Fall Events Guide: Fall into fun with 70-plus Pittsburgh events for families

The fall season opens with family-focused events guaranteed to keep kids active and engaged. Explore more than 70 events, with options for everyone. From active or artsy to science-minded or outdoor-oriented, Pittsburgh families have it all this season.

Through Sept. 29: Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival, West Newton. Operating on weekends, the festival transports visitors to a 16th-century amusement park, filled with medieval thrill rides, nine stages of mirthful entertainment, plus a jousting. Tickets at the box office are $25 for grownups, $12 for ages 5-12 years, free for those younger than 5. A discount is offered with online ticket sales.

Through Oct. 5: RAD Days, multiple locations. RAD Days opens up dozens of Allegheny County’s regional assets for all to appreciate with more than 60 free events and experiences funded by the Allegheny Regional Asset District. Browse the complete schedule here.

Through Oct. 27: Fall Festival, Soergel Orchards. Apple picking, pumpkin picking and kids activities are part of the festival running weekends. Admission is free with individual pricing for activities, including $4 for tractor rides.

Through December: Forests, National Aviary. The aviary’s autumn seasonal theme explores how forests provide essential resources for the creatures that live there. Little visitors will love the Storybook Forest play space, where they can build a log cabin, direct a play at the puppet theater, and explore colors and textures at the sensory table. Tickets are $19.95 for grown-ups, $17.95 for seniors, $16.95 for kids, free for those younger than 2.

Through Jan. 5: Spontaneous Order – the Rhythm of Fireflies, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. This immersive installation is a tribute to the marvel of watching fireflies in nature. Included with museum admission. (Get details here about CMP’s new schedule.)

Through Jan. 5: The Science Behind Pixar, Kamin Science Center. This interactive exhibit delves into the creative process and STEM skills – science, technology, engineering and math – required to produce Pixar features. More than 50 interactive and hands-on displays fill 1,200 square feet on two stories. Timed tickets are separate from Science Center admission priced at $22 for grownups, $20 for seniors and $18 for kids.

Through Feb. 28: Tough Art 2024, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Explore the new interactive exhibits created this summer by Tough Art resident artists. Included with museum admission.

Sept. 14-Oct. 27: HalloBoo!, Idlewild Park. Come in costume to trick-or-treat through Story Book Forest, hop on your favorite rides, and enjoy special seasonal entertainment. Admission starts at $24.99.

Sept. 20-Oct. 27: Phantom Fall Fest, Kennywood Park. Family Halloween fun is programmed during the day on Saturdays and Sundays with more than 30 rides and attractions in operation. Costumes are encouraged. (Note: The daytime is geared toward kids. Grownup frights begin at 6 p.m.) Admission starts at $29.99.

Sept. 20-May 9: Carnegie Lab Drop-In, Carnegie Museum of Art. Join art educators in the Art Studio every Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for art-making and sensory activities inspired by museum exhibitions. Free with museum admission. No registration required.

Sept. 21: International Red Panda Day, Pittsburgh Zoo. Explore bio facts at the red panda habitat, stay for story time at the Safari Amphitheater, plus enjoy a meet and greet with Ruby the red panda mascot. Activities are included with zoo admission.

Sept. 21: Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival, Mellon Park. Enjoy musical acts, dance performances, games and Asian cuisine. Admission is free.

Sept. 21 and 28: Hay Day Festivals, Hartwood Acres and South Park. Kids can join the fun from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Hartwood Acres and Sept. 28 at South Park. Zip down giant inflatable slides, jump in a bounce house and take a hayride. Expect puppet shows, a petting zoo and balloon artists, along with games, giveaways and hands-on activities. Free with no registration required.

Sept. 21: Aesthetic Athletics, Carnegie Museum of Art. A screening of 14 short films and time-based works span nearly a century of sports media. Admission is $10, or just $8 for students.

Sept. 21, 22, 29: Decomposers, Allegheny County Parks. Join Allegheny County Park Rangers as you learn how nature reuses living things after they die. The all-ages sessions are planned for Boyce Park on Sept. 21, Settlers Cabin Park on Sept. 22 and South Park on Sept. 29. Expect a hike that covers about 2 miles. Registration is free.

Sept. 22: Beats and Bounce Fall Festival, Highmark Stadium. Trax Farm and All About Fun team together with family activities like obstacle courses and bounce houses while Totally 80’s and No Bad JuJu provide the music. Tickets start at $19.

