Durham Fair, Mum Fest, Lanterns, And Harvest Fun Fill Connecticut’s Sept. 25–28 Weekend

CONNECTICUT — The final weekend of September is shaping up to be one of the busiest—and most colorful—of the season in Connecticut. With giant agricultural fairs, harvest celebrations, lantern displays, and even a spooky stroll through history, the Nutmeg State is offering plenty of ways to welcome autumn. Whether you’re a fan of live music, foliage, or funnel cake, there’s no shortage of fun Sept. 25–28.

The Durham Fair, running Sept. 25–28, is both the top drawer and as well as the cultural touchstone of the weekend. Now celebrating its 105th year, the fairgrounds will be buzzing with rides, livestock shows, food vendors, craft exhibits, and nightly concerts. Known as the state’s largest agricultural fair, it draws tens of thousands every fall, and this year promises fireworks, tractor pulls, and performances from national music acts.

Also all weekend long, the Bristol Mum Festival (Sept. 26–28) offers fireworks of a more organic bent, as it highlights the city’s floral pride with massive mum displays, a carnival, food trucks, and the signature parade. Expect live entertainment, craft vendors, and plenty of family activities. It’s part street fair, part garden party, and an iconic event in central Connecticut.

On Saturday, Sept. 27, the historic Old Town Mill hosts the New London Harvest Festival, complete with seasonal treats, artisan vendors, live music, and kids’ crafts. It’s a chance to soak up coastal New England charm while celebrating the harvest season.

Bird enthusiasts should flock to the Greenwich Audubon Center on Sept. 27 for the annual Hawk Watch Festival. With guided hikes, raptor demonstrations, and the chance to spot migrating hawks and eagles, it’s a highlight for nature lovers.

Downtown Storrs comes alive on Sept. 27 with the Celebrate Mansfield Festival. Featuring local vendors, student groups, food trucks and live performances, it’s a showcase of community spirit right in the heart of UConn country.

If leaf-peeping is on your list, head to the Fall Foliage Festival in Winsted on Sept. 27. Hosted by Friends of Main Street, the event features arts and crafts, food, a car show, live music, and family fun along the colorful downtown stretch.

Runners can lace up for the Rotary River Run on Sept. 27 at the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center. The event includes 5K and 10K races, live entertainment, and a scenic riverside course perfect for an early fall workout.

Starting Sept. 26 and running through Dec. 14, the Glow Wild Lantern Festival at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport transforms the grounds into a wonderland of giant illuminated lanterns. Expect glowing animals, flowers, and fantasy displays—an evening stroll unlike any other.

For something completely different, head to Fairfield University’s Quick Center on Sept. 26 for Rebecca Lazier’s “Noli Timere.” It's the culmination of a 5-year collaboration between director/choreographer Lazier and renowned sculptor Janet Echelman, "a soaring aerial performance featuring a custom designed, voluminous Echelman net sculpture and 8 outstanding, multidisciplinary performers." It's part contemporary dance, part avant-garde circus, part advanced engineering and all-immersive multimedia experience.

Get an early start on spooky season with Things That Go Bump in the Night at Coventry’s Nathan Hale Homestead on Sept. 26. The lantern-lit tour mixes history with ghost stories, perfect for those who like their autumn nights a little eerie.

From hawks soaring over Greenwich to lanterns glowing in Bridgeport, from mums in Bristol to carnival rides in Durham, Connecticut’s last September weekend is brimming with fall flair.