Guides · 🎪 Events & festivals

Fall in Fredericton 2026, Week by Week: Every Date From Open Farm Day to the Santa Claus Parade

7 min read · Published September 19, 2026 · By Hey Freddy

TL;DR

Fredericton's fall runs on a schedule that nobody publishes in one place, so here it is: Open Farm Day and the Terry Fox Run on September 20; the first leaf pickup week September 21; moose season September 22; Military Muster and the Fall Classic the weekend of September 26; the parking ban, grouse season and duck season on October 1; Thanksgiving dinners at Kings Landing from October 3; Run for the Cure October 4; Thanksgiving Monday, closing day at Kings Landing and the first free skate on October 12; flu shots from mid-October; Sunday hunting from October 18; Freddy Fright Fest from October 22; deer rifles and the second leaf week from October 26; Halloween; the clocks back November 1; Silver Wave November 5 to 12; Remembrance Day November 11; the Northside market November 14; the last leaf week November 16; the Spirits Festival November 17 to 21; Holly Jolly November 21 and 22; and the tree lighting and Santa Claus Parade on the last weekend of November. Each has a guide behind it.

September 20 to 27: the farms, the muster, the race

Sunday, September 20: Atlantic Open Farm Day, free, with Laughing Apple Farm, Pinefork Stables, Brigadoon Fiber Farm, Grimross Farm and Big Sky Ventures open in the capital region; also the Terry Fox Run, 5 km. Apple picking is in full swing; see the orchard guide and call ahead. Monday, September 21 to Friday, September 25: the first fall yard-waste week, on your garbage day, paper bags only, out by 7. Tuesday, September 22 to Saturday, September 26: moose season. Thursday, September 24: Fall Classic package pickup at the Running Room, 5 p.m. Saturday, September 26: average first frost is about now; Kings Landing Military Muster begins (through Sunday, included with admission); the Fall Classic kids run and 3K at 3:15 at Government House. Sunday, September 27: the Fall Classic half marathon at 8:30, 10K at 8:45, 5K at 9:00; Paws for a Cause at the Oromocto SPCA, 1 to 5. Sunday hunting is not yet open; the woods are yours.

September 28 to October 11: parking ban, orchards, foliage, the first dinners

Wednesday, September 30: the traditional end of downtown patio season (confirm this year's date with the City). Thursday, October 1: the overnight parking ban begins, midnight to 7 a.m. through May 31, $50 and a tow; grouse, hare and duck seasons open. Peak foliage in the upper valley arrives about now: drive west on 102 this weekend. Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4: the first Thanksgiving dinners at the King's Head Inn, Kings Landing, $80, seatings at 11 and 4; Sunday, October 4: CIBC Run for the Cure, 1K and 5K at 11 from Government House; the first weekend of the corn mazes at their best. Monday, October 5: deer archery season opens; from here, bowhunters are in the woods on the fringe. Booking for flu and COVID shots opened around October 3 last year; watch for the 2026 announcement this week. Friday, October 9: UNB classes pause for the long weekend. Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11: Thanksgiving dinners at Kings Landing again; the Boyce Market on Saturday is the turkey run; the lower valley colour is peaking, so drive south to Gagetown and take the ferry.

October 12 to 25: Thanksgiving, flu shots, tires, Fright Fest

Monday, October 12: Thanksgiving. A prescribed day of rest, so most retail is closed and NB Liquor with it; not a paid statutory holiday under employment standards. Kings Landing's closing day and the last Thanksgiving seating; the Thanksgiving auction in the theatre. Free public skating begins at Grant-Harvey (weekday afternoons and weekend evenings through March 31). Mactaquac's campground closed the day before. Mid-October: the provincial fall vaccine campaign opens, last year October 14; seniors and the chronically ill first. Thursday, October 15: studded tires are legal; book the swap for the last week of the month. Sunday, October 18: Sunday hunting opens through December 27; from today, wear orange on the fringe trails on weekends too. Thursday, October 22: Freddy Fright Fest opens at Officers' Square, running to Halloween; Science East's low-scare tour has run the last weekend of October in past years. The Oromocto SPCA's Monster Mash haunted hike ran October 25 last year; watch for this year's date. Peak colour is fading in town; the Odell arboretum is at its best in low morning light.

October 26 to November 8: rifles, the second leaf week, Halloween, the clocks

Monday, October 26: deer firearms season opens (through November 22); the opening weekend is the busiest in the woods all year. Also the second fall yard-waste week, October 26 to 30. Drain the outdoor taps this week. Saturday, October 31: Halloween, a Saturday this year, which means the trick-or-treating is long and the parties are longer; Fright Fest's last night. Sunday, November 1: the clocks fall back at 2 a.m., and the Run for KidSport gives you a use for the extra hour. Thursday, November 5 to Thursday, November 12: Silver Wave Film Festival, at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre, the Playhouse, Tilley Hall, Gallery on Queen and Grimross, with the socials at Picaroons and Wilser's Room. Thursday, November 5: Chamber Business After Hours at the NB Sports Hall of Fame, if you run something. Friday, November 6: Men of the Deeps at the Playhouse.

