Downtown State College to Celebrate 25th Fall Fest with Free Family Activities

Free pumpkins, children’s activities, food vendors and pop-up theater will fill the 200 block of South Allen Street on Saturday as the Downtown State College Improvement District celebrates the 25th annual Fall Fest. 

The family event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission and activities are free and open to all ages. The Youth Service Bureau, along with other local nonprofit and family organizations, will host dozens of activities for children throughout the afternoon. 

Attractions will include a fun house, photo station, face painting, custom balloon creations from Nittany Balloons and personalized cartoon drawings from Monster D. Tempest Productions will perform pop-up theater at Bill Welch Plaza throughout the event. 

Children also can visit a pumpkin patch from Martin’s Garden Center and receive a free pumpkin to decorate with supplies provided by Growing Tree Toys.

Food vendors scheduled for the event include Juana’s, Happy Valley Polish Water Ice, Pasti Bella, Sauly Boy’s hotdog cart and Rebelz Cuisine. 

“Fall Fest is a wonderful opportunity for families, friends, and neighbors to come together and enjoy all that downtown State College has to offer,” Lee Anne Jeffries, executive director of the Downtown State College Improvement District, said in a release. “We’re grateful to the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, the Centre County Board of Commissioners, and our community sponsors for helping make this annual celebration possible. We look forward to welcoming everyone downtown for another memorable fall afternoon.” 

The event is funded through a grant made possible by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and the Centre County Board of Commissioners. 

Free three-hour parking validations will be available for the Pugh, Fraser and Beaver garages. Additional parking will be available at the Beaver metered lot, McAllister Deck and on-street spaces. 

The Fall Fest is one of several community events taking place downtown on Saturday. Schlow Centre Region Library will also host a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration for children from 10:30 a.m. to noon, with games, arts and crafts and activities led by Penn State students. 

A day earlier, DSCID will host its monthly First Friday celebration from 5 to 8 p.m., with after-hours access to galleries and shops, free bites and beverages, live music and entertainment, retail and restaurant specials, and more.

More information about the 25th annual Fall Fest is available through the Downtown State College Improvement District website  and the festival’s Facebook event page.