October brings the beginning of cooler weather, campfires, fall foliage, spooky fun, and plenty of treats. October is often the month with the most pleasant weather in Charlotte. Plan October 2024 with this list of the top things to do in October in Charlotte (and surrounding areas.)
We’re highlighting some of the top things to do this month. But then, scroll down for our huge (and we do mean huge) calendar of things to do in Charlotte, and surrounding areas in October. This calendar will be updated all the time. Or jump right to the calendar.
We focus on the free and cheap, but we do include some great activities and events that do cost a little bit more if we think readers would like to hear about them.
Visit a Haunted Trail
Haunted Trails
Date: Various dates in October
Time: Nighttime!
Place: Various places
Cost: Varies
Features: Check out our list of haunted trails near Charlotte! What better way to celebrate Spooky Season?
Corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hayrides and more
Fall Family Fun at Local Farms
Date: All October
Time: Various times
Place: Local farms
Cost: Varies
Features: Check out our list of places to enjoy corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hayrides and more fall fun.
Blessing of the Animals
Blessing of the Animals
Date: Various (mostly the first week of October)
Time: Various
Place: Various churches
Cost: Free
Features: Many churches invite people to bring their pets for the Blessing of the Animals in early October. This special event has become a much-loved part of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Salisbury’s Buskers’ Bash
Salisbury’s 11th Annual Buskers’ Bash
Date: Friday, October 4, 2024
Time: 5 to 9 p.m.
Place: Downtown Salisbury, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Dozens of performers will be performing throughout Downtown Salisbury. Grab a map and vote for your favorites by dropping special guitar picks (provided) into their buckets.
FabFest, Charlotte’s Beatles Festival
FabFest, Charlotte’s Beatles Festival
Date: Friday, October 4, and Saturday, October 5, 2024
Time: FabFest Daytime is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; Evening shows take place on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday (8 p.m.)
Place: FabFest Daytime is at The Parr Center at Central Piedmont Community College, 1201 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte, NC. The evening shows are at Knight Theater, 430 S Tryon Street.
Cost: FabFest Daytime is $15 for adults, $7.50 for kids ages 5 to 17, and free for kids 4 and under. The cost for the evening shows vary.
Features: FabFest Daytime is an immersive Beatles day with live music, an open mic, authors, memorabilia, a marketplace and much more. Tosco Music Beatles Tribute takes place Friday night and Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney takes place Saturday night
Carolina Renaissance Festival
Carolina Renaissance Festival
Date: Saturdays and Sundays from October 5 to November 24, 2024
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Place: 16445 Poplar Tent Road, Huntersville, NC
Cost: $34 for adults, $20 for children 5-12. Free for children 4 and under. Multiple discount offers and ticket giveaways (follow link above.)
Features: Jousting knights, multiple shows, mermaids, falconry, artisan market and more. More than 14 stages of entertainment and 500 costumed villagers.
Hola Charlotte Festival
Hola Charlotte Festival
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Time: 12 to 6 p.m.
Place: Tryon Street, between Brooklyn Village Avenue and 4th Street, Charlotte, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Latin American cultural performances and art, a family area and more.
Concord International Festival
Concord International Festival
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Time: 12 to 6 p.m.
Place: Downtown Concord, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Live music performances, a kids’ corner with hand-on experiences, cultural displays, international craft vendors, and food and drink.
Autumn Jubilee at Dan Nicholas Park
Autumn Jubilee at Dan Nicholas Park
Date: Saturday, October 5, and Sunday, October 6, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Place: Dan Nicholas Park, 6800 Bringle Ferry Road, Salisbury, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Live music, kids’ activities, craft vendors, food vendors and more.
Charlotte Corgi Club Racing Championship
Charlotte Corgi Club Racing Championship
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Place: Renaissance Park, 1536 W Tyvola Road, Charlotte, NC
Cost: Free to attend. $40 to register your Corgi to race.
Features: Watch corgis race. There will also be food trucks, music and vendors. All dogs can attend. Only corgis can race.
Cotton Ginning Festival
Cotton Ginning Festival
Date: October 11 to 13, 2024
Time: Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (tentative times)
Place: Dallas Park, 1303 Dallas Cherryville Hwy, Dallas, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Engine shows, arts and crafts, live music, Parade of Power, kids’ area, heritage area, more.
Charlotte VegFest
Charlotte VegFest
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 12 to 6 p.m.
Place: The Amp Ballantyne, 11115 Upper Avenue, Charlotte, NC
Cost: Free (VIP option available)
Features: A celebration of healthy, sustainable and compassionate eating. Vegan food court, cooking demos, free fitness classes, more.
