Fall Activities

Fall is a great time of the year to experience Bellingham and Whatcom County, with all the vibrant colors, unique activities and fun events you will truly enjoy.

There are many reasons why we love fall in Whatcom County. It is a perfect time of year to take a scenic drive, go hiking or biking, consider the lifecycle of a salmon on the Bellingham Traverse, or take in some of the local art with theaters & music and museums & galleries.

Want more ideas? Check out our event calendar or annual events for a monthly list of events during the fall season.

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Fall Food

September is Eat Local Month in Bellingham and Whatcom County. Stop by and celebrate local farms, markets restaurants, and seafood that is harvested throughout the area.

Kick off Eat Local Month with the Farm Fun Hootenanny at Boundary Bay Brewery. Local food, live music from the Sky Colony Band, a tractor photo booth, square dancing, beer, and the annual Farmer Awards make this a fun and family-friendly event. All of the proceeds benefit the Community Food Co-op’s Farm Fund.

The second week of September is the annual Whatcom Farm Tour Weekend. Over 10 different local farms will swing open their gates and welcome the community to see, taste, feel and learn hands-on what goes into local food production. A variety of products will be featured, including vegetables, beef, eggs and poultry, flowers, dairy, orchards, a farmhouse brewery and yak. Learn about these unique farms and the passion and care that goes into producing local food.

In addition, 18 restaurants will be running Eat Local Month specials for the entire month in Bellingham and Whatcom. Look for the Eat Local First fork on menus to find $6 and $12 dishes filled with ingredients from local farms at spots like Aslan Brewery, Bellingham Beer Garden, Hundred North, The Wild Oat and Good to Go Meat Pies.

It’s never been more important to support and celebrate our local food community. From farmers to food processors, restaurant owners to employees, the folks who grow, raise, and prepare our food are the foundation that keeps our local economy strong, saves Whatcom County’s farmland, protects natural resources, and gives our community access to fresh foods grown with care.

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Autumn Adventures

• Pumpkin Patches – Jump aboard the apple bin express to the u-pick patch at Bellewood Farms. Take a drive to the county to Cloud Mountain Farm’s patch for u-pick or we-pick pumpkins.

• Cloud Mountain Fall Fruit Festival –They have close to 200 varieties of common and uncommon fruits, cider, nuts, rare fruit jellies and sauces for you to taste and enjoy. This annual event is perfect for a festive family outing.

• Hovander Homestead Bluegrass Festival – The Annual Hovander Homestead Bluegrass Festival takes place over Labor Day Weekend. The festival includes yummy food, a beer garden, informal jam areas, an instrument swap meet with the main stage featuring nonstop music and more!

• Ferndale Harvest Festival and Pumpkin Games – Celebrate the kick off of fall with a dog costume contest, pumpkin painting, chalk drawings, and more.

• Halloween – Little ghouls and goblins will be up all night after experiencing these fun Halloween themed events. Businesses open their doors in Downtown Bellingham, Fairhaven and Ferndale for their annual Trick or Treating events. Boo Country in Lynden also has a maze, costume contest, Halloween movies, and treats.

• Scream Fair – Just in time for Halloween, brave visitors make their way to the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds for a bone-chilling adventure.

• Gore & Lore Tour – Join the Good Time Girls for a creepy look into Bellingham’s scariest stories and real-life horrors.

• Bleedingham – The Bleedingham Film Festival will take place on the Saturday before Halloween at the Pickford Film Center in Bellingham, Washington. This film festival will feature short films that showcase the blood curdling creativity of filmmakers in the NW region from Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

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