Kawartha Fall Festival offers huge line-up of free family events

September 19, 2022 – The countdown is on to the Kawartha Fall Festival and the line-up of family-friendly events keeps getting better and better.

“I am excited about this festival and for our community,” said Kawartha Lakes Mayor and Kawartha Conservation Board of Directors Chair, Andy Letham. “We know that the price of just about everything is going up and making it a lot harder for families, so to have an event like this where it is free for the whole family, it just takes the pressure off of everyone for a little while and allows everyone to experience and enjoy the events and activities.”

Kicking off at 12 noon on Saturday, October 1, the Kawartha Fall Festival will feature a number of interactive and hands-on experiences for children, families and seniors, including Scales Nature Park, an engaging and educational, hands-on reptile and amphibian experience, Jake Charles from First Nation's Cultural Tours will lead visitors in a 'cultural show and tell' circle, Freddie Caveen and Edmund Stay will provide acoustic tunes around a campfire, and the Peterborough Astronomical Association will allow visitors to explore the night sky with telescopes on Saturday night.

And that’s just the first day.

“The fun continues for visitors on Sunday, October 2 with Royal Canadian Falconry  on hand for an educational, informative and entertaining 90 minute Birds of Prey demonstration, beginning at 12 noon,” explained Kristie Virgoe, Director of Stewardship and Conservation Lands. “The Birds of Prey demonstration will include a variety of birds of prey as well as in-flight demonstrations, before Zoo to You provides opportunity to interact with a variety of animals up close, making friends with reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, while learning fun facts along the way.”

Throughout the Festival, which runs until Monday, October 10, there will be a variety of activities including Guided Nature Hikes, Birding Hikes, Storytime, crafts and games with the Kawartha Lakes Public Library, Working with Invasives, Mushroom Walk and even a viewing of The Lorax for Movie Night on October 7 outdoors with popcorn and hot chocolate.

And the best part, the Kawartha Fall Festival is free for everyone, though some events will require pre-registration.

“There is no cost for any of the events or activities, though some require registration as there is a maximum number of participants for some of the guided hikes and events,” said Virgoe. “We are really excited about this festival and being able to offer this to the community and visitors.”

Throughout the week-long festival, Kawartha Conservation staff and volunteers will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Kawartha Lakes Food Source.

“If you're planning on attending the Kawartha Fall Festival, we certainly appreciate any non-perishable food item donations to help support others in our community,” said Rebecca Pomeroy, Events and Community Support. “The Kawartha Lakes Food Source plays an incredibly important role in our community and we’re proud to be able to help support and give back to them through the Kawartha Fall Festival.”

To learn more about the Kawartha Fall Festival or receive updates as events are added, go to www.kawarthaconservation.com/festivals or visit the Events Calendar at www.kawarthaconservation.com.