What's Happening Now on the Wasatch Front: FanX, Harvest Farms and the Oktoberfest Kickoff
Right now (Sept 22): The State Fair has wrapped and the harvest season is at full throttle. This week it is all about FanX Salt Lake (Sept 24-26) at the Salt Palace, the Gothic Market at the Expo Center in Sandy (Sept 26-27), and the last big Saturdays at the farmers markets: Downtown SLC runs through Oct 24, Daybreak through mid-October, and Draper's Tuesday market through the end of October. Halloween season is officially open with Gardner Village WitchFest (through Oct 31), Cornbelly's, Hee Haw, and Honey Haven opening this Saturday. The Oktoberfest run begins this weekend with Snowbird (through Oct 11), then Breakaway Utah at America First Field (Oct 2-3) and Daybreak Oktoberfest at the lake (Oct 3). Here is the full rundown across every community we serve.
Just catching up? Our Late-September and early-October guide covered the State Fair and heritage weekend as they were happening, and the Mid-October and Halloween guide looks further ahead to WitchFest's peak weeks, the Draper City Haunted Trail, and the Jazz home opener. The Utah Fall Foliage guide has the color timing, and the 2026-27 Ski Season Preview covers passes and opening targets.
This is the week the Wasatch Front's fall calendar gets fully booked. If last week was the fair and the heritage festivals, this week is the pop-culture convention, the harvest farms at their peak, the final golden Saturdays at the markets, and the first Oktoberfest pours of the season. It is the moment Adam and Natalie always tell new buyers about: the two weeks where you can feel a whole region turn from summer into autumn, one festival at a time.
Here is what is worth your time from now through the first weekend of October, in the communities we serve from Daybreak and South Jordan to Sandy, Draper, Herriman, Lehi, and beyond.
Now Through Oct 4 at a Glance
- September 24-26 (Thu-Sat): FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention at the Salt Palace, Thursday 1-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
- September 26-27 (Sat-Sun): The Gothic Market of dark artisans and oddities at the Mountain America Expo Center, Sandy
- September 26 (Sat): Honey Haven Farm opens its fall festival (8-acre corn maze, through Oct 31) · last regular Saturday of the Lehi Farmers Market
- October 2-3 (Fri-Sat): Breakaway Utah EDM festival at America First Field, Sandy (18+, headliners John Summit, Kaskade, Tiësto, MPH)
- October 3 (Sat): Daybreak Oktoberfest at the lake, 2-6 p.m., 21+ · Sundance Harvest Mini Market 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- October 5 (Mon): Herriman Howl, 5-8 p.m. at J. Lynn Crane Park
- Every weekend through Oct 11: Snowbird Oktoberfest, noon-6 p.m., free admission
- Farmers markets: Downtown SLC Saturdays through Oct 24 · Daybreak Saturdays through mid-October · Draper Tuesdays 5-9 p.m. through October · South Jordan Saturdays through Oct 10
This Week: FanX Salt Lake and the Gothic Market
The biggest ticket on the calendar this week is FanX Salt Lake, running Thursday through Saturday, Sept 24-26, at the Salt Palace Convention Center downtown. The pop-culture convention lands every year with celebrity guests, panels, and the biggest cosplay floor in the Intermountain West, and it is genuinely family-friendly for a Saturday crowd. Hours run Thursday 1-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 8 a.m.-9 p.m., so a half-day visit is easy from anywhere along the Wasatch Front. Tickets and guest announcements live at fanxsaltlake.com.
The same weekend, the Gothic Market brings its traveling market of dark artisans, oddities, and spooky goods to the Mountain America Expo Center on State Street in Sandy (Sept 26-27). It is a fun, different kind of shopping outing for the Halloween-curious, and it is right in our backyard, minutes from Daybreak, Draper, and South Jordan.
Farmers Markets: The Final Golden Saturdays
Farmers market season is winding down, and the next few weeks are the last chance to load up on local produce before the stalls close for winter. Here is where each market stands as of late September:
Downtown SLC Farmers Market
Saturdays 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at Pioneer Park through Oct 24, with 200-plus vendors. The biggest market in the state, and the Tuesday-evening edition adds a relaxed after-work stop. slcfarmersmarket.org
Daybreak Farmers Market
Saturdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at SoDa Row in Downtown Daybreak, running through mid-October. Fresh produce, artisan goods, and a lake walk to finish the morning. mydaybreak.com
Draper Farmers Market & Food Truck Night
Tuesdays 5-9 p.m. at Smith Fields Park (200 E 13400 S), shifting to 5-8 p.m. in October, and running through the end of the month of October. Family-friendly, with a great rotating truck lineup.
Utah County picks
Lehi's Saturday market has its final regular weekend Sept 26, then a Night Market Oct 16 and a Halloween market. Thanksgiving Point runs Fridays 3-7 p.m. through the first weekend of October, and South Jordan holds Saturdays 8 a.m.-1 p.m. through Oct 10.