Sept. 22-Nov. 24: Mr. Messado’s Magic School for the Young and Young at Heart, Liberty Magic. This 60-minute spectacular is happening on Sunday afternoons. It features a combination of stunning magic and clean comedy, and is full of interactive wonder.  (Check out our podcast interview with Mr. Messado right here.) Tickets are $24.75-$39.75.

Sept. 26-Oct. 13: “Little Women,” Little Lake Theatre. Introduce a new generation to the March sisters as they work through the same challenges of sisterly squabbles, social awkwardness, romance and peer pressure that today’s families face. Tickets are $25 for grown-ups, $15 for ages 18 and younger.

Sept. 28: Hello Kitty Café Truck, Ross Park Mall. Hello Kitty will be offering super cute treats and merchandise while supplies last. Get the details here.

Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 16: Skywatch, Kamin Science Center. Discover the mysteries that twinkle just beyond our reach with one-on-one discussions with our astronomy experts. Admission is $12.

Sept. 28: American Indian Heritage Weekend, Meadowcroft Shelter and Historic Village. Learn about American Indian culture by talking with the visiting members of our region’s historic tribes and viewing live demonstrations on cooking, hunting, trapping and crafting. Activities free with regular admission. Advance tickets are recommended.

Sept. 28: Fall Harvest Fest, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Explore the garden, make art and learn about gardening and composting. Bring soil samples from your home garden to ACCD’s Soil Lead Screening Pop-up to be analyzed for lead via XRF and receive results the same day. Included with museum admission.

Sept. 28: Dollar Bank Junior Great Race, Point State Park. Families gather to race or cheer on participants in three events: Ages 5-12 can race with their parents at the Family Fun Run. The Tot Trot is designed for ages 4 and younger who can run or walk down the 50-yard raceway. The littlest crawling racers compete on cushioned mats in the Diaper Dash. Upon completion, kids will receive a T-shirt and medallion. Registration is $10.

Sept. 29, Oct. 13, Nov. 9: Millie’s Truck Pgh Pink Party Cruise, Gateway Clipper. Indulge in Millie’s Ice Cream, have fun at the photo booth, dance and sing karaoke while cruising the three rivers. Tickets are $35, $30 for ages 2-12, $5 for infants.

Oct. 2: Gold Over America Tour, PPG Paints Arena. Simone Biles and America’s best gymnasts will deliver an exhilarating display of jaw-dropping athletic brilliance and high-energy choreography. Tickets are $35-$175.

Oct. 3-Nov. 3: Jack O’Lantern Extravaganza, Pittsburgh Zoo. This family-friendly event is the perfect combination of nighttime fun, the spirit of autumn, and artistry with thousands of intricately carved pumpkins. Tickets start at $18.

Oct. 5: Festival of Combustion, Carrie Blast Furnaces. This celebration of industrial arts and American crafts includes demonstrations by blacksmiths, glassblowers, welders and metal fabricators, plus all-ages hands-on activities. Admission is $20, free for ages 18 and younger.

Oct. 5: Treasured Ornament Discovery Day, The Frick Pittsburgh. All ages can create art inspired by the current exhibit “Treasured Ornament: 10 Centuries of Islamic Art.” No registration is required for the free art-making event.

Oct. 5: Story Saturday: “Craft Roach,” Carnegie Museum of Art. Kids ages 12 and younger will enjoy story time with Alyssa Velazquez reading “Craft Roach” by Rachel Burke, followed by a making activity. Registration is free with museum admission.

Oct. 5-27: Fall Flower Show: Rhythm and Blues, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Each flower-filled room will be inspired by a different genre of music, from rock and roll to classical, jazz and hip hop. Opening the same day, “Garden Railroad: Movie Magic” will be a miniature movie lot where movie scenes come to life with pirates, zombies and the ferocious “Phippzilla.” Admission is $21.95, $19.95 for seniors and students, $13.95 for ages 2-18, free for those younger than 2.

Oct. 6: Walk in Penn Woods, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village. Travel through time on a hike in the footsteps of our hunter-gatherer predecessors. Learn about the flora and fauna that prehistoric people used as a source for food and materials needed to survive. Free with regular admission.

Oct. 11: Blippi: Join the Band Tour, Byham Theater. Blippi will be joined onstage by Meekah, their singing and dancing buddies and LIVE musicians to explore what makes music, including sounds, rhythms and instruments. Tickets are $55.50-$71.

