High Five! Main Line Family-Friendly Weekend Events: October 19–20
Happy weekend! Plan the perfect weekend with our picks.
Happy weekend! Plan the perfect weekend with our picks.
Looking for more? Here’s what’s going on in Philly!
All Weekend
Cirque Italia Water Circus
October 10—20
King of Prussia Mall, 160 N. Gulph Rd., King of Prussia
Cirque Italia presents “Aquatic Spectacular,” featuring a custom-designed water stage that performers dazzle over while thrilling the audience with aerial acts, hand balancing, and more.
Mamma Mia!
October 11—27
SALT Performing Arts, 1645 Art School Road, Chester Springs
This fun musical set to the songs of ABBA hits the stage!
The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular
Weekends through November 3
Sesame Place, 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne
Come in costume and enjoy special Halloween-themed shows; soar, swing, fly, and cruise on three Count von Count themed mechanical rides, and see everyone’s favorite furry friends dressed up in costume. There will be special Halloween parades (including a special night one on Saturday), trick-or-treating, and more.
‘Matilda: The Musical’
October 2–27
The Media Theatre, 104 E. State Street, Media
Inspired by the genius of Roald Dahl, this Tony Award-winning musical is the captivating masterpiece that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination, and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life–and is packed with high-energy dance numbers and catchy songs! Tickets available online.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center’s Brick or Treat
September 28–October 31
500 W. Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting
LEGO lovers unite for a scavenger hunt, a life-size hayride in the LEGO pumpkin patch, four-foot-tall LEGO wit
Pumpkinland and Haunted Gardens at Colonial Gardens
September 28—October 31
745 Schuylkill Road, Phoenixville
Enjoy family-friendly fall fun through October. Activities include hayrides, corn maze, and a Halloween funhouse. Plus, Pumpkinland—a Halloween display of colorful cartoon characters, scarecrows, hay hutch, and over ten tons of pumpkins—is always a hit!
Harvest Fest and Boo at the Zoo at Elmwood Park Zoo
Weekends in October, noon–4 pm
1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown
Weekends this fall, come to Elmwood Park Zoo to participate in themed activities, navigate your way through a corn maze, play carnival-style games, paint a pumpkin, and enjoy live entertainment. Bring your little ones in costumes and with a treat bag to trick-or-treat around the zoo!
Pumpkinland at Linvilla Orchards
Through November 10
137 W. Knowlton Rd., Media
Linvilla has brought out the piles and piles of pumpkins! Plus, enjoy live music and entertainment, hayrides, train rides, pony rides, face painting, and so much more.
Fall Harvest Celebration Weekend
Weekends through October 27, noon—5 pm
Highland Orchards, 1000 Marshallton Thorndale Rd., West Chester
Pick your own apples or take a hayride around the farm. Plus, shop for locally grown produce, treats, and hand-crafted merchandise.
Blooms & Bamboo at Longwood Gardens
October 3 — November 17
1001 Longwood Dr., Kennett Square
Autumn is here … and with it comes a debut exhibit, the masterful Blooms & Bamboo: Chrysanthemum and Ikebana Sogetsu Artistry. Prepare to be wowed by towering bamboo art forms and enchanting arrangements by international artists. Autumn also brings a painted landscape of ever-changing color, imaginative play with pumpkins and the Garden Railway, and creative chrysanthemums meticulously grown into gorgeous forms throughout the Conservatory.
Saturday
Cricket BOO!
October 19, 9:30 am — noon
Cricket Avenue, Ardmore
Lulu’s Casita and pucciManuli team up for the ultimate holiday celebration on Ardmore Avenue. Come in costume and enjoy activities like a spider web maze, BOO! banner creation, trick-or-treating, organized games like the Pumpkin 500, food, and unlimited play at Lulu’s.
Friends School Haverford Open House and Pumpkin Day
October 19, 9 am—1 pm (Pumpkin Day activities start at 11 am)
Friends School Haverford, 851 Buck Lane, Haverford
Guided by Quaker principles since its founding in 1885, Friends School Haverford promotes academic scholarship, creativity, respect, integrity, and self-awareness with a commitment to teaching students to use their voice for good. Following the Open House, stay for their annual family-friendly event, Pumpkin Day. Come prepared for fall-themed games and activities, field games, and of course, pumpkins to paint!
