Fall Fun for the Family Near Eastmark 2022
Fall is slowly sneaking its way into the Valley and there are tons of events coming up near Eastmark in the Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, and Queen Creek areas that are perfect for a family friendly way to welcome the change of seasons and to enjoy the upcoming nicer weather.
Pumpkin Patches:
Schnepf Farms – The annual Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party in Queen Creek will be kicking off on October 1 and run through October 30 on Thursdays through Sundays. The Pumpkin Patch will feature rides and zip lines, a rock wall, train rides (daytime or spooky options available), hayrides, mini golf, a petting zoo, a new ropes course and sunflower field, bonfires, jumping pillows, a dog stunt show, and pig races. Plus, there is a 4-acre corn maze, and you can add on the “Wreckoning” attraction, a haunted mobile bus that guides participants through a series of spooky scenes. The food options are also plentiful, with chili dinners, of course, but also burgers, hot dogs, burritos, succotash, funnel cakes, pizza, and sweets. Parking is free and tickets can be purchased online for $24 per person (children 2 and under are free). They also offer a season pass ticket option for $80 per person to attend the Pumpkin and Chili Party as many times as you’d like, plus 10% discount on merchandise, and a possible sneak preview (not included in either ticket prices are the train, food, pumpkins, and haunted bus). Discounted tickets are available for military or veterans, police, and firefighters.
Vertuccio Farms – This Mesa pumpkin patch is open September 30 to October 30, 2022, from 3pm to 9pm Monday through Thursday, 9am to 10pm on Friday and Saturday, 12pm to 7pm on Sunday. The attractions include a corn maze, mini golf, barrel train ride, jump pad, duck races, petting zoo, and a new super mega slide. Tickets are $15 per person, children 2 and under are free to take part in the pumpkin patch activities. If you are looking to just purchase pumpkins, you do not need to pay admission.
Mother Nature’s Farm – Activities at Mother Nature’s Farm in Gilbert include a hayride, spider web crawl, feeding animals, and an adventure maze. Opening day for the pumpkin patch is September 24 and runs through October 31 from 9am to 9pm daily. Tickets are $12 per person for 1 year and older, they are not sold online but can be purchased at the farm.
Mortimer Farms – For a pumpkin patch option about 1 hour 45 minutes north of Eastmark (and perhaps in cooler weather), Mortimer Farms in Dewey, AZ has become famous for their Pumpkin Festival and Corn Maze. Officially open September 26 to October 31, you will find all the classics like farm-inspired ride, games, activities, an animal encounter, corn maze, hayrides, you-pick patches, and various vendors. They request that you reserve tickets online at least 24 hours in advance and tickets range from $15.50 to $23.50 depending on the day you go.
Apple Annie’s Orchard – Another option about 3 hours south from Eastmark is Apple Annie’s Orchard, who will host a Fall Pumpkin Celebration at their farm in Wilcox, AZ. The celebration will include pumpkins, hayrides, a corn maze, and a sunflower field and will be open on the weekends from 9am to 4pm starting September 24.
Other Spooky Events:
Eastmark is hosting its own annual Halloween event on October 22 from 5pm to 9pm at the Eastmark Great Park. This neighborhood event will have food trucks, carnival games, live music/DJ, magic show, rock climbing wall, and booths all around for kiddos to trick-or-treat. There will be specialty booths with fire pits hosted by sponsors for s’more roasting. The Eastmark event will also have some fun spooky features, like a funeral carriage with horses, a scary cemetery, a mad scientist show and potion station, and a glow foam party! It’s the perfect place to get into the Halloween spirit and have fun with your neighbors!
City of Mesa’s Celebrate Mesa Fall 2022 will be on October 8 from 5pm to 9pm at the Red Mountain Soccer Complex. This free festival will have family friendly activities like bounce houses and kid’s games, visits from superheroes, food trucks, a petting zoo, painting classes, and archery tag. Carnival rides will also be available, a $5 wristband gets you unlimited rides. Live music will be performed by Awake at Midnight and Arizona Blacktop.
The annual Trunk-or-Treat event in Queen Creek will be on October 15 from 5pm to 9pm at the Queen Creek Town Center. It will include all the favorite carnival games, escape rooms, food vendors, nerf wars, and more. Children can trick-or-treat by going from car trunk to car trunk on Trunk-or-Treat Street. VIP Experience tickets are on sale now and are $75 (must be purchased in person at the Library Recreation Annex). Included in the VIP experience are 4 “no wait” trunk line wristbands, $20 carnival ticket voucher and 1 VIP parking pass. Some of the attractions require carnival tickets, and pre-sale carnival tickets are on sale for $8 per 20 tickets, which are 20% off the event day price.
The Dia de Los Muertos party is a free event at the Mesa Arts Center and will take place on Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23 from 10am to 5pm. Dia de los Muertos celebrates Latin American art and culture surrounding the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. The celebration is meant to honor the dead by creating altars, also known as ofrendas, or offerings, that include symbols and mementos in honor of loved ones who have passed.
In Chandler, the City is hosting its Halloween Spooktacular on October 28 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at Dr. AJ Chandler Park. Admission for this event is free. New this year to the event is the Catwalk Costume Parade, where participants are invited to walk in the community costume parade, open to children of all ages. There are 2 parade run times at 6:15pm and 7:30pm. There will also be free games like musical headstones, skee ball, spooky carnival games, and inflatable axe throwing, plus sweet treats and goodies, a prize wheel, face painting, trunk-or-treat stations, and local food vendors. No registration is required to attend.
