Clear your calendar: the weekend of Oct. 15–18, 2026 is packed in Palm Beach County, and most of the fun sits within a few miles of downtown West Palm Beach. A charity pumpkin patch opens Thursday on Palm Beach. Friday night brings more than 30 restaurants to CityPlace. Saturday doubles up with a free, eight-hour block party at the Kravis Center and a 65th-birthday festival at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, and Sunday morning closes the weekend with dachshund races on Clematis Street.
Here's everything you need for each one, including dates, hours, prices and parking, plus a few easy ways to fit two events into the same day.
Day | Event | Time | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Thu. Oct. 15 – Sun. Oct. 18 | Pop-Up Patch for Philanthropy | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily | The Royal Poinciana Plaza, Palm Beach | Free to attend; pumpkins for sale |
Fri. Oct. 16 | Taste of West Palm Beach | 6 – 8 p.m. (VIP from 5 p.m.) | CityPlace, West Palm Beach | $75 general, $130 VIP |
Sat. Oct. 17 | Founders Day Festival | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Cox Science Center and Aquarium, West Palm Beach | Included with admission |
Sat. Oct. 17 | Kravis Center Block Party | Noon – 8 p.m. | Kravis Center, West Palm Beach | Free, with free garage parking |
Sun. Oct. 18 | Dachstoberfest and the Doxie Dash | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Clematis St. and Narcissus Ave., West Palm Beach | See dachstoberfest.com |
The Pop-Up Patch for Philanthropy returns for its ninth year, turning the courtyards at The Royal Poinciana Plaza into a pumpkin patch from Thursday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 18. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day at 340 Royal Poinciana Way, just over the Flagler Memorial Bridge from downtown West Palm Beach.
Admission is free. The money comes from the pumpkins themselves, which range from tabletop minis to large heirloom varieties, and every purchase benefits the Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope. The Palm Beach nonprofit pays a portion of the non-medical bills that pile up during cancer treatment, such as rent, mortgage payments, utilities and car payments, for qualifying Palm Beach County patients.
Kids have garden games and the Wee Free Library, which hands out popsicles, books and activities. Saturday, Oct. 17, is the busiest stretch: from noon to 2 p.m., Sant Ambroeus serves gelato, DJ Adam Lipson plays in the courtyard, Capehart Photography takes photos, and Celis pours rosé and fresh-pressed juice. The plaza's restaurants, including Sant Ambroeus, Tutto Mare, The Honor Bar, TooJay's and Celis Juice Bar, make it easy to turn a pumpkin run into lunch. Want to hit more than one patch this season? Our guide to the best pumpkin patches in the Palm Beaches has the rest.
Taste of West Palm Beach is the expanded version of the long-running Taste of CityPlace, and the 2026 edition brings more than 30 local restaurants to CityPlace on Friday, Oct. 16. Confirmed participants include Moody Tongue Sushi, Maman, Fuku, Moxies, Estiatorio Milos, Eataly, Felice, Harry's, The Blue Door, Hive Bakery & Café, Popup Bagels and True Food Kitchen, with more announced in the run-up to the event.
General admission is $75 and runs from 6 to 8 p.m., covering tastings from every participating restaurant, live entertainment and culinary demonstrations. VIP tickets are $130 and add an hour of early entry starting at 5 p.m., a lounge on the CityPlace lawn presented by DoorDash, two drinks, a gift bag and premium tastings. Eataly is also staging Italian car displays as part of the evening. Guests must be 21 or older to drink alcohol.
All ticket proceeds benefit the Palm Beach County Food Bank. Tickets are sold at tastewestpalmbeach.splashthat.com. CityPlace sits at 700 S. Rosemary Ave. and is a short walk from the Brightline station, so the train is an easy option for guests coming from Boca Raton or Fort Lauderdale. Hungry for more after the tastings? See the new restaurants coming to Palm Beach and West Palm Beach this fall.
The Cox Science Center and Aquarium turns 65 this month. The Junior League of the Palm Beaches founded it, and it first opened its doors on Oct. 21, 1961. The Founders Day Festival celebrates the milestone on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 4801 Dreher Trail N. in West Palm Beach. A major expansion is in the works for its next chapter, and we broke down what is coming to the Cox Science Center.
The festival includes hands-on activities across the science center and aquarium, exhibits on the center's history, community vendors, food trucks and visits from Bluey and Ms. Frizzle. It is also the celebration of the new Cats & Dogs exhibition, which opened Oct. 10 and runs through April 16, 2027. Kids can test their jumping and agility against cats and dogs, compare breeds and experience how the animals see, hear and smell.
The festival is included with general admission: $26 for adults, $24 for teens ages 13 to 17 and seniors 60 and older, $22 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children 2 and under and for members. The center asks guests to register online. If Saturday doesn't work, the official Founding Day ceremony takes place Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., when West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James presents a city proclamation and general admission is discounted by $6.50 for that day only.
