We’ve put together a list of family-friendly Pierce County events happening each month with options for every budget to help you and your family maximize learning and fun! Click the photos below to be redirected to that event’s page.

October

Fife Harvest Festival

Dacca Park, Fife, WA | October 1

Fife’s Harvest Festival is the city’s biggest community celebration, bringing in more than 10,000 participants. The festival features a variety of performances, activities, crafts, food, and vendors. This family friendly event is free to enter and is a great way to welcome fall!

Lacey Children’s Day

Huntamer Park, Lacey, WA | October 1

Join us for a great day of FREE, kid-friendly fun! Games, activities, arts & crafts, entertainment, and more! Food vendor will be on-site. Event is held rain or shine.

Printmaking Studio Time at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma

Tacoma, WA | October 7, 14, and 22

Join artist in residence Katie Dean for a playful printmaking studio time. Explore how various found objects can create unique patterns for your very own masterpiece. Studio time is perfect for children to create works of art with their families and caregivers. All art supplies are provided, and all Children’s Museum of Tacoma guests are welcome to attend. Drop in for studio time at Becka’s Studio, located inside the Children’s Museum of Tacoma.

Cider Squeeze & Oregon Trail

Meeker Mansion Museum, Puyallup, WA | October 8

Bring your family and friends and join us at our fun annual Cider Squeeze event. Details are coming so stay tuned!

Truck & Tractor Day

Fort Steilacoom Park, Lakewood, WA | October 8

Truck & Tractor Day is a yearly event for people of all ages. Enjoy pumpkin decorating, crafts, games, and a giant slingshot for pumpkin chucking! Children can climb on dozens of giant trucks and tractors and sit in the driver’s seat & honk the horn. Children also receive free hayrides, hard hats, and pumpkins (1 per family while supplies last).

Family Storytime: Latine/x Heritage Month

Kobetich Branch Tacoma Public Libraries, Tacoma, WA | October 8

Join Tacoma Public Library for family storytime inside the Kobetich branch. Say ‘hello’ to your storytime friends and enjoy stories, rhymes, and songs! This week’s storytime will highlight Latine/x authors and stories to celebrate Latine/x Heritage Month.

Free Family Craft Night

Craftopia, Tacoma, WA | October 15

Join us the third Saturday of each month in 2022 for some crafty fun for the whole family! Each month we will feature several crafts for all ages and levels for you to try your hand at. Join us from 4pm-6pm and see what you can create! Light refreshments will be provided. This event is free of cost, though donations to help cover supplies are always appreciated.

Dia de los Muertos

6th Ave, Tacoma, WA | October 29

Join us for our second annual Dia de los Muertos on 6th Ave Saturday, October 29th from 2-8pm to remember the dead + party for the living! Paint your face, get dressed up or come as you are. Learn more about the history, join the sidewalk skeleton parade down 6th Ave, listen to live music on two different stages, eat Latin food and shop local craft vendors.

Halloween on the Hill

Tacoma Community House, Tacoma, WA | October 29

Join us on October 29th from 3-6pm for Halloween on the Hill 2022! This is our annual Walk-Thru Trunk or Treat to our community.
Details: Social Distancing Recommended, Costumes Encouraged, Friendly, Leashed Dogs Are Welcome, Rain or Shine

November

Craft Saturday: Fall Leaves

Job Carr Cabin Museum, Tacoma, WA | November 19

Pick up a free fall-themed craft kit from the museum porch on Saturday 11/19, 10am-2pm, while supplies last. First-come, first-served.
Take-home kits include all the materials and instructions needed for a fun at-home activity. Instructional videos will also be posted on-line.

Past Events

Ocean Fest

Foss Waterway Seaport Museum, Tacoma, WA | June 12, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Celebrate the ocean, learn about its threats and get inspired to protect it! Wander past ocean music, island dance, aerial circus and immersive, interactive art; do hands-on science at the eco-booths; learn about ocean issues from OceanX speakers; hear ocean stories; and learn how to stop pollution. It’s FREE, and open to everyone.

Meeker Days

Puyallup, WA | June 17-19

Pierce County’s largest street festival encompasses a 15-block radius in the heart of historic downtown Puyallup and features art in the Pavilion, a Kid Zone with inflatables, a giant sand box, three stages filled with live music and entertainment, hundreds of vendor booths, antique tractors, beer gardens, a food court, two classic car shows, and an antique sale and show.

Carnival of Cultures

Lakewood, WA | June 18, 4 – 8:30 p.m.

The Colonial Plaza on Motor Avenue will host an exciting series of summer events in 2022, including the Carnival of Cultures on Saturday, June 18, which will feature music, dancing, culture, cars, and delightful foods in celebration of Lakewood’s global heritage.

Ashford Summer Celebration

Ashford County Park, Eatonville, WA | June 24

Kick off the summer season with a free family celebration. Enjoy yard games, crafts, music, snacks, and fun for all ages! Join the celebration rain or shine. Free admission and free parking.

The Taste Northwest

Washington State Fairgrounds, Puyallup, WA | July 1-3, 12-9 p.m.

The Taste Northwest is a culinary experience that celebrates the tastes of Tacoma and the South Sound. This FREE event features over 150 food and specialty vendors, local chef cook-off battles, outdoor beer gardens, live entertainment on three stages, a retro roller rink and more!

