Chuck Hafner's Fall Festival 2024
Chuck Hafner’s Fall Festival returns this year from September 28th to October 20th, offering weekends packed with fun for the whole family, including Columbus Day! We’re excited to kick off this year’s festivities with a special Kids Run for Hope, along with all your favorite fall activities. Plus, be sure to bring your appetite—our festival features a variety of food trucks serving up delicious treats throughout the event. And don’t worry about the weather—Chuck Hafner’s is proud to host the only undercover festival in CNY, so rain or shine, your festival plans are safe with us.
Check out the schedule below! Please note that while we strive to stick to the advertised schedule, circumstances beyond our control may lead to changes.
Weekend Events
Saturday September 28th
Run For Hope Kids Run
Repco Wildlife Encounters Presents: Prehistoric World’s Creepy Crawly Halloween Event! 1 pm – 2.30 pm
Come see, touch, and learn about unusual animals from around the world featuring reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. This program is great for all ages!
Todays food truck is PB&J’s Lunchbox!
Sunday September 29th
Page Wildlife Center Presents: Live! Birds of Prey – Shows at 11.30, 12.30, and 1.30
Conservationist Cindy Page and “The Birds of Prey” from Page Wildlife Center in Manlius will be back by popular demand! This one-of-a-kind educational live show features un-releasable predatory birds and showcases their unique skills. Get up close and personal with a Peregrine Falcon, Red-tailed Hawk, Snowy Owl, Turkey Vulture, Gyrfalcon, Screech Owl, and MORE! Come learn about these incredible birds free of charge and support one of our great local conservation centers.
Pink Hair Extensions 11.30 am – 2.30 pm
Pink hair extensions for a great cause! Stop by salon Bellezza in the greenhouse and receive your pink hair extension or fabric pumpkin with a $10 donation to the American cancer society.
Todays food truck is Bob Barkers.
Saturday October 5th
Clayscapes Pottery Market 10 am – 5 pm.
The Clayscapes Pottery Market is an exclusively pottery & ceramics show with over 40 participating artists from all over Upstate New York. Sponsored by Clayscapes and the independent potters association.
Page Wildlife Center Presents: Live! Birds of Prey – Shows at 11.30, 12.30, and 1.30
Conservationist Cindy Page and “The Birds of Prey” from Page Wildlife Center in Manlius will be back by popular demand! This one-of-a-kind educational live show features un-releasable predatory birds and showcases their unique skills. Get up close and personal with a Peregrine Falcon, Red-tailed Hawk, Snowy Owl, Turkey Vulture, Gyrfalcon, Screech Owl, and MORE! Come learn about these incredible birds free of charge and support one of our great local conservation centers.
Pink Hair Extensions 11.30 am – 2.30 pm
Pink hair extensions for a great cause! Stop by salon Bellezza in the greenhouse and receive your pink hair extension or fabric pumpkin with a $10 donation to the American cancer society.
Meet Otto The Orange 12 pm – 1pm
Come and meet Otto The Orange!
Food Truck today is Bob Barkers.
Sunday October 6th
Clayscapes Pottery Market 10 am – 4 pm.
The Clayscapes Pottery Market is an exclusively pottery & ceramics show with over 40 participating artists from all over Upstate New York. Sponsored by Clayscapes and the independent potters association.
Repco Wildlife Encounters Presents: Prehistoric World’s Creepy Crawly Halloween Event! 1 pm – 2.30 pm
Come see, touch, and learn about unusual animals from around the world featuring reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. This program is great for all ages!
Meet Scooch From The Syracuse Mets! 12 pm – 1pm
Come and meet Scooch from the Syracuse Mets!
Food Truck today is Bob Barkers.
Saturday October 12th
Two by Two Petting Zoo! 11 am – 3 pm
We guarantee you have never seen a more exciting collection of animals under one greenhouse roof! You will get to meet more than 15 animals up close! To name just a few- you will see bunnies, a tortoise, a hedgehog, a python, ferrets, an iguana, a pig, chickens, birds, a chinchilla (weather dependent), and MORE! Don’t miss this unique opportunity!!!
Mike the Magician 12 pm – 2 pm
Watch as Mike “The Cartoon Magician” mystifies us with his magic. You name it, he can balloon it! He may even break out and do some juggling as well! Voted “Best Family Entertainer” by the Syracuse New Times. Mike is a sure bet for all ages!
Todays food truck is Bob Barkers!
Sunday October 13th
Two by Two Petting Zoo! 11 am – 3 pm
We guarantee you have never seen a more exciting collection of animals under one greenhouse roof! You will get to meet more than 15 animals up close! To name just a few- you will see bunnies, a tortoise, a hedgehog, a python, ferrets, an iguana, a pig, chickens, birds, a chinchilla (weather dependent), and MORE! Don’t miss this unique opportunity!!!
Mike the Magician 12 pm – 2 pm
Watch as Mike “The Cartoon Magician” mystifies us with his magic. You name it, he can balloon it! He may even break out and do some juggling as well! Voted “Best Family Entertainer” by the Syracuse New Times. Mike is a sure bet for all ages!
