What to do with the kids this weekend in Greater Moncton (Oct 4-6)

Welcome to the first weekend of October, everyone! This month is jam-packed with fun – whether it’s impromptu visits to apple orchards or book fairs for the whole family or all the fun Halloween activities, Pickle Planet is your place for inspiration & community connection! We’ll have a dedicated Halloween activity post coming to you soon (we’re a little tied up with the Grapevine Events’ Kids Consignment Sale this weekend), but scroll to the end for some of our favourite spooky crafts, snacks, & more!

REMINDER: Thursday night is MAGMA’s Community Compass expo. This is a fantastic chance to learn about organizations & resources in the community! #sponsored

For those looking for a new sport for the family try, Curl Moncton is offering kids (ages 6-13) a chance to try it out before committing to their fall learn to curl series. All you need are clean indoor shoes, warm clothes, and a helmet. Reach out to the club’s Junior Coordinator, Marcel, and tell him Pickle Planet sent you! It’s a great activity & facility!

Oh, and if you have littles who were born in 2020 … Kindergarten registration is on your October bucket list! Yes, both the Anglophone East & Francophone Sud boards begin the process now for next year’s class. It may seem early, but it helps them plan for class sizes and offers you some great opportunities for school tours & more throughout the year!

harvest days fall festival fun moncton 2024

🍂 The City of Moncton & the Moncton Market are hosting a two-day celebration of all that’s spooky and spicy with Harvest Days! #sponsored

Here’s a taste of the eerie excitement in store for you Friday from 4-10pm:

  • 🔮 Predictions & Prophecies: Peek into your future with tarot card readings. What does fall hold in store for you?
  • 🍪 Treats to make your taste buds tingle: One Wicked Cookies will warp your mind of what a cookie should be with their spicy creations.
  • 🛍️ Artsy creations: Find the perfect fall accessory as you browse handmade soaps, candles, scrunchies, books, crystals, decor, & more,
  • 🍬 Candy, candy, & more candy: Indulge your sweet tooth at the The Candy Depot‘s candy trailer and a special booth full of spooky treats!
  • 🛍️ Yummy eats: Plates of happiness can be found inside the food court (faves include Veena’s Kitchen & The Latin Corner) or outside with Kurt’s Sausages & Deli Sur. No need to make dinner tonight!
  • 🍻 Bubbly brews: Happy Brewery serves up Oktoberfest vibes & bevvies for those 19+.
  • 🎶 Bring your dancing shoes: Local musicians including Kelsey Albert, Valerie Bouchard Dugas, Andre Saulnier, Maude Sonier, and Felix Beliveau will provide the soundtrack for the night.
  • And check out Saturday’s family fun, too!

The Sussex Drive-In’s annual Trunk or Treat is taking place Friday & Saturday, with gates opening at 6pm. Decorate your trunk, bring treats to share, and enjoy visiting others in costume! The ‘trunk or treating’ starts at 7pm; Gremlins plays at 7:30, followed by the new Joker. Carload pricing is $35; individual pricing is available ($13/adult, $9/child).

pickle planet apple pumpkin u pick corn maze events activities fall 2024

October is made for apple picking, pumpkin decorating, and corn maze adventures! You can find links to all sorts of options throughout New Brunswick in our annual guide. Here are the closest options you might want to visit this weekend:

🌽 The beloved Green Pig Market in Salisbury is open again – and its corn maze is open for the season! The Green Pig features mini corn mazes perfect for toddlers, a bounce pad, straw mountain, the pumpkin blaster, and a larger maze for those looking for a longer adventure. The main corn maze takes about an hour-and-a-half to complete, while the mini maze is full of activities for young kids and takes less than 30 minutes to walk through. The mini maze is $5, while the regular maze entry is $12. All are open 10am-5pm. Follow along on their Facebook page for updates. They have some lovely pumpkins & other fall decor/food available at the market, too!🎃

🍦 Trueman Blueberry Farm in Aulac is always a great adventure; they have a corn maze, pumpkin patch, and after dark options this fall, along with their amazing ice cream & Happy Place play area.

🌽Milton Mile Farms (800 Dawson Road) is a lovely option for local corn maze fun. They’re open Saturdays & Sundays, noon-5pm. Keep an eye out for their pumpkins & fall decor, too!🎃 They also offer a flashlight maze option (no scary actors in the fields!) on Fridays & Saturdays, 7-9pm. $5/person, bring your own flashlight.

