Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables said, “I’m glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” I think this quote especially hold true for those of us who live in Arkansas.

I know that October is my favorite month in my favorite state.

The weather begins to cools…finally…and the leaves begin to turn, hiking season begins, and best of all are the multitude of fall festivals in Arkansas!

Festivals in Arkansas in October (2024)

Here is our list of the best fall festivals in Arkansas in October. There are so many!

They are roughly in order by date. The location city is in parenthesis by the name. Weather and other circumstances can impact these festivals so always check the website or Facebook pages before you go!

Let us know if you know of an Arkansas October festival that is not on this list that you think should be included.

Hillberry Harvest Moon Music Festival (Eureka Springs)

 Live music and camping! You can expect multiple stages, workshops, activities, and food and craft vendors.

Fiesta en SoMa (Little Rock)

Fiesta en SoMa is a colorful and lively event that brings together the diverse and dynamic traditions of various Latin American countries, showcasing the beauty of their culture, art, music, dance, and, of course, mouthwatering cuisine.

Musicfest – El Dorado (El Dorado)

The south Arkansas town of El Dorado has one of the best music scenes in the state. Musicfest is a 2 day festival with 3 stages and a variety of musical acts. There will also be activities for all ages as well as venders selling both food and merchandise.

A close up of musical instruments. You see a guitar in the background and there is a fiddle in front of that and a saxophone. This is on a post that is a list of the festivals in Arkansas in October. Pin

Bradford Fun Fest (Bradford)

There will be live music, bounce houses, a corn hole tournament, silent auction, petting zoo, and SO much more at this fun small town festival!

You might be interested in this list of our favorite fall festivals in Arkansas!

River Valley Food Truck Festival (Russellville)

Of course the River Valley Food Truck Festival will have lots of delicious foods to try, but you can also expect live music and a great play area for kids at this great food truck festival!

Get Downtown Festival (Paragould)

The day starts with a “Pedal the Ridge” 50 mile gravel ride as well as “Get Downtown” 5K and 10K races. The fun continues in Downtown Paragould with lots of kids activities, shopping and food vendors. Two stages will host music all day long as well.

Hillberry Harvest Moon Festival (Eureka Springs)

5 nights, 2 stages, all the best of bluegrass, Americana, and Funk. The event is held at The Farm in Eureka Springs which is a campground & concert venue located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. Primitive camping is available onsite.

Timberfest (Sheridan)

At Timberfest you can see the Arkansas Lumberjack Championship! There will also be entertainment, food, a Baggo tournament and other fun activities. Best of all is the BBQ cookoff where you can taste some of the best BBQ around.

Ozark Trail Festival (Heber Springs)

There will be so much going on at this fun festival in gorgeous Heber Springs; 5K race, a fun run, car show, live music, a dog show, food vendors, and more!

Arkansas Apple Festival (Lincoln)

This is the 48th annual celebration of delicious Arkansas apples.

The festival will be located on the beautiful Lincoln town square. It starts with a parade and afterward you can sample apple slices and apple cider, browse through vendor booths featuring unique crafts as well as homemade Apple butter, jams and jellies!

Apple dumplings will be served and there will be a kids area with inflatables as well. Fun for the whole family.

A close up of apples on an apple tree. This is on a post about the best festivals in Arkansas in October. Pin

Some More Great Things About Fall in Arkansas

Fall is truly a special time in the state of Arkansas. Besides the amazing Arkansas festivals, here is a list of some of the best things to do in fall in the Natural State.

Of course, October is also Halloween, the spooky season. If you like to be scared perhaps you would want to check out some of the great haunted houses in the state!

Even if you don’t like haunted houses you might enjoy learning the stories of some of the “real” haunted places in Arkansas. You could even want to stay in the most haunted hotel, the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.

Of course, fall in Arkansas is the perfect time for outdoor activities. Check out this list of some of our favorite hikes in the state. Or you might want to visit one of the incredible Arkansas State Parks.

Fall is also the season for Arkansas apples! Enjoy our list of the best apple orchards in the state!

Fall Foliage in Arkansas from Mount MagazinePin

No matter what, you will enjoy fall in Arkansas!

Frontier Day Festival (Paris)

2024 is the 45th year of this event which is located in historic downtown Paris, Arkansas and includes music, pageants, carriage rides, and more.

Arkansas Goat Festival (Perryville)

This might be one of the most unique of the Arkansas festivals in October! There is a goat parade, live music, food trucks, and even a goat lingerie show! There will be a baby goat petting area for the human “kids.”

