Lake Geneva Events September 23 to 29 2026
What’s happening in Lake Geneva September 23 to 29, 2026?
The weekend belongs to Fontana. The Geneva Lakes Antique and Classic Boat Show fills the Abbey Marina on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, with The Abbey’s first-ever Oktoberfest running on the same waterfront both days. Both are free to walk in.
Around it: the 38th Apple Fest at Apple Barn in Elkhorn, the Fall Color Festival mountain bike race at the John Muir trails on Saturday morning, and 4 Lake Geneva Humanities Festival talks from Thursday to Sunday. Those talks need an RSVP.
This is the last weekend of September, and it’s the first one that feels like it belongs to people who live here. The beaches are quiet. The lake is still warm enough that the old boats run well. And Saturday is so stacked you’ll need a route.
Geneva Lakes Antique and Classic Boat Show
- When Saturday, September 26, 10 AM to 4 PM, boat parade at 4 PM. Sunday, September 27, 10 AM to 3 PM.
- Where The Abbey Resort Marina, 269 Fontana Blvd, Fontana
- Cost Free admission, free parking
The Blackhawk Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society puts this on every September, and it packs the Abbey harbor with restored runabouts, launches and utilities. Chris-Craft, Hacker, Gar Wood, some local builds. Boats in the water and boats on land.
The owners stand right next to their boats. Ask one question about the varnish and you’ll get 20 minutes on the restoration, which is the best part of the whole show.
The Abbey lots fill by late morning Saturday. Get there before 11 AM, or park near the Fontana beach and walk in (about 10 minutes). Full details on The Abbey’s boat show page.
Oktoberfest at The Abbey Resort
- When Saturday, September 26, 10 AM to 6 PM. Sunday, September 27, 10 AM to 3 PM.
- Where Outside the Waterfront Restaurant and Bar, The Abbey Resort, Fontana
- Music Saturday: Big Al Wetzel 11 AM to 2 PM, Alpine Blast 2:30 to 5:30 PM. Sunday: Big Al Wetzel noon to 3 PM.
New this year, and The Abbey parked it right on top of the boat show on purpose. Spaetzle, schnitzel, German sausage and a German beer truck, about a 2-minute walk from the docks.
The timing works out nicely. Alpine Blast plays until 5:30 PM Saturday, so you can watch the 4 PM parade and walk back for the last hour of polka.
38th Annual Apple Fest at Apple Barn Orchard and Winery
- When Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, 10 AM to 5 PM
- Where W6384 Sugar Creek Road, Elkhorn
- Cost No admission fee, no parking fee
Saturday is Johnny Appleseed Day. Both days bring food from the Sportsman’s Club and Mr. P’s Grilled Cheese, live music (Andy Braun Saturday, Jenny Hundt Sunday), Happy Camper coffee and flower bouquets from Serenity Hill Flower Farm.
Then the regular Apple Barn lineup:
- Pick-your-own apples and cider donuts
- Wine tasting and an outdoor bar
- Tree maze, yard games and the Apple Barn Express tractor rides
- Bakery and country store
Fall Color Festival at the John Muir Trails
- When Saturday, September 26. First wave 9:30 AM.
- Where John Muir Bike Trails, N9097 County Rd H, Whitewater
- Cost $45 long races, $35 Short and Fast, $30 parent and child tag team, free Children’s Ride
- Sign up Registration closes Friday, September 25 at 11:59 AM
An annual mountain bike event where the entry fees go back into building and maintaining the same Kettle Moraine trails you’re racing on. Full Monty at 9:30 AM, Tour de Muir at 10, FCF Classic at 10:30, Short and Fast at 11, the tag team at 1 PM and the free Children’s Ride at 1:30 PM.
Expect glacial terrain: short punchy climbs, sandy corners and fast descents through hardwoods. Spectating at the trailhead is free. Kettle Moraine trailheads normally need a state trail pass and vehicle sticker, so check whether your entry covers them.
Up there anyway? The Kettle Moraine guide and the Whitewater community guide cover trailheads and where to eat after.
Lake Geneva Humanities Festival
- When Thursday, September 24 to Sunday, September 27
- Where Lake Geneva Public Library, Church of the Holy Communion (320 Broad St) and the Riviera
- RSVP Required through an account on lghumanities.org. The festival says events aren’t open to walk-up attendance.
Thursday, 6:30 PM: Richard Munson on Benjamin Franklin
At the library. Munson’s Ingenious argues you can’t understand Franklin the statesman without Franklin the scientist: electricity, ocean currents, weather.
Friday, 7 PM: County Highway
At Holy Communion. Editors Walter Kirn (Up in the Air) and David Samuels on running a print broadsheet that shows up in your mailbox 6 times a year, plus readings from their 250 Great American Things.
Saturday, 7 PM: Louisa Waycott sings the Great American Songbook
At Holy Communion. The Washington National Opera mezzo-soprano with Tom Stanfield on piano and cellist Ellen Sanders. A good way to land after a day at the marina.
Sunday, 2 PM: Robert Sharoff on the Wrigley Building
At the Riviera, with photographer William Zbaren and Chicago cultural historian Tim Samuelson. If you’re driving back to Chicago Sunday, this is the one.
How to Do Saturday Without Missing the Parade
Four big things, 3 towns, one day. It works if you go in this order, because the bike waves wrap up before lunch and the boats don’t leave the harbor until 4.
- Watch a wave or two come through at the John Muir trailhead. Or race.