Oct. 11-20: “Rumpelstiltskin Private Eye,” South Park Theater. When Fairytale Land is hit by a crime wave, Detective Rumpelstiltskin and his wise-cracking partner Ugly Duckling are called in to solve the case. Tickets are $10, $6 for students.

Oct. 12: Park ‘Til Dark, North Park Lodge. Join the fun from sun up to sun down in free, family-friendly activities outdoors throughout the day. Registration is free. Pour at the Park begins at 5:30 p.m. with drink tastings and food tastings. Tickets required.

Oct.12, 19, 20, 26, 27: Campfire Ghost Stories, Allegheny County Parks. Fall nights and spooky season set the scene for family-friendly ghost stories and songs by the glow of a roaring campfire. Halloween costumes are encouraged. No registration required.

Oct. 17: Disney Jr. Live on Tour: Let’s Play, Benedum Center. Mickey is getting ready for the biggest playdate ever at the Clubhouse with all his favorite pals, but mysterious weather keeps interrupting the fun. Tickets are $46-$195.25.

Oct. 18-19: Stomp, Benedum Center. Stomp’s eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. Tickets are $44-$119.

Oct. 18, 19, 25, 26: “Halloweentown,” Allegheny County Parks. Halloween Family Movie Month begins at dusk at four area parks. Bring your own drinks and snacks along with chairs or blankets. Admission is free.

Oct. 19: Archeology Day, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village. Archaeologists from the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology will present lectures and identify your artifacts, accompanied by demonstrations on prehistoric technology. Free with regular admission.

Oct. 19: “Coco” Cereal Cinema, Row House Lawrenceville. The whole family can enjoy a cereal bar breakfast along with the screening of this seasonal favorite film. Tickets are $17.50.

Oct. 19: Punkin Chunkin, Hartwood Acres. This annual event launches pumpkins across the field with a full-size trebuchet. Family activities include crafts and games, face painting, balloon art and Medieval sword fighting. Admission is free.

Oct. 19: Haunted Trail at Camp Guyasuta, Sharpsburg. Gather around a bonfire, stroll the haunted trail and hop on a hayride. Advance tickets start at $15.

Oct. 19-20: Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkin Festival, Strip District. Enormous pumpkins are the stars of this festival that includes a costumed fun run, horsedrawn carriages, pumpkin eating contests and smashing pumpkin drops. Admission is free. Find details here.

Oct. 19-27: Zoo Boo, Pittsburgh Zoo. Enjoy daytime trick-or-treat throughout the zoo, work on fun crafts and meet some favorite costumed characters. Activities included in zoo admission.

Oct. 24-27: Disney on Ice Presents “Frozen” and “Encanto,” PPG Paints Arena. Two of Disney’s favorite movies take to the ice in a spectacular show. Tickets are $28-$110.

Oct. 25: Halloween Happenings, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Little ghosts and goblins can come to the conservatory in costume for a day of festive activities. Free with regular admission.

Oct. 25: Sensory-Friendly Tours at the Miniature Railroad, Kamin Science Center. Personalized tours free of crowds and loud noises are designed for kids with sensory sensitivities. Admission is $10.

Oct. 26: Super Science Saturday: Booseum Trick or Treat, Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Costumed kids will investigate seasonal specimens, including jumping spiders, hairy tarantulas and the famous crystal skull. Follow a scavenger hunt through the museum’s haunted halls to earn a goodie bag of treats. Advance registration is free with museum admission.

Oct. 26: Halloween Fun Cruise, Gateway Clipper Fleet. The 2-hour cruise includes a DJ dance party, Halloween-themed interactive characters and activities. Tickets are $35, $30 for ages 1-12 years.

Oct. 26: Taffy Pull & Fall Celebration, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village. Visitors will enjoy cooking demonstrations in the Hamilton Log House, cornhusk crafting in the 18th-century frontier area, and atlatl throwing in the Monongahela Indian Village. Taffy Pulling is an additional $5 over regular admission. Advance registration is recommended.

Oct. 26-27: Trunk-or-Treat, Allegheny County Park. Dress in costume and trick-or-treat from car cruisers, who will pass out candy and treats to kids. Trunk-or-Treat runs from 2-4 p.m. on Oct. 26 in South Park and Oct. 27 at Hartwood Acres. Admission is free.

Oct. 26-27: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” in Concert, Heinz Hall. Audiences can rediscover the magic of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” while a live symphony orchestra performs Nicholas Hooper’s unforgettable score. The film will show on the big screen in high-definition. Tickets are $35-$120.