🌽 Boyle Family Farm’s corn maze, pumpkin patch, and petting zoo is open Saturdays & Sundays until Halloween, 10am-4pm. Find them on Route 126; children two and under are free, general admission is $13.05+tx.

🍎 Appleview Orchards (47194 Homestead Road) is open 10am-5pm daily. U-pick prices are 10lbs for $22. The trees have lots of large apples, low to the ground – a great option for little hands!

🍎Belliveau Orchard in Memramcook is open daily, 10am-5pm. We LOVE heading here afterschool for a quieter experience – or during the day with younger kiddos! They offer small $3 bags for kids to pick, as well as 5-20lbs bags for those with a serious need for apples.

🫐 Memramcook’s Les Petits Fruits de Pré-d’en-Haut is a lovely farm overlooking the Bay of Fundy, with a stand open 10am-5pm. Watch for their wagon rides to the pumpkin patch to return! 🎃

🍎 La Fleur du Pommier (79 Chemin R Goguen, Cocagne) opens for the season, 10am-6pm daily, with their cafe open Saturdays & Sundays.

🍎 Uris Williams & Sons Apple Orchard (875 Murray Road) is open for the season, 10am-5pm.

🍂  Harvest Days at the Moncton Market continues with lots of family fun from 8am – 2pm, including:

  • 🎃 Pick your pumpkin: Join the Moncton Library’s Origami Club to create paper pumpkins from 10-11am! You can also bring your own pumpkin & carve it on site, using tools & more from the library crew.
  • 🎨 Free face painting: Who doesn’t love a little sparkle on their cheeks?
  • 📿 Bling, bling: Pamper yourself with hair braiding or permanent jewelry.
  • 🥒 PICKLE ALERT! No, we won’t have a booth set up – but we very much want to know who is going to win the pickle eating contest!!
  • 🔮 Predictions & Prophecies: Tarot card readings continue today.
  • 🛍️ A little something to bring home: Shop for meat, produce, arts, crafts, and treats from all the market’s regular vendors. And don’t forget all the yummy options for breakfast, brunch, or lunch – you can fill your belly in the food court or outside.
  • 🍬 Candy, candy, & more candy: The Candy Depot is bringing their candy trailer and a special booth full of spooky sweets!
  • 🎶 Groove while you move: Local musicians take the stage starting at 10am to the soundtrack for your Saturday morning.

Riverview Fire & Rescue is hosting an Open House today, starting at 8am with a Lions pancake breakfast and running until 2pm.

You can also visit the Moncton Fire Station on Hildegard, open from 10am-2pm, with a chance to explore the vehicles, see the Jaws of Life in action, and enjoy a fundraiser BBQ.

Cap-Acadie is also hosting a Fire Prevention Week event on Saturday, with a BBQ, games, and a visit from their mascot. Open 10am-2pm; the mascot arrives at 11am and stays for an hour.

The Rising Tides Trails & Tunes Festival kicks off today, with events through until Thanksgiving – including the annual Alma Fleet Launch!

There’s a petting zoo & fall craft fair planned at Juniper Grove today, 10am-3pm.

Need to stock up the kids’ fall & winter wardrobe on a budget? Check out Grapevine Events Saturday Discount Day! A consignment sale featuring items from 125 families, everything hanging & sorted, with most items 50% off today! Open 10am to 1pm at Saint John’s Exhibition Park – and every purchase comes with a coupon for a free garlic sticks across the street at St. Louis! A great little Saturday outing. 💜

The 32nd annual Paws Walk takes place at Centennial Park today, noon-3pm. Raise funds for animal well-being while enjoying food, games, music, and more!

Today is also the annual Breastfeeding Challenge, with an event happening at Rotary St. Anselm Park in Dieppe.

There’s a Wellness Expo in Salisbury, 10am-3pm. Come early & check out the Farmer’s Market, grab lunch at one of the great restaurants in the town, and hit up the Green Pig & Appleview U-Pick on your way home!

The Sussex Drive-In’s annual Trunk or Treat continues, with gates opening at 6pm. Decorate your trunk, bring treats to share, and enjoy visiting others in costume! The ‘trunk or treating’ starts at 7pm; Gremlins plays at 7:30, followed by the new Joker. Carload pricing is $35; individual pricing is available ($13/adult, $9/child).

The Albert County Museum is open Saturdays & Sundays through October, 10am-5pm. A beautiful drive to enjoy the fall colours, a visit with Albert the Dinosaur (& Tom Collins’ ghost!), and then a jaunt over to Hopewell Rocks & treats on the home way in Hillsborough. Sounds like a plan!

