Experience October Festival in Warroad, MN with 2 days of fall fun. Flex your beer muscles. Show off your cornhole skills. Take a horse-drawn wagon ride. Hit the lake for fabulous fall fishing on Lake of the Woods.

Helpful links:

• Vendor Registration
• Warroad October Festival Facebook Page
• 5k Registration
• Cornhole Registration
• Comedy Show Tickets
• Steinholding Competition Registration
• Lodging

October Festival will be held at Allison Park and all the Live Entertainment on the beautiful Amphitheater Stage will be FREE ADMISSION!

On Friday, October 4th, Downtown Horns will grace the stage. This band, hailing from Grand Forks, has performed over 400 shows in the last 10 years and plays a little bit of everything. “The Horns” (as their fans are known to call them) boast a tight five-piece rhythm section and a phenomenal four-piece horn section that create enthusiastic crowds in any venue. An engaging frontman and five other lead vocalists combine with trumpet, trombone, saxophones, bass and electric guitars, drums, and keyboards to produce a sound seldom heard in the Midwest. Whether you like Rock, Pop, R&B, Blues, Country, or Disco, prepare to Twist and Shout and get your Uptown Funk on all night!

Saturday, October 5th, the stage will be graced by a number of regional performers throughout the day. The musical stylings of Gabbie June, Jordynn Johnsrud, The Jensen Sisters, and Jessica Johnson will intersperse between a local variety show and two Magic Shows. Comedy Magician Jeffrey Salveson of Fargo will bring his 35 years of experience to the October Festival stage. He will also perform some close-up strolling magic and balloon twisting off-stage.

A separate ticketed Comedy Hour Special will take place Saturday night in the Pavilion. Comedian Mark Poolos has performed in 40 states and all across Canada and we are excited to welcome him back to Warroad for this show! There will be a limited number of seats available, and advance-sale tickets ($12) will be on sale soon!  Learn more about this and other exciting October Festival details by following @warroadoctoberfestival on Instagram and on Facebook.

The days until Warroad October Festival are dwindling, but the excitement is mounting! Along with the Live Entertainment, Beer Tent Activities, and Children’s Activities planned, there will be a variety of contests and competitions for the whole family to participate in. 

The Steinholding Competition was outlined in a previous article, but there is still time to register. If you think you can raise your glass and keep it there the longest, register to participate by clicking “shop now” in the MN Store on lowbrewco.com. There will be a couple of beers with your name on them just for participating!

Saturday morning will begin with a 5K Walk/Run at 9:00 am presented by Try It Up North and Dream Big. This family friendly event will begin and end at the October Festival site, Allison Park. All participants will receive a finisher medal with the top 3 finishers in each male and female age group winning an additional prize.  The entry fee to participate in this event is $15 and registration is available online at www.warroadportal.com.

An Adult Cornhole Tournament for those 21 and up will take place in the beer tent on Saturday, October 5, beginning at 2 pm. The fee to participate is $20 and prizes will be 100% payout. There is a limit of 16 teams, so grab your partner and pre-register to reserve your space! Contact Sarah Homme at 218-242-2655 or hommesarah@gmail.com to enter.

October Festival wouldn’t be complete without pumpkins and scarecrows, so we have designed two competitions to showcase your creative prowess. Local individuals, families, businesses, or other groups are invited to participate. In both competitions, the theme is SUPERHEROES, and participants will bring their finished product to the event.

In the Pumpkin Carving Competition, submissions must be hand-carved (no stencils) and be in line with the theme. Judging will take place at the end of the evening and all the superhero pumpkins will be displayed outside the Gazebo on Saturday. 

The Scarecrow Contest rules are simple: Participants must create a unique, self-supported, Superhero-themed scarecrow and the final product must contain at least some straw. The winners will be announced from the Amphitheater Stage during the 12:00 show, so make sure you submit your finished scarecrow on Saturday by 11 am at the Grand Gazebo. 

These works of art will remain on display through the rest of the festival, creating our very own October Festival Museum of Harvest Art.

Visit our places to stay page or request lodging availability by clicking here.

View or order your visitors guide by clicking here.

To stay up to date on everything October Festival related, follow @warroadoctoberfestival on Instagram and Facebook.

October Festival will be an event that offers something for the whole family. And the best part is, all kids’ activities are free of charge!

A Touch-a-Truck event will kick off Friday night’s festivities. Vehicles from local law enforcement and emergency services will park alongside big rigs, farm machinery, construction vehicles, and a Wahl Brothers Racing race car! Curious children will be able to look at and hop behind the wheel of all these vehicles. We are still seeking vehicles and machinery for this event, so please contact Sarah Homme to learn more about how you or your business can participate.

A Children’s Tent will be set up and is scheduled to be open at different times during the festival. To keep the interest of October Festival attendees who make a weekend of it and stay for the whole event, each time window will have a different theme. Whether it’s trucks, acorns and corn, apples, or pumpkins – children will be sure to enjoy the variety of crafts, projects, and activities offered.  There will even be Bingo!

On Saturday, Comedy Magician Jeffrey Salveson will provide two separate one-hour magic shows along with an hour each of balloon twisting and up close strolling magic tricks. Between the magic shows, there will be a variety show of sorts on the Amphitheater Stage featuring local talent.

If your kiddos have participated in the kid’s races on the 4th of July, they will enjoy the seasonal twist that Warroad Community Church has put on the kid’s races for October Festival! There will also be horse-drawn wagon rides available and kids with a competitive bone can participate in the Kid’s Cornhole Tournament. This tournament is free of charge, but pre-registration is recommended as the number of teams is limited.

Would you like to enjoy the activities for ages 21+ at the event on Saturday night sans children? A separate offsite childcare option is being offered from 6-10pm! There is a limited number of spaces available, so act quickly claim your spot under the Events tab at www.warroadportal.com.

Visit our places to stay page or request lodging availability by clicking here.

View or order your visitors guide by clicking here.

To participate in Touch-a-Truck or the Kid’s Cornhole Tournament, contact Sarah Homme at hommesarah@gmail.com or 218-242-2655. You can stay up to date on everything October Festival related by following @warroadoctoberfestival on Instagram and Facebook.