My love for a solid fall fair RUNS DEEP. I grew up in Brantford, which was close to Paris (where the Paris Fair is), St. George (where Apple Fest is), and Waterford (where the Pumpkin fest is). This coming Friday is the first official day of fall, so the time is now to get celebrating the season! Here are some fall fairs in Ontario where you can do it right:

Brighton Apple Fest (Sept. 21 – 24) Brighton is about an hour and a half west of Toronto, in beauty Northumberland County. Their Apple Fest is a street fair with a parade, car show, pet shows, Pinterest-worthy crafts and market eats. Come for the weekend and chill on Presqu’ile Provincial Park’s sandy beaches, or the nearby wineries of Prince Edward County. There’s lots to see around these parts of Ontario.

Stratford Fall Fair (Sept. 21 – 24) This fall fair is in its 176th year and it’s FREE. It has a midway, antiques display, pie auction, livestock exhibits, and farm markets. Stratford is two hours by train from Toronto and (IMO) has the vibe of a fall fair all year round, so the rest of the city is definitely worth checking out. Stay at a bed and breakfast and do a fall weekend getaway.

Ancaster Fair (Sept. 22 – 25) This fair is celebrating its 167th year. There’s a main tent stage with different programming revolving around fall and this year’s theme – Canadian grown. There will be a pie eating contest, apple peeling, antiques and nostalgia show, gem show, a demolition derby, and a rodeo. Peep the vibe in their olde-tyme fiddle-y 2017 promo vid. Tickets are $10.

Milton Fair (Sept. 22, 23, 24) The Milton Fair is a “celebration of rural life” with roots spreading back to 1853. It takes place on the same 53-acre plot of land it started on and celebrates the season with a tractor pull, demolition derby, horse show, a midway, and local craft and farm vendors. It’s about an hour drive east of Mississauga. Tickets are $20 on Friday, $10 on Saturday and Sunday.

Caledonia Fair (Sept. 28 – Oct. 1) The theme for Caledonia’s 145th fair is celebrating the maple leaf, so in addition to some delicious maple treats, you can experience a midway, buskers, demolition derby, and see some farm animals in Squire McKinnon’s Barn. Caledonia is just south of Hamilton. $25 for a weekend pass, $5 Thursday, $10 Friday to Sunday.

Waterford Pumpkinfest (Oct 12 – 15) This is celebration is straight-up dedicated to pumpkins and it is a spectacle. Here you’ll see a massive stacked tower of jack-o-lanterns downtown and the whole community come out for pumpkin themed events – a parade, zombie walk, fireworks, and foods and funs. The houses of Waterford go all out with decor and it’s a thing of glory to see.