WINOOSKI – Bowing to pressure from Vermont businesses who have long complained that the fall is not long enough to accommodate the desired number of harvest festivals, the season of Autumn has been extended until January 21st. This extension will add five weekends to official autumn, and nine weekends to “Vermont Autumn,” which last year ended on November 20th.
Current festivals scrambling to rise above the throng and find an audience include: The Vermont State Fair, Jay Peak Trail Running Festival, Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival, Mount Snow Brewers Festival, South End Art Hop, Glory Days Festival, Vermont Golden Honey Festival, Tunbridge World’s Fair, Color of the Kingdom Autumn Festival, Grand Point North, Trapp Family Lodge Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest Vermont, Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival, Bristol Harvest Fest, Peru Fair, Springfield Steampunk Festival, Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival, Manchester Fall Art and Craft Festival, and that’s only through September. There are actually way more.
Like Harpoon Oktoberfest Vermont, Stowe Oktoberfest, Burke Mountain Fall Foliage Festival, Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival, Northeast Kingdom Fall Foliage Festival, Stowe Foliage Arts Festival, Mount Snow Oktoberfest & Harvest Art & Craft Festival, Newfane Heritage Festival, Sugarbush Resort Oktoberfest, Vermont International Fall Festival, Welsh Harvest Festival, Craft Vermont, and many, many more.
Extending the season will allow room for new events to thrive, such as the proposed Randolph Duck Knitting Festival and Brandon’s Running of the Pigs. As fall festivals are a major tourist draw and source of income for state and local businesses, there has been almost universal support for the new extended autumn.
Likewise, foliage season will run from October 1st through December 18th, an increase of almost 60 days from last year. Officials have not said yet how they plan to keep the leaves on the trees, but hinted that they do have a plan, and it involves tape.
Leave a Reply