Family Fairs + Festivals

Visiting a county fair, festival, or carnival with your family is always a great time. The good news is there are events throughout the country all year long. But the season really ramps up at the end of summer before spilling over into fall, complete with colorful balloons, Oktoberfest celebrations, pumpkins, scarecrows, and apple cider. Here are a few of our favorites, including some where you can park your RV on-site or right outside the gates.

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is one of our favorite festivals to visit with our RV. Imagine hot-air balloons flying in the sky above your RV for hours on end for multiple days in a row. They have a large RV lot where you can camp, and the hot-air balloons may float right over your RV, depending on how the wind blows.

You can get up before sunrise to head to the hot air balloon field to watch the Dawn Patrol Show. Yes, it is hard to get up that early, especially with kids, but I promise it is worth it.

Arriving at the field in the pitch dark, you’ll watch as people begin to light up their hot-air balloons, and before you know it, you are surrounded by hundreds of glowing balloons. It is a magical thing to see. The beauty of staying on the grounds in your RV is if you don’t feel like getting up early to go to the field every day, you don’t have to. Instead, you can walk out your door with a cup of coffee and look up and around and see the hot-air balloons.

Various other events and entertainment are going on during the festival, and we recommend that you come and stay for the whole festival. Weather does play a part in when the balloons can launch, so it is good to be there the entire week so you have a lot of chances to see the balloons. The festival runs October 7–15 this year, though RV lots sell out quickly. If you’re looking to stay on-site, your best bet would be to check the website in January for reservations for the 2024 event.

Leavenworth Oktoberfest, Washington

A visit to Leavenworth, Washington, is like being in a Bavarian city in Europe. The town feels like you are in a fairytale and is the perfect place to celebrate Oktoberfest.

You will find Beer Gardens (or biergartens), music, and, of course, food! Kids are welcome here any day until 9 p.m. There is one beer garden and stage that is only 21-plus at all times.

There is an area called Kinderplatz that is all about kids and has a 62-foot-tall Ferris wheel, a bouncy obstacle course, a root beer garden, face painting, games, and more.

Oktoberfest is, of course, a lot about beer, and Leavenworth knows its beer! They feature local Leavenworth breweries and other craft beers from the area, plus some imported German beers.

The food options will match the theme with brats, German sandwiches, kraut, pretzels, handmade corn dogs, and more. If German food isn’t your jam, there are a variety of other restaurants around town that serve Italian, pub-style, Mexican, and more.

The festival runs Fridays and Saturdays, September 29–30, October 6–7, and October 13–14.

Warrens Cranberry Festival, Warrens, Wisconsin

Come check out the world’s largest cranberry festival and experience the hospitality of the community of Warrens, Wisconsin. The annual festival held the last full weekend in September, features a gigantic parade with bands, local royalty, horses, clubs, Veteran organizations, and classic cars.

You won’t want to miss the more than 100 booths serving a variety of unique foods and, of course, a ton of cranberry options, including cranberry cream puffs, deep-fried cranberry on a stick, and cranberry kettle corn. But if cranberry isn’t your thing, don’t worry; other options include cheese curds, gyros, and fry bread.

To burn off that food, walk around the three miles of shopping offered on the festival grounds or check out a cranberry marsh tour. The festival runs September 22–24 this year.

Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Ketchum, Idaho

Head to Ketchum, Idaho, for the Trailing of the Sheep Festival. The festival is held each year to help preserve the history and cultures of sheepherding in Idaho and the West.

There are cooking classes, a Folklife Fair, Sheepdog Trials, Big Sheep Parade, and Wool Fest. The famous Sheep Tales Gathering on Friday this year features TahNibaa Naataanii, a dedicated artist and advocate for traditional Navajo (Diné) weaving. Visitors can watch how she creates weavings and hand-felting techniques to produce wearable art. Be sure to stay until Sunday to see 1,500 sheep parading down the main street. The festival runs October 4–8.

Bristol Renaissance Faire, Kenosha, Wisconsin

For us, visiting the Bristol Renaissance Faire is a family tradition. We have gone almost every year since I was nine years old. We now bring our kids each year, and we all wear costumes when we visit.

The Faire is located on a permanent property that has you feeling like you are traveling into the Renaissance era the minute you walk through the entrance. There are shows you will want to attend with your kids, including the Mud Show—one of our favorites.

You will also find rides that are all hand-operated, plus rock-climbing walls and places for the kids to climb and play. Make sure to get a giant turkey leg and a massive pickle on a stick. The Faire runs July 8–September 4 on weekends and Labor Day.

State Fairs

If you really want to get to know a state and what it stands for, head to their state fair. State fairs are filled with delicious and unique food, shows, and rides to entertain the whole family. For the Northern states, look for state fairs to be during the warmer summer months. For the Southern states, they tend to be in the fall or the winter.

A lot of state fairs also offer RV camping, and many state fairgrounds have campgrounds as well. Stay for a couple of days to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the fair. The largest in the US is the State Fair of Texas, featuring livestock shows, parades, rides, delicious food, music, and fireworks. The State Fair of Texas runs from September 29–October 22 this year.

Salem Haunted Happenings, Massachusetts

What better place to celebrate Halloween than Salem, Massachusetts, known as “Witch City”?

Every year Salem hosts its Salem Haunted Happenings festival, and if you are a fan of Halloween, you don’t want to miss it. Check out one of the many haunted houses, see a psychic to learn what your future holds, go on a ghost hunt, listen to live music, visit a museum, or take a tour—there are endless seasonal activities to fill your time. The Haunted Happenings event usually begins in late September and runs throughout October, with most of the festivities scheduled for the weekends.

Swans Trail Farms Apple Festival, Washington

If you want a fun family fall festival, check out the Apple Festival in Snohomish, Washington. Go through the three-story hay maze, play in the corn box, go on a zip line, or shimmy down the dump-truck roller slide.

There are hours of fun for the whole family, including a petting farm, apple picking, delicious food, and, of course, tangy-sweet apple cider. The Apple Festival begins in mid-September. Visit the website for more details.

These are just a few of the many festivals found throughout the US. Our top tip is to do your research or ask the locals for their favorite festival—and go check it out.

Never Too Early

Naturally, the ultimate festival is Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. You may not think of Mardi Gras as a family-friendly event, but it really can be. There is generally a family section, and if you are careful where you are going and what you are doing, Mardi Gras is a great fit for all ages.

There are few places where you can experience as much delicious food, great music, and all-around revelry as Mardi Gras. It’s a bucket-list event for certain.

French Quarter RV Resort enables visitors to walk to everything you want to do during the event. Fat Tuesday in 2024 is on February 13.