A uniquely Arizonan tradition, the Pumpkin Dunk will take place this year at the Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center in Chandler on October 29 from 12pm to 2pm. The pool there will be heated and open for public swim and families are encouraged to dive in to dunk for pumpkins or wear their Halloween costume for the on-deck costume contests. Registration is required and will be open for all registrants on October 7, the cost will be $5.
At the Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, the Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival will be held on Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29 starting at 5pm. 20+ hot air balloons from around the country will passing out candy with a trick or treat station at each balloon, in addition to live music, a kid’s zone, bounce houses, games, and a Haunted Trail. There will also be tethered balloon rides that you can purchase the day of the festival for $25 (or $15 for guests 10 and under). Don’t forget to wear your best Halloween costume, as there will be a costume contest for kids, adults, and groups/families to compete in starting at 7pm for the first 50 interested attendees. Adult tickets are $22 and children are $17, guests 2 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate for an additional fee.
Fall Community Events:
In Queen Creek, Founder’s Day will be held on September 17 from 5pm to 9pm to celebrate Queen Creek’s 33rd This family-friendly community event will have fun activities, music and entertainment, pig races, axe throwing, watermelon and pie eating contests, lawn games, and a corn-hole tournament. Wristbands for the various activities can be purchased at the event.
¡Viva! A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage will take place on September 30 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Downtown Gilbert Water Tower Plaza. The free event will be a celebration of the contributions and culture of Hispanic and Latin Americans and will feature authentic Latin American cuisine, Latinx-owned businesses, and cultural entertainment like guitarras Latinas and Folklorico music.
Gilbert is once again putting on their Concerts in the Park series this fall. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and enjoy one of the many free lunchtime and evening concerts at the Water Tower Plaza. Food trucks will also be on site during the events. The evening concerts will be Thursday October 6, October 13, October 20, and October 27 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm each evening. Performers include the Lisa Mitt Band, The Outliers, High 90’s, and Hillbilly Deluxe. The lunchtime concerts will be on Thursday November 3, November 10, and November 17 from 11:30am to 1:30pm and will feature musical acts Six String Anthem, Side Peace, and Classic Jukebox.
Bell Bank Park continues to hold 5k runs for the community at their new facility. First up is the Spoo5ky Run which will be on October 29 at 8am and costumes are recommended! The next race, the Tu5key Trot will be on November 19 at 8am. For each race, T-shirts and medals will be handed out to all participants and runners 21+ will receive a coupon for a free beer or seltzer. The races are open to all ages, participants with strollers and children under 8 will use the 1.25-mile course. Registration for each event is available online.
Keep the training going by checking out the Gilbert Glow Run event on October 21 at Freestone Park in Gilbert. The first wave of the run will start at 6:00pm and will kick off every 15 minutes until 7:30pm. The course is a 2-mile, untimed course, which is perfect for experienced runners as well as first-time participants, and is designed for all ages and athletic abilities. The course will also feature bubbles, glow powder, laser lights, and a foam party at the finish line! You must register online to participate, sign up during the month of September for $25 per participant. The price will rise to $35 after October 1. Strollers and children under 3 are not permitted on the course due to the minimal lighting. Packet pickup will be October 19 and 20, where you will get a race entry glow bracelet to be worn during the race, as well as a t-shirt, and other race information. Sign up for a time slot online now.
The Chuck Wagon Cook-Off will be held in Chandler on November 12 at 12pm in Tumbleweed Park. This is a chance for your family to get an up-close look at Western history, as authentic 1880s chuck wagons from around the Southwest compete to cook up the best meals using the slow-cook, wood fire methods from that era. The wagon teams will compete for prizes while you get a taste of the Old West.
The Arizona Taco Festival will be November 12 and 13 at Bell Bank Park in Mesa. This year will feature more than 50 local taco vendors, tequila, margaritas, Lucha Libre wrestlers, an Ay Chihuahua Beauty pageant, hot chili pepper contest, and a taco eating contest. The event runs from 11am to 7pm and tickets can be purchased online.
Gilbert Days will take place this year on November 18 and 19. This two-day party will be at Gilbert Regional Park, as well as a parade that will march down Gilbert Road in the heart of downtown Gilbert’s Heritage District. The parade starts at 8:30am on Saturday in conjunction with the Gilbert Half Marathon and 10k that same morning. The Gilbert Days Festival will be held on Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 19 from 4pm to 9pm. The festival will have local music, food vendors, retail shops and vendors, a softball tournament, and family fun. Admission tickets are required to attend the Festival at the park and are valid for single-day entry only. Tickets will go on sale in early October and will be $5 per person before November 19. Prices will increase to $10 the day of the events. Follow along on the Town of Gilbert website for more information.
Woofstock is a dog friendly event in Chandler will be at the Tumbleweed Park on November 19 from 9am to 1pm. Admission to the park is free and owners and their dogs will have plenty of activities to enjoy. Some of the fun includes a Puparazzi Photo Contest (see how to enter online), pet adoptions, pet psychic readings, and pet caricature drawings plus a variety of pet-related vendors to enjoy.
However you and your family like to ring in the cooler weather and fall spirit, these activities are sure not to disappoint!