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22 Best Things To Do in Westchester and the Hudson Valley with Kids September 2024

Book your tickets now if you want to see the annual spectacle that is The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor. Photo by the author
Book your tickets now if you want to see the annual spectacle that is The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor. Photo by the author
8/30/24 - By Katherine Dhurandhar

Labor Day kicks off September activities, launching Westchester and the Hudson Valley's season of apple picking, fall festivals, pumpkin patches, and corn mazes.

The start of fall festivities includes the Armonk Cider & Donut Festival and the Port Jervis Fall Foliage Festival. To get in the Halloween spirit early, check out the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, which features more than 7,000 hand-carved and lit-up pumpkins. Dino-loving kids can dig for fossils all month long at the Dino Dig at Greenburgh Nature Center.

Find more top September fun in our Westchester & Hudson Valley Fall Fun Guide. 

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Top Things To Do in Westchester and the Hudson Valley with Kids in September

Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival in Tymore Park

Union Vale
Friday, August 30-Sunday, September 1, 2024
Plan your next photo-op as some 75 hot-air balloons paint the sky in a rainbow of colors—or schedule a tethered or full flight of your own. Fireworks, helicopter rides, live music, food trucks, and family activities add to the fun at Tymore Park. READ MORE

Hudson River Arts & Crafts Festival at Senasqua Park

Croton on Hudson–FREE
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Join your friends on the river this Labor Day weekend at Croton's huge outdoor fall festival. This year, Baked by Susan shares delicious empanadas, sweets, beer, wine, and cider, and there is a booth for kids to make a personalized, sparkly, beaded bracelet. READ MORE

Bluegrass, Beer, & BBQ Festival at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard

North Salem
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Harvest Moon Farm & Orchards presents its first-ever Bluegrass, Beer, & BBQ event. Enjoy live music, food trucks, and local craft beer & hard cider.   READ MORE

Dino Dig at Greenburgh Nature Center

Scarsdale
Opens Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Is your child dino crazy? Let them try their hand at archaeology and learn more about different types of dinosaur fossils in Greenburgh Nature Center's archaeological site. READ MORE

Yorktown Grange Fair

Yorktown
Friday, September 6-Sunday, September 8, 2024
This fair, which is in its 100th year, features rides, games, food, live bands, circus performers, livestock competitions, animal showmanship, and fun contests like bubble gum blowing and watermelon throwing.  READ MORE

Germania Oktoberfest

Poughkeepsie
Friday, September 6-Sunday, September 8, 2024
Germania of Poughkeepsie presents this family-friendly event, featuring live German bands, Germania singers, German food, Bavarian dancers, vendors, and traditional beers for the adults. Children can enjoy games, contests, face painting, prizes, magic, and other activities. READ MORE

Butterfly Day at Hudson Highlands Nature Museum

Cornwall
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Kids can get up close and personal with butterflies at this special event at the Hudson Highland Nature Center. Visit the butterfly tent; participate in a butterfly release; hear presentations about butterflies, moths, and caterpillars; and stop by the Grasshopper Grove playground.  READ MORE

Hudson Valley Craft Beverage Festival at Twin Star Orchards

New Paltz
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Twin Star Orchards will be hosting 25+ producers of cider, wine, beer, spirits, mead, hard seltzer, kombucha, and cocktails. Enjoy tastings and support small-batch producers by shopping directly from the makers with live music all day. The orchard is family- and pet-friendly with more than 200 acres of outdoor space. Wood-fired pizzas, burgers, barbecue, and soft drinks are available for purchase.  READ MORE

White Plains JazzFest

White Plains (some FREE)
Wednesday, September 11-Sunday, September 15, 2024
This 4-day event features numerous performances sprinkled across diverse venues (both indoors and outdoors), including Grace Church, the library plaza, Court Street, and others. Many of the performances are FREE.  READ MORE

Holy Trinity Greek Festival

New Rochelle
Thursday, September 12-Sunday, September 15, 2024
Expect traditional carnival features—rides, games, food—but with a strong presence of Greek influence: gyros, baklava, live Greek music, Greek dancing, and more. A flea market is also on the agenda. Opa!   READ MORE

