Catasauqua This Week: Autumnfest Date Set, Garlic Fest, and Haunt Season

North Catasauqua's Autumnfest has its 2026 date: Sunday, October 11, at Albert Memorial Park on Grove Street, with a rain date of Saturday, October 17. Before that, Easton's Garlic Fest fills Centre Square the first weekend of October, Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt runs through the month, and the Catasauqua Area School District has set its October calendar. Here is what is happening in and around Catasauqua and North Catasauqua in the days ahead, plus a few good places to eat while you are in town.

Local News and Community Happenings

The borough bulletin of the week is street work. Catasauqua's latest news post notes that a Wood Street paving and concrete project is underway, and street sweeping is suspended while the road work is active. If you drive Wood Street, expect construction and follow the posted signs; details are on the borough site at catasauqua.org.

The announcement many families have been watching for arrived this month: the North Catasauqua Betterment Committee has set the "Best of North Catasauqua Autumnfest and Car Show" for Sunday, October 11, at William J. Albert Memorial Park, 701 Grove Street, with a rain date of Saturday, October 17, per the borough's September 14 news post. The afternoon brings the car show, a craft and flea market, a food court, live music, and kids' activities, with free admission and free street parking. That puts the party right on Grove Street, a few blocks from 514 Grove.

Halloween planning is starting to take shape too. Catasauqua and North Catasauqua share one trick-or-treat window on Halloween night, October 31, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.; that has been the two boroughs' practice in recent years, and the boroughs are expected to re-post confirmation for 2026 in October. The volunteer-run Catasauqua/North Catasauqua Halloween Parade has not yet announced its 2026 date; last year's edition stepped off on Tuesday, October 22, at 7:00 p.m., with a route through the boroughs into Albert Memorial Park. Watch the parade's Facebook page and both borough sites for this year's announcement.

At the Catasauqua Area School District

The district's October calendar is set. There is no school Monday, October 12, for the Columbus Day holiday, and the board of education holds its next regular meeting Tuesday, October 13, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the District Administration Office, 201 N. 14th Street, Catasauqua, per the district's published calendar. Wednesday, October 21, is the next all-building early dismissal day, so families can plan for earlier pickups that afternoon.

Under the Rough Riders banner, the varsity football team plays a Colonial League road game at Notre Dame-Green Pond this week, then returns to Alumni Field on Friday, October 2, to host Northern Lehigh with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. The following Saturday, October 10, the Rough Riders head to Pen Argyl for an early 1:30 p.m. start, per The Morning Call's 2026 season preview. Game times and any schedule changes post on the Rough Riders athletics site, and the downloadable 2026-2027 district calendar on cattysd.org has the full list of holidays, in-service days, and board dates for the year ahead.

Things to Do in the Area

The first full October weekend belongs to Easton, where the Easton Garlic Fest returns to Centre Square on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., rain or shine, with free admission. More than 100 vendors, two stages of live music, cooking demonstrations, and a children's area fill the square, and a free Preview Night runs Friday, October 2, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on South 3rd Street with live music and early vendors. It is an easy 15-minute drive from Catasauqua and the tastiest way to spend an October afternoon, from garlic bread to the festival's signature fries.

For scare-season fans, Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt runs select nights through October 31, including the October 2-4 and October 9-11 weekends, with seven haunted mazes (new for 2026, "Blair Witch: No Signal"), five scare zones, live shows, and nighttime rides, per Six Flags. If you prefer your October in lederhosen, ArtsQuest's SteelStacks Oktoberfest in Bethlehem fills the same two weekends, October 2-4 and October 9-11, with German food and beer, live music, weiner dog races, and the Pennsylvania State Stein Holding Championship.

For a calmer fall day, Hausman Fruit Farm in Coopersburg runs its fall festival on weekends through the season, and the D&L Trail's towpath along the Lehigh River is one of the best leaf-peeping walks in the area, with an easy stretch right near North Catasauqua. Bring the bikes or just a pair of walking shoes as the maples turn.

Good Places to Eat Nearby

This week's picks start right around the corner from North Catasauqua. The Grove Street Pub & Grill at 1092 Howertown Road in Catasauqua bills itself as "Your Neighborhood Place," a friendly neighborhood bar and grill that is an easy stop before or after the Autumnfest later this month. Call (610) 477-3305 or find it on Facebook for hours and specials.

Also worth a stop nearby:

• Pie's On Pizzeria: a longstanding family-owned pizzeria at 106 Pine Street in Catasauqua, in business since 1992, for pizza, cheesesteaks, and Italian takeout. Call (610) 264-7000 or order at piesonpizzeria.com.
• Whitehall Diner: a classic American diner at 3026 MacArthur Road in Whitehall, about 10 minutes from Catasauqua, for breakfast and lunch any day of the week. Call (610) 821-6880.