Southern NH Vibe › Kids & family events
53 kid-friendly events, from story times to festivals across southern New Hampshire, this weekend (Oct 9–12) and coming up through Nov 26, in 27 towns. Listings checked Mon, Oct 12.
See these by distance from your townHalloween & harvest event · Hampton Falls
Apple picking, corn maze and live bands each weekend; Oct 17-18 adds a Viking encampment and a giant pumpkin carve.
Weekends through Oct 31, plus Monday, Oct 12
Halloween & harvest event · Candia
Family farm festival over the holiday weekend; pony rides and pumpkin decorating cost extra, and kids under 2 are free.
Arts & culture · Warner
Free admission day with gallery tours, hands-on family activities and a walk on the accessible Medicine Woods trail.
Halloween & harvest event · Portsmouth
Kids trick-or-treat among historic houses after dark, with pirates, ghost stories, games and a fortune-teller.
Fridays and Saturdays, starting Fri, Oct 16
Festival or fair · Manchester
Family evening honoring Latino/a/e contributions to STEM, with a scientist scavenger hunt, activity stations, snacks and live music.
Outdoors · Keene
Harris Center's gentle morning outing in the park for caregivers with babies and toddlers.
Arts & culture · Concord
The Community Players of Concord's Children's Theatre Project presents a family show based on Alice's misadventures.
Outdoors · Rye
Costumes welcome for hands-on stations on glowing sea life and seal skeletons, plus a 5pm squid dissection.
Arts & culture · Nashua
Peacock Players' youth cast stages the musical Between the Lines JR over two weekends.
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct 18
Festival or fair · Goffstown
Giant pumpkins are weighed Saturday, then hollowed into boats and raced on the Piscataquog River on Sunday.
Festival or fair · Keene
Free downtown festival with pumpkin carving, school pumpkin displays, live stages and trick-or-treating from 3 to 5pm.
Outdoors · Epping
Southeast Land Trust's free day-long trail celebration at its Burley Farms headquarters.
Halloween & harvest event · Windham
Free family afternoon from Windham Recreation with games, a magic show, kids' costume parade, trick-or-treating and pumpkin decorating.
Halloween & harvest event · Candia
Kids ages 2 to 12 collect candy at farm stops, with juggling shows, a corn maze, pony rides and a barrel train.
Saturdays and Sundays, starting Sat, Oct 17
Volunteer opportunity · Hudson
Last volunteer cleanup of the season at Benson Park, weather permitting. Kids are welcome and lunch is provided.
Third Saturday of the month, April through October
Outdoors · Dover
Slow family bike ride of under 5 miles on the paved trail with playground stops, then cider and donuts.
Sports event · Londonderry
A 5K you can walk or run in Londonderry, put on by St. Gianna's Place. Sign up online through RunReg.
Sports event · Manchester
Costume-friendly 5K run or walk, with or without your dog, raising money for the Animal Rescue League of NH.
Club meeting · Concord
New England contra dancing to live music; beginners, singles and families welcome. $5 ages 15-25, under 15 free.
Class or workshop · Dover
Four-week yoga class for ages 2 to 5; $66 ($60 members), museum admission not included, pre-registration required.
Saturdays through Oct 31, part of a 4-week series
Arts & culture · Concord
Acrobats blend African storytelling, song and circus arts in a touring show about bridging two worlds.
Farmers market · Salem
Producers-only Sunday market with local produce, meats, baked goods and crafts, live music and SNAP match. Moves indoors Nov 1.
Every Sunday, May through October (outdoor summer season)
This week
Outdoors · Henniker
Drop-in open house for families to ask about kids' lesson programs, rentals and getting ready for winter; no RSVP.
Week of Oct 19
Outdoors · Epping
Nature story time for little ones at the Southeast Land Trust's Burley Farms; part of a four-session fall series.
Also Oct 27
Halloween & harvest event · Salem
Salem Recreation's free trunk or treat with dozens of local businesses, a kids' costume contest and touch-a-truck.
