The Ken Small Real Estate Team’s 2026 guide to fall in London, Ontario. Pumpkin patches, corn mazes and festivals run from mid-September through Halloween — some right in the city, most a 20-to-45-minute drive out.
- Pick pumpkins: in the city near Phillips’ on Sarnia Road, or make a day of it at Apple Land, Kustermans, Clovermead or Great Lakes.
- After dark: Pumpkins After Dark at Storybook Gardens (all ages) or Fear Farm near Bright (16+, actually scary).
- Festivals: Oktober Fall Fest at 100 Kellogg Lane, four weekends Sept 25–Oct 18.
Fall is the best season to be a family around here. The air gets crisp, the fields open up, and every weekend has something on — but the good weekends fill fast, and half the farms are a 20-to-45-minute drive out. So here is the plan: every spot we would actually send you to, one by one, with what is really there and what it costs. It is part of our Living in London guides — bookmark it, send it to the group chat, pick your weekends.
The fall spots near London, closest first
Phillips’ Family Farm
If you just want pumpkins without the drive, Phillips’ is the closest spot in the city — a genuine family farm and market on Sarnia Road that has been a quiet London fall staple for years. No gate fee, cash only: you grab your pumpkins and go.
Oktober Fall Fest
This is London’s grown-up fall party. For four weekends, 100 Kellogg Lane — the old Kellogg’s factory, now the city’s big entertainment complex — turns its Beer Kitchen and courtyard into an indoor Oktoberfest with live music, rain or shine.
Pumpkins After Dark
If you do one after-dark thing this fall, make it this. Pumpkins After Dark takes over Storybook Gardens with a one-kilometre walk past more than 10,000 hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns — glowing displays and live carvers working as you pass, at a scale that stops kids and adults alike.
Apple Land Station
Apple Land is the little-kid favourite. It is a second-generation family farm in Thorndale built around a train that carries you out to ‘Pumpkin Hollow’ to pick your own — and a country bakery whose apple pies are worth the drive on their own.
Kustermans Adventure Farm
Kustermans is where we send families who want the whole day, not just a pumpkin. It is a real working farm that becomes one of the area’s biggest fall playgrounds every September and October, and the family has run it long enough that even a packed Saturday moves smoothly.
Clovermead Adventure Farm
Clovermead is an adventure farm that started with bees — and it shows in how much there is to do. Their Pumpkin Festival runs most of the season with 65+ attractions on one admission, anchored by the pumpkin-cannon show people drive out for.
Great Lakes Farms
Down toward the lake in Port Stanley, Great Lakes Farms pairs a U-pick orchard with a proper fun-farm — and, for the grown-ups, a hard cidery on site. It is the one to pick when you want the drive to feel like a day trip.
The Thamesville Maize (iMaze)
If the corn maze IS the outing, this is the one. The Thamesville Maize is a ten-acre corn maze on Longwoods Road, redesigned every year, with a U-pick patch and the pumpkin cannons alongside it.
Fear Farm
This is the serious one. Fear Farm in Bright is a full haunted attraction — and it is genuinely scary. This is not a family pumpkin patch after dark; it is a night out for people who want to be frightened.
Before you go
- Best time: a weekday or early Saturday. Midday Sunday is the crowd.
- Wear: closed boots — fields get muddy after rain.
- Bring: cash, a wagon or stroller for the pumpkins, and layers.
- Before a long drive: we pulled these from each venue for 2026, but hours and prices can change — a quick check of their page is smart insurance.
Common questions about fall around London
Where can you pick your own pumpkins near London?
In the city, Phillips’ on Sarnia Road is the closest place to grab pumpkins. For true pick-your-own, head out to Apple Land (Thorndale), Kustermans (Mount Brydges), Clovermead (Aylmer) or Great Lakes Farms (Port Stanley).
Which corn mazes near London are worth it?
The biggest is The Thamesville Maize — ten acres, redesigned each year. Kustermans, Apple Land, Great Lakes and Clovermead all have good mazes too, gentler for younger kids.
What is on after dark?
Pumpkins After Dark at Storybook Gardens is the family-friendly, all-ages option (Oct 2–31). Fear Farm near Bright is the opposite — a genuine haunt for 16+.
What fall festivals are happening this year?
Oktober Fall Fest takes over 100 Kellogg Lane for four weekends (Sept 25–Oct 18), and Clovermead’s Pumpkin Festival runs most of the season (Sept 19–Oct 31).
What can you do in the fall for free around London?
London’s trails and parks are at their best in October — walk the Thames at Kains Woods, or spend an afternoon around Springbank Park. Bring a thermos of cider.
What is open Thanksgiving weekend?
Thanksgiving weekend is Oct 10–12 this year. Most of the farms above are open through the long weekend (Clovermead is open the Monday) — it is the busiest pumpkin weekend of the year, so go early.
That’s the whole season. We keep this list every fall because we’re out there with our own kids most weekends — and the honest truth is the best day is not the fanciest farm, it is the one you actually get to before the good weekends fill up. Pick two or three, put them on the calendar, and go.
Find something we missed, or a date that’s changed? Tell us and we’ll fix it that day. This guide lives with our other Living in London guides, and we keep it current.
Read this every week? Add us as a preferred source on Google and our London market pages show up first.
Leave a Reply