Tacoma Summer Blast

Tacoma, WA | July 4

Come out to Cambia Legacy Lawn at Cummings Park and Dune Peninsula for live music, a family zone, food trucks, a craft market, fireworks and more!

Rhubarb Days & Vintage Market

Sumner, WA | July 9-10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Join us for a full weekend of live music, a beer garden, crafts, and local vendors! Come celebrate Rhubarb in the Rhubarb Pie Capitol of the World!

Chalk the Harbor

Downtown Gig Harbor, WA | July 16, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Chalk the Harbor is a fun and free event for all ages to compete and decorate the sidewalks of downtown Gig Harbor. Chalk is provided, along with awards in several categories including kids, family, maritime-nautical art and more!

SummerFest

Fort Steilacoom Park, Lakewood, WA | July 23

Thousands visit Lakewood every year to enjoy this summer spectacle. Be dazzled by classic cars, amazed by international performances, and delighted by unique flavors! The festival also features a kids activity passport, extreme trampolines, hot air balloons, and more.

Mosaic: Tacoma’s Arts and Culture Festival

Wright Park, Tacoma, WA | July 23-24, 12 – 7 p.m.

This free family-friendly festival has grown in size and hosts Kid’s Zones, hands-on cultural activities and experiences, a performer stage, and numerous specialty arts and crafts, food, and information vendor booths.

Proctor Arts Fest

Proctor District, Tacoma, WA | August 6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Proctor Arts Fest is a community-based street fair on North 26th & Proctor Streets in Tacoma that attracts over 160 art and crafts vendors every year. In addition to the vendors, it features three stages of live music and entertainment, a kid’s area, a Farmers’ Market and a merchant sidewalk sale.

In The Spirit Arts Market & Northwest Native Festival

Washington State History Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA | August 6

This longstanding indoor/outdoor festival is an opportunity for visitors to experience traditional and contemporary art, music, fashion, and dance from a diverse group of Native Artists and Makers. Bring the whole family to see performances, shop the art market, hear from local artists, explore all three museums for free, and make art of your own!

Kite Festival

Chambers Creek Regional Park, University Place, WA | August 6-7

The entire family will be captivated by amazing kite demonstrations, family kite flying, food trucks, and other fun activities! Bring your kites, blankets, cameras, and get ready for this adventure-packed weekend of kites. Parking is $10/vehicle and must be purchased in advance online.

Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire

The Kelley Farm, Bonney Lake, WA | August 6-7, 13-14, & 20-21

The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire features full contact jousting, world-class fencing demonstrations, country dancing, games, music, magicians, puppet shows, and more! Gates are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. all three weekends and children ages 12 and younger are free for day visits and camping. The themes for the weekends are Masked Marauders, Fairytales & Fantasy Adventures, and Across the Multiverse.

Pierce County Fair

Frontier Park, Graham, WA | August 11-14

Join us at our yearly celebration of rural life and agriculture. The Pierce County Fair is nestled among the giant firs and green grass of beautiful Frontier Park. Sit back and enjoy a wide selection of tasty fair food while viewing many of our free entertainment acts and attractions.

Spana’Jam

Spanaway Park, Spanaway, WA | August 27

Join us for music, food, and a classic car show at Spanaway Regional Park on Saturday, August 27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Don’t forget to bring lawn chairs to grab a spot to enjoy the Sounds of Summer live entertainment from local musicians and bands!

Washington State Fair

Puyallup, WA | September 2 – 25

The Washington State Fair is the single largest attraction held annually in the state of Washington, boasting concerts, rodeos, animals, rides and attractions, educational and cultural performances and demonstrations, food and drink, and MORE!

Harvest Home

Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, Tacoma, WA | September 10

Celebrate the sights, sounds, and smells of autumn at the Harvest Home festival! The day will include popular Victorian games, traditional music and dance performances, and the arrival of the hock cart carrying the last sheaf of wheat through the fort to the granary. Everyone is welcome to come down and press cider, make a corn dolly, and help us send off summer 19th century style. Admission: $0-$11. Tickets will be on sale soon.

Tacoma Moon Festival

Chinese Reconciliation Park, Tacoma, WA | September 10

The 10th Annual Tacoma Moon Festival is a live festival featuring dancers and musicians, food vendors, artists and craftspeople, and hands-on activities for kids and the young at heart. Docents will be on site to lead tours of the park, explaining the tragic expulsion of the Chinese community in 1885 and the City’s commitment to build the park as a place of contemplation and renewal.

Kids Kraze

Chambers Creek Regional Park, University Place, WA | September 10

Kidz Kraze is a FREE fun-filled community event for the entire family. Explore the park and enjoy bouncy houses, lawn games, activities for all ages, crafts, food trucks, vendors and more!

Korean ChuSeok Festival

Asia Pacific Cultural Center, Tacoma, WA | September 10

Skansie Brothers Park and Netshed, Gig Harbor, WA | September 11

Two dates and two locations for Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s annual ChuSeok Festival. A FREE family event with fun activities, food, hands-on workshops, and entertainment for the entire family.

Fiesta De La Familia

Colonial Plaza, Lakewood, WA | September 17

Lakewood’s Colonial Plaza hosts Saturday Street Festivals every summer, and the final festival of the season is a celebration of Hispanic culture on September 17!