LIFESTYLE

Ghost tour, pumpkin chucking, free music and more: Your guide to fall fun this weekend in the Seattle area

Oct 16, 2026, 5:00 AM

pumpkin music...

A wooden crate overflows with bright orange pumpkins in a grassy field. (Photo: olca81 via Envato)

(Photo: olca81 via Envato)

The colors are changing, Halloween is getting closer, and we’ve got another weekend full of things to do, rain or shine!

Ghost tours, pumpkin chucking and free fall festivals

Learn about the haunted history of Capitol Hill during the Capitol Hill Historical Ghost Tour. This tour runs every Saturday during October, starting in front of Elliott Bay Book Company, and will take you through the neighborhood on a roughly one-hour walking tour. There will be dozens of stops and stories, and you’ll even take a step inside Seattle’s most haunted building, the Oddfellows building. The tour is from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and is for ages 8 and up. Pets are allowed, and a $5 donation is encouraged. If you are taking a group, be sure to email ahead to seattlemysterymuseum@gmail.com.

There’s a free, family-friendly fall celebration going on at Fort Steilacoom Park on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Truck and Tractor Day will have pumpkin decorating, crafts and games, hayrides, giant trucks and tractors to check out and climb on, and arguably the biggest highlight of all? A giant slingshot for pumpkin chucking.

Sunday in West Seattle at the Fauntleroy YMCA, the Fauntleroy Fall Festival returns for a perfect free event for you and the family. At the festival, you’ll find a petting zoo, a pie-eating contest, pumpkin decorating, birdhouse building, bouncy houses, and so much more. There will also be live entertainment and vendors to shop from as well. The Fauntleroy Fall Festival is Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Live music, glass art and vinyl treasures

As you may have heard on “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio this week, Benaroya Hall is putting on an Open House showing off all the new renovations of the building, and to celebrate the makeover, there will be an all-day festival. This event will be free and includes a variety of live performances, including members of The Head and the Heart, panels like the video game composer panel, hands-on activities for you and the kids, and even flash tattoos. The Benaroya Hall Open House is Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If you are interested in the world of glassblowing, there is a variety of events happening at a few venues across the region during Refract. Some of these events, like live glassblowing, galleries, and the opening night film festival, are free to attend! Refractseattle.org has the full list of venues, events, and information that you need in order to have a very artsy weekend.

The Northwest Record Show returns to the Seattle Armory this weekend. On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be over 50 tables loaded with vinyl, CDs, and all sorts of other music-related collectibles for sale. For the music fans in your life, this will be the perfect way to spend a Seahawks-free Sunday going through all the crates, finding your next favorite album.

Diwali festivities and model train displays

Saturday at the Seattle Asian Art Museum is the Diwali Family Festival. This celebration of the Festival of Lights will be complete with galleries, live storytelling, music and dancing, henna, and tasty bites from Spice Waala. The Diwali Community celebration is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The volunteers from the Maple Valley Model Train Show reached out to remind me that this weekend is the 28th edition of the show. There will be impressive displays, like a model village or trains made entirely of LEGOs. You can wander the space and enjoy the displays at your own pace and even see some trains from the past. The Maple Valley Model Train Show is Saturday and Sunday at the Gracie Hansen Community Center.

How are you celebrating spooky season? Let me know at paulh@kiroradio.com.

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