Things to Do If You Live or  Are Visiting Buffalo, NY-October 17 to October 18, 2026 tourist stuff you won’t want to miss plus all the great events happening in Buffalo.

Events -October 17 to October 18, 2026

Old First Ward Heritage Festival- Music- Oct 17

Parkside Fall Festival– Oct 17

New- $15 for adults, $11 for Kids at Aquarium of Niagara– Oct 17 to January 31, 2027

Music at Buffalo Iron Works- Oct 17- Great Wide Open- Tom Petty Tribute

Niagara Wine Trail Hallowine Murder Mystery – Oct 17

Buffalo Bills game- Oct 18 at 4:25pm

New- Downtown Oktoberfest on Mohawk Street- Oct 17

Music at Babeville-Oct 17- Vincent Neil Emerson

Music at Diamond Hawk-  October 17- Out on the Tiles- Zeppelin (good)

Music at Ration Ales- October 17- Todd Mertens

Music at the Riviera-Oct 17- Mickey Dolenz- Tribute to Monkees

Music at Pausa-Oct 17- Vanessa Vacanti Trio

Nightmare Wharf at Buffalo Naval Park- October 17 to 18

Music at Jazzboline-Sunday Jazz-  October 18 and 21

Explore Buffalo- Allentown Walking Tour with Psychic Ivy Rivera- Oct  23

BooTacular Craft Fair at Polish Falcons- Oct 17

Vocalis Chamber Orchestra concert- Oct 17

JCC Community Center 5k walk and run- Oct 18

Amherst Chamber Ensemble Concert- Oct 18- Amherst

Night Lights at Griffis Sculpture Park- Oct 17

Kids

Great Pumpkin Farm- October 17 to Oct 31

Buffalo Botanical Gardens- Bootanical Bounce Party- Oct 18

Parkside Fall Festival- Oct 17

Halloween Spooktacular at Herschell Carousel Museum- Oct 17 and 18

Halloween in the Clarence Town Park- Oct 17

FREE- Halloween in the Park at Green Lake (other OP locations too)- Oct 17

Becker Farms- Gasport

Free admission to Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village- Amherst- entire 2026

Meet, Brush and Pet Clydesdale Horses- Weekends- Cattaraugus- Little Red Farm

Regal Cinemas- $7 Tuesdays (all day)- you have to sign up for card, but easy, no hassle (everybody)
-Kiddieland  at Herschell Carrousel Museum- $6- North Tonawanda
-FREE admission at Corning Museum of Glass for kids and teens– all the time
-Explore and More Children’s Museum for young kids- carrousel at Canalside where the museum is location- 44 Prime St.- Open – Wednesday to Sunday
-Aquarium of Niagara in Niagara Falls- Open daily
-Herschell Carrousel Museum- open Wednesday to Sunday
-Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway- open daily
-Buffalo Zoo- Open daily- new tiger and lion cubs

Nature- Outdoors

Pints inthe Park at Chestnut Ridge Park- Oct 17

Evening Walk at Reinstien- Oct 17

Chautauqua Lake Bassmaster Tournament- Oct 18

-Best Places to Hike- Knox Farm State Park, Reinstein, Franklin Gulf Park- Orange Trail, Niagara Falls, Iroquois National Wildlife
Niagara Falls State Park- bring a passport and you can do both sides (US and Canada)- Illumination at Night. Cave of the Winds,  Maid of the Mist ,Terrapin Point, Lots 2 and 1. NY Residents 65+ can get free parking during the week- slide driver’s license under scanner at parking
-Letchworth State Park- Grand Canyon of the East
-Reinstein Woods is a great place for an easy walk as well- ponds, wildlife

Museums

-Burchfield Penny Art Center (across the street from Albright)- FREE Admission on November 13, 2026  from 10am to 8pm and live music at 5:30pm. Not at Burchfield but at a gallery.
-Albright Knox Art Museum- Open Mondays and Thursday- Sunday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). FREE admission/Pay What you Can-November 6, 2026
-Pierce Arrow- Auto, Bike, Motorcycle Museum- Open from 11 am to 4pm- this is a really cool museum- check it out. Open Friday and Saturday
-Darwin Martin House (Frank Lloyd Wright)
-Buffalo Naval Park at Canalside- Open Wednesday- Sunday- 10am to 5pm- closed for the winter but you can still see the ships from the walkway
-Herschell Carrousel Museum- open Wednesday to Sunday
-Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway- open daily

Tourist Stuff

-Vidler’s 5 and Dime in East Aurora
-Get Wings and Beef on Weck (weck is short for kimmelweck bun which is a bun sprinkled with coarse salt and caraway seeds instead of sesame). Do NOT go to Anchor Bar-while it may have invented the wings, they are not the best here. Bar Bills or Hamlin and Main in East Aurora are the best for wings and Beef on Weck.
-FREE Tour of Buffalo City Hall (at  65 Niagara Square)- Monday- Friday starting at Noon but you must register for the tour – call 716-245-3032. There are other city tours- Explore Buffalo.
-Our Lady of Victory Basilica- 767 Ridge Road, Lackawanna- rivals the churches of Europe, open, do not have to be Catholic to view the amazing architecture. And, it is down the street from the Buffalo Botanical Gardens. Wayside Family Restaurant- 2301 S. Park is inexpensive and good  food in causal environment–just down the street from the gardens.
-Buffalo Naval Park (at Canalside- boardwalk, Explore and More there as well)
-Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House- 125 Jewett Parkway- near the Buffalo Zoo.
-Niagara Wine Trail
-Buffalo Naval Park at Canalside- tours end in fall but still cool to see big ships
-Lots of Places for live music- Sportsmen’s Tavern (almost daily music), Pausa, Duende at Silo City, Town Ballroom, Chandelier at Salvatore’s (it’s an experience in itself), The Cove in Depew
Riverworks- restaurant, ferris while, silos, entertainment
-Mall- Galleria
-Roycroft- Inn – food and music on Friday nights, center for craft movement- shops
-Gambling- Seneca Casino downtown and Hamburg Gaming, Plus at Niagara Falls Seneca