Halloween & harvest event · Concord
Downtown trick-or-treating on a car-free Main Street with a costume contest, live music, food trucks and games.
Halloween & harvest event · Candia
Not-scary evening ride through a glowing woodland trail with treats, farm animals and campfires, aimed at ages 3 to 10.
Also Oct 30
Halloween & harvest event · Merrimack
Merrimack Parks and Rec hosts a Halloween party night for kids in grades K to 6.
Halloween & harvest event · Pelham
Free lights-on trick-or-treat 6 to 7 for the first 200 kids, then a student-run haunted house from 7 to 9.
Festival or fair · Derry
Free fall festival with vendors, live blues, a giant slide and kids' craft corner, a fire truck for photos and raffles.
Halloween & harvest event · Nashua
Kids trick-or-treat at participating downtown Nashua businesses along a decorated Main Street.
Halloween & harvest event · Merrimack
Trunk or treat from 4 to 6pm, a costume contest, food, then a free outdoor movie from 6 to 8pm.
Halloween & harvest event · Dover
Second annual trick-or-treat trail where families collect candy from local businesses and community groups.
Halloween & harvest event · Derry
Daytime trick-or-treating at downtown Derry shops, with a food truck and a giant Halloween puppet at Marion Gerrish.
Halloween & harvest event · Portsmouth
Portsmouth Recreation Department's free autumn family festival at the Community Campus.
Halloween & harvest event · Peterborough
Naturalist-author Susie Spikol and musician Hutch Hutcherson share spooky stories and songs for kids outdoors.
Sports event · Hollis
Family fun run for ages 3 to 12 with lawn games, face painting and a bake sale to help a local family.
Week of Oct 26
Halloween & harvest event · Dover
A week of gentle Halloween fun for young children during regular museum sessions; costumes encouraged.
Outdoors · Epping
Wildlife educators introduce the mammals that come out after dark, hosted by Southeast Land Trust; register ahead.
Arts & culture · Portsmouth
A stage musical for young children based on the alphabet picture book, with two morning shows.
Halloween & harvest event · Plaistow
Plaistow Recreation's Town Pumpkin Lighting, held at 145 Main St on the evening before Halloween.
Halloween & harvest event · Hollis
Trunk-or-treat at the nature center with a family scavenger hunt, popcorn and cider. Held rain or shine.
Halloween & harvest event · Concord
Children's musician Mr. Aaron leads a sing-and-dance Halloween morning show for families. Doors open at 10am.
Halloween & harvest event · Wilton
Halloween morning party for kids at the Wilton library. Details at the library's desk or website.
Halloween & harvest event · Manchester
Halloween morning 3K at Backyard Brewery with a kids' festival, magic show and 100-yard Lil' Pumpkin Run for ages 8 and under.
Halloween & harvest event · Mason
Halloween night trunk-or-treat in the church lot for local kids and families.
Week of Nov 2
Outdoors · Hancock
Family evening watching tiny migrating saw-whet owls get banded; the other fall banding nights are waitlist only.
Outdoors · Newmarket
Kid-led outdoor play and nature exploring for ages 0 to 5 with a grown-up, rain or shine. Sign-up required.
Festival or fair · Manchester
Limited-capacity, lower-stimulation evening with most exhibits, make-and-take activities, demos and a quiet break room.
Week of Nov 9
Festival or fair · Dover
Storytime, literacy crafts and a photo meet-and-greet with Pete the Cat; included with museum admission, reserving online is advised.
Sports event · Windham
Two-loop 5K run or walk on the school's wooded campus trails, open to all abilities, with a free fun run for kids 8 and under.
Week of Nov 16
Craft or holiday market · Londonderry
Juried craft show in the high school cafe and lobby, with a raffle and a kids crafting area.
Craft or holiday market · Merrimack
School craft fair with a silent auction, raffle, bake sale, kids' games and family holiday portraits.