It’s celebration season in North Central Massachusetts! From the Sterling Fair at Sterling Airport and the Appleseed Country Fair in Phillipston on Labor Day weekend, right through to the Oktoberfest party and Chair Luge in downtown Gardner, September is packed with events the whole family can enjoy. And be sure to sing “Happy Birthday” to Leominster’s home-town legend, Johnny Appleseed! The city and the Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center on Route 2 will be celebrating Johnny’s 250th birthday with a downtown festival, music, a parade, birthday cake, and more! Love music? Head to the Winchendon Music Festival, historical piano concerts in Ashburnham, or visit area farms as they celebrate harvest season with song-filled festivals. September is the perfect time to experience the region!

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Martha's Vineyard's glorious September, perhaps the year's best month, is bustling with lots of fun for everyone. Changing sunlight and moonlight, burnished grasses, the yellows, reds and oranges of turning leaves soften shadows and bid welcome. Luxurious dry days, cool nights prevail. Attend MV International Film Festival (9/3-9/8), MV Wind Festival (9/7), Aquinnah Wampanoag Pow Wow (9/7+8); Featherstone Potters Bowl (9/8); MV Fishing Derby (9/15-9/30); Tivoli Day (9/21). With so much to see and do – stay, dine, shop, biking, kayak, explore, relax. September's Vineyard is quieter, cooler, more laid-back, more affordable! It's all here!

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On September 20–22, enjoy FreshGrass at MASS MoCA! Set against the foothills of the beautiful Berkshire mountains, FreshGrass is a family-friendly festival with the best in bluegrass and roots music filling the fields, courtyards, and galleries of MASS MoCA — the largest contemporary art museum in the country (gallery admission included with all tickets!). Along with world premieres, emerging artist competitions, farm-fresh food, local brews, and pop-up jam sessions, this is three days of festival magic produced in partnership by MASS MoCA, the FreshGrass Foundation, and No Depression.

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Fiesta! Celebrate Mexico on 9/15 on Union Common in Marlborough – food trucks, beer gardens, live entertainment, and more! Leaves are falling, autumn is calling! Go to Farm Fest at Medway Community Farm 9/7, the 34^th Annual Applefest in Northborough 9/19–9/22, Ashland Day at Stone Park 9/21, Holliston Harvest Fair 9/22, Franklin Harvest Festival 9/28, Marlborough’s Oktoberfest 9/28, and the Colonial Faire & Fyfe & Drum Muster in Sudbury 9/28. See website for details!

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Photo: The Trustees of Reservations

September, Nantucket's most pleasing month, is dry, cool, perfect. Explore ... free birding trip (9/4); Nantucket Conservation Foundation kayak tour (9/18); plus abundant conservation lands, 9,000 acres, for walking, hiking, en plein air painting or taking in their beauty! With free Wave transportation, get out across the island, cycle and explore outer reaches, villages and hidden corners. In town, shop, dine, stay, shows, movies, explore the Cultural District's treasures. Hit the beach, stay, play, and immerse in the wonder of this pristine island. Visit Coskata Coatue WIldlife Sanctuary and 'Sconset for a real treat!

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Begin your Essex County adventure with Trails & Sails September 14–29. Be guided through unique landscapes on land and sea, explore historic properties, and take in cultural experiences of all kinds! Don’t miss the 20th Annual Newburyport Documentary Film Festival happening September 20 -22. Documentaries give the world a better understanding of past events and a glimpse of what we might face. This year the festival will feature more than 30 films from local, regional, national and international filmmakers.

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Fall fun in Plymouth County includes King Richard’s Faire! Hundreds of performers, artisans, rides & games, 8 stages, one mud pit. Weekends August 31-October 20, including Monday holidays September 2nd and October 14th. Experience craft brews, scenic splendor and historic significance at Mayflower Waterfront Beer Garden at the Hedge House! Mayflower will be pouring draft beer, hard seltzer, High Limb Cider, and two wines on Fridays & Saturdays in September. At the Hingham Historic House Tour on September 29, explore six private homes once occupied by American Revolutionary War Patriots. Each of the private homes featured on the tour were built before 1775.

