October cheers and spooky fun: Your guide for this weekend!

Holy cow, what a weekend we have in store for our area, an absolutely loaded sports schedule, and the Halloween fun begins!

Get ready for a packed list of fall activities to try.

Fall activities: Oktoberfest, morgues, haunted forests

Oktoberfest begins in Leavenworth this weekend and runs for the next three weekends. While you might know the area for the holidays, you won’t want to miss this party that features all your favorite Oktoberfest activities with the perfect backdrop of the Bavarian-themed town.

Oktoberfest Northwest will be in Puyallup this weekend, celebrating 20 years of the event, including the signature dachshund races on Sunday. Oktoberfest Northwest is taking place at the Washington State Fairgrounds

Lots of month-long Halloween celebrations begin this weekend. Some examples include The Haunted Woods at Maris Farms in Buckley, the Haunted Forest of Maple Valley at Royal Arch Park, Stalker Farms at Stocker Farms in Snohomish, the Georgetown Morgue, Booville and Fright Fest at Wild Waves, and plenty more.

If you have a furry friend with a great costume, there is a Halloween Pet Parade at Volunteer Park on Sunday. There will be prizes, live music, food trucks, and more, so dress your pet in their best costume.

Salmon are the stars at the 2025 Issaquah Salmon Days. This is a celebration of all things salmon as they work their way back to the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. You can watch the salmon, check out the street fair and parade, have the kids check out the field of fun, and plenty more. The event is free to attend.

Celebrate the harvest at Piper’s Orchard in Carkeek Park this weekend. According to their website, Piper’s Orchard is the oldest Orchard in the Seattle area, and this event will include singing and dancing, fresh cider, community celebrations, and of course, apples, lots and lots of apples. The festival is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Festivals to try

CroatiaFest heads to the Seattle Center this weekend for a day full of fun at the Armory Food and Event Hall. Just like the other Festál events, this is all about learning about the culture and people of Croatia through music, dance, and food. There will also be displays highlighting the story of the Croatian American Immigration experience. This free event is Sunday.

There are two events being put on for the kids this weekend. The Fife Harvest Festival has everything your kids need for a day full of fun, including bouncy houses, carnival games, face painting, a petting zoo, and a kids’ tractor maze. There will also be live music and food, plus a beer garden for the parents out there. Vendors will be out as well, and while supplies last, there will be free corn on the cob. The Fife Harvest Festival is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It’s Children’s Day in Lacey, and they are bringing the world of video games to life with this year’s theme. According to the event’s website, there will be an obstacle course, a dance dome, a wrecking ball, and a jousting ring. Not to mention other free activities and even a kids’ market where youngsters will be showing off their entrepreneurial spirit. Children’s Day is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Huntamer Park.

A packed sports weekend

And of course, downtown Seattle is going to be a sports fan’s dream this weekend with playoff baseball for the Mariners, the Seahawks taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

The Sounders have a home match against the Portland Timbers on Saturday.

Do you have a favorite haunted house or haunted attraction in the region? Let me know at paulh@kiroradio.com.

Read more of Paul Holden’s stories here.