Phoenix Festival - Live Arts in Nyack

Nyack
Open Thursday, September 12, 2024
This performing arts celebration runs for 10 days in the fall. The performances are held outdoors in Nyack against the backdrop of majestic Hudson River vistas. Programs include free live performances by Shakespeare in the Parking Lot and Nomad Theatricals. READ MORE

The Great Jack-o'-Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor

Croton-on-Hudson
Opens Friday, September 13, 2024
This renowned walk-through Halloween experience features more than 7,000 hand-carved, illuminated jack-o'-lanterns forming assorted impressive displays, with lighting and music enhancements. New for 2024, celebrate the Blaze's 20th year with a giant birthday cake and Celebration Arch, check out the Gourd & Goblet Tavern, a new VIP experience on the pumpkin trail, and spot the giant Kraken rising from the Croton River. READ MORE

Family Campout at Hudson Highlands Nature Museum

Cornwall
Friday, September 13-Saturday, September 14, 2024
Bring your whole family for a night under the stars at the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum. Enjoy campfire stories, make s'mores, and if interested go for a night walk and call for owls. Enjoy a light breakfast and coffee before decamping. Help pitching tents is available. READ MORE

Mount Kisco SeptemberFest

Mount Kisco
Friday, September 13-Sunday, September 15, 2024
Mount Kisco's annual 3-day block party features a full-size carnival with rides and amusements in addition to shopping, entertainment, live music, and food. Bring a donation for the food drive and celebrate hometown heroes. Times and fees vary. READ MORE

Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst

Tarrytown
Friday, September 13-Sunday, September 15, 2024
Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst features handmade and uncommon items from 200 makers you can't find anywhere else in the county. Plus, enjoy gourmet specialties, tastings from local distilleries (new for this year: a beer truck), craft demos like wheel-thrown pottery, and family activities such as interactive puppet theater, face painting, and storytelling. READ MORE

Yonkers Riverfest

Yonkers–FREE
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Riverfest is the largest one-day festival in Westchester County and takes place at the Yonkers Riverfront Downtown. Enjoy inspired performances from jazz and soul to hip-hop, rock, and more, plus food, vendors, arts & crafts, rides and slides, face painting, and more. READ MORE

Armonk Cider & Donut Festival and 5K Run

Armonk–FREE admission
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Enjoy a variety of activities for families and, of course, doughnuts and cider. A pie-eating contest, doughnut fishing, live music, carnival rides, kids' races, a 5K, face painting, bouncy houses, and more are featured. READ MORE

Cornwall Fall Festival

Cornwall
Sunday, September 22, 2024
The 51st annual fall festival returns to downtown Cornwall. Main Street is closed down and filled with vendors, food, and entertainment.  READ MORE

Port Jervis Fall Foliage Festival

Port Jervis–FREE
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Get ready for family fun at this annual street fair in downtown Port Jervis, with more than 100 vendors, live entertainment, a petting zoo, and more. READ MORE

Town of Walden's Annual Harvest Fest

Walden–FREE
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Get ready for old-fashioned fun at this annual fall festival. Attractions include bouncy houses, a petting zoo, and a frog jumping contest. Live music, food trucks, and vendors add to the fun.  READ MORE

Hudson Valley Irish Fest

Peekskill–FREE
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Celebrate all things Irish with the Hudson River as a backdrop. Included are Irish step dancing, bands, crafts, food, and designs. A children's play area features 18th-century toys and games. A spoken-word tent and beer garden for adults enhance the day. READ MORE

Run Wild Family Forest Run and Obstacle Course

Scarsdale
Saturday, September 28-Sunday, September 29, 2024
Run Wild is a kids' forest run and obstacle course where kids can enjoy some friendly competition while getting active out in nature. From climbing walls and balance beams to rope challenges and belly crawls, get ready to unleash your inner wild side at the Greenburgh Nature Center! READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Yonkers Downtown Waterfront
Riverfront Green Park - Peekskill