What’s Happening at The Lake: Scarecrow Fest, Think Floyd and Fall’s First Weekend, September 16 to 22, 2026
The short version
Scarecrow Fest runs two days this year for the first time, Friday evening September 18 and all day Saturday September 19 in downtown Delavan. It’s free. Saturday closes with Think Floyd and a light show at the Phoenix Park Bandshell at 7 PM, the last free concert of the 2026 season. Fall officially arrives Tuesday the 22nd.
Delavan owns this weekend. The 26th Scarecrow Fest expanded to two days, the Phoenix Park Bandshell season ends with a Pink Floyd tribute under a light show, and both are free.
Everything else around the lake is quiet, which is the trade you make in mid-September and a good one.
Week at a Glance
Wed 16 & Thu 17
Market Morning
Lake Geneva Farmers Market at Horticultural Hall, Thursday 8 AM to 1 PM. Squash, apples and cider season.
Free
Fri 18 ★ New this year
Scarecrow Fest Kickoff, 5 PM
Tower Park in Delavan: line dancing on the street, a bags tournament, fire pits, food trucks, pop-up beer garden.
Free
Sat 19 ★ Big day
Scarecrow Fest + Think Floyd
100+ vendors on Walworth Avenue, petting zoo, pumpkin giveaway, aerialists. Then the bandshell finale at 7 PM.
Free, parking included
Sun 20
Slow Sunday
Geneva Outdoor Market on County H, 10 AM to 2 PM. Shore Path walking weather at its best.
Free
Mon 21 & Tue 22
Fall Starts Tuesday
The autumn equinox lands the 22nd. Kishwauketoe, White River Park, and the first apples at the orchards.
Free
Scarecrow Fest Is Two Days Now, September 18 and 19
This is the 26th one, put on by the City of Delavan, and the big change for 2026 is that it stopped being a one-day event. Thousands of people come in from southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois for it, and the crowd was outgrowing a single Saturday.
Friday is the new part
A fall kickoff at Tower Park with instructor-led line dancing out on the street, a double elimination bags tournament, fire pits, food trucks and a pop-up beer garden. Low-key, local, and the easiest possible way to start a weekend.
Saturday is the full festival
Scarecrows go up along the brick street and more than 100 artists, craft vendors, community groups and food vendors fill downtown. Roughly in the order it unfolds:
- Martial arts demonstration from the Flying Dragons to open the day
- Live music from Cheryl & the Down Home Boys
- Aerial performances by The Lofty Life
- A professional bubble show and a magic show
- Gee Funny Farm petting zoo, hosted by Aram Public Library
- The Delavan Chamber’s annual pumpkin giveaway for kids
- Mechanical bull and a classic car show
- Guided Walldog mural tours
- Pop-up beer garden with hard cider samples from area orchards and wineries
Kids’ take-home crafts and sidewalk sales run all day. Bring cash for the vendors.
Think Floyd Closes the Bandshell Season, Saturday at 7 PM
Think Floyd is billed as the definitive Pink Floyd experience, and they’re bringing a full light show. It’s the finale of Scarecrow Fest and the last free concert of the Phoenix Park Bandshell’s 2026 season, which has been running since the first week of June.
Bring chairs or a blanket. There’s a dance floor if you want it. Food and beverages including beer are sold on site, you can bring a picnic basket, and outside alcohol and glass are not allowed.
Also This Saturday: Preparedness Expo in Elkhorn
Walworth County Health & Human Services runs its Preparedness & Resiliency Expo Saturday morning. Storm readiness, emergency planning, and county resources, wrapped up by noon.
Useful if you own out here and want to know how the county handles power outages and severe weather. Also a clean way to fill Saturday morning before Delavan gets going.
Day by Day: September 16 to 22, 2026
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Wednesday, September 16
Nothing on the calendar. Downtown Lake Geneva restaurants are seating people without a wait, and the Shore Path stretch from Library Park toward Maple Park is about as good as walking gets right now.
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Thursday, September 17
Lake Geneva Farmers Market at Horticultural Hall, 330 Broad Street, 8 AM to 1 PM, rain or shine. It runs every Thursday through October 29. Mid-September is the crossover week: late tomatoes and sweet corn on one table, squash and apples on the next.
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Friday, September 18
Scarecrow Fest kickoff at Tower Park in Delavan from 5 PM. Genoa City Farmers Market, 3 to 7 PM at 171 S. Carter Street, with one more Friday left in its season after this.
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Saturday, September 19
Preparedness Expo in Elkhorn, 9 AM to noon. Scarecrow Fest in downtown Delavan through 4 PM. Think Floyd at Phoenix Park at 7 PM.