Today is the 4th annual Maritime Reptile & Pet Expo at the Moncton Coliseum.

The collectible crowd is gathering at the Crowne Plaza, 9:30am-2pm, with trading cards, Pokemon, Hot Wheels, sports collectibles, & more. Children under 12 are free to enter; $5 general admission.

🐯  The Magnetic Hill Zoo is open seven days a week through September & October.

✨ Akadi Lumina is open until October 19.

🏫  Resurgo Place is a spot we love to visit again & again; history, hands-on science & arts, & special programming, too!

🦖  The Albert County Museum is open weekends in October, with a special guest – Albert, the Albertosaurus!

🏊‍♀️ The indoor splash pad at the YMCA North End is an amazing option for kiddos – with public openings every day of the week! Check the schedule as times vary day-to-day; cost to attend for non-member is $6.

🏊‍♀️ For indoor swimming, there are public options at the YMCA Greater Moncton (love their small, warmer pool for little ones – Friday public swim 7-8pm, Saturday public swim 6:30-7:45, & Sunday public swim 2-3pm – thanks to the City, Friday & Sunday swims are just $3/person), the Pat Crossman Aquatic Centre in Riverview (Saturday public swims, 2-3:30pm), and the Dieppe Aquatic Centre (with the awesome sloped entry & pirate ship splash zone!).

👧 Hop! Skip! Jump! is perfect for little ones, as well as the cool climbing wall & laser room for older kids.

🎳 Bowling is always a fun idea! Go retro vibes with Marvelous Holy Bowly in Riverview, check out glow bowling times at Fairlanes in Moncton, or head to Bowlarama & its awesome arcade in Dieppe. (We recommend calling ahead to book in advance so you’re not disappointed.)

🎨 Creative mood? Try DIY Studio to paint your own pottery!

🪨 Want to move as a family but need to be indoors? Try a visit to FitRocks Climbing Gym!

🔫 Book laser tag at Marco’s Clinic or the Sportsdome.

🛹 Riverview Indoor Skatepark & Riverview Youth Centre are a great space to learn to skate or practice your skills!

🛹 There’s a borrowing program at YMCA North with skateboards, helmets, and protective gear for use on their great outdoor ramps!

🔐 Up for a challenge? Room Escape Atlantic usually has a few non-scary, kid-friendly options & Mystery Moncton Mystere is great for the teens & up. There are also online options you can purchase to play on your own time, like … Motive for Murder audio game — A great ‘any time of day’ option for the true crime fans who are up for a little hometown sleuthing. Download a whodunnit set in Moncton!

💥 Gamer in the family? The Comic Hunter hosts Friday Night Magic Modern sessions,  Sunday Lorcana Locals & Pokémon sessions, Monday Star Wars Unlimited Weekly Play & lots of other gaming events. Check out their September calendar for details.

🎲 If board games are your family thing, check out the new shop on Moncton’s Main Street, Board Miniatures! The have a standing paint and play tabletop session on Sundays.

🐟 Bass Pro’s 12,000-gallon freshwater aquarium with striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon, trout, perch, and more is always fun to visit, especially when you need an indoor option.

📚 Local libraries are always a great spot to visit, with lots of programming for all ages – and also another rainy day must visit option.

🤘 BGC Dieppe is always a great place for families to connect.

🎧 There’s a roughly one hour iTour of downtown Moncton’s historical & cultural locations you can use to help you explore – a great way to add a little movement, a little history, and a little fun to your family outings! Be sure to check out all the amazing public art installations around the downtown core, too!

🚵 Poley Mountain has mountain bike trails, including beginner routes for ages 6+ – and they’re planning some summer events geared to the littles with bouncy castles, balance bikes on the lawn, & kid-friendly options on the Slope Side Bar & Grill. DYK: They have an RV park, too?

🦙 Llamazing Adventures is a great way to get out & get moving! Take the llamas for a walk!

There’ll be an open house at the Gauvin Road Fire Station in Dieppe on October 12, 10am-2pm, with tours, games, BBQ, & more.

BGC Dieppe has all kinds of awesome October programming; check their calendar here.

Bar Laitier Amiro Dairy Bar in Dieppe is holding a kids’ paint workshop on October 14; there were still a few spots left when we checked!

And we see the Halloween events are starting to be shared. We’re keeping the round up ‘looking ahead’ section to Thanksgiving for now; watch for a dedicated Halloween Round Up to drop around October 15. If you’re organizing a spooky-inspired event, be sure to reach out & let us know!

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