Ballston Spa car show, Saratoga Fall Festival lead October

Two of Saratoga County’s longest-running downtown events are on the calendar this month. The 24th annual “The Way We Were” Car Show takes over Front Street in Ballston Spa on Sunday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., NEWS10 reported, and the 25th Saratoga Fall Festival brings trick-or-treating and the pumpkin roll to Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs on Saturday, Oct. 24, from noon to 3 p.m., according to Saratoga TODAY.

Both are run by downtown business groups, which use them to bring people onto their main streets in the fall. This is our roundup of what to expect at each, with the details as the organizers have announced them.

The Way We Were Car Show, Oct. 11

The Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association presents the show, which draws more than 400 entries a year and thousands of visitors to the village, according to NEWS10. New this year, a limited number of motorcycles will line the street alongside the classic cars and trucks. Here are the basics, from NEWS10 and the event’s public listings.

• When: Sunday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday, Oct. 18.
• Where: Front Street in the Village of Ballston Spa.
• Cost to watch: free.
• Cost to show a car: pre-registration has closed, and day-of registration is $25, cash only.
• For kids: a Kids’ Zone at Old Iron Spring Park, along with live music and food and merchandise vendors on the show route.

Entries range from older classics to muscle cars, with owners showing off hood ornaments and V8 engines, CBS6 has reported, and they are judged on a 100-point scale across four areas: the exterior, the interior, the tires and wheels, and the engine compartment, each scored on condition and cleanliness, according to the event’s listing. The day ends with a trophy presentation.

“We’re so proud to be bringing this event back for its 24th year,” Christine Kernochan, who chairs the car show committee, told NEWS10. She credited volunteers, sponsors and local businesses for the show’s growth.

The show doubles as a fundraiser for the business association and a way to bring a busy day of sales to downtown shops, CBS6 reported when the show marked its 20th year, a year that set a record with about 500 cars. Weather has moved the show before: in 2024, rain in the forecast pushed it back a week to Oct. 20, WNYT reported. If the forecast turns, check the association’s channels before heading out.

Saratoga Fall Festival, Oct. 24

The Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Alliance puts on the Fall Festival, which marks its 25th year in 2026, according to Saratoga TODAY. Trick-or-treating at participating downtown businesses starts at noon, and the festival ends with a Witch Walk dance on Caroline Street at 2:50 p.m., with donations going to local animal shelters. Trick-or-treating maps and scavenger hunt clues are at the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center on Broadway.

The pumpkin roll is the festival’s best-known event. Kids pick up a pumpkin at the top of Caroline Street and send it rolling down the hill between hay bales to the bottom of Caroline and Maple Avenue. The pumpkins are donated by Sunnyside Gardens and the hay bales by Vincek Farm, and volunteers from The Dance Lab and the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs help run it. At the bottom of the hill, Rotary volunteers hand out gift certificates from Ben & Jerry’s and Strike Zone, according to Saratoga TODAY.

Saratoga TODAY listed these other stops for this year’s festival.

• The band Road Soda Pop plays from noon to 3 p.m. on the Salt & Char patio.
• Face painters set up at G. Willikers and at the Saratoga Springs City Center.
• Magic Matt performs at Menges & Curtis, and Sparkles the Juggler roams the festival.
• Maple cotton candy and other maple treats from Maple Valley Farms are at the Spa City Motor Lodge.
• The Saratoga Springs Police Department parks a police car in front of Lifestyles of Saratoga for kids to see.

Families who want more than candy can try the Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt, a set of Saratoga-themed riddles spread along Broadway and the nearby streets. Last year’s hunt came with a prize for one participant, WNYT reported, and the alliance posts hunt hints and the current list of trick-or-treat stops on its Fall Fest web page. In 2024, the festival also put a new police squad car on Caroline Street for kids to tour, WNYT reported. For questions, the alliance’s phone number is (518) 587-8635.

Tips for both days

A few practical notes, based on how each event is laid out.

• Both events take over a main downtown street, so plan to park a few blocks away and walk in.
• Bring cash in Ballston Spa for vendors and for day-of car registration, which is cash only.
• In Saratoga Springs, arrive close to noon, when trick-or-treating starts, and stay for the pumpkin roll.
• Check the organizers’ pages the morning of each event, since both say their schedules can change.

Our read: these are two of the biggest family foot-traffic days of the fall for downtown shops in Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs, after the summer crowds have gone. Visitors who wander off the main route into the stores are a big part of why the business groups keep running them. For other things to do this weekend, see our stories on the Showcase of Homes and the Surrender Day events.

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