20 Harvest Festival Ideas With Pumpkin Games, Sweet Treats and Fall Decor

Looking for harvest festival ideas with more than a few pumpkins by the entrance? Think pumpkin checkerboards, a caramel apple bar and long tables covered in fall colors.

There’s plenty here to borrow for your own celebration, whether you’re planning a backyard gathering or a bigger community event.

You can keep it simple or go all out. Start with a game, choose a sweet treat, then add a few decorations you love.

Those little pumpkin playing pieces are already a favorite!

Harvest Festival Activities and Decorations to Try

mini pumpkin checkers

We’re starting off strong with this cute pumpkin checkerboard. Orange pumpkins sit opposite white ones, with covered bales on either side for seating.

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Try the same two-color setup for your game table. I love that the playing pieces double as little fall decorations.

a giant pumpkin photo spot

How cute is this giant jack-o’-lantern? The wide black smile and greenery around the stem make such a fun backdrop.

Smaller yellow and orange pumpkins sit around the bottom.

If you want a photo corner at your festival, a big pumpkin shape like this gives you plenty to work with.

apples in a big round tub

Here’s a classic fall game: apple bobbing. The big round tub is filled with red and green apples, with a player leaning over the edge.

For your own event, I’d turn this into an apple-scooping game with individual scoops rather than a shared mouth-contact activity. Keep an adult beside the water station.

caramel apple topping bar

I am obsessed with this caramel apple bar. The apple wedges are lined up on sticks beside a slow cooker, plus a muffin pan holds all those colorful toppings.

Try a separate cup for each topping so guests can choose their favorites. Don’t forget a little sign like the one here.

Read also: 14+ Stunning Strawberry Party Decorations Guests Won't Forget

a sign for the corn maze

If your venue has a corn maze, this is a lovely way to mark the entrance. The white lettering and big arrow are easy to spot against the reddish-brown boards.

Keep your own sign just as simple. A clear direction is more useful here than lots of extra decoration.

dinner under string lights

This long dinner table may just be my favorite setting here. I love the rows of glowing lights overhead and the small flower arrangements between the place settings.

For a smaller gathering, try the same idea with a single long table. You don’t need an entire street to borrow this look.

pumpkin painting table

Give the pumpkins a little color with a painting station like this one. Paint bottles fill a divided container while brushes stand in cups along the covered table.

Set out plates for paint and let each person choose a pumpkin. The bright green around the front pumpkin’s stem is such a cute start.

pumpkin tic-tac-toe

Don’t want a full checkerboard and want something a little simpler? Try pumpkin tic-tac-toe.

These pale boards sit on bales with orange and white pumpkins arranged across the grids.

Read also: 20 Thanksgiving Cupcakes With Cute Turkeys, Pumpkins and Fall Details

I especially love the tiny pumpkin drawings worked into the lettering.

a doughnut-topped dessert

How good does this look? A sugar-coated doughnut hangs over the edge of a cup with white and amber-colored layers.

The piled-up icy topping makes it even more fun.

For your own fall menu, you could serve a cider-inspired frozen dessert with a doughnut alongside it. That’s a flavor suggestion rather than a recipe from the picture.

a spooky fall snack display

If you want to mix Halloween into your harvest celebration, this one’s for you. There are hanging jack-o’-lanterns, little ghosts and wispy webs across the bale-fronted display.

I love the tiered trays beside that tall flower arrangement. Keep decorative webs away from serving dishes if you borrow this setup.

dancing scarecrows

OMG, how adorable are these dancing scarecrows? Their painted planter faces and matching red-and-black shirts are so cute together.

The dotted umbrella skirt might be the best detail. This is a fun direction for a scarecrow display if you want something beyond the usual standing figure.

baskets of harvest colors

Let the produce be part of the decoration with a display like this. Baskets of grapes, peaches and tomatoes sit above open sacks filled with peppers, cucumbers and nuts.

The sunflowers on the right are such a pretty finishing touch. Try a few baskets at different heights for a smaller version.

golden spoon trophies

Planning a chili cook-off? These glittery spoon trophies are such a fun prize idea.

The tall gold-colored spoons stand on black bases with matching gold lettering.

You could add your event name and a different award category to each base. I’d keep the oversized spoons just like these.

a whole row of pumpkin games

This is another pumpkin game setup, but it gives you a whole little activity area. A tic-tac-toe table sits in front of checkerboards, with bales lining the sides.

I love the painted Xs and Os on the front pumpkins. Try those markings if you’d rather use all orange pieces.

little pie-look cupcakes

How adorable are these cupcakes? The beige lattice decorations and ruffled edges make them look like tiny pies. Red centers peek through the tops.

Display yours on a tiered stand if you want a similar dessert table. The red-and-white checks underneath look so cute beside the basket of apples.

a fall wreath station

If you’d like a craft activity for your festival, a fall wreath session is a pretty idea. This picture shows the starting point: a plain circular wreath base on a gridded work surface.

For your own station, you could offer autumn-colored leaves, flowers and ribbon so guests can choose their decorations.

an overflowing cornucopia

I love this cornucopia with all the little gourds spilling onto the table. There are grape clusters, decorative corn and berry-like accents tucked between the orange, cream and green shapes.

Leave room in front of your basket for the display to spread out. That overflowing arrangement is the detail I’d keep.

a flower-filled wagon

This green wagon makes such a pretty fall backdrop. Potted flowers fill the top while a smiling scarecrow, pumpkins and a plaid-covered bale sit in front.

Read also: 20 Fall Mums Porch Ideas With Pumpkins and Pretty Autumn Details

If you have a wagon to display, try grouping your flowers inside it rather than scattering them around the ground.

stacked pumpkin entrance

Want to go all out at the entrance? This arch has stacked orange jack-o’-lantern faces on both sides and a large welcome sign across the top.

I love how every pumpkin has a different expression. For your own event, you could use its name across the top and keep those playful faces.

fall colors down the table

Last but definitely not least, we have these pretty outdoor tables. I love the mix of orange, yellow and reddish plaid coverings!

Leaf garlands run between decorated jars, flowers and small pumpkin accents.

Try alternating red and green napkins like the ones here. It’s a lovely little detail to borrow without copying the whole setup.