Sweet September! Fall is just around the corner and South Eastern Ontario has so many brilliant events to usher in a new season. Move beyond back to school and experience local farms, live music, cycling, studio tours, stargazing and even some classic good times at fall fairs. Read on for 32 events to look forward to this September.
1.Belleville Downtown Blues Fest
Get your toes tapping at this epic blues fest that takes over Downtown Belleville on Saturday, Sept. 9! With workshops and special performances in market square and on the main stage it’s sure to be hit. Admission is free with donations of cash or food to Gleaner’s Food Bank, Quinte.
2. Open Farm Day at Dahlia May Flower Farm
Ever wanted a behind-the-scenes peek at a working flower farm? This is your chance! Dahlia May Flower Farm is opening up its private two acres flower fields for guests to roam and appreciate the blooms on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. With the freedom of self-guided tours on the farm, visitors can take photos and enjoy a pop-up flower shop on site stocked with field grown flowers. There is an admission fee of $19.95 and kids under 12 are free.
This free, family-oriented event sees porches in the city sparkle with live music on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. Presented by the Rotary Club of Belleville, join in for a neighbourhood celebration of music where East Hill residents perform on front porches to an audience that moves from house to house. Belleville Porchfest is now in its 14th year and has become a beloved fall event. Enjoy a tune or two!
Love live? Prince Edward County is worth checking out. The County has a swoon-worthy live event scene from laugh-out-loud comedy to soul-shaking music, and from thought-provoking art to inspiring dance. Take a look at the sensational September live events coming up in the County that will warm your heart and cool your jets.
The numbers don’t lie: more than 40 artists in 30 studio locations celebrating the brilliance of local artists during the 30th year of the Prince Edward County Studio Tour. The free tour sees studios open their doors to the public Friday, Sept. 22 to Sunday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Map out a route and have fun exploring art in the County!
6. Film & Food at Littlejohn Farm
Entertaining and engaging short documentaries, accented by a delicious meal embracing local Canadian ingredients inspired by the film! Little John Farm in partnership with Beyond Culinary Canada, is bringing together Film & Food on Sept. 24, 2023 – showcasing Ontario Wines and Ontario Farms with guest speakers, Rebecca Mackenzie from Culinary Tourism Alliance, Magdalena Kaiser rom VQA and Dan Sullivan of Rosehall Run Vineyard and Winery.
An unforgettable route and fun stops along the way make the Discover L&A Ride a favourite cycling event! Set this year for Saturday, Sept. 9, this cycle tour of Lennox & Addington is in its 7th year and welcomes thousands of cycling enthusiasts to enjoy the local food, wine tastings, live music and post-ride brews at MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Company.
Be enchanted by this years’ corn maze theme at Wynn Farms! Each year, the theme changes, but the quality and challenging fun for visitors of all ages remains the same. September is a busy month at Wynn Farms with the flower farm still blooming, the apple orchard in full swing and the corn maze delighting visitors. For a special treat, look here for Moonlight Maze days on Fridays and Saturdays throughout September.
9.Stargazing at the Dark Sky Viewing Area
You’ll have stars in your eyes! See the night sky as it was 100 years ago – remarkable views await at Ontario’s most southerly point to offer a clear night sky unobstructed from light pollution! From dusk til dawn, the Dark Sky Viewing Area opens up a world of wonder. The popular laser-guided stargazing tour on September 15 and 16 at 8:30 p.m. is a great way for novice stargazers to get to know the night sky, or reserve a spot to get up close with the moon on Sept. 23! That’s when Tim Trentadue will be at the Dark Sky Viewing Area to teach visitors about the moon and provide a look at the surface of the moon through his high powered telescope.
10.Pick your own
Local orchards are bursting with apples! Discover the sweetness of September in L&A County the apple by attending some family events happening during the harvest season. Be sure to visit the horses at Spring Meadow Farm while picking, a farm that has been operating since 1969. Try an apple cider donut! At Janssens Orchards the passion for apple is everpresent – especially growing heritage varieties. Of course, Wynn Farms is also the apple of your eye, with apple picking at the orchard and fun family activities on the calendar throughout the fall.
