The Hocking Hills keeps a full calendar all year — glass pumpkins and county fairs in the autumn, a six-mile winter hike in January, Bigfoot in August. Old Beech Cottage is about twelve minutes from downtown Logan, so most of it is an easy evening out and back.
Last updated 29 July 2026 · dates change, so please confirm before you travel
Dates were correct when this page was last updated. Festivals do move, so it is worth a quick check before you set out — the Hocking Hills Welcome Center on (740) 385-9706 keeps the full, current calendar.
Hippie Fest
Two days of live music, art and vintage market stalls at the Hocking County Fairgrounds in Logan. Food trucks and a relaxed crowd.
Hocking Hills Bigfoot Festival
Free two days at the Vinton County Fairgrounds in McArthur — speakers, vendors, live music, a howling contest and a Squatchiest Beard competition. A straight run south on SR 93.
Bigfoot night hikes & Moonville ghost hunt
Booked separately alongside the festival. A naturalist leads one group into Vinton County Park District land; a folklorist leads another into Bear Hollow in the Zaleski State Forest with ghost and Bigfoot stories, ending at the haunted Moonville Tunnel.
Hocking Hills Medieval Fest
A weekend of medieval pageantry just outside Logan — combat demonstrations, artisans, and period music and food.
Corvette Gathering
The largest Corvette show in Ohio fills historic downtown Lancaster for the day — hundreds of cars, music, food, and free admission for spectators.
Hocking County Fair
The county’s own fair at the fairgrounds in Logan — livestock shows, rides, grandstand events and proper fair food. The closest of the big annual events, about twelve minutes away.
Jack Pine Glass Pumpkin Festival
Thousands of hand-blown glass pumpkins fill the studio at Laurelville, with live demonstrations and the release of the Pumpkin of the Year. A VIP preview night runs the Thursday before. Rated third on USA Today’s top fall festivals two years running.
Artists & Craftsmen Fall Show
Regional artists and makers show and sell their work — pottery, woodwork, textiles and painting.
Nelsonville Bigfoot Festival
A newer festival on Nelsonville Public Square, started by Ohio cryptid researchers who wanted an event closer to the heart of the Hocking Hills.
Grandma Gatewood’s Fall Colors Hike
A guided hike along the trail named for Emma ‘Grandma’ Gatewood, the Ohio grandmother who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail at 67. Timed for peak color.
Fairfield County Fair
A full week at the fairgrounds in Lancaster, and one of the last county fairs of the Ohio season.
Midnight at Moonville
The Vinton County visitors bureau’s annual night at the haunted Moonville Tunnel, deep in the Zaleski State Forest.
Oktoberfest at Brewery 33
German-style beers, seasonal food and live music in the brewery’s beer garden.
Circleville Pumpkin Show
Ohio’s oldest and largest harvest festival, always the third Wednesday to Saturday of October. Giant pumpkins, seven parades, and free to attend.
Jack O’ Lantern Jubilee
Trick-or-treating and pumpkin displays along the downtown Logan streets, usually early evening.
Downtown Logan Christmas Parade
Logan’s hometown parade down Main Street on a Saturday morning, followed by the shops and the town square in full holiday dress.
Christmas in Ash Cave
A luminary-lit trail leads into Ohio’s largest recess cave, lit for the season, with carolers, crafts, an old-fashioned Santa and hot cocoa round a fire. Free.
Santa Trains, Hocking Valley Scenic Railway
A decorated train out of Nelsonville with a visit from Santa — a tradition close to fifty years old. Runs Thursdays and Saturdays up to around 21 December.
Jack Pine Holiday Open House
Hot cider, live glassblowing and one-of-a-kind glass gifts. Bring a new, unwrapped children’s toy for their toy drive and they’ll give you a free glass ornament.
Downtown Logan New Year’s Eve Ball Drop
Live music, a DJ, local vendors, carriage rides, Polar Express train rides and the ball drop at midnight. The railway also runs a New Year’s Eve Fireworks Express.
Dates for these are usually announced a month or two in advance. All of them run annually at roughly the same time, so they are easy to plan a trip around.
Hocking Hills Winter Hike
The region’s signature winter event, running since the 1960s. A six-mile guided hike from Old Man’s Cave to Ash Cave, with hot food partway at Cedar Falls and a shuttle back to the start. Free to join.
Spring wildflower walks
Naturalist-led walks through the gorges as trillium, hepatica and Dutchman’s breeches come up. The quietest, greenest time to hike.
Jack Pine Glass Garden Art Festival
The spring counterpart to the pumpkin festival — hand-blown glass garden art, live demonstrations, artisan vendors, music and food trucks.
Lancaster Spring Festival Car Show
Sixty-plus years running at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds — classic cars, a large swap meet and the Old Car Club’s vintage gas station. First weekend of June.
Washboard Music Festival
Downtown Logan celebrates the washboard as a real musical instrument — jazz, jug band and zydeco — with dozens of musicians playing free all weekend. Logan is home to the last washboard factory in the country.
Nelsonville Music Festival
A long-running independent music festival at the Snow Fork Event Center, drawing national names to a wooded site about half an hour away.
Lilyfest
Three acres of gardens, ponds and sculpture at Bishop Educational Gardens in Rockbridge — a free three-day celebration of art, gardens and music, with more than sixty makers.
These run regardless of when you visit, and most of them are free.
Park naturalist programs
Rangers lead guided walks, evening talks, owl prowls after dark and seasonal hikes — wildflowers, gorge geology, local history — plus beginner archery and raptor presentations. Free. Ask at the Old Man’s Cave Visitor Center or call (740) 279-1177.
Stargazing at John Glenn Astronomy Park
Free programs on clear Friday and Saturday nights, early March to late November, starting about half an hour after sunset. Volunteers work a 28-inch telescope. A free parking pass is required in advance — capacity is seventy cars.
Live music at the winery & brewery
Hocking Hills Winery has live music every weekend on the patio; Brewery 33 runs live music and food trucks through the warmer months. Both post line-ups on Facebook a week or two ahead.
Moonville Tunnel ghost hunts
Guided night hunts at the haunted Moonville Tunnel — a walk along the old rail trail with ghost stories, then ghost hunting inside the tunnel. The tunnel is on public land off Hope-Moonville Road and free to visit in daylight.
Private guided hikes & rappelling
Local outfitters run guided hikes, and Hocking State Forest has a dedicated climbing and rappelling area with guide services available.
Hocking County Farmers Market
Produce, baked goods and local makers in the courthouse parking lot on Main Street in Logan, 9 AM to noon.
Fall dates and festival weekends book first. Check live availability and reserve securely on our booking page.
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