A photo of two baby goats peeking around the corner of a building. The goats are staring right at the camera and the background is green and blurry. The Goat Festival is one of the most unique fall festivals in Arkansas. Pin

Fort Smith Fall Festival + Octoberfest (Fort Smith)

The Fort Smith Fall Festival is the largest history-themed event in Fort Smith! It is a day filled with history, fun, and entertainment.

The Oktoberfest + Kids Zone event is held the same day and features delicious food from local food trucks, exciting carnival games, bounce-arounds for the little ones, and live music that everyone will enjoy.

Arkansas Honey Festival (Little Rock)

This is a family friendly event that is open to the general public at no charge. The festival is located on a working honey bee farm, Bemis Honey Bee Farm, in Little Rock, AR.

It is known for its unique take on honey contests. For the honey contest beekeepers are encouraged to not only showcase their honey, but their creativity as well. The public is also encouraged to taste the honey and vote for their favorites.

A very close up photo of a honey bee on a bright pink flower. The background of the photo is green and blurred out. The bee in the lower foreground is very sharp and lots of detail in his eye and wing. Pin

Harrison Harvest Homecoming Festival (Harrison)

This is the 40th annual Harvest Homecoming held on the town square in downtown Harrison. The festival will include live music, lots of vendors and family friendly activities.

High Cotton Festival (Scott)

You will find yourself stepping back in time at this festival which is located at the historic Scott settlement. You can tour authentic plantation buildings and watch demonstrations of old-time skills such as cooking sorghum, blacksmithing, spinning yarn, needlework, and butter making.

Children will enjoy playing heritage games such as hopscotch, jumping rope, sack races, and walking on stilts. There will also be live music and various vendors.

Arkansas State Fair (Little Rock)

The Arkansas State Fair has it all! Exciting rides on the midway, all kinds of fried foods from the concession stands, concerts and entertainment on the Main Stage, and livestock shows and competitions. You can’t miss the Arkansas State Fair!

King Biscuit Blues Festival (Helena)

The King Biscuit Blues Festival may be one of the best known nationally of the Arkansas festivals in October.

It attracts tens of thousands of people to the banks of the Mississippi River in Helena, Arkansas. This festival is held the weekend before Columbus Day each October. The purpose is to preserve the music of the Delta.

The name stems from King Biscuit Time, the longest-running daily radio show in the US..

CabotFest (Cabot)

2024 will be the 46th annual CabotFest. This festival holds a special place in the heart of the Cabot community because it was originally established in 1978 to celebrate the town’s resilience after a devastating tornado. Today, the CabotFest offers community spirit and fun for everyone.

At this festival you can groove to live music from talented artists across different genres, take a spin on the thrilling carnival rides, or explore the vibrant booths showcasing local crafts and unique finds.

  • Dates: October 10-12
  • More Information:  CabotFest

Peacemaker Music Festival (Fort Smith)

The Peacemaker Festival is a music festival hosted by music lovers, for music lovers. It is set on the banks of the Arkansas River in Downtown Fort Smith at the beautiful Riverfront Amphitheater. At this festival you will find the best Country, Rock, Blues, Red Dirt and Americana acts touring today.

Peacemaker is comprised of a volunteer led team focused on giving proceeds back to local charities, the artists’ charities, and downtown development.

  • Dates: October 11 – 12
  • More Information:  Peacemaker

Arkadelphia Festival of the Arts (Arkadelphia)

Named the Arkansas Festival and Events Association’s 2021 “Best New Festival or Event,” the Arkadelphia Festival of the Arts proudly celebrates the musical, visual, and culinary artists at its annual October festival.

Oktoberfest NWA (Rogers)

Get ready to immerse yourself in the vibrant spirit of the annual Downtown Rogers Oktoberfest NWA! This event has a German Oktoberfest theme and transforms the Railyard Park into a haven of enjoyment, with around 25 regional breweries, wine options, and even home brewers joining the festivities.

The photo shows a close up of two hands holding cold glasses of beer and clinking them together. Pin

Arkansas Rice Festival (Weiner)

This is a fun community festival that celebrates the fact that Arkansas is one of the largest producers of rice in the nation. The festival includes pageants, food and craft vendors, a rice cook-off, an old-time rice threshing demonstration, a parade, car show and so much more!