Celebrate farming and food in Frontenac and Kingston! From Sept. 1 to Oct. 15, 2023 learn about farms first hand by touring local farms with the farmers themselves! Walk to rows of veggies and flowers during harvest or enjoy a delicious culinary experience. Get a deeper understanding of where food comes from and appreciate the connection to the land. Join Haymakers Coffee Co.’s roaster and creator for a hands-on roasting session, or get up close to grazing animals during a walking tour at Maple Ridge Farm. Experience a hopyard at harvest at the Wolfe Island Hopyard or visit the participating farms, markets and greenhouses to chat with local growers. See all the Open Farm Days events and plan your month!
Looking for more to do in Frontenac? Check out 25 things to do in South Frontenac!
12.Katarokwi Indigenous Art & Food Market
Springer Market Square comes alive with local Indigenous art and music every Sunday in September from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Marvel at handcrafted art, jewellery and clothing and savour freshly made food complemented by different artist demonstrations each week.
Set for Sept. 14 to 17, the Kingston Fall Fair is sure to delight young and old. Celebrating 191 years, the Kingston Fall Fair is synonymous with autumn in the city. Look for a large midway, games, agricultural exhibits and demonstrations, monster trucks, demolition derby, motocross thrill riders, live entertainment, the popular Country Singing Showdown competition and much more! See the full schedule and plan to attend.
Known as one of the top festivals in the country, Kingston WritersFest tells its tale from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, 2023.The lineup for the 15th annual festival if exciting no matter if your go-to genre is food writing, fiction, social issues or spoken word. The aim is to inspire and engage at this readers’ and writers’ festival. More than 60 top Canadian and international authors offer readings, conversations, performances and even master classes in 45 events during the five-day festival. Discover the lineup!
15. Art After Dark
Light up the night with Art After Dark, when galleries and art-enthusiastic businesses in downtown Kingston showcase stunning art for a super night of art, live music, shopping and connection. Be inspired on Friday, September 29 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Art After Dark!
Gobble gobble! The Lyndhurst Turkey Fair struts into town on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is set to make you shake a tail feather! This free day of family fun sees thousands of people come to Lyndhurst to experience free Voyageur canoe rides, antique cars, prize draws, silent auction, pony rides, petting zoo, crafts, a reptile show and so much more!
17.Furnace Falls Farm Fall Harvest Feast of the Fields & Concert
Savour everything that the fall harvest is offering at the Harvest Feast of Fields & Concert at Furnace Falls Farm featuring Dead Root Revival with Tom Savage. Attend the dinner and show or just the concert only on Sept. 16. The show takes place inside the large and beautifully refurbished rustic barn. The venue is an experience unto itself!
18. Pump Gan Fest
Pumpkins galore! Carving, crafts, goodies and more take over Town Park in Gananoque on Sept. 30, 2023 to celebrate the orange sign of autumn. Join in the family fun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. put on by the Gananoque Lions Club.
1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways
19. Cloud 9 Electronic Music and Eco Art Festival
Experience a multi-sensory celebration of a sustainable future! Now in its second year, the festival at No. 9 Gardens in Rideau Lakes is organized by youth, for youth to foster inspiration and creativity. On Saturday, Sept. 9 the day will be filled with live music, workshops, local food vendors, a pop-up craft and merch market, an outdoor eco-art exhibit and the chance to contribute to an interactive mosaic sculpture. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect – be sure to get tickets early as only a limited number are available.
20. Leeds Grenville Fibre Extravaganza
Fibre is good for you! On Saturday, Sept. 16 at the Fibre Extravaganza, visitors will find handspun and dyed yarns, specialized tools and accessories, and local producers experienced in spinning, weaving, rug hooking, felting, and more. Shop for beautiful hand-dyed fleeces, yarns, and wool and rediscover the timeless crafts of knitting, crocheting, and more. Find the Extravaganza at the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville. Admission is $7 or bring a dozen crocheted/knit poppies or a scarf, toque, socks or mitts and save $2 on your entry.
21. Fall in Love with Maple North Grenville
Enjoy a fall drive and then immerse yourself in a sugarbush forest experience, complete with a pancake breakfast, maple syrup production tours, live music and more! Happening on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kemptville Campus, Agroforestry Centre and hosted by On The Bend Sugar Shack and the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association. Be sure to reserve your table!