CogniCon
October 19, 9 am—noon
The Grayson School, 211 Matsonford Road, Radnor
Tour the new facilities, and learn from experts in the field of gifted education and parenting gifted children. Ages 11 and up are invited to an Introductory Entrepreneur Workshop led by Rich Sedmak, Founder of Schoolyard Ventures. Free; pre-register online.
Treehouse World Fall Festival
October 19, 10 am – 4 pm
1442 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester
Everyone’s favorite thrill-seeking hotspot is hosting a fall festival. Climb in the treehouses, do the zipline, paint a pumpkin, play carnival games, and so much more.
Mommy and Me Art Workshop: Haunted House
October 19, 10—11 am
Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave., Wayne
Kids aged 3-4 and their caregivers will create a unique and silly paper pumpkin painting, create a prince or princess crown for exciting dress up, and create a unique scarecrow to decorate for Halloween! Pre-register online.
ABA2DAYs Autism-Friendly Halloween Event
October 19, 10—1 pm
ABA2Day Behavior Services, 3744 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square
ABA2Day Behavior Service’s annual sensory-friendly Monster Mash is a wonderful opportunity for kids on the autism spectrum to enjoy Halloween with costumes (optional), trick-or-treating, games, and snacks. The celebration also hosts community Super Heroes, including local police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and their families.
Pumpkin Festival at East Goshen Park
October 19, 10 am–1 pm
1655 Paoli Pike, West Chester
Celebrate the season with free hayrides, free pumpkins, and more! All kids will receive a free pumpkin and can enter the pumpkin drawing contests. Food and beverages will be available to purchase.
Free Pumpkin Painting at Wedgewood Gardens
October 19, 10—2 pm
1890 Middletown Rd., Glen Mills
Each child will receive one spooky pumpkin to design and paint—supplies provided. There will also be snacks and treats!
Author Event: Merrilees Brown at Children’s Book World
October 19, 11 am
17 Haverford Station Rd., Haverford
Children’s Book World welcomes Merrilees Brown, illustrator of the new picture book Caspian Finds a Friend. She will share her first picture book, an imaginative story about how the power to change our world lies within ourselves.
Kids’ Spooky Bat Trees
October 19, 11 am—noon
Terrain, 914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills
Bring along the little ones to create a spooky tree filled with bats and witches just in time for Halloween. Reservations are required. $15 per child; no cost for accompanying adult. Cost includes instruction and materials to make one bat tree.
BMFI Family Saturday Matinee: ‘Matilda’
October 19, 11 am
Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr
BMFI screens this zany, eccentric adventure, adapted from Roald Dahl’s classic young adult novel. Tickets available online.
Barks and Brews
October 19, noon—5 pm
Brandywine River Museum, 1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford
Head to the Brandywine for an outdoor Oktoberfest celebration in the museum’s courtyard. Family, friends, and canine companions are all welcome. Enjoy craft beer from local brewery 2SP Brewing Company and dine on German-inspired fare.
Chili Square Off
October 19, noon—5 pm
Suburban Square, Anderson and Coulter avenues, Ardmore
$20 at the door benefits CHOP and the Merion Fire Company, and gets you an afternoon of chili tastings (vote for your favorite!), live music for kids, crafts, face painting, a hay maze, a beer garden, and more.
Fall Workshop Day at Wayne Art Center
October 19, 1—3 pm
Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave., Wayne
At this annual festive event, children can choose from six craft workshops (Black Sock Cat • Pumpkin Patch Pudding • Magical Mask • Spooky Luminary • Silly Scarecrow • Autumn Banner), or participate in all of them ($6 each, or $30 for all six workshops). There will also be free activities for kids of all ages, including caricatures with Mr. Tony, face painting, a photobooth, and more. Pre-register online, or walk in. Workshops best for ages 4-12.
Halloween Carnival
October 19, 1—3 pm
The Civic Center of Phoenixville, 123 Main Street, Phoenixville
Children 12 and under are invited to enjoy games, a silent auction and a magic show–all in celebration of Halloween.
Saturday Family Drop-In at Main Line Art Center
October 19, 2—4 pm
746 Panmure Road, Haverford
These classes are geared for children (ages 3-10) to attend alongside their guardians. Each class will begin with a tour of Main Line Art Center’s facilities, followed by a story that will relate to a craft. Media will vary weekly, ranging from painting, to mixed media, to printmaking. Register online.