Ozark Square Gathering (Ozark)

This is the 52nd annual square gathering in downtown Ozark, Arkansas. This event is typically attended by more than three thousand spectators. There will be arts and crafts booths along with music, games, great food, and free entertainment throughout the day.

Bryant Fall Fest (Bryant)

This is the 37th Annual Fall Fest located at Bishop Park in Bryant, Arkansas. There is no cost to enter the festival. Some of the activities include a youth Fishing Derby for ages 15 and younger, a car show, entertainment, and a kids area!

Hillcrest Harvest Fest (Little Rock)

This is the 30th year for the Hillcrest Harvest fest. This great festival attracts tens of thousands of people from all around the state. It features live music at the LostForty stage, the HarvestFest Dog Show, local beer garden, kids play area, and so much more. HarvestFest has something for everybody!

Van Buren Fall Festival (Van Buren)

Experience the annual fall festival in downtown Van Buren where the streets are flooded with local merchants and vendors selling handmade crafts and other collectibles.

The NWA Arts and Crafts Fair (Bella Vista)

This festival is three days of arts, music, food, and fun. Check out the wonderful vendors, great food trucks and concessions, concerts, and a BBQ championship.

War Eagle Fair (Rogers)

This is one of the most impressive and largest crafts fairs that you will ever attend! It is considered to be one of the best crafts fairs in the country.

The War Eagle Craft Fair is held in a beautiful fall setting near the gorgeous War Eagle Mill on the banks of War Eagle Creek. There are more than 250 booths of all handcrafted products displayed by their creators.

War Eagle Mill and Bridge. There is a very old bridge across a creek. The bridge is in the photo on the left side. Across the creek on the right side is a water mill painted red with white trimmed windows. There is light green spring foliage on the trees. This site is the setting for the War Eagle Craft Fair which is one of the most important festivals in Arkansas in October. Pin

ScotsFest (Batesville)

Batesville is the oldest city in Arkansas and is host to Scotsfest which is one of America’s most popular Scottish festivals. Pipers, drummers, dancers, athletes, Scottish clans, and vendors travel from all over the country to attend this event.

A close up of a mans arm, and you can see that he is wearing a plaid - probably a kilt and has his sporran and belt. You only see a bit of all of this as it is so close. There is another person in a kilt front of him but the perspective is close and blurry. This photo is to represent the Scotsfest in Batesville, Arkansas. One of the great fall festivals in Arkansas. Pin

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (Hot Springs)

This is the 32 annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. The main hub of the festival and two of the viewing venues are at the Arlington Resort and Spa. Another venue is at the Oaklawn Event Center. A number of documentary films are shown each day of the festival.

Fallin’ Blackbird Festival (Beebe)

This festival is named for a mysterious event that took place in Beebe on New Year’s in 2010 and again in 2011 when thousands of blackbirds unexpectedly fell from the sky.

The festival provides a perfect opportunity for families and friends to come together and enjoy a day of fun, food, and live entertainment. The festival includes a 5k run, a fun run for kids, vendors, food trucks and a variety of entertainment.

Beanfest and Championship Outhouse Races (Mountain View)

This is one of the quirkiest and most fun of the Arkansas Festivals in October. In fact, I would say that it is one of my favorite festivals in the state at any time of year.

30 or 40 teams compete for the title of best beans. In fact, approximately 2,000 lbs. of pinto beans are cooked all around the square in huge iron pots. At noon a lunch of beans and cornbread is served to the hungry crowds for free. After lunch everyone gathers to watch the outhouse races!

  • Date: October 25 – 26
  • Information: Beanfest

Apple Butter Festival (Morrilton)

Celebrate the harvest season with an old fashioned apple butter cook off! These are fresh apples cooked down all day on an open fire in large copper kettles following old age traditions. After cooking to perfection the apple butter is poured into jars and will be sold on site at this event.

There will also be vendors and crafters set up with various wares. There is also pickin’ in the yard so bring your instrument and join in this event.

Downtown Fall Festival and Chili Cookoff (Russelleville)

Events, vendors, and chili cooking teams will be set up all around the blocks of downtown Russelleville. Some of the events include pumpkin decorating, best kids costume, various length runs, and of course Chili tasting!

We hope that you enjoy attending some of the amazing and unique fall festivals in Arkansas! Let us know your favorites!

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Karen and Emily

Hey y'all! Thanks for stopping by.

We are Karen and Emily, a mother and daughter duo who write this blog together. We are based in Central Arkansas but love to travel all around our beautiful home state and share our discoveries with you!

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