Here’s your guide to fall festivities happening around Columbia

Feeling festive yet? To help you and your family take advantage of the fall season, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite fall festivities to participate in around Columbia.

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Find the perfect pumpkin at the State Farmers Market | Photo via @c_tina221

Table of Contents

It’s officially fall — and to help you take full advantage of the fall festivities, we’ve compiled our Columbia fall bucket list, complete with 15+ events and activities to try.

👟 Activities

Dress up in your best costumes and explore the zoo after hours at Boo at the Zoo — a family fun trick-or-treating event, happening Friday, Oct. 20-Thursday., Oct. 30.

The Free Times’ Halloween party is one you’ll die for. Get dressed up on Friday, Oct. 27, and enjoy an open bar, haunting decor, and a DJ dance party from 7-11 p.m.

Buy fresh, fall produce and browse hundreds of pumpkins at the South Carolina State Farmers Market. Throughout October, the market will feature fall flowers, pumpkins, fall decor + many more fall goodies.

Get lost in a Lake Murray Corn Maze at Clinton Sease Farm in Lexington. Beyond the eight-acre maze, the farm offers plenty of activities for all ages, from Barnyard golf and playgrounds to wagon rides and a pumpkin patch.

Enjoy a fun-filled day at the South Carolina State Fair. Celebrate the fair’s return to in-person activities from Wednesday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Oct. 22.

Prepare for the Nightmare In Elmwood 5k — the annual hauntingly fun community event happening on Saturday, Oct. 28. Locals can enjoy running through the historic Elmwood Park neighborhood in downtown Columbia.

Go to a Gamecock Football game. Regardless of the outcome of the game, you’ll be winning if you prepare with our gameday guide.

Take a road trip with the family and head to one of these regional U-pick apple farms; all within three hours of Cola.

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Incarnation Lutheran Church on Devine Street hosts the annual Oktoberfest event. | Photo by COLAtoday

🎟️ Fall events

Oktoberfests | Six Oktoberfests will take place this weekend and the weeks following | See a full lineup and get ready for German-inspired beers + foods.

Midlands Plant and Flower Festival | Friday, Oct. 6-Sunday, Oct. 8 | Times vary | SC State Farmers Market | Free | Shop seasonal plants, flowers, decor + more.

Cayce Fall Fest | Saturday, Oct. 7 | Join locals at Granby Gardens Park for an afternoon of family fun, live music, food, drinks, a kid’s area, face painters, balloon artists, a petting zoo, and more.

Trunk or Treat | Wednesday, Oct. 25 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Robert Mills House | Free | Bring the kids to go trunk to trunk to collect candy or register to decorate your vehicle.

SC Philharmonic: Halloween at Hogwarts | Sunday, October 29 | 3 p.m. | $10-$50 | Experience a family-friendly Halloween celebration at the Koger Center, where it’ll magically transform into the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.

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Have a terrifying time at Deceased Farms’ haunted house. | Photo by @mckenzie_roland

👻 Haunted houses

Deceased Farm | 382 Olde Farm Rd., Lexington | $25+ | Take a self-guided jaunt through 6 terrifying buildings, three outdoor zones, and creepy corn fields.

Terror Falls Haunted Farm | 370 Mack St. Gaston, SC | Beginning tomorrow, $20 will give guests access to all four haunted attractions — Meemaw’s Bed and Breakfast, Terror Trail, Terror Falls Hospital, and “Carnevil” of Souls.

The Dark Castle | 2076 Highway Church Rd., Elgin | Beginning tomorrow, guests can purchase one ticket for $18+ and be given access to three spine-chilling experiences — the Dungeon of Darkness haunted house, an eerie outdoor trail, and an interactive zombie survival challenge.