Family Fun in Omaha

Your local resource for family-friendly activities and events in Omaha.

Kids
Classes

Free
Printables

Fall Fun
Guide

Current
Events

Birthday
Parties

9th Annual Porchfest

The 9th Annual Porchfest OMA is Sunday, October 5, 2025 from 11am to 6pm. The free community festival has over 80 performances that take place on 14 stages including Omaha Mobile Stage at Yates Illuminates, the neighborhood market stage, seven more music porches, an open mic porch, a poetry porch, a comedy porch, an art porch, and official after party (6-10pm) in Omaha’s Gifford Park Neighborhood at 33rd & California Street.

**Live music, poetry, comedy, art, and dance
**Food and drink from local food trucks and neighborhood vendors
**Beer garden at California Bar next to/overlooking the market stage
**Local merchant booths and festival gear available for purchase
**Face painting, henna, yard games, and pumpkin painting
**BFF Artist Market, The Bay Skate Demo, OPL Mobile Library
**Free parking at 36th & California Street
**Pedicabs available to get you from porch to porch
**No fee to attend, but bands love tips!
PERFORMERS:
2ManStringBand
Andrew Bailie
Bazile Mills
Daniel & the Deliverance
Dos Mundos
Dunn + Moore
Ebba Rose
Eli Kilburg and his 52nd Street Band
Fox
French Bangs
Grace Lundy
Haley mari3
Jeremy Mercy
Josh Hoyer
Kris Lager
Kristen & Cole
Leavenworth Slims
LuLa
Matt Cox
McCarthy Trenching
Midwest Depressed
Midwest Dilemma
Mitch Gettman
Prairie Gators
Ria Gold
Root Marm Chicken Farm Jug Band
Settling Houses
Soul Collision
Sweet Tea Music
The Bedrock
Tica Felise
Tom Bartolomei
Triply Landlocked
Tumbleweed
VVilloughby
Willa Lucille
Wyrmwood
PLUS!
Open mic porch hosted by Mad Darling.
Poetry porch hosted by Zedeka Poindexter.
Comedy porch hosted by Backline Comedy.
Art porch curated by the Joslyn’s Kent Bellows Mentoring Program.
Official after party at the Fox Hole featuring Little Rooms, Velvet Velvet, The Real Zebos, Bad Self Portraits, and Flashpoint.

Fall Mystic Fest 2026

You’re invited to wander, explore, and awaken.

Join for Nebraska’s largest gathering of mystics, seekers, and soul-healers.
Enjoy readings from gifted Tarot and Astrology guides, energy healing, massage, aura photography, and a marketplace full of treasures like crystals, candles