Events In and Around Haddonfield: August Through October

Late summer into fall is one of the busiest stretches on the calendar for Haddonfield and the surrounding area, with festivals, farm days, and harvest markets filling towns within a 30 to 45 minute drive, plus a strong lineup just across the river in Philadelphia, about 15 minutes away. Here's a month-by-month look at what's worth putting on the calendar.

August

Haddon Township's Summer of Love Festival takes over Haddon Avenue on August 29 from 2 to 10 p.m., with a lineup of 60s, 70s, and 80s music, a beer garden, and food trucks lining the street between Strawbridge and Cooper. It's a five-minute drive from Haddonfield and one of the more low-key ways to close out the summer.

Farm season also starts ramping up in late August. Mood's Farm Market in Mullica Hill, about 30 minutes away, kicks off its Apple Festival on September 5, though the orchard itself opens for picking earlier in the month.

In Philadelphia, Reading Terminal Market's Ice Cream Festival takes over Filbert Street on August 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with nearly a dozen local ice cream shops scooping outside the market. A week later, the Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl on August 22 sends book lovers across nearly 50 independent bookshops citywide, with signings, giveaways, and discounts throughout the day.

Also running most of the season, the Southeast Asian Market at FDR Park is open Saturdays through the end of October, with more than 70 vendors serving Lao, Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian food in the park's southeast corner.

September

The Gloucester County 4-H Fair in Mullica Hill runs its four-day tradition of livestock shows, food vendors, and family activities in early September, a fitting introduction to the fall festival season in that part of South Jersey.

The Red Barn Farm's Sunflower and Fall Fest in Hammonton, about 35 minutes out, runs Labor Day weekend and blends late-summer sunflower fields with the start of fall picking season.

For something closer to home, Springdale Farms in Cherry Hill, ten minutes from Haddonfield, opens its corn maze and pick-your-own pumpkin patch as September moves along, a good option for families not looking to make a full day trip out of it.

In Philadelphia, the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show fills the square September 18 through 20 with nearly 150 artists and craftspeople, part of the oldest outdoor fine arts show in the country. Running most of the month, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, September 8 through 27, brings alternative theater, dance, and performance pieces to venues across the city for anyone looking for something a little less traditional than a typical night out.

A bit further out, about 45 minutes to an hour from Haddonfield, Kennett Square's Mushroom Festival takes over State Street September 12 and 13. Now in its 40th year, the festival leans into the town's title as the self-proclaimed Mushroom Capital of the World, with fungi-themed food, live entertainment, and family activities throughout the two days.

October

October is when the calendar fills up fastest. Johnson's Corner Farm in Medford, about 20 minutes from Haddonfield, holds its Harvest Festival October 10 and 11, with hayrides, a pumpkin patch, and its well-known apple cider donuts. A short distance further, Johnson's Locust Hall Farm in Jobstown, a separate farm despite the shared name, runs its own Fall Harvest Festival the same weekend, with a five-acre corn maze, sunflower fields, and an animal farm bundled into a single day pass.

The Mullica Hill Fall Festival also lands on October 10 and 11, turning Main Street into a full day of vendors, live music, and small-town fall charm in one of South Jersey's more walkable historic downtowns.

Back in Haddonfield itself, the Halloween Night Market takes over downtown on October 24 from 4 to 9 p.m., with craft and art vendors, food, and live music right on Kings Highway.

And closing out the month, Haddon Township's Music Festival returns in mid-October with two stages of live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and a Ferris wheel along Haddon Avenue, free and open to the public, and walkable from the Westmont PATCO stop.

In Philadelphia, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours runs October 10 through 18, opening artist studios and galleries across more than 20 neighborhoods to the public, with studios west of Broad Street open the first weekend and those east of Broad open the second. OURfest, the city's annual National Coming Out Day celebration, takes place October 11 with live performances, vendors, and a block party atmosphere. And on October 17, the Philly Bike Ride closes 20 miles of city streets to cars for a car-free ride starting and ending at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with a free festival at the finish line even for those not riding.