The fall dining guide we just published has full ideas for turning a market run into a meal, from Daybreak's restaurant row to the food trucks in Draper.
The Oktoberfest Kickoff: Snowbird, Breakaway and Daybreak
Oktoberfest season opens this weekend and runs right through mid-October. Snowbird's 54th annual Oktoberfest continues Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m., through Oct 11 in Little Cottonwood Canyon, with free admission, 50-plus beer varieties, Bavarian food, and live music. It is the classic excuse to ride up the canyon for the peak aspen color with lunch included.
Next weekend, the party shifts south. Breakaway Utah (Oct 2-3) brings its two-day electronic music festival to America First Field in Sandy, with headliners including John Summit, Kaskade, Tiësto, and MPH for an 18-plus crowd. And on Saturday, Oct 3, Daybreak Oktoberfest takes over the North Shore of Oquirrh Lake (2-6 p.m.) with local breweries, German food, live music, games, and prizes. It is a 21-plus evening and, as Adam and Natalie hear from clients every year, one of the friendliest nights on the south-valley calendar. Tickets are on sale now at mydaybreak.com.
Harvest Farms at Peak: Pick Your Weekend
The farm festival calendar is fully orange, and every family on the Wasatch Front has a weekend pick. Here is the shorthand:
Cornbelly's, Lehi
Utah's original pumpkin festival at Thanksgiving Point runs through Oct 31, with the big corn maze, hay rides, Kidsville, the night lights, and Insanity Point after dark. cornbellys.com
Hee Haw Farms, Pleasant Grove
Hayrides, a corn maze, pumpkins, and the corn box, with the 2026 season running through early November. A short, sweet drive from the south valley. heehawfarms.com
Honey Haven Farm Fall Festival
Opens this Saturday, Sept 26, with an 8-acre corn maze, straw maze, and barnyard zoo running through Oct 31. A favorite Utah County pick for younger families. honeyhavenfarm.com
Close to home
Kuwahara's in Draper (patch by day, Thriller Park by night, through Oct 31), The Kinlands in Riverton (free admission, through Oct 25), and Gardner Village WitchFest in West Jordan (through Oct 31). Frightmares at Lagoon runs through Nov 8.
Peak Color Is Here: The Best Drives and Hikes
The aspen are at or near their gold right now across the mountain benches, with the Alpine Loop and the canyon resorts at the center of the show. Our Utah Fall Foliage 2026 guide has the full timing and routes, but Adam's short list is unchanged: the Alpine Loop above American Fork, Big Cottonwood Canyon on a weekday, and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from almost any trailhead.
For family-friendly hikes with the color as a reward, Buffalo Peak in Provo Canyon is a quick out-and-back with big views of Mount Timpanogos, and the flat Silver Lake to Twin Lakes loop in Big Cottonwood Canyon is doable with small kids. Both are at their best in the next two weeks, and both beat fighting for a parking spot at the big scenic pullouts.
Ski and Board Season: The Countdown Is On
The 2026-27 ski season is on sale now, and the projected opening targets are firming up: Alta and Park City Mountain point at Nov 20, Solitude at Nov 20, Snowbird at a tentative Nov 27, and Brighton in early December. Pass prices step up through the fall, so if you plan to ski this winter, this is the month to buy. The 2026-27 Utah Ski Season Preview has the full pass-by-pass breakdown, including the Salt Lake Ski Super Pass window opening in October.
Before the snow flies, the best ski-adjacent fall move is Snowbird's Oktoberfest, with the canyon at its most gold through Oct 11.
Make It a Meal: Fall Dining Along the Front
Pair any of these outings with the season's best meals. Our brand-new Fall Dining Guide 2026 rounds up where Adam and Natalie point clients for everything from a slow Daybreak breakfast to an Oktoberfest-night dinner, with picks in Draper, Sandy, Lehi, and Herriman too.
Get Out and Enjoy the Gold
From FanX and the Gothic Market this week to the first Oktoberfest weekends, the harvest farms at peak, and the aspen gold on the loops, the next two weeks are the most generous stretch of the fall calendar. Go enjoy it, because the season only gets crisper from here.
And if you are exploring the region for a possible move, a Saturday at a farmers market, an afternoon in a corn maze, or a golden-hour Alpine Loop drive is the truest way to feel daily life in these towns. When you are ready to take the next step, Adam and Natalie would love to help you find the perfect place to call home.
Ready to explore communities along the Wasatch Front?
Whether you are drawn to Daybreak's lakefront festival scene, Sandy's mountain access, Draper's trail mornings, Lehi's harvest season, or Herriman's quiet neighborhoods, Adam and Natalie can help you find the perfect fit. Reach out anytime for a relaxed conversation about your goals.
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About the Authors
Stark Group Real Estate is a premier husband-and-wife real estate team serving Utah's Wasatch Front. Combining high-level financial acumen with cutting-edge marketing, Adam and Natalie deliver a highly supportive, tech-forward, and top-tier experience for buyers and sellers across a wide range of life transitions.