Magic of Fall Festivals

It is back to school for children and back to work for adults. This usually means it is time for lower prices & less crowds at many vacation destinations. Fall is also time to celebrate harvesting of crops – grapes, cranberries, apples, squash and pumpkins. People throng to farms and orchards across the country to pick their own produce. It is also a photo op for family pictures with farm animals and scarecrows.

It is festival, events, travel and activities galore during this short season. Though Halloween and Thanksgiving are the major fall festivals, there are many other festivals locally and regionally celebrated in different parts of America. These festivals have their own theme related to the region where they are celebrated in.

Festivals are marked by special cuisines on offer to the revellers and other activities like costume competitions, scarecrow competitions, races, pumpkin carving, kites flying, balloon flying, Halloween inspired haunted house, Jack o’ Lantern blaze, apple art, wine tasting etc. Some of these festivals are Oktoberfest in Cincinnati, Sheep Festival in Ketchum, Idaho, Sever's Fall Festival in Shakopee, Minnesota, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Duluth Fall Festival in Duluth, Georgia, Madison County Covered Bridge Festival in Winterset, Iowa and a host of others. There are about 25 of these.

Balloon Flying is a very popular outdoor activity during fall not only in Europe, but also in Canada, Europe and some places in Asia and Australia also. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico: held from 1^st to 9^th October started in 1972. It is the biggest hot air balloon festival in the world. Around 600 Balloons fill up the sky with thousands of spectators. This festival is one of the most photographed events of the world. The festival also includes musical performances, skydiving and fireworks.  Some of the other popular Balloon festivals across the world are New York State Festival of Balloons, Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off in Colorado Springs, Balloon festivals in California, Nevada, North Carolina, and Balloon Festival in Quebec Canada, England, Switzerland, Taiwan and Australia.

US being a huge country provides a wide range of activities and exciting vacation destinations like National parks, sandy beaches, lakes, mountain  and canyons. Outdoor activities like scuba diving, biking, mountain climbing, rafting are also an option for the interested, River rafting in Idaho, Surfing in Oahu, biking in Sedona, Joshua Tree national Park, Skydiving in Pocono Mountains are some popular vacation destinations.

Alas, the season goes away in a flash although we don’t want it to end at all.