Todays food truck is Bob Barkers!
Monday October 14th
Mike the Magician 12 pm – 2 pm
Watch as Mike “The Cartoon Magician” mystifies us with his magic. You name it, he can balloon it! He may even break out and do some juggling as well! Voted “Best Family Entertainer” by the Syracuse New Times. Mike is a sure bet for all ages!
Pink Hair Extensions 11.30 am – 2.30 pm
Pink hair extensions for a great cause! Stop by salon Bellezza in the greenhouse and receive your pink hair extension or fabric pumpkin with a $10 donation to the American cancer society.
Todays food truck is the Yum Yum Shack!
Saturday October 19th
First Responder’s Weekend! 12 pm – 3 pm –
Meet your local Firefighters and Deputy Sheriffs and explore their firetruck, ambulance, and cruiser! NEW this year, experience the excitement of stepping inside a NAVAC ambulance!
Teddy Bears visit to Hospital Land! 11 am – 4 pm
Don’t miss this very special opportunity to choose your teddy bear, name it with its very own hospital bracelet, take it for an x-ray, diagnose and treat your bear. Then, take it home and nurse it back to health! Sponsored by our friends at Crouse.
Repco Wildlife Encounters Presents: Prehistoric World’s Creepy Crawly Halloween Event! 1 pm – 2.30 pm
Come see, touch, and learn about unusual animals from around the world featuring reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. This program is great for all ages!
Syracuse Gem & Mineral Society- 11-4
The Syracuse Gem & Mineral Society joins us this weekend with live lapidary & jewelry-making demonstrations and a spectacular mineral display! Bring in your own rocks for on-site Mineral identification and shop stunning jewelry from local artists.
Todays food truck is Limp Lizard!
Sunday October 20th
First Responder’s Weekend! 12 pm – 3 pm–
Meet your local Firefighters and Deputy Sheriffs and explore their firetruck, ambulance, and cruiser! NEW this year, experience the excitement of stepping inside a NAVAC ambulance!
Teddy Bears visit to Hospital Land! 11 am – 4 pm
Don’t miss this very special opportunity to choose your teddy bear, name it with its very own hospital bracelet, take it for an x-ray, diagnose and treat your bear. Then, take it home and nurse it back to health! Sponsored by our friends at Crouse.
Syracuse Gem & Mineral Society- 11-4
The Syracuse Gem & Mineral Society joins us this weekend with live lapidary & jewelry-making demonstrations and a spectacular mineral display! Bring in your own rocks for on-site Mineral identification and shop stunning jewelry from local artists.
Mike the Magician 12 pm – 2 pm
Watch as Mike “The Cartoon Magician” mystifies us with his magic. You name it, he can balloon it! He may even break out and do some juggling as well! Voted “Best Family Entertainer” by the Syracuse New Times. Mike is a sure bet for all ages!
Todays food truck is Bob Barker’s Hot Dogs!
Birthday Parties At Fall Fest
Looking to create a unique experience for your child’s special day? Hosting a birthday party at Fall Fest couldn’t be easier!
E-mail Jennissa at jhart@chuckhafner.com for details.
Everyday Free Activities
Corn Pit – Crawl, dig & play in our giant 400 sq ft corn pit!
Giant Games – All your favorite games like you’ve never seen before! Play Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four, Checkers & Memory on our enormous game boards!
Straw Maze – Come and get lost in our Straw Maze built using over 350 bales of straw. Toddlers and teens walk through our straw maze with twists, turns, and dead ends! No GPS is needed!
Petting Zoo – Our friends from Fort Ricky Children’s Discovery Zoo will provide animals for our petting zoo. Walk inside the pen for a photo with your favorite animal and feed them a tasty treat.
Ghoulish Hole-in-One – Test your golfing skills with three chances to make a hole-in-one.
Tepee – Come inside our authentic Native Tepee!
Bowling – Get your strike on!
Weekend Activities 11 am - 4 pm (ticket purchase required)
Pumpkin Decorating – Customize your pumpkin! Free with purchase of pumpkin OR 1-2 tickets for premium stick-on decorations
Face Painting & Temporary Tattoos – Choose your design and walk the festival in style!
Tie-Dye – T-shirts are available in many sizes to create your one-of-a-kind tie-dye memory.
Sand Art Station – One of our favorites! Many different projects to choose from this year.
Zombie Paint Ball Attack! – Zombies have invaded Chuck’s Fall Festival, and they are trying to overrun the nursery! Take a stand and fight them back using our paintball guns and your skill! Ticket purchase required.
Carnival Games – Kids of all ages will love our new carnival row with classic midway games and popular prizes for all participants.
Unlimited Bounce Zone – Four bounce houses for kids of all ages including our *High Voltage Chaos obstacle course. Crawl, climb, squeeze, and slide down the lightening fast 15’ slide as you race your friends. There is also a Bitty Bounce for tiny tikes.