The Great Pumpkin Carve
October 19, 3—9 pm
1736 Creek Road, Chadds Ford
An annual Chadds Ford tradition, the three-day event highlights over 70 giant pumpkins carved into spooktacular creations. Carvers work through the early evening on Thursday and then illuminate their masterpieces by candlelight. Guests can view the carvers at work Thursday and the finished products Friday and Saturday. In addition to the pumpkin patch, there is a giant kid-friendly Haunted Trail, hayrides, food for sale, and live music. Admission is available at the gate on each day of the event. Free for kids under 6.
Philadelphia Zoo presents Around the World Safari
October 19, 3—3:45 pm
Phoenixville Public Library, 183 Second Ave., Phoenixville
Meet live animals from around the world, presented by the Philadelphia Zoo. Online pre-registration required.
UP Spooktacular
October 19, 3—5 pm
499 Hopwood Rd., Collegeville
Trunk-or-Treat, campfire stories, movies, and more. You can register for a parking space and decorate your trunk to be entered into the trunk decorating contest. Registration is only required to decorate a trunk, and only one family member needs to register.
Made on the Main Line Fundraiser
October 19, 3—5 pm
Narberth Park, 80 Windsor Avenue, Narberth
Games and concessions will be organized and run by students from Harriton clubs and teams. Proceeds will benefit Harriton Charities, which help support the Lower Merion Township Scholarship Fund and the Dream Camp Foundation, which provides enrichment programs to low-income children who live in Philadelphia. There will also be food trucks and live music featuring student musicians from Harriton, Lower Merion, and local colleges.
The Great Halloween Festival
October 19, 4 — 8 pm
Upper Main Line Branch of the Brandywine YMCA, 1416 Berwyn Paoli Road, Berwyn
Grab a cape, hop on your broom and head over to the Y for a howling good time. Enjoy an evening of safe family fun activities at the largest Halloween event on the Main Line including games, trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating, a hay bale maze, and much more. All members and the public are invited to attend. Tickets: minimum donation fee $15/family, $10/individual. Proceeds benefit the annual campaign that funds our financial assistance program. All children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Parents’ Survival Night at The Little Gym
October 19, 6:30—9:30 pm
36 N. Narberth Ave., Narberth
Enjoy an adult night out while your children (ages 3-12) get some quality “kid time” in a safe, fun, familiar place with trained instructors who lead them through music, games, and fun LEGO building activities. Register online.
Sunday
Clover Market
October 20, 10 am—4 pm
7 N. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr
An outdoor family-friendly market with local makers, antiques, and food. Plus, crafts and face-painting for the kids!
The Rock and Roll Playhouse: Phish for Kids!
October 20, 11:45 am (doors at 11 am)
Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore
Using the songs from the most iconic musicians in rock history, the Rock and Roll Playhouse offers its core audience (typically kids ages 3-8 years old) games, movement, stories, and of course an opportunity to rock! Tickets available online.
Finding Shelter Sproutfest 2019
October 20, 11 am—3 pm
Upper Merion Township Building, King of Prussia
Celebrate Finding Shelter Animal Rescue’s mission with a fair, food trucks, and a fun dog parade and show! There will be prizes for fantastically Amazing Mutt, superior Special Needs, talented Best Trick, impeccably Best Dressed, and undeniably Spectacular Senior! Plus, kids can dress up their wagons and carts in their most creative animal themes and march in this year’s first ever Wagon Parade!
Kids’ Mini Pumpkin Decorating
October 20, noon—2 pm
Media-Upper Providence Free Library, 1 E. Front St., Media
After you’ve checked out all the great deals at the Fall Book Sale, kids are invited to decorate a mini pumpkin on the porch to take home. While supplies last.
Pumpkin Decorating and Scarecrow Building at Greater Plymouth Community Center
October 20, 1—2:30 pm or 3–4:30 pm
2910 Jolly Road, Plymouth Meeting
Bring your own pumpkins to carve or decorate. GPCC will provide paint and other supplies for decorating, as well as knives and carving kits. Pre-registration required. $7 per pumpkin or scarecrow.
Harvest Festival at West Goshen Community Park
October 20, 2—4 pm
Fern Hill Rd. and N. Five Points Rd., West Chester
Pumpkins, games, hayrides, and snacks!
Autumn Apple Tasting
October 20, 3 pm
Harriton House, 500 Harriton Rd., Bryn Mawr
The annual Harriton Apple Tasting celebration allows you to taste many varieties of fall apples not available in grocery stores and pick your favorites! Pumpkins available as well. Admission is $6; kids under 6 are free.
Photograph by Laura Swartz.
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