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There is still time do enjoy the great outdoors in SEMass! Buzzards Bay Brewery in Westport Corn Maze opens on September 5. The LPGA Tour - TPC Boston in Norton will host the 2024 FM Global Championship from August 29 to September 1. Taste of Portugal Food Tour will be held on September 7. AHA! Birthday Bash will feature music, art and community; help them blow out the birthday candles and celebrate in downtown New Bedford. The 2024 Wine Run 5K at Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery is September 15. The 2024 Seafood Soirée @ Cisco Brewers in New Bedford, a gala to benefit New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, will be September 17 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Enjoy local seafood in the nation’s most valuable fishing port!

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While it’s always bittersweet to see the summer end, our hope is that the warm weather will continue right into the fall, when the Berkshires becomes a magical palette of crimson, orange, and yellow. Make this the year you come for the foliage, and experience the excitement of the 68th Annual Fall Foliage Parade in North Adams! This year’s theme is Berk du Soleil - The Greatest Show in North Berkshire, a fun take on the popular Cirque du Soleil, and we are pulling out all the stops!. The Parade will be held Sunday, October 6 at 1 pm, featuring floats, bands, and marching units from across Berkshire County!

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Photo: Tim Carter Photography

The Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race 2024 is set for Saturday, September 21 from 9 am to 4 pm! Kinetic Sculptures are all-terrain, human-powered, art sculptures, engineered to race over road, water, mud and sand. Kinetic sculptures are amazing works of art; many are animated with moving parts like blinking eyes, opening mouths, heads that move side to side and up and down. These machines of art are usually made from what some people consider “junk” or better put, recycled materials. Each kinetic team has a theme and consist of pilots, pit crew and support crew. Spectators are encouraged to either watch from the sidelines or follow the race on their bikes!

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September kicks off with Pride Worcester Sept 1-15, including Queer AF at Mechanics Hall. For the kids, Feather Fest at Ecotarium delights on 9/7, and for Broadway fans, An Evening with Megan Hilty brings star power to downtown on 9/13. Also, Australian Pink Floyd plays Hanover Theatre, Silver Scream Con brings a weekend of horror to DCU Center, Big Time Wrestling comes to at Polar Park, and Fall Fest is back at Old Sturbridge Village. 

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Get ready for the 175th Annual Franklin County Fair, September 5-8 in Greenfield! This year’s theme, "Rooted in Our Community," celebrates local traditions with family entertainment, midway rides, agricultural shows, and thrilling grandstand events like dirt bike stunts and demolition derbies. Don't miss out - purchase your tickets today!  

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Back by popular demand Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience has returned to Franklin Park Zoo! Running through November 3, visitors can explore the wonder of over 55 illuminated displays comprised of hundreds of beautifully crafted lanterns. Prepare to be dazzled as you wander through this forested realm and beyond, surrounded by the magic of all-new lantern displays, immersive walkthroughs, enchanting interactive displays and Instagrammable moments at every turn.

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Soak up Fall on Cape Cod, also known as our Second Summer! Enjoy farmers' markets, New England's best golf, walking trails, beautiful beaches and fun-filled seaside festivals. At the Harwich Cranberry & Music Fest on September 14-15, shop for paintings, jewelry, photography and other works of art from local artisans, while enjoying live on-stage entertainment. The Tennesse Williams Theater Festival takes place September 26-29 in Provincetown, where Williams spent several summers working on his classic plays. And experience the best in craft beer at Cape Cod Brew Fest on September 21 at Cape Cod Fairgrounds in Falmouth. Sample from 60+ breweries and over 150 styles of beer. Find more Fall events here!

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In Western Mass, September is all about The Big E! One of the top ten Fairs in North America, The Big E is the also the official state fair for all 6 New England. Enjoy hours of free entertainment and attractions, terrific food, an authentic New Orleans Mardi Gras Parade, an immersive Ireland adventure in the Dingle Peninsula Showcase plus countless educational opportunities from the Avenue of States to Storrowton Village Museum, Farm-A-Rama and more!

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Photo: Lynne Graves

Start September at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for an artist-and-author meetup, then take a quick trip to the Smith College Museum of Art to take in Younes Rahmoun: Here, Now. Hit the streets on September 19 for the Amherst Block Party, and bring the kids to the Beneski Museum of Natural History to get an up close look at dinosaurs. Stop for dinner at Food Truck Fridays, then close out the month by experiencing jazz without borders at the 2024 Northampton Jazz Festival! It’s all happening in Hampshire County!

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