Handmade for the Holidays is back at Gore Place, 52 Gore Street in Waltham. Join your fellow shoppers in our Tent and Carriage House for a crafts fair of local, handmade goods.
The market is free and open to the public. You can get your holiday shopping done early and feel good about supporting local artisans. And while you’re here, you can stroll the grounds of our beautiful 19th-century estate and visit the heritage breed sheep.
Ikebana (Japanese for “arranged flowers” or “living flowers”) has been practiced in Japan for centuries and is now practiced worldwide. Members of Boston Chapter #17 of Ikebana International participate in three of the many schools of Ikebana. The Ikenobo school is the oldest of the schools, dating back to the 1400s, and considers itself the origin of Ikebana. Ikenobo emphasizes the Rikka and Shoka styles, in both traditional and modern forms. The Ohara school, founded in the 1890s, emphasizes naturalistic arrangements and created the popular Moribana style. The Sogetsu school, founded in the 1920s, emphasizes personal expression through Free Style arranging.
Members of Boston Chapter #17 of Ikebana International are pleased to display arrangements and give demonstrations representing these three schools of Ikebana at Tower Hill. Free with Admission to Tower Hill. Hours are Friday, October 24, 12 – 5, Saturday, October 25, 10 – 5, and Sunday, October 26, 10 – 4. For details on hours of special demonstrations and workshops, visit https://nebg.org/shows/
Mark your calendars for the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual Harvest Festival, October 11 and 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
During these two days, the 24-acre Garden undergoes a remarkable transformation into a vibrant hub for the celebration of community, the natural world and our agricultural heritage. Offering an array of family-friendly activities, live music and a wide selection of regional artisan food and crafts vendors, the Harvest Festival has been a beloved tradition in the Berkshires for generations.
Children’s activities include pony rides; a haunted house; the ever-popular obstacle course; a hay maze, hay jump and hay rides; face painting; a cider press and photo op; plus roving entertainment including interactive music with Robie Bones.
The event is also a prime shopping opportunity with 50 craft vendors, a giant tag sale and the “Accessorize” pop-up shop, offering gently used clothing, jewelry, hats, scarves, and housewares. The Horticulture Tent will offer garden books and tools, bulbs, mums, pumpkins, and other plants for sale.
Admission to the Harvest Festival is $15 for adults; children under 12 are admitted free. https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/harvest-festival-2025. There is no charge for parking in the Garden’s adjacent fields. Dogs (with the exception of registered service dogs) are not permitted. ATMs will be available on-site.
Celebrate orchid-blooming season at the Lyman Estate Greenhouses, 85 Lyman Street in Waltham, October 3 – 5 from 9:30 – 4. Hundreds of orchid plants are for sale, including many hard-to-find varieties. Visit the greenhouse and enjoy gorgeous floral colors, shapes, and scents. Varieties on display and for sale include Cattleyas, Laelias, Oncidiums, Paphiopedilums, Phalaenopsis, and many more. Their long-lasting blooms are a dramatic addition to any indoor environment. This adaptable species can grow in a variety of home conditions. Staff are available to offer expert advice.
Historic New England members receive a 10% discount.
The 30th Annual Boston VegFood Fest takes place at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street, on October 18 and 19. Boston Veg Food Fest brings together an amazing array of providers of 100% plant-based food and lifestyle products, notable speakers and chefs, and educational exhibitors in a fun and welcoming environment.
It is a chance to talk directly to food producers, learn about new items in the marketplace, taste samples, and shop at show-special discounts. Learn from experts in the fields of plant-based nutrition, culinary arts, athletics, climate, and sustainable, animal-friendly living. The event is free. For more information visit https://bostonveg.org/foodfest/
The award-winning New England Carnivorous Plant Society (NECPS) returns to New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill to showcase a fascinating group of plants sure to captivate and amaze. Featured plants include pitcher plants from Malaysia with traps the size of softballs that are capable of eating lizards and mice. There will also be sundews from Australia ranging from the size of a dime to 12+ inches high and the ever-popular Venus Fly trap. For all native plant lovers, NECPS will also display carnivorous plants that grow locally in Massachusetts and throughout New England.
Over 300 plants are scheduled to be on display and seminars will be offered on growing and feeding carnivorous plants. Visit the Venus Fly Trap feeding station where you can observe up close how these plants devour insects. Plants and growing accessories will be available for purchase for both novice and experienced growers from carnivorous plant vendors and the NECPS. Society members will be present both days to explain how the plants feed, what they eat, where they live, and how they can be grown and enjoyed at home. For more information visit https://nebg.org/shows/
Handy House Artisan Fair, organized by the Westport Historical Society, showcases local craftspeople who specialize in skills and traditional crafts commonly practiced in the 18th and 19th century. This year’s fair also features a vintage market – an opportunity to pick up unusual antiques, metalware, jewelry and textiles. This year’s fair on September 20 (rain date September 21) features 40 artisans.
