and specials before you jump on any rides or plan to view any special exhibits.
Almost as soon as summer is over, Oktoberfest events start popping up in locations all over California. One of the biggest and best-known is the Alpine Village Oktoberfest in Torrance. The Alpine Village is small piece of Bavaria, complete with restaurant Beer Hall and a shop to buy Bavarian crafts and foods. Oktoberfest transforms the village into an outpost for fun and food, complete with dancing and entertainment and the famous costumes.
Bark in the Park promises to be the world’s largest dog festival. Thousands of attendees flock to the event each year as the event grows and adds dog-focused vendors, events, contests and services. There are also things for people to do too, like adopt and inoculate dogs.
Central California’s Arroyo Grande Valley Harvest Festival celebrates all things fall. Check out homegrown vegetables, a charitable fish fry, booths featuring local restaurants, arts & crafts, music, surprises and more. Going strong for over 80 years, the festival is a big event in a small town.
The Angel City Jazz Festival pays tribute to some of the world’s best jazz musicians, of past and present. Jazz fans flock to one of the genre’s biggest celebrations to catch the performances of some of the best singers and players in the biz.
California’s avocados are near legendary and the annual California Avocado Festival highlights the magic of the popular fruit. Try avocado in new dishes as well as plenty of live music and dancing, and other activities, including the famous guacamole contest.
Throughout the year, Greek Festivals are head at Orthodox Greek Churches in the state but during the fall, head to Pasadena Greekfest for some of the best Greek food outside of Chicago—or Greece. Enjoy Greek folk dancing, arts and crafts and learn more about the ancient culture.
Cambria’s Scarecrow Festival features creative scarecrows positioned in every imaginable way and every imaginable place. The even isn’t at old as some other fall festivals, but has already grown to become a reason for checking out the seaside in the fall months.
The Pismo Beach Clam Festival brings out the creativity of local restaurants as the rain or shine even occurs each fall in the underappreciated beach town. Admission is free and you’ll find all kinds of clams from clambakes to chowders to steamers and more. And there are contests and games for the kids to enjoy.