Oct. 27: Halloween Hunt, Kamin Science Center. Go on a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt throughout the Science Center and participate in hands-on activities and games. Included with general admission.

Oct. 27: Classis Monster Movie Marathon, Row House Lawrenceville. Bigger kids will love this all-day marathon of retro monster movies including “The Creature from the Black Lagoon,” “Bride of Frankenstein” and “The Wolfman.” Tickets are $36.

Oct. 27: Sensory Friendly Trick or Treat, Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Kids in costume can listen to stories around our pretend campfire, meet a scaly live animal ambassador, and trick or treat. The evening event will have reduced audio/visual elements plus calming spaces with support materials. Admission is $16, $12 for students.

Oct. 29-Nov. 3: “& Juliet,” Benedum Center. This hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told. “& Juliet” asks: What would happen if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? Tickets are $44-$150.

Nov. 1: Pittsburgh Halloween Festival, South Park Fairgrounds. This vegan-based festival includes all-ages activities like a Halloween costume contest for kids, adults and dogs, plus lawn games, haunted scenes and food trucks. Admission is free.

Nov. 1-10: “Great Expectations,” New Hazlett Theater for the Performing Arts. Prime Stage Theatre Company brings Charles Dickens’ classic rags-to-riches tale to life in an imaginative adaptation. Tickets are $19-$39. Pay-what-you-wish tickets on Nov. 1 from $5. Details here.

Nov. 8-10: Pittsburgh Pet Expo, David Lawrence Convention Center. Check pet-related activities such as grooming competitions, dog competitions and trick shows, reptile exhibits and adoption opportunities. Admission is $12, $10 for seniors and military, $6 for ages 6-16, free for ages 5 and younger. Friday night is half-price.

Nov. 9: Story Saturdays: “Ray,” Carnegie Museum of Art. Kids ages 12 and younger will enjoy story time with Alyssa Velazquez reading “Ray” by Marianna Coppo, followed by a creative making activity. Registration is free with museum admission.

Nov. 9: Fiddlesticks: Nature’s Soundtrack, Heinz Hall. Fiddlesticks concerts introduce kids to the wondrous world of orchestral music. Tickets are $19-$31.

Nov. 15-24: “The Nutcracker,” South Park Theater. By adding splendid lyrics to Tchaikovsky’s famous score, this unique version of “The Nutcracker” tells the story of the ballet and all its magic and fantasy in a new way. Tickets are $10, $6 for students.

Nov. 19-Dec. 1: “MJ the Musical,” Benedum Center. “MJ” goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of Michael Jackson, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Jackson’s career. Tickets are $49-$199.

Nov. 22-24: “Home Alone” in Concert, Heinz Hall. Watch this seasonal favorite on the big screen while a symphony orchestra plays the soundtrack live. Tickets are $35-$120.

Nov. 29: A Very Electric Christmas, Byham Theater. All ages will treasure this magical and captivating tale of family, friendship and hope set to timeless holiday hits. Tickets are $46.50-$76.50.

Nov. 29-Dec. 8: “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Little Lake Theatre Company. A small town is about to put on its annual Christmas pageant, but everything is about to change when the unruly Herdman children – the meanest kids in town – decide to take over the pageant. Best for ages 6 and older. Tickets are $25, $15 for ages 18 and younger.

Dec. 7: Story Saturday: “Me and the Boss,” Carnegie Museum of Art. Kids will enjoy a story time with Alyssa Velazquez reading “Me and the Boss: A Story About Mending and Love” by Michelle Edwards and illustrated by April Harrison, followed by a making activity. Best for kids ages 12 and younger. Registration is free with museum admission.

Dec. 7-8: Brick Fest Live, David Lawrence Convention Center. See life-size models made from tens of thousands of bricks. Enjoy hands-on activities and attractions. Meet contestants from the LEGO Masters TV show. Tickets are $16.99-$29.99. Ages 2 and younger are free.

Dec. 13-21: “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol,” Little Lake Theatre Company. To escape his fate, Marley must first redeem Scrooge and eventually open his own heart in this irreverent, funny and moving story. Best for ages 10 and older. Tickets are $25, $15 for ages 18 and younger.

Dec. 17: The Hip Hop Nutcracker, Benedum Center. This contemporary dance spectacle is a re-mixed and re-imagined version of the classic, smashing hip hop dance and Tchaikovsky’s timeless music. Tickets are $20-$85.