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PandaFest, Glow Wild, and More Fun Things To Do in CT This Weekend

Go wild for all the top things to do with kids in Connecticut this weekend! Glow Wild photo courtesy of the Beardsley Zoo.
Go wild for all the top things to do with kids in Connecticut this weekend! Glow Wild photo courtesy of the Beardsley Zoo.
9/24/25 - By Jennifer Coe

Looking for the best things to do in Connecticut this weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list!

September is flying by quickly, and now that Autumn is officially here, break out the Pumpkin Latte, cider donuts and... Asian food? Yep! PandaFest in Hartford, one of the biggest Asian food festivals around is coming this weekend. Glow Wild Lantern Festival at Beardsley Zoo also opens this weekend, with larger-than-life lanterns illuminating the night sky. Want to get some proper Fall fun in? No problem, because Cider Saturday at New Canaan Nature Center is this weekend, as is the annual New London Harvest Festival. For early, family-friendly Halloween fun, check out Spookley Movie Night at Brown's Harvest this weekend!

More Things To Do in Connecticut This Week with Kids:

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Best Things To Do this Weekend in Connecticut with Kids

Fall Family Festival at Bright Horizons

Multiple Locations—FREE
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Bright Horizons is bringing fun, friends, and family together at its fall festival. Meet other families, get to know the Bright Horizons community, and participate in hands-on fall activities. Everyone is welcome. READ MORE

Glow Wild Lantern Festival at Beardsley Zoo

Bridgeport
All weekend, September 26-28, 2025
​GLOW Wild Presented by ASML returns to Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo. Journey through a wonderland of illuminated larger-than-life lanterns inspired by our wild world. Back by popular demand, this illuminating festival of lights is coming back for its third year. READ MORE

Newtown Arts Festival

Newtown All weekend, September 25-28
The 2025 Newtown Arts Festival will begin Friday September 26th with the Music Under The Stars Fundraising Concert with local opening acts and headliner "The Zoo" with NHS Alum Randy Buttner. The festival continues with two days of over 70 artisan vendors, music all day, dance performances, free art activities, and roaming entertainment. READ MORE

Spookley Movie Night at Brown's Harvest

Windsor
Friday, September 26, 2025
Bring a blanket and come watch Spookley the Square Pumpkin outside! Don't forget to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the local food bank. READ MORE

Pumpkin Painting on the Beach at Calf Pasture

Norwalk
Friday, September 26, 2025
Join Norwalk Recreation & Parks and Art by Smile for a creative evening by the shore. Pick your favorite pumpkin from our festive assortment and paint it your way—spooky, silly, or stylish. READ MORE

Spooky Ceramics Night at Giggling Pig Milford

Milford
Friday, September 26, 2025
Join GP for this fun night of ceramic painting fun! Kids will design and paint their spooky ceramic of choice, and enjoy pizza. READ MORE

Rocky Horror Picture Show Anniversary Screening at the Bijou

Bridgeport
Friday, September 26, 2025
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, audiences are invited to relive the cult classic in all its outrageous, glitter-soaked glory. The screening will feature the film’s legendary blend of campy horror, rock ’n’ roll, and audience participation that has kept it alive for half a century. READ MORE

Cider Saturday at New Canaan Nature Center

New Canaan
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Come and enjoy an early autumn afternoon of family fun with cider press demonstrations, apple slingshots, old-fashioned games, a pumpkin scavenger hunt, seasonal harvest crafts for kids, baked apples (one apple per person will be provided), and stories around the campfire. Also enjoy some homemade butter while cooking up some corn bread on a stick! READ MORE

Pumpkin Patch Trolley in East Windsor

East Windsor
Saturday & Sunday, September 27-28, 2025
Traveling tothe Pumpkin Patch is a family fun filled adventure where you ride on a trolley car out to the pumpkin patch field and each child can pick out a FREE pumpkin. READ MORE

Family Nature Day at White Memorial CC

Litchfield
Saturday, September 27, 2025
The annual celebration of Mother Nature is a must for folks of all ages. This edition is chock full of the greatest presenters! Riverside Reptiles’ introduces you to some of Nature’s most underappreciated and beneficial creatures. READ MORE

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Statewide
Saturday, September 27, 2025
On select days throughout the year, all national parks in the United States are open to the public with no admission fee.  READ MORE

New London Harvest Festival

New London
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Celebrate Fall in Historic New London. Bring the whole family to one of New London’s most treasured historic sites for a festive autumn celebration. The 2025 New London Harvest Festival at the Old Town Mill is a free public event filled with music, food, fun, and fall activities. READ MORE

Farmer's Fall Adventure at Farmer's Hay Ride

Broad Brook
Saturday & Sunday, September 27-28, 2025
You can’t even buy a fancy coffee for $6… …but you can get a whole day of fall fun at Farmer’s Hayrides! You’ll get: Scenic hayrides,Petting zoo snuggles, Sunflower maze strolls, Cow feeding, Kernel Kingdom corn pit, and Photo ops. READ MORE

PandaFest in Hartford

Hartford
Saturday & Sunday, September 27-28, 2025
PANDA FEST is one of the biggest outdoor Asian food festivals in the US with experiential activities, tastings, and market fairs that showcases the vibrant food, art and cultural traditions from Asia. READ MORE

Cowboy and Cowgirl Weekend at Foster Family Farm

South Windsor
Saturday & Sunday, September 27-28, 2025
Come to a rootin’ tootin’ good time at Foster Family Farm! Our Cowboy & Cowgirl Weekend is all about western-themed fun for the whole family. Come dressed in your best boots, hats, and bandanas.  READ MORE

The Forsaken Lands in Goshen

Goshen
Saturday & Sunday, September 27-28, 2025
The Forsaken Lands Outdoor Haunted Attraction, named one of the "Must-See Haunted Houses in America", opens its decrepit barn doors for another season of fears on Fridays and weekends.This Connecticut haunted house is home to a plethora of inhabitants who claim this long forgotten farm village as their own. They unleash their wrath on, and consume all who dare step foot onto their forbidden grounds. READ MORE

Ridgefield's Annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off

Ridgefield
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Ridgefield's Ballard Park will be transformed into a fall festival where giant pumpkin and squash growers from around the region will compete for cash prizes. Come and see which one wins! READ MORE

Princess Ball at the Parkville Market

Hartford
Sunday, September 28, 3035
Come join Parkville Market for a magical afternoon at the Princess Ball. Put on a princess or prince attire and dance the night away in a fairytale setting. Meet and greet your favorite princesses, enjoy enchanting performances, and create unforgettable memories. READ MORE

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About the Author

Jenny Coe
Jenny Coe is a longtime Mommy Poppins writer and contributor and full-time mom to three boys. Jenny has also been a contributor at Patch and The Reminder (Hartford Courant). Here at Mommy Poppins, Jenny writes about great things for kids to do in Connecticut and New England, affordable fun, and nature experiences (her favorite!).
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