22. Westporch Festival
This popular event returns for another year where front porches become a showcase for regional artists, musicians, activities and treats. Set for Saturday, Sept. 23 in Westport, it’s a free outdoor walking tour of the village with fabulous live music enlivening 15 porches with entertainment throughout the day. Experience this village-wide, family-friendly, happy event by taking a look at the artists performing and planning to attend. Tips, donations and purchases are welcome.
23. Tincap Berry Farm Sunflower Stroll and Pick Your Own Pumpkins
- Sunny days are here again! The Tincap Berry Farm is bringing the sunshine this season with its sunflower strolls in mid-September. Fall photo ops and pick-your-own sunflower area make this an experience to remember. Cut a stem or a pail of blooms to bring home! Also look for the perfect pumpkin in the pick-your-own pumpkin patch to make your home festive for fall – or for carving legendary jack-o-lanterns! Stay tuned for available dates for both.
24. Hall’s Apple Market Pick Your Own
Nothing says fall like picking apples. Hall’s Apple Market is ready to welcome your family for the traditional pick your own experience with some surprises! Pick your own opens Sept. 2 2023 and runs until Thanksgiving. The kids can enjoy a playground, wagon rides, fresh cider, exploring a country store, and savouring baked goodies. The farm is even dog-friendly if leashed, so your furry friend doesn’t have to miss out!
The spooky season is almost upon us! Head over to Fulford Place in Brockville for ghost tours Sept. 6 and 13, as well as throughout October in this historic mansion along the former millionaire’s row. Stories swirl of after-hours hauntings here – discover what secrets lay behind the big doors of Fulford Place! Be sure to reserve your tickets.
How do you like them apples? We like them a lot, actually! The Iroquois Apple Fest is a bushel of fun for the whole family. With a night parade, “cutest apple dumpling” baby contest, Iroquois’ Got Talent competition, baking contests, chicken dinner, live music, car show and much more, it’s bound to be a good time on Sept. 16. An apple a day…
27. Wood Fest at Wood Brothers Brewing
Beer. Live music. Food. Need we say more? It’s going down on Sept. 23 from noon until 10 p.m. Be there or be square.
28. Harvest Wine Tasting and Food Pairing at Tranquility Acres
Touring of the property, meeting the farm animals, and enjoying live music and bar service while shopping local vendors in the afternoon, followed by a wine tasting and food pairing and a buffet, music and dancing! Sounds like an epic day. Combine that with playing lawn games, roasting marshmallows, and making an afternoon of it at Tranquility Acres, before the ticketed pairing event begins in earnest at 7 p.m.
Cornwall
29. Akwesasne International Pow-Wow
Witness the best Native dancers, drummers and artisans from the region during this vibrant cultural experience! Taking place Sept. 9 to 10, 2023 at the A’nowara’ko:wa Arena on Cornwall Island, the Akwesasne Pow-Wow is the place to enjoy a one-of-a-kind music and dancing, to shop the beautiful creations of talented First Nations artisans and enjoy great food and great company.
30. Eastern Ontario Garlic Festival
One day festival celebrating the stinking rose! If you’re a garlic enthusiast, join in the fun at the Eastern Ontario Garlic Festival on Sept. 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cornwall Civic Complex to meet garlic growers, taste wares from food artisans, enjoy live music, learn from workshops, as well as have some family fun, dinner and even dancing on the waterfront! The Garlic Gala will round out the day from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. providing a farm to city culinary experience.
A curling bonspiel like no other! See world-class curling in a small-town club setting. The Shorty Jenkins Classic welcomes world champions, Olympic athletes and top athletes from Canada, the US and Europe. It’s happening Sept. 20 to 24, 2023 and this year is welcoming some of the world’s best women’s curlers – including the four-time defending world champions – as well as a men’s lineup that includes world champions, Olympic gold medallists and top four ranked teams in the world! Be at the Cornwall Curling Centre to see it all go down.
32. Apples and Art Studio Tour
Be inspired by art in the spaces it’s created! The Apples and Art Studio Tour encourages visitors to meet the artists, chat and see their work in a natural setting across Cornwall and SDG Counties. This two-day event is taking place from Sept. 23 to 24 and features artists working with batik, sculpture, acrylic and oil, serigraphy, watercolour, wood, graphite on paper, metal jewellery, glass, body painting, 3D printing and so much more! Take a look at the brochure to plan your self-guided route.
September is sure to be a smash hit with creative events in abundance like the harvest in South Eastern Ontario.