Local history authors and books! Collectors Corner! Blacksmith! Vintage Market! Music! Traditional craftsmanship is still very much alive in Westport. The Artisan Fair at 202 Hix Bridge Road offers a rare opportunity to meet these craftspeople, learn about their skilled hand work and human powered technologies through hands on demonstrations. Some artisans will have their work for sale, so it will also be a chance to get a jumpstart on holiday shopping!
This free event not only preserves and perpetuates knowledge about traditional crafts, but is also an opportunity for the community to reconnect to its own history, to visit the Handy House and to celebrate the special heritage of the town of Westport. For more information visit https://wpthistory.org/handy-house-artisan-fair-and-vintage-market/
The 27th Annual Garlic and Arts Festival will be held on September 27 and 89, from 10 – 5 each day, rain or shine, at Forster’s Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Road in Orange, Massachusetts.
Here is what you will enjoy at the festival: Buy local, be local: support the bounty of over 100 booths featuring regional artists, farmers, and community organizations; strengthen communities by purchasing locally crafted and grown. Relax and celebrate life with great music, performance, spoken word, and dance on solar powered stages and throughout the rolling fields and forest. Learn and create through exhibitor demos, and new art and adventure activities for kids and families. Get silly with garlic games galore including the famous raw garlic-eating contest. Fill your belly with glorious, farm fresh and savory cuisine as you relax in the food courts overlooking the festivities. Energize your life with informative renewable energy and local living presentations, plus healing arts exhibitors. Orange is the New Green: trash free (well, only three bags for 10,000 people) with everything else recycled or transformed into fertile compost for gardens not garbage. Family friendly admission: $10.00 per day for adults, students $5.00, kids 12 and under free, free shuttle and parking too.
We love them but…remember, absolutely NO DOGs (other than service dogs) are allowed at the festival. Dogs cannot be left in cars for their safety- and it will be a warm weekend. And, Garlic Lovers are Hot but… No Smoking or Vaping in the shuttle bus lines or on the festival site.
Mission Statement: The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival is a celebration of the artistic, agricultural and cultural bounty of the region. The purpose of the festival is to unite North Quabbin people whose livelihoods are connected to the land and the arts, and to invite both local residents and those who do not live in the region to experience the richness of an area that is often overlooked.
The festival emphasizes what is homegrown, handmade and high quality, as well as what helps preserve and support the environment and the community. Everyone involved – organizers, exhibitors, volunteers, performers, attendees, a supportive community – makes the festival what it is: an engaging, fun and educational celebration for all ages.
An all-volunteer committee composed of neighbors, artists, farmers, and community members meets year-round to organize The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival. The Forster/ Stewart Family graciously hosts the festival at their beautiful, historic farm, and the festival is a non-profit event under the umbrella of Seeds of Solidarity Education Center. Over 200 volunteers the weekend of the event park, welcome, recycle, and support exhibitors; and exhibitors contribute time to raise tents, feed work crews, and more to help bring the festival to fruition. The festival admission is kept affordable to families, and is used to cover the costs of the festival, as well as support local projects that promote a vibrant North Quabbin region. For more information visit www.garlicandarts.org
Begonias are known primarily for their colorful foliage, while gesneriads are known for their brightly colored flowers. At this exciting event, enjoy a fantastic display of begonias and gesneriads presented by the Buxton Branch of the American Begonia Society and the New England Chapter of the Gesneriad Society. Discover the amazing variety and beauty of begonias and gesneriads in this diverse show and learn tips from expert growers for caring for these well-loved houseplants. “Pop-up” demonstrations on begonia propagation methods, as well as a hands-on workshop where children can create their own magical garden to bring home (ages 5+, children must be accompanied by an adult), make this event perfect for plant lovers of all ages. Many unusual and rare begonias and gesneriads will also be available for sale.
Have a begonia or gesneriad you’re proud of? Members of the public are encouraged to enter their own plants into the exhibition. Plant society members will be available to help with plant entry and identification. If interested in participating, please contact the Begonia Society. Free with admission to the Gardens. For complete information visit www.nebg.org
The Trustees of Reservations and City Natives announce the return of the Fall Plant Sale on Saturdays in September at 30 Edgewater Drive in Mattapan. Pick up resilient varieties of native perennials, trees, shrubs and fruit trees along with garden supplies, locally grown garlic, and straw, Proceeds support The Trustees’ network of Boston Community Gardens.
