Longmont in Fall: Farmers Market, Pumpkin Patch and Day of the Dead

Fall in Longmont has a few fixed points. The Longmont Farmers Market is open Saturdays 8AM to 1PM. Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch is located at 9059 Ute Hwy/CO 66, Longmont. Longmont's Day of the Dead has been running since 2001.

Listings for the rest of the city are on the things to do page.

Longmont Farmers Market

The 2026 season of the Longmont Farmers Market runs April 4 – November 21. It is held at the Boulder County Fairgrounds at the corner of Hover St and Boston Ave, with an abundance of free parking onsite. The market sits right off the St. Vrain Greenway, so it is easily accessible by bike.

It is a growers-only market: every product there is created locally and sold by the vendors who produce it. Over 100 local vendors are part of the market this season. On the fourth Saturday of every month, local artisans join in, selling items such as artisanal body care products, handmade clothing and accessories, and jewelry.

Musicians at the market range from drum circles to string quartets and cover bands. Through a partnership with Firehouse Arts Center, the market hosts free weekly kids crafts at its center. It is an all-weather market that stays open in rain or snow and closes only for dangerous weather conditions. Only service animals are permitted. The market accepts SNAP (EBT) and WIC for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables.

The farm roots behind it go back a long way. Long before Longmont was known as a tech center, it was sustained by thousands of acres of farmland, starting with a flour mill established in 1887 and later a vegetable cannery built in 1889. Restaurants and cafes around town are in the food and drink listings.

Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch

Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch is a family-run farm in Longmont, open May through November. Its annual Fall Festival & Pumpkin Patch has pumpkins, festive attractions, carnival rides, a petting zoo and classic fall traditions for all ages.

In October the Fall Festival & Pumpkin Patch is open daily, 9AM to 6PM. The carnival runs on Saturdays and Sundays during the October festival.

The ranch closes out its season in November with a Holiday Market featuring seasonal goods, gifts and products from its fields grown as part of its Full Circle Farms operation, alongside locally curated goods. During the November Harvest Market Season, the ranch is open Friday to Sunday, 9AM to 6PM. More local stores are in the shopping listings.

St. Vrain State Park

St. Vrain State Park, formerly named Barbour Ponds, is located at 3785 Weld County Road 24 1/2, Firestone. It's a destination for visitors seeking a peaceful and simple outdoor getaway, with something for anglers, campers, photographers and bird enthusiasts.

Visitors can boat, walk on the trails and fish. The park has modern, accessible fishing piers, and its ponds are stocked several times a year with selected species.

Blue Heron Reservoir has a boat ramp, trailer parking and restrooms, and catch and release bass fishing is popular there. Gas powered motors are permitted on Blue Heron Reservoir, along with hand-launched vessels that must be operated at wakeless speeds.

Leashed dogs, service animals and horses are permitted at the park. A daily vehicle pass is $10-$15, and an individual daily pass is $4.

Longmont's greenways and open space

Longmont's greenways weave through parks and alongside rivers, creeks, ditches and lakes, protecting neighboring wildlife areas while providing opportunities for environmental and recreational activities. The Left Hand Greenway runs along Left Hand Creek. The Lykins Gulch Greenway is adjacent to Golden Ponds Nature Area, 2651 3rd Avenue.

Greenway trailheads and greenway lands are open from 1 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset. The Greenway Trail itself is open 24 hours, 7 days a week, given there is continuous movement on the trail.

The open space behind much of this has a voter history. Longmont voters approved an Open Space Sales & Use Tax in 2000, and the city acquired its first property with those funds, Boulder Creek Estates, in 2001. In 2024 voters approved continuing the tax in perpetuity.

Firehouse Art Center

The Firehouse Art Center curates twelve unique exhibitions a year, mixing solo and group shows. Its exhibitions blend traditional and contemporary styles and include the work of local, regional and national artists. A ceramics studio and student classroom are upstairs, and two resident artists have studios in the building.

The organization behind it has deep downtown roots. Since 1986 The Arts Studio, Inc. of Longmont has promoted art education for adults and children, created exhibition opportunities and co-founded ArtWalk Longmont. In 1987 the Arts Studio, Inc. and the Longmont Council for the Arts collaborated on the renovation of the old firehouse, a historic landmark in downtown Longmont. In 1999 the Arts Studio, Inc. unveiled a renovated interior, creating a permanent art gallery.

Day of the Dead and the Longmont Museum

Longmont's Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) is the longest-standing Day of the Dead exhibition and celebration in Colorado. It attracts more than 6,000 people annually.

The Day of the Dead Family Celebration is a free outdoor street festival in Downtown Longmont at 4th Avenue and Kimbark Street. It runs 11 am to 3 pm. The festival features traditional live music and dance, face painting, sugar skull decorating, crafts, food trucks, a kids' play zone, local vendors and a Gigantes Procession.

Noche de Museo: Celebrating Day of the Dead is an evening of live performance in the Longmont Museum's Stewart Auditorium, curated by and featuring the music of iZCALLi, with ancient Aztecan dance by Grupo Azteca Tlahuitzcalli.

The museum also has a permanent space for children. DreamLab in Lila's Children's Gallery is an imaginative, hands-on exhibit that includes a soaring dragon castle and a calming crystal cave, meant to inspire creativity, curiosity and learning through play. Dates for the season's events are posted on the events calendar.

Halloween Parade and Turkey Trot

Everyone is invited to walk, roll or stroll down Main Street in costume in the Longmont Halloween Parade, with no registration needed; it is a free, family-friendly event for all ages. Line-up is at 9:30 am at Roosevelt Park, and the parade kicks off at 10 am. After the parade, Trick-or-Treat Street runs along Main St., with local businesses handing out candy and goodies until the treats run out.

The Longmont Turkey Trot offers a 10K course and a 2-mile course, with a wheelchair division for the 10K race. It starts at 9 am at Altona Middle School. Lodging in town is listed under places to stay.