- Apple Barn for lunch, a half-peck of apples and cider donuts. Roughly 20 minutes from the trails.
- Boat show and Oktoberfest. Park downtown by the beach and walk in, since the Abbey lots are full by now.
- Boat parade. Be on the wall by 3:30 PM.
- Louisa Waycott at Holy Communion, if you RSVP’d. Dinner on Broad Street before or after.
Day by Day: September 23 to 29, 2026
Wednesday, September 23
Quiet, which is the point. Downtown restaurants seat you without a wait. Lake City Social has live music 6 to 9 PM. Walk the Shore Path from Library Park at sunset first.
Thursday, September 24
Lake Geneva Farmers Market at Horticultural Hall, 330 Broad St, 8 AM to 1 PM. You’re in the good stretch now: squash, late tomatoes, apples, cider.
Evening has a real conflict. Richard Munson at the library at 6:30 PM, or the 29th Manhattan Short Film Festival premiere at Geneva Stage, 6 to 8:30 PM, where the audience votes on the winner. They overlap. Pick the one you’d regret missing.
Friday, September 25
Genoa City Farmers Market, 3 to 7 PM at 171 S. Carter St. It’s the final market of their season. County Highway at Holy Communion at 7 PM. Last call for Fall Color Festival registration is 11:59 AM.
Saturday, September 26
Fall Color Festival from 9:30 AM. Apple Fest 10 AM to 5 PM. Boat show 10 AM to 4 PM with the parade at 4. Oktoberfest 10 AM to 6 PM. Louisa Waycott at 7 PM. See the route above.
Sunday, September 27
Boat show and Oktoberfest both run 10 AM to 3 PM. Apple Fest 10 AM to 5 PM. Robert Sharoff at the Riviera at 2 PM. Doing the boats and the talk is tight but possible if you’re at the marina by 10:30.
Monday, September 28 and Tuesday, September 29
The two best days of the week to have the lake to yourself. Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy in Williams Bay, the west end of the Geneva Lake Shore Path out of Fontana, or AppleFest at Royal Oak Farm Orchard, which runs daily through October 11.
Which Day Should You Pick?
What the Fall Color Looks Like This Week
Early. Peak around Geneva Lake usually lands in the second and third weeks of October. Late September gives you sumac and a few maples turning, oaks still green, corn coming off the fields.
So it’s a better week for the water than a leaf drive. Check the Travel Wisconsin Fall Color Report the morning you leave, and see the fall activities guide for the rest of the season.
Coming Up After September 29
October stacks up fast. Duesterbeck’s Oktoberfest in Elkhorn and Dragon Days are both on October 3, downtown Lake Geneva’s Oktoberfest in Flat Iron Park starts October 9, and the Elkhorn Oktoberfest lands October 17. We’ll cover each one in its week. The running list lives on the Lake Geneva events calendar.
Why a Week Like This Turns Weekenders Into Homeowners
There’s a moment that happens on the Fontana harbor wall around 4 PM on this Saturday every year. A 70-year-old mahogany runabout idles past, the light goes gold, and somebody standing there starts doing math in their head.
Kim and Joel Reyenga of eXp Realty live here and work this market year-round, from Fontana and Williams Bay to Elkhorn and Delavan. Fall is a practical season to look, and they can walk you through what a specific property would actually mean. Call them at (262) 325-9867.
Plan Your Lake Geneva Weekend
Every week’s roundup lives in the What’s Happening at The Lake series. For the town itself, start with the Fontana community guide, and pick dinner from the Lake Geneva restaurant guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What events are happening in Lake Geneva September 23 to 29, 2026?
The Geneva Lakes Antique and Classic Boat Show and Oktoberfest at The Abbey Resort in Fontana on September 26 and 27, the 38th Apple Fest at Apple Barn in Elkhorn the same weekend, the Fall Color Festival mountain bike race in Whitewater on September 26, and 4 Lake Geneva Humanities Festival events from September 24 to 27. The Lake Geneva Farmers Market runs Thursday morning.
Is the Geneva Lakes antique boat show free?
Yes. Admission and parking are free. Boats are on display Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 3 PM, and the boat parade leaves the Abbey harbor Saturday at 4 PM.
What are the Oktoberfest at The Abbey hours?
Saturday, September 26, 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday, September 27, 10 AM to 3 PM, outside the Waterfront Restaurant and Bar. Big Al Wetzel plays Saturday 11 AM to 2 PM and Sunday noon to 3 PM. Alpine Blast plays Saturday 2:30 to 5:30 PM.
Does Apple Fest at Apple Barn cost anything?
No. There’s no admission or parking fee. You pay for apples, food, drinks and wine tasting. It runs 10 AM to 5 PM both days at W6384 Sugar Creek Road in Elkhorn.
Can you do the boat show, Apple Fest and the bike race on the same Saturday?
Yes. Start with the bike race in Whitewater at 9:30 AM, get to Apple Barn in Elkhorn around lunch, then head to Fontana in the afternoon so you’re on the harbor wall for the 4 PM boat parade.
Do I need to register for the Lake Geneva Humanities Festival?
Yes. The festival asks for an RSVP through an account on lghumanities.org and says its events aren’t open to walk-up attendance.
Are the fall colors out around Lake Geneva in late September?
Only the first turn. Peak color around Geneva Lake usually hits in the second and third weeks of October. Late September brings sumac and early maples, with most oaks still green.
See you at the lake.
