The arrival of autumn in the Brazos Valley means a full lineup of festivals, shows, races, and rodeos

By Aubrey Nettles, Visit College Station Marketing Manager

Autumn has arrived, and the pumpkin spice will soon be tantalizing our senses. Here in the Heart of Aggieland, it also means an intriguing schedule of fall events. From races and costume contests to pumpkin patches and rodeos, we have something for everyone.

Texas Lions Camp Fall Festival

The fun-for-all Texas Lions Camp Fall Festival is Saturday, Oct. 1, at Santa’s Wonderland and benefits the Texas Lions Camp for children with disabilities, diabetes, and cancer. The fall fest has a car show, live music, activities, and great food. 

Winnie the Pooh

Iconic Disney characters Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, and Owl – and don’t forget Tigger, too! – come to life in a beautifully crafted musical stage adaptation Oct. 1-2 at Texas A&M’s Rudder Theater.

The fresh stage adaptation of Winnie the Pooh is told with stunning life-sized puppetry through the eyes of the characters we know and love in a new story from the Hundred Acre Wood. The show also features the Sherman Brothers’ Grammy Award-winning music with additional songs by A.A. Milne.

Wienerspiel

Celebrating our favorite four-legged friends in a family-friendly setting, Wienerspiel is set for Oct. 15-16 at the Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater. The event includes wiener and wanna-be-wiener dog races, costume contests, vendor shopping, and tasty food.

Proceeds go to heavily vetted pet rescues, and well-behaved dogs with proof of rabies vaccinations are welcome to attend.

Pumpkinpalooza

On Oct. 15-16, fully embrace autumn at the Pumpkinpalooza in Millican Reserve. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, with the Pumpkinpalooza Trail Run, followed by live music that evening by Brice and the Lonesome Strings, Morgan Ashley, and Ethan Hanson.

The Pumpkinpalooza Festival is from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on both days. The event features a pumpkin patch, kid-friendly activities, team competitions, Gelly Ball, pumpkin games, wildlife demonstrations, fishing, canoeing, paddle boarding, pumpkin chunkin’, food trucks, and more.

BCS Oktoberfest Half Marathon & 10K

On Sunday, Oct. 16, the BCS Oktoberfest Half Marathon and 10K presented by FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies takes runners through College Station and the stately Texas A&M campus, finishing inside glorious Kyle Field. The Oktoberfest-themed event provides fantastic swag for the runners and features celebratory craft beer and food after the race.

Brazos Valley Fair & Rodeo

The Brazos Valley Fair & Rodeo celebrates Brazos Valley agriculture on the weekends of Oct. 14-16 and Oct. 21-23 at the Brazos County Expo. The first weekend includes barbeque and steak cookoffs, welding and agrobotics competitions, a car show, and a tractor pull.

The second weekend features live music from Aaron Watson, Mark Chesnutt, and Lo Viejones De Linares, along with nightly rodeos, a carnival, livestock shows, and the AgLand kid zone. Proceeds generate scholarships for Brazos Valley youth.

Family Creepy Crawl 2k Fun Run & Walk

Ghosts, witches, and creatures of all ages are invited to participate in the City of College Station’s Family Creepy Crawl 2K Fun Run & Walk on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Wolf Pen Creek Park. The free event features a costume contest, children’s activities, and health and wellness booths.

Registration for the fun run and costume contest starts at 7:30 a.m., and the run begins at 9 a.m. The costume contest starts at 11:30 a.m. and features prizes in 6-and-under, 7-12, 13-17, and 18-and-over categories. For more information, call 979-764-3486.

<em><strong><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-medium-gray-color">About the Blogger</mark></strong></em>
About the Blogger


Aubrey Nettles is in her first year as Visit College Station’s marketing manager after almost a year as Missouri City’s executive director of economic development. Before that, she served seven years with the City of College Station as economic development manager and special projects coordinator. A native of Smithville, Aubrey earned a master’s in public administration from the University of Houston in 2012 and a bachelor’s in communications from Texas A&M in 2010.

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