8 Fall Festivals Around the World

The first week of October is Zuiki Matsuri in Kyoto, a festival that honors the grain harvest by offering rice, vegetables, and fruit to the deities. The stars of the show are a trio of shrines, made from vegetables and taro stalks, which are borne through the streets atop heavy palanquin (like the kind used to carry royalty). The first Zuiki occurred more than a thousand years ago in the era of Emperor Murakami. Today, as many as 150 men take turns bearing the palanquin on their way to and from the Kitano Tenmangu shrine. Children get in the act on the final day, when they dress as "shrine maidens" for a dance.

Vendemmia, the Italian word for "grape harvest," is a cherished autumn tradition in Italy's wine-producing regions. This annual event typically takes place between September and October, marking the culmination of the vineyard's yearly cycle. During vendemmia, families and communities come together to hand-pick ripe grapes, often celebrating with festive meals and local customs. The timing of the harvest is crucial, as winemakers must balance the grapes' sugar content, acidity, and flavor to produce the best possible wine. For many Italians and wine enthusiasts, vendemmia represents not just a agricultural necessity, but a celebration of culture, tradition, and the fruits of their labor.

Each autumn as the full moon appears in October or November, quiet Pushkar becomes a hotbed of activity, as camels take over the town. Actually, the beasts’ trainers are the ones who descend, eager to dress their dromedaries in finery for competitions and races during Pushkar ka Mela (the camel fair). 100,000 attendees a year come to witness the events, as well as to enjoy the food, dancing, and a carnival midway (Ferris wheels included).

Arrowtown, just a short drive from Queenstown, wraps up its Austral summer with its Autumn Festival. The third weekend of April finds the local farming community and revelers from Queenstown and beyond all coming together for open-air markets, a parade, and history exhibits calling to mind the gold rush era. An old-fashioned air prevails with a children’s scarecrow contest and livestock exhibits, but contemporary art has become a major part of the event, with an Art Fair drawing work from across the nation.

When northern nations are still bundled up in late winter, it is late summer in Chile and time to celebrate the grape harvest. From as early as the end of February to as late as early May, villages and cities alike host vendimias (wine festivals), with elements secular and sacred alike. In many locations, the festival kicks off with a blessing of the grape harvest by the local priest. Localities vary in what their festival may offer: some crown harvest queens, others have grape-pressing contests, while other emphasize signing and dancing. Best of all, because dates vary by town, revelers can raise a glass to the fall harvest six or seven weekends in a row.

The biggest icon of agriculture in Costa Rica is, without a doubt, the humble oxcart. It’s so revered that it merits not one but two annual events. San Jose wraps up the harvest season with a colorful oxcart parade on the final weekend of November. The parade honors the first oxcarts to carry freshly harvested coffee beans across Costa Rica; the vividly-painted carts are a national symbol and have been recognized by UNESCO as a precious intangible heritage. In March, once winter has passed, the planting season begins anew with the Day of the Oxcart Driver, featuring another parade in a town near San Jose.

Iceland’s first pagans marked the end of fall and coming of winter by slaughtering livestock and feasting on the yield. In contemporary Reykjavik, the traditional is kept alive with Meat Soup Day, the last Saturday of October. Celebrants head for downtown for big bowls of kjötsúpa, the traditional stew of lamb, potatoes, and vegetables. The city’s best chefs each make their own, so that diners have choices, but one thing all versions have in common is that they are free. In recent years, the soup tasting has been joined by a "ram groping" in which local farmers compare rams to see which is in best shape. As modern as Reykjavik is, this one time each year, the traditions of the past rule the day.

As summer winds to a close, the foods of Spain are celebrated in the Ruta de Tapa (tapas route) in Úbeda, which is known for some of the best tapas in all of Andalusia. The cobbled plaza of historic Parque de las Farolas (Lamp Post Square), is filled with tables and chairs for locals eager to sample the best new creations of local chefs, who often play around with their recipes for months before the event. It becomes a giant outdoor party—and the perfect way to cap off summer.