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12 fall festivals you can't miss in Philly

With the onset of autumn, Philly heads into a thriving fall festival season, inviting you to enjoy the sights, tastes, and traditions of the season to their fullest.

Jamison Walsh, 5, of Port Carbon, Pa., casts a spell in Chestnut Hill at a Harry Potter festival.
Jamison Walsh, 5, of Port Carbon, Pa., casts a spell in Chestnut Hill at a Harry Potter festival.Read more

With the onset of autumn, Philly heads into a thriving fall festival season, inviting you to enjoy the sights, tastes, and traditions of the season to their fullest.

Read on for a full list of all the top Philly festival experiences to partake in this fall.

» READ MORE: Kennett Square Mushroom Festival

Whether you're more of a cremini or shiitake person, the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival is a paradise for every kind of mushroom-lover. Held in the "Mushroom Capital of the World," the annual fest invites you to sample creations of all sorts - including pumpkin-mushroom ice cream and other unusual, highly creative treats. Aside from mushroom munching, enjoy an array of entertainment, like an old-school carnival, antique and classic car show, and more, happening all weekend long.

6-10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Saturday; 8:30 a.m. Sunday, 101 S. Union St., Kennett Square; 610-925-3373.

» READ MORE: Doylestown Arts Festival

Celebrating its 25th year, the Doylestown Arts Festival brings 160 juried artists to Bucks County for a two-day celebration. Score a new necklace, ceramic mug, reclaimed wooden furnishing, or other handcrafted piece, while also enjoying tunes from live bands set to play across five different stages.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, South Main and East State Streets.

» READ MORE: Brews by the Bay

Get two beer festivals in one, hosted by the Delaware Brewers Guild and the Garden State Craft Brewers Guild. Start in New Jersey in the early afternoon and then hop the ferry for a hoppy Delaware experience (don't worry, the ferry will take you back). Food trucks and live music will be on both sides. Dogs and kids are welcome.

11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (New Jersey); 4-8 p.m. (Delaware) Saturday; New Jersey: 1200 Sandman Blvd. North Cape May; Delaware: Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes; $70 (full experience), $40 (New Jersey or Delaware only)

» READ MORE: Linvilla Orchards' Pumpkinland Festival

Pick out a pumpkin to take home and get inspiration from the fest's jack-o'-lantern exhibit. Before heading home to get carving, take the kiddos on a hayride, train ride, or pony ride, or wander through the straw bale and cornfield mazes that the festival features this year.

8 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday through Nov. 6, 598 Linvill Rd., Media.

» READ MORE: GreenFest Philly

Want to transform your house into a more sustainable environment? Learn how to live a little greener from 150-plus vendors at GreenFest Philly, the largest environmental festival in the area.

10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, Second and South Streets.

» READ MORE: rauhaus Schmitz

Put on your lederhosen and get ready to raise your pint glass at your choice of two Oktoberfests going down on Sept. 17. Brauhaus Schmitz brings a lively party to the 700 block of South Street while Frankford Hall and Fette Sau team up to host a German-style celebration in Fishtown. Expect lots of German beer and fare at both locations.

Sept. 17, Brauhaus Schmitz, 718 South St.; Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Ave. 

» READ MORE: Manayunk Streat Food Festival

More than 50 of the city's top food trucks roll onto a closed-off section of Main Street each spring and fall. The theme this time around is "apple," so you know what to expect on each truck's menu. Manayunk restaurants join in on the fun, too, before gearing up for the two-week-long Manayunk Restaurant Week that follows the festival.

11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 18, Main Street from Green Lane to Shurs Lane, 215-482-9565.

» READ MORE: Midtown Village Fall Festival

One of Philly's largest annual street festivals, the Midtown Village Fall Festival brings more than 50,000 people to 13th Street each year. Fill up on tasty eats and drinks, listen to live music, and shop from local vendors and businesses during the eight-hour, multi-block party.

Noon-8 p.m. Oct. 1, Chestnut Street from Broad to 12th Street and surrounding streets

» READ MORE: RiverCity Festival

The Fishtown-focused fest returns for its ninth year with food, beer and bands. Fitness buffs can start out with a 5K and try out the rock wall, while the kids can get their jump on at the moonbounce. Jam out to the WXPN-curated acts including Creepoid, Amanda X, Creem Circus, Ben Arnold, Deb Callahan and TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb. Grab a brew at the beer garden, including pours from Philadelphia Brewing Company, Second Story Brewing, Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company, Philly Homebrew with Evil Genius Brewing and St. Benjamin's Brewing's special RiverCity Ale.

Noon-6 p.m. Oct. 8, Penn Treaty Park, 1301 N Beach St., 267-702-4690

» READ MORE: Outfest

Right in the center of Philly's Gayborhood is the largest National Coming Out Day event in the world. The 12-block party promises drag shows, curated bar crawls, live music, dance parties, and other colorful entertainment.

Noon-6 p.m. Oct. 9, 12th and 13th Streets between Walnut and Spruce, 215-875-9288.

» READ MORE: Harry Potter Festival

Calling all muggles, the Harry Potter Festival invites you to enter Chestnut Hill's make-believe land of Hogsmeade where you can live out your wizardry dreams. Meet Harry Potter and his friends, drink down a Butter Beer, catch a live game of quidditch, and more at this magical, two-day event. The ever popular pub crawl always sells out so make sure you snap up tickets for the Oct. 21 event when they go on sale Sept. 28.

Oct. 21-22, Germantown and Willow Grove Avenues, 215-247-6696.

» READ MORE: Apple Festival at Peddler's Village

Does anything scream fall more than a warm apple pie, fresh from the oven? Pick up a bushel of orchard-picked apples from the Apple Festival at Peddler's Village and bake your own, or enter the apple-pie-eating contest and savor other sweet treats right at the fest.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 5-6, Peddler's Village, 41 Peddler's Village Road, Lahaska, 215-794-4000.