The fourth annual Kravis Center Block Party runs from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, across the campus of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. Admission is free, parking in the Kravis Center garage is free during block party hours, and the event goes on rain or shine with programming indoors and outdoors. The center asks guests to RSVP on its website.
The lineup draws from the county's major arts groups. Ballet Palm Beach, Palm Beach Opera, Palm Beach Symphony and Young Singers of the Palm Beaches all perform, alongside the Derek Mack Band, Guavatron, the I-95 Band, Sons of Mystro and the Bryant Thomas Band. Food trucks and DJs fill the gaps between sets.
Little ones can try the Budding Ballerinas wand-decorating table and children's ballet class, the Palm Beach Symphony instrument petting zoo, a "Conduct Us!" session where kids lead the musicians, and a Magic Flute story time from Palm Beach Opera. Adults have Ballet & Bubbles, a sip-and-learn ballet session, and The RESET, a sound healing experience led by artist Davin Youngs; organizers suggest bringing a yoga mat, blanket or pillow.
From 6 to 6:25 p.m. in Dreyfoos Hall, Noah J. Ricketts, who originated the role of Nick Carraway in Broadway's The Great Gatsby, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the musical ahead of its national tour stop at the Kravis Center in January 2027. That session is recommended for ages 13 and up.
Dachstoberfest takes over the Green Market area at North Clematis Street and South Narcissus Avenue, near the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront, on Sunday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event raises money for Dachshund Rescue South Florida, a volunteer-run, foster-based nonprofit that has rescued dachshunds and dachshund mixes from South Florida shelters since 2009.
Dachshunds are the stars, but all dogs are welcome. The morning runs on a set schedule:
Racers register through the Doxie Dash page on the event website. Dachstoberfest has been free to attend in past years, and earlier editions asked owners to leave retractable leashes at home, which is a good rule for a crowded lawn full of small dogs either way. Friends of Peanut, a small-dog boarding service, organizes the event with the Palm Beach Dachshund Club. Got a pup who'd rather run on sand? Jupiter's dog beach is one of the few spots on this coast where dogs can play right on the beach.
Saturday is the easiest day to stack. The Founders Day Festival wraps at 3 p.m. and the Kravis Center Block Party runs until 8 p.m., so you can spend the morning at the science center and head to Okeechobee Boulevard for the afternoon performances and the evening Gatsby session.
Sunday works well as a short loop on both sides of the Intracoastal. Dachstoberfest ends at 1 p.m. on Clematis Street, and the Pop-Up Patch is open until 6 p.m. across the Flagler Memorial Bridge at The Royal Poinciana Plaza, which gives you the afternoon to pick out pumpkins on the patch's final day.
Friday is the one night that needs a ticket in advance. If Taste of West Palm Beach sells out, CityPlace's restaurants and the Clematis Street dining district are both within walking distance of downtown parking garages. Looking ahead to the end of the month? Our Halloween in Palm Beach County guide rounds up the trick-or-treat events and fall festivals coming up next.
Is the Kravis Center Block Party free? Yes. The Kravis Center Block Party on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, is free to attend from noon to 8 p.m., and parking in the Kravis Center garage is free during event hours. The center asks guests to RSVP on kravis.org.
Where is Taste of West Palm Beach, and how much are tickets? Taste of West Palm Beach takes place at CityPlace, 700 S. Rosemary Ave. in West Palm Beach, on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. General admission is $75 for 6 to 8 p.m., and VIP tickets are $130 with entry from 5 p.m. All ticket proceeds benefit the Palm Beach County Food Bank.
When is the pumpkin patch at The Royal Poinciana Plaza? The Pop-Up Patch for Philanthropy runs Thursday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at The Royal Poinciana Plaza in Palm Beach. Admission is free, and pumpkin sales benefit the Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope.
Is the Cats & Dogs exhibit included with Cox Science Center admission? Yes. The Cats & Dogs exhibition at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium is included with general admission and runs through April 16, 2027. Admission is $26 for adults and $22 for children ages 3 to 12.
Can I bring a dog that isn't a dachshund to Dachstoberfest? Yes. Dachstoberfest welcomes all dogs, though the Doxie Dash races are for dachshunds. The 2026 event is Sunday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at North Clematis Street and South Narcissus Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach.
Every event on this list lands within a short drive of downtown West Palm Beach, and two of them sit within walking distance of the condos and townhomes around CityPlace and Clematis Street. For people deciding where to live in Palm Beach County, a weekend calendar is a practical way to see the difference between neighborhoods: downtown West Palm Beach puts arts venues and restaurants close to home, Palm Beach offers its own walkable shopping districts, and Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens trade a longer drive to these events for more space and quieter streets. Our team lives and works in those communities, and we'd love to help you find the one that fits the way you spend your weekends.
The Meyer Lucas Team serves buyers, sellers, relocators and investors throughout Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Juno Beach, Tequesta, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Stuart, Hobe Sound and Palm City.
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