This guide covers 10 East Coast fall food festivals with confirmed 2026 dates, from Pennsylvania’s mushroom capital to a Maine harbor race powered by 700-pound hollowed-out pumpkins. Several popular festivals have quietly renamed themselves or moved venues over the past decade, so every listing below reflects the event’s current name, current location, and a 2026 date confirmed directly with the organizer’s own site.
We checked every festival on this list against its official website or chamber of commerce page in August 2026, rather than repeating outdated listings from other roundups. Festival dates and admission can still shift, so we’d recommend a quick check of the linked official site before you book travel. If you’re stringing several of these together, our guides to fall foliage road trips of the Northeast and East Coast towns for slow travel are worth a look, along with our general budget road trip tips.
Quick Answer: 10 East Coast Fall Food Festivals in 2026
- The Mushroom Festival (Kennett Square, PA): Sept 12–13, the 41st year in the Mushroom Capital of the World
- Cape Cod Scallop Festival (East Falmouth, MA): Sept 22–24, New England’s largest scallop festival
- Beaufort Shrimp Festival (Beaufort, SC): Oct 2–3, the 32nd annual Lowcountry shrimp showdown
- Beach Haven Chowder Cook-Off (Long Beach Island, NJ): Oct 3–4, formerly Chowderfest
- Chincoteague Island Oyster Festival (Chincoteague, VA): Oct 10, the 53rd annual, marking the start of oyster season
- Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Festival (Ocracoke Island, NC): Oct 10, a working fishing island’s own celebration
- Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival (Bethlehem, CT): Oct 10–11, the 21st annual, timed to garlic planting season
- Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta (Damariscotta, ME): Oct 9–12, giant pumpkins turned into actual racing boats
- Capital Apple & Wine Festival (Chatham, NY): mid-to-late September, New York’s Hudson Valley apple and wine tasting weekend
- Urbanna Oyster Festival (Urbanna, VA): Nov 6–7, Virginia’s official state oyster festival since 1957
The list runs roughly north to south, so it doubles as a route if you’re chasing more than one this fall.
The Mushroom Festival
Kennett Square grows more mushrooms than anywhere else in the country, and this is its biggest weekend of the year.
Now in its 41st year, this two-day street festival takes over downtown Kennett Square, the self-declared Mushroom Capital of the World, with a full culinary stage, a mushroom growers’ exhibit walking visitors through the actual cultivation process, and a “Chopped”-style cooking competition built entirely around the fungus. Expect fried mushrooms, mushroom soup, and gourmet dishes from local chefs, alongside craft vendors, a car show, and a kids’ zone.
41st Annual$5 admissionSignature bite: fried mushrooms
Cape Cod Scallop Festival
Formerly the Bourne Scallop Festival, this one moved venues and dropped its old name, but it’s still the biggest scallop festival on the East Coast.
Started by local fishermen in Bourne back in 1969, this festival outgrew its original home at Buzzards Bay Park and relocated permanently to the larger Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth, rebranding from the “Bourne Scallop Festival” to the “Cape Cod Scallop Festival” in the process. If you’re searching for the old name, note that it’s the same event under new branding, now drawing over 50,000 visitors across three days for fried scallop and herb-roasted chicken dinners, a juried arts and crafts show, and live music under the big tent.
47th AnnualFormerly “Bourne Scallop Festival”Signature bite: fried scallops
Plan your visitCape Cod Fairgrounds, 1220 Nathan Ellis Highway (Route 151), East Falmouth. Held rain or shine under tents. Scallop and chicken dinner tickets are sold separately from general admission.
Beaufort Shrimp Festival
A two-day celebration of Lowcountry shrimp, right on Beaufort’s waterfront.
Held at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in historic downtown Beaufort, this festival centers on the “Shrimp Showdown,” a competition between local restaurants and chefs for the best shrimp dish, judged both by a panel and by popular vote. Beyond the shrimp, expect a full arts and crafts market, live music both nights, and a 5K that runs past several filming locations from Forrest Gump.
32nd AnnualFree admissionSignature bite: shrimp and grits
Plan your visitHenry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, downtown Beaufort. Arts and crafts market runs noon–6pm Friday, 10am–4pm Saturday. Live music both evenings.
Beach Haven Chowder Cook-Off
Long Beach Island’s beloved “Chowderfest” got a new name in 2024, but the unlimited chowder tasting is exactly the same.
