Autumn means harvest time in South Dakota

With such a rich agricultural culture, it’s no surprise that harvest celebrations have been happening here for more than 100 years. That’s plenty of time to get things right. These festivities come in many forms—from family-friendly carnivals and Weiner dog parades, to Celtic concerts, Oktoberfests, a pumpkin catapult and so much more! Check out what communities, large and small, are doing to celebrate the arrival of autumn in South Dakota. (Pro tip: Come hungry and thirsty.)

Enjoy authentic seasonal beers and traditional German foods at either the 1880 Train Oktoberfest Express in Hill City or Oktoberfest in the "haunted city" of Deadwood. Catch the Huron Ringneck Festival & Bird Dog Challenge, which draws participants from across the U.S. to Huron for an exciting pheasant hunting competition. Shop for festive artwork and holiday decor at the Autumn Festival, An Arts & Crafts Affair in Sioux Falls. And don't be spooked for Yankton's Harvest Halloween in downtown Yankton, where Halloween-themed games, trick-or-treating, live music, dancing and more will be keeping the ghoulish party alive. Meanwhile, pumpkins get launched and giant pumpkins get weighed at the annual Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival in downtown Rapid City. Grab your costumes and pumpkin-flavored beverages, because fall is in full swing and there's something going on all season long throughout the state!