Halloween Events
Tons of Halloween Events
Date: Varies
Time: Varies
Place: Varies
Cost: Most are free or low-priced
Features: We’ve put together a huge list of Halloween events, including costume contests, trick-or-treat events, and much more. There are some events for kids and some for adults in the list.
Fall for Matthews Festival
Fall for Matthews Festival
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Place: 210 Matthtews Station Street, Matthews, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Arts and crafts vendors, sip & stroll, live music, food vendors, children’s area pumpkin patch, petting zoo.
Reevestock Music Festival
Reevestock Music Festival
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 12 to 10 p.m.
Place: Elkin’s Hidden Amphitheater, 357 Ivy Circle, Elkin, NC
Cost: $25 to $40
Features: A full day of great music in a relaxed, comfortable setting. Kids’ activities, food trucks, vendors.
Latin Night
Latin Night at Camp North End
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 5 to 10 p.m.
Place: Boileryard at Camp North End, 1824 Statesville Avenue, Charlotte, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Live music, authentic food and dancing.
Charlotte BookPalooza
Charlotte BookPalooza
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Place: Urban District Market
Cost: Free
Features: Literary Lane, with North Carolinian authors, a kid zone, vendors, Battle of the Book Clubs Contest, costume contest and more.
Laketoberfest
Laketoberfest
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 4 to 9 p.m.
Place: Bailey Road Park, 11536 Bailey Road, Cornelius, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Live music, North Carolina beer, food trucks, kids’ zone, more.
Baxter Village Fall Festival and Market Day
Baxter Village Fall Festival and Market Day
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 12 to 6 p.m.
Place: Baxter Town Center, 940 Market Street, Fort Mill, SC
Cost: Free
Features: Live music, inflatables, slides, vendors, more.
Build Your Own Boat
Build Your Own Boat
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 12 to 7:30 p.m.
Place: Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway, Charlotte, NC
Cost: Free to watch. $12 for parking. Cost to participate.
Features: Watch crews in homemade boats race on the whitewater channel.
Armenian Fall Festival
Armenian Fall Festival
Date: October 18, 19, and 20, 2024
Time: 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday; 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday
Place: St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church, 7000 Park Road, Charlotte, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Authentic Armenian food, plus cultural performances and family activities
Mountaineer Days Heritage Festival
Mountaineer Days Heritage Festival
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 12 to 10 p.m.
Place: Patriots Park, 220 South Railroad Avenue, Kings Mountain, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Live music, rides, games, historic demonstrations, contests and more.
Pineville Fall Fest
Pineville Fall Fest
Date: October 17 to 19, 2024
Time: 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday
Place: Jack D. Hughes Park, 513 Main Street, Pineville, NC
Cost: Free for admission. There’s a cost for the rides.
Features: Carnival rides, arts and crafts vendors, live music, children’s entertainment and more. The festival ends with a fireworks show on Saturday at 10 p.m.
Mush, Music & Mutts: NC’s Liver Mush Festival
Mush, Music & Mutts: NC’s Liver Mush Festival
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Place: Uptown Shelby
Cost: Free
Features: Liver mush eating contests, recipe contest and more. Plus, live music, craft vendors, kids’ zone, and pet contests.
Nature at Night
Nature at Night
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 5 to 9 p.m.
Place: McDowell Nature Preserve, 15222 York Road, Charlotte, NC
Cost: $7
Features: Enjoy the nature preserve at night with wagon rides, s’mores, night hikes, crafts, live animals and more.
Mount Holly Lantern Parade
Mount Holly Lantern Parade
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Mount Holly, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Artful, lit-up lanterns bring magic to downtown Mount Holly in this parade.
Charlotte Chalk Art Festival
Charlotte Chalk Art Festival
Date: October 19 and 20, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day
Place: No Brewing Co., 150 W 32nd Street, Charlotte, NC
Cost: Free (cost to compete)
Features: Watch artists compete in a chalk art competition. There will also be a community chalking area, art and crafts vendors, food and drink vendors and more. Family friendly event.
Fort Mill Fall Festival
Fort Mill Fall Festival
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
Place: Walter Elisha Park, 345 N White Street, Fort Mill, SC
Cost: Free
Features: Live music, costume contest, photos with Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin, stilt walkers, food trucks, more.
Halloween in Huntersville
Halloween in Huntersville
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2024
Time: 5 to 8 p.m.
Place: Huntersville Recreation Center, 11826 Verhoff Drive, Huntersville, NC
Cost: Free
Features: Rides, live music, costume contest, pumpkin patch photo op, drone show and more.
Full Calendar of October Events
Please give the list a moment to load…it’s a LOT!
Charlotte on the Cheap is a member of 