What began as “Chowderfest” over 30 years ago is now the “Beach Haven Chowder Cook-Off,” rebranded when the Beach Haven Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Hunger Foundation of Southern Ocean to relaunch the event post-pandemic. The tradition marking the unofficial end of summer on LBI continues: a Saturday Merchant Mart followed by a Sunday chowder competition where ticket holders vote on their favorite red and white chowders from local restaurants.
Formerly “Chowderfest”Benefits local food pantriesSignature bite: red & white clam chowder
Plan your visitLittle League Field, 9th St. & Taylor Ave, Beach Haven. Free Merchant Mart on Saturday; ticketed Chowder Cook-Off on Sunday.
Chincoteague Island Oyster Festival
Chincoteague’s wild ponies get the summer spotlight; oyster season gets this one.
Held each October at Tom’s Cove Park to mark the start of oyster season on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, this all-you-can-eat festival centers on Chincoteague’s own “Salts,” the local oyster the island is famous for. Expect oysters served raw, steamed, fried, and in fritters, alongside live music and an Extravaganza Raffle. It’s a ticketed event that typically sells out ahead of the day, so plan to buy early.
53rd Annual$65 per personSignature bite: Chincoteague Salts
Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Festival
A working fishing island’s own festival, hosted by the watermen themselves rather than a tourism board.
Held right on the community square docks of Ocracoke Island, this festival is run by the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Association and leans hard into the island’s actual commercial fishing heritage rather than a generic beach-town food fest. Expect local decoy carvers, working watermen’s displays, North Carolina oyster farmers shucking and roasting on site, and guest chefs cooking fresh seafood, all against the backdrop of the island’s historic harbor.
Working watermen’s eventBarrier island onlySignature bite: NC oysters
Plan your visitCommunity Square Docks, Ocracoke Village, 10am–7pm. Ocracoke is only reachable by ferry or small plane, so build travel time into your plans.
Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival
One of New England’s largest food festivals is timed to when garlic actually goes in the ground.
Held at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds since 2000, this is more than a harvest showcase: October is when garlic is planted for the following year in this climate, so the seed garlic stalls here are a genuine planting opportunity, not just a novelty. Beyond that, expect roasted garlic sausage, wood-fired garlic pizza, garlic ice cream, cooking demonstrations, and growing lectures across 250-plus vendors.
21st Annual$10 admissionSignature bite: garlic ice cream
Plan your visitBethlehem Fairgrounds, 304 Main St North, Bethlehem. Saturday 9am–6pm, Sunday 9am–5pm. Cash preferred; children under 12 free.
Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta
Giant pumpkins get hollowed out, decorated, and turned into actual boats that race down the harbor.
This coastal Maine tradition centers on giant Atlantic Giant pumpkins, some weighing 400 to 700 pounds, that are hollowed out, fitted with motors or paddles, and raced by costumed volunteer captains down the Damariscotta River in the festival’s signature Pumpkinboat Regatta. The extended Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend also includes a weigh-off, a giant pumpkin parade, a pie-eating contest, and 65-plus artist-decorated pumpkins lining Main Street.
Free to attend10,000–15,000 visitorsSignature event: Pumpkinboat Regatta
Plan your visitDowntown Damariscotta and Newcastle. The Regatta runs midday Sunday; arrive early for parking, and expect long walks or shuttle waits during the parade and regatta.
Capital Apple & Wine Festival
This one moved counties in 2024, so if you remember it from Altamont, you’re looking for a new address.
See also
Originally the “Capital Region Apple & Wine Festival” held at the Altamont Fairgrounds near Albany, this event relocated to the larger Columbia County Fairgrounds in Chatham, New York, in 2024 and shortened its name to the “Capital Apple & Wine Festival.” The 2025 edition, its 31st year, drew 25-plus New York wineries, distilleries, cideries, and mead makers alongside an apple tent, cider donuts, hot air balloon rides, and a Sunday car show. As of this writing, the organizer had not yet posted a confirmed 2026 date; it has landed in mid-to-late September the past two years, so check the official site as fall approaches.
Moved from Altamont in 202425+ NY wineriesSignature bite: cider donuts
Plan your visitColumbia County Fairgrounds, Chatham, NY, about 30 minutes southeast of Albany. Confirm 2026 dates directly with Starbird Events before booking travel around this one specifically.
Urbanna Oyster Festival
Virginia’s official oyster festival closes down an entire small town, twice over, for the oldest oyster festival in the country still running.
An evolution of “Urbanna Days” that began in 1957, this is billed as the second-oldest oyster festival in the world and was formally designated Virginia’s official state oyster festival in 1988. Once a year, the tiny Middle Peninsula town of Urbanna, population around 500, closes its streets to roughly 50,000 visitors for a Friday-night Fireman’s Parade, a Saturday Oyster Festival Parade, the Virginia State Oyster Shucking Competition, and oysters served every conceivable way, raw, steamed, roasted, Rockefeller, fried, and stewed.
69th AnnualOfficial VA state oyster festivalSignature bite: oysters Rockefeller
Compare All 10 at a Glance
| Festival | Location | 2026 Dates | Signature Food |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mushroom Festival | Kennett Square, PA | Sept 12–13 | Fried mushrooms |
| Cape Cod Scallop Festival | East Falmouth, MA | Sept 22–24 | Fried scallops |
| Beaufort Shrimp Festival | Beaufort, SC | Oct 2–3 | Shrimp and grits |
| Beach Haven Chowder Cook-Off | Long Beach Island, NJ | Oct 3–4 | Clam chowder |
| Chincoteague Island Oyster Festival | Chincoteague, VA | Oct 10 | Chincoteague Salts |
| Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Festival | Ocracoke Island, NC | Oct 10 | NC oysters |
| Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival | Bethlehem, CT | Oct 10–11 | Garlic ice cream |
| Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta | Damariscotta, ME | Oct 9–12 | N/A (pumpkin regatta) |
| Capital Apple & Wine Festival | Chatham, NY | Mid-to-late Sept (TBD) | Cider donuts |
| Urbanna Oyster Festival | Urbanna, VA | Nov 6–7 | Oysters Rockefeller |
A Note on Renamed and Relocated Festivals
Three festivals on this list changed names or venues since they were last widely written about, which is exactly why so many “best of” roundups online are quietly wrong. The Cape Cod Scallop Festival dropped “Bourne” from its name after relocating from Buzzards Bay Park to the Cape Cod Fairgrounds. The Beach Haven Chowder Cook-Off was “Chowderfest” for over 30 years before a 2024 chamber-of-commerce rebrand. And the Capital Apple & Wine Festival moved from Altamont, NY, to Chatham, NY, in 2024, dropping “Region” from its original name. If you’re searching for any of these by their older names, you’re still looking for the right event.
Both of Virginia’s entries on this list, Chincoteague and Urbanna, are also realistic weekend trips from the DC area if you don’t want to drive the whole way from further north; our guide to day trips from Washington DC covers more of that region.
FAQ
What happened to the Bourne Scallop Festival?
It’s still running, just under a new name and in a new location. After outgrowing its original venue at Buzzards Bay Park in Bourne, Massachusetts, the festival moved to the larger Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth and rebranded as the Cape Cod Scallop Festival. It’s the same event, organized by the same Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce, now in its 47th year.
Is the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Festival still happening?
Not as a standalone ticketed festival at Lincoln Financial Field the way it once was. Philadelphia still marks National Cheesesteak Day each March with pop-up competitions and citywide specials at spots like McGillin’s Olde Ale House and Campo’s, but the dedicated fall festival format doesn’t appear to be currently active, which is why it isn’t included in this list.
Which of these festivals is the oldest?
The Urbanna Oyster Festival, tracing back to 1957 and billed by its own organizers as the second-oldest oyster festival in the world. Among the festivals on this list, Urbanna and the Cape Cod Scallop Festival (started in 1969) are the two long-running originals.
Are any of these festivals free to attend?
The Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta and the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Festival are free to walk through, and the Urbanna Oyster Festival has free general admission with a separate parking fee. The others charge a general admission or per-item ticket price, typically $5 to $65 depending on whether food is included.
Why do so many food festivals change their names?
Usually a venue change. Several festivals on this list outgrew their original fairgrounds or town parks and moved to larger venues, sometimes in a different town or county entirely, and updated their names to match. That’s a big part of why searching for a festival’s old name can lead to outdated or dead links; the event itself is often still going strong under new branding.
Better Living may earn commissions through affiliate links and may occasionally feature sponsored or partner content. If you make a purchase through our links, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you.
