Catasauqua This Week: Garlic Fest Weekend, Home Football, and Fall Calendars

The calendar flips to October this week, and Catasauqua's home field hosts a Friday night Colonial League game under the lights. Easton's Garlic Fest fills Centre Square October 3 and 4, ArtsQuest's Oktoberfest opens at SteelStacks the same weekend, and the Catasauqua Area School District settles into a clean five-day stretch before its October holidays and board meeting. Here is what is happening in and around Catasauqua and North Catasauqua in the week ahead, plus a few good places to eat while you are in town.

Local News and Community Happenings

The borough's street work continues. Catasauqua's latest news post still lists the Wood Street paving and concrete project as active, with street sweeping suspended while the road work is under way. If you drive Wood Street, expect construction and follow the posted signs; details are on the borough site at catasauqua.org. Drivers should also remember that the Front Street and Second Street two-way conversion has been in effect since late August, with no parking along the corridor from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during the work.

The big development story in Catasauqua remains the former Crane Iron Works property. WFMZ reported this month that the proposed master site plan for the redevelopment was before the borough, with the project described as a potential "game changer" for Catasauqua. Agendas and minutes post on the borough's meeting portal, so that is the place to check where the plan stands after the September council meeting.

Halloween dates are not official yet. In recent years Catasauqua and North Catasauqua have shared one trick-or-treat window on Halloween night, October 31, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., and the volunteer-run Catasauqua/North Catasauqua Halloween Parade has stepped off on a weekday evening in late October around 7:00 p.m., with a route through the boroughs into Albert Memorial Park. The boroughs have historically posted their confirmation in October, so watch northcatasauqua.org, catasauqua.org, and the parade's Facebook page for the official 2026 dates.

At the Catasauqua Area School District

This is a clean, full week for the Catasauqua Area School District. No holidays, early dismissals, or Act 80 in-service days are listed on the district calendar between Monday, September 28, and Friday, October 2, so families can plan on a normal five-day stretch. The district's next milestones are Monday, October 12, when schools close for the Columbus Day holiday, and Tuesday, October 13, when the board of education holds its regular meeting from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the District Administration Office, 201 N. 14th Street, Catasauqua.

The fall sports highlight lands Friday night: the varsity football Rough Riders host the Northern Lehigh Bulldogs at Alumni Field with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff, a Colonial League matchup listed on both teams' published 2026 schedules. 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 marquee weekend belongs to Easton. The Easton Garlic Fest returns to Centre Square 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. A free Preview Night runs Friday, October 2, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on South 3rd Street, and downtown Easton's First Friday gallery walk and Fall Kickoff fill the same evening. Centre Square is a short drive from Catasauqua, and between the tasting tables and the cooking demos it is a satisfying way to spend an autumn afternoon.

If you prefer your October with bratwurst and polka, ArtsQuest's Oktoberfest opens at SteelStacks in Bethlehem this weekend, October 2 through 4, with German food and beer, live music, weiner dog races, and the Pennsylvania State Stein Holding Championship. The free festival repeats the following weekend, October 9 through 11, so there are two chances to catch it.

For families, Grim's Orchard and Family Farms in Breinigsville runs its fall festival every weekend through November 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with Friday hours in October too: a corn maze, hayrides, a pedal-cart track, and pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, just off Route 222 about 20 minutes from Catasauqua. And if the forecast turns wet, the Crayola Experience in downtown Easton runs Halloween programming through October 31 as a family-friendly indoor stop.

Good Places to Eat Nearby

This week's picks stay close to home. Catty Pizza at 501 2nd Street in Catasauqua serves pizza and Italian takeout in the borough; call (610) 266-2599 or order at cattypizzamenu.com. Brother's Pizza Catasauqua at 1492 Main Street is another pizzeria in the borough; call (610) 443-3335 for pickup or delivery.

For a sit-down breakfast or lunch any day of the week, the City View Diner at 1831 MacArthur Road in Whitehall is a classic diner stop about 10 minutes from Catasauqua; call (610) 434-4366 or see cityviewrestaurant.com for the menu and hours.