Messick's Fall Festival: October Dates & Rain Update
Ticket prices, hours, and what the rain cancellation means for the rest of the October weekends
Messick's Fall Festival at Messick's Farm Market in Bealeton runs weekends through October 25, plus Monday, October 12, from 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. The rain-threatened Sunday, October 11 session has been canceled, so the October weekend to plan around is Saturday, October 10 and the weekends that follow.
Quick Facts
- Dates: Weekends September 19 through October 25, plus Monday, October 12
- Hours: 10am to 5pm; last entry at 4pm
- Admission: General $16, senior $10 (tickets online or at the door)
- Canceled: Sunday, October 11, due to rain in the forecast
- Location: 6025 Catlett Road, Bealeton, Fauquier County
What Changed for the Rain
The farm market posted on October 9 that the forecast was spoiling Sunday but that Saturday looked lovely. Saturday, October 10 goes ahead as scheduled. Sunday, October 11 is canceled, and online ticket holders were told to expect a voucher redeemable for a future visit by 8am Saturday. As of the latest post, an update on Monday, October 12 was to be shared on Sunday, so check the market's Instagram before you drive out for the holiday Monday.
What the Festival Offers
This is a family-forward fall festival rather than a refined tasting-room outing, and it is worth being honest about that. The market's own posts list a pumpkin patch, photo ops, climbing structures, hayrides, a barrel train, a petting zoo, a zipline, flower picking, Crunchkin painting, kid tattoos, a candy cannon and bounce attractions. For the grown-ups, the festival listing mentions fresh cider donuts, fall treats, and local wine and beer. The corn maze is also named in the event details.
Details on individual activities come from the farm's social posts and are not all independently verified, so treat the ride and attraction list as the farm's own description and confirm on the day.
How to Plan the Day
- Arrive early. Last entry is 4pm, and the day runs 10am to 5pm.
- Buy ahead if you can. Tickets are sold online through the market's TicketSpice page or at the door.
- Have a rain plan. This season's cancellation shows the festival is weather-dependent; watch the market's posts the day before.
- Pair it with the market itself. The farm market sells produce and farm goods year-round, and the hours listed below cover shopping outside the festival.
Pairing It With Another Stop
If you are building a Fauquier weekend, Hartland Orchard in Markham is a pick-your-own orchard growing peaches, apples and berries. Its listed hours are weekdays only, Monday through Friday, 9am to 2pm, and it is closed Saturday and Sunday, so it suits the Monday, October 12 holiday better than a festival Saturday. Confirm its current picking status with the orchard directly.
For a quieter dinner after the crowds, Hunter's Head Tavern in Upperville is an English-style tavern in an 18th-century building on Route 50. Its listed hours run until 8pm Monday, Thursday and Sunday and until 9pm Friday and Saturday; it is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. We have no recent verified updates from the tavern, so call ahead.
Planning Your Visit
- Messick's Farm Market: 6025 Catlett Road, Bealeton, VA
- Market hours: Monday through Saturday 7am to 9pm; Sunday 9am to 9pm (festival hours are 10am to 5pm on festival days)
- Phone: (540) 439-8900
- Website: messicksfarmmarket.com
- Festival tickets: General $16, senior $10, online or at the door
- Hartland Orchard: 3064 Hartland Lane, Markham; (540) 364-2316
- Hunter's Head Tavern: 9048 John Mosby Highway, Upperville; (540) 592-9020
Places in this story
Sources
Reporting drew on sources available for these places:
- Messick's Farm Market — venue signals, verified intel, unverified intel, social posts (instagram) · latest post Oct 10, 2026 · covering events through Oct 12, 2026
- Hartland Orchard — venue signals
- Hunter's Head Tavern — venue signals
Frequently asked questions
When is Messick's Fall Festival in October 2026?
The festival runs weekends from September 19 through October 25, plus Monday, October 12, from 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4pm. Sunday, October 11 is canceled because of rain in the forecast.
How much are tickets to Messick's Fall Festival?
General admission is $16 and senior admission is $10. Tickets can be bought online through the market's TicketSpice page or at the door.
What happens to my ticket since Sunday, October 11 is canceled?
Sunday, October 11 is canceled, and online ticket holders were told to expect a voucher for a future visit by 8am Saturday. The market said it would share an update on Monday, October 12 on Sunday, so check its Instagram first.
What is there to do at Messick's Fall Festival?
The market's posts list a pumpkin patch, hayrides, a corn maze, a zipline, a petting zoo, a barrel train, climbing structures, flower picking and cider donuts, plus local wine and beer. These come from the farm's own descriptions, so confirm on the day.
This article was written from local venue data and reviewed by AI. Learn how we write these stories
Photo via Unsplash