November 9 to 22: Remembrance, reading week, the markets begin

Monday, November 9 to Friday, November 13: UNB fall reading week. Tuesday, November 10: Symphony New Brunswick at the Playhouse, 7:30. Wednesday, November 11: Remembrance Day. The ceremony at the Provincial Cenotaph, 899 King Street, with the parade stepping off around 10:30; the Marysville cenotaph at 10:50. A day of rest and a paid holiday: retail closed, no Fredericton Transit, City offices closed, garbage collected as scheduled. Saturday, November 14: the Northside Christmas Market at the Nashwaaksis Lions Club, 9 to 2, the first fair of the season. Monday, November 16 to Friday, November 20: the last yard-waste week of the year; clean the gutters the weekend before. Tuesday, November 17 to Saturday, November 21: NB Spirits Festival at the Delta. Thursday, November 19 to Sunday, November 22: if last year's pattern holds, the busiest craft weekend: Scott's Nursery's greenhouse and the Oromocto bazaar on the Thursday, Christmas at the Boyce Market Thursday and Friday, Holly Jolly at UNB's Currie Center on Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22 (confirmed), and St. Mary's craft fair on the Saturday. Sunday, November 22: deer and bear seasons close.

November 23 to December 13: the parade, the lights, the last markets

Wednesday, November 25: Planet Hatch office hours with RBC, if you are starting something. Thursday, November 26: InnovateNB Awards at the Convention Centre; Kings Landing's Christmas Village Aglow opened on this Wednesday last year (2026 dates pending). Friday, November 27: Santa's Side Hustle at the Fredericton Inn, noon to 8 (confirmed), and the Mayor's Christmas Tree Lighting and Downtown Spectacular at City Hall if it lands on the last Friday again (7:30 to 9 last year). Saturday, November 28: Santa's Side Hustle 9 to 4; Christmas in the Village, Gagetown, November 28 and 29 (confirmed); and the Santa Claus Parade, which the Kin Club runs on the last Saturday of November at 5 p.m., closing Queen Street from Regent to Smythe from about 4 (2026 date pending). December 3: the holiday Business After Hours. First weekend of December: the NBEX Christmas Craft Show at the Ex (dates pending), Esoterica at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre (December 6 last year), and the New Maryland show. Sunday, December 13: the Hanwell Christmas Market at Kingswood, 10 to 3, the last of the season. Then it is winter, and there is a guide for that too.

Still to be posted

Organizers here announce late, and this calendar says so rather than guessing. Not yet posted for 2026 when we checked on September 19: the exact flu-campaign start; Laughing Apple Farm's scare maze and River View's fall festival; the Oromocto SPCA's haunted hike; Science East's low-scare tour; the Chamber's State of the City address (November 13 last year); the NBEX craft show, St. Mary's fair, Scott's Nursery, the Oromocto bazaar, Christmas at the Market and Esoterica; the tree lighting, the Santa Claus Parade and Christmas Village Aglow; Kings Landing's Thanksgiving auction time; and the Gagetown ferry's last day (late November, typically). When they post, the guides update and the business calendar and events pages carry the dates. If you know one first, tell Freddy.

Key takeaways

September 20: Open Farm Day and the Terry Fox Run; September 21 to 25: first leaf pickup week; September 26 and 27: Military Muster and the Fall Classic.
October 1: overnight parking ban and grouse, hare and duck seasons; October 3, 4, 10, 11 and 12: Kings Landing Thanksgiving dinners; October 4: Run for the Cure.
October 12: Thanksgiving, Kings Landing's closing day, and the first free public skate at Grant-Harvey; flu shots from mid-October.
October 18: Sunday hunting opens; October 22 to 31: Freddy Fright Fest; October 26: deer firearms season and the second leaf week.
November 1: clocks fall back; November 5 to 12: Silver Wave; November 11: Remembrance Day (no transit, retail closed); November 16 to 20: last leaf week.
November 14: Northside Christmas Market; November 17 to 21: NB Spirits Festival; November 21 and 22: Holly Jolly at UNB; November 22: deer season closes.
Last weekend of November: Santa's Side Hustle, Christmas in the Village, and (dates pending) the tree lighting and the Santa Claus Parade; December 13: the Hanwell market closes the season.

Common questions

When is Thanksgiving in 2026 and what is closed in Fredericton?

Monday, October 12, 2026. It is a prescribed day of rest under the Days of Rest Act, so most retail and NB Liquor are closed; restaurants, gas stations and pharmacies are exempt. It is not a paid statutory holiday under New Brunswick employment standards.

When do the clocks change in fall 2026?

Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 2 a.m., when they fall back an hour.

What is closed on Remembrance Day in Fredericton?

Retail (it is a day of rest), City Hall and administrative offices, and Fredericton Transit does not run. Garbage is collected as scheduled. The ceremony is at the Provincial Cenotaph on King Street, with the parade around 10:30.

When are the leaf pickup weeks this fall?

September 21 to 25, October 26 to 30 and November 16 to 20, on your regular garbage day, in paper bags only.

When does Freddy Fright Fest run in 2026?

October 22 to 31 at Officers' Square, 585 Queen Street. Tickets through freddyfrightfest.com.

When is the Santa Claus Parade in Fredericton?

Traditionally the last Saturday of November at 5 p.m., run by the Kin Club of Nashwaaksis; the 2026 date had not been posted. Queen Street closes from Regent to Smythe for it.

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Sources & further reading

This guide reflects the documented local consensus, reporting, reviews and community voices, verified where possible. Things change; if we’re out of date, tell Freddy.