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Sunday, September 20
Geneva Outdoor Market at Lake Geneva House of Music, N3241 County Road H, 10 AM to 2 PM with local goods, art and acoustic music. Worth a call before you drive out. Otherwise a good Sunday to do nothing loudly.
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Monday, September 21
Quiet. Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy in Williams Bay is at its best right now, before the leaves come down and the trails get slick.
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Tuesday, September 22
The autumn equinox. Walworth County has a Fall Equinox Celebration listed at White River County Park, 6503 Sheridan Springs Road, and the time wasn’t posted when this went up. Check co.walworth.wi.us before you head out. The park has 5 miles of trails and 2 miles of White River frontage either way.
How to Play the Weekend
Saturday in Delavan. The whole day costs you parking money you won’t spend and whatever you decide to eat.
Saturday between 10 AM and 2 PM in Delavan. Petting zoo, bubble show, free pumpkins, mechanical bull, crafts. The aerial performances hold attention better than anything else on the schedule.
Skip the festival, show up at Phoenix Park at 6:30 PM Saturday. Parking a block south of downtown is easier than parking on Walworth Avenue at noon.
The Tower Park kickoff. Line dancing, bags and fire pits with a few hundred locals is a better Friday than any restaurant reservation you’d get downtown.
Sunday. The Shore Path is empty, the water is still warm, and every boat launch has parking.
Parking and Timing in Delavan
Downtown Delavan is compact and the festival closes Walworth Avenue, so plan on parking a block or two off and walking in. Free, but the closest spots are gone by 10:30 AM Saturday.
Delavan is about 15 minutes northwest of Lake Geneva and 10 from Williams Bay. If you’re coming up from Illinois, take 120 through Lyons rather than fighting Highway 50 into town.
What the Color Looks Like Right Now
Barely started. Peak around Geneva Lake usually lands in the second and third weeks of October. This week you get sumac along the roadsides, a few maples turning early, and corn coming off the fields.
The Travel Wisconsin Fall Color Report updates through the season with Walworth County numbers if you want to time a leaf drive.
Coming Up: Next Weekend Is Loaded
September 26 and 27 stack up fast.
- Geneva Lakes Antique and Classic Boat Show, Abbey Marina in Fontana, free, with the boat parade Saturday at 4 PM
- Oktoberfest at The Abbey, the same weekend, same property, German food and live music
- Fall Color Festival mountain bike race at the John Muir trails in Whitewater, Saturday the 26th
- Elkhorn Antique Flea Market, Sunday the 27th at the Walworth County Fairgrounds, 500-plus dealers, $5 admission, gates at 7 AM
- Lake Geneva Humanities Festival, 4 talks from the 24th through the 27th, RSVP required
Then October turns into Oktoberfest month across the county. Our running calendar is at the Lake Geneva events calendar, updated Wednesdays, and the season overview lives in the fall activities guide.
Thinking About a Place of Your Own Out Here?
September is when the lake stops performing and goes back to being a place where people live. Free concerts in a park. Scarecrows on a brick street. Open parking spots on a Saturday afternoon.
Kim and Joel Reyenga of eXp Realty work this market year-round, from Delavan and Elkhorn to Williams Bay and Fontana. Fall inventory tends to be what didn’t move over the summer, and that changes the conversation on price.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Scarecrow Fest in Delavan in 2026?
Friday September 18 starting at 5 PM and Saturday September 19 through 4 PM, in downtown Delavan along Walworth Avenue. This is the first year it runs two days. Admission and parking are free.
What time is Think Floyd at the Phoenix Park Bandshell?
7 PM on Saturday September 19, at Phoenix Park, 111 E Wisconsin Street in Delavan. It’s free, and it’s the last concert of the 2026 bandshell season.
Is Scarecrow Fest free?
Yes, admission and parking are both free. Vendors, food and the beer garden cost money, so bring cash.
What is there to do with kids at Scarecrow Fest?
A petting zoo hosted by Aram Public Library, a professional bubble show, a magic show, aerial performances, take-home crafts, a mechanical bull, and the Delavan Chamber’s pumpkin giveaway for kids.
What else is happening around Lake Geneva September 16 to 22, 2026?
The Lake Geneva Farmers Market Thursday 8 AM to 1 PM at Horticultural Hall, the Walworth County Preparedness & Resiliency Expo Saturday 9 AM to noon in Elkhorn, the Genoa City Farmers Market Friday 3 to 7 PM, and the Geneva Outdoor Market Sunday 10 AM to 2 PM.
Are the fall colors out around Lake Geneva in mid-September?
Not yet. Peak color around Geneva Lake usually hits the second and third weeks of October. Mid-September gives you roadside sumac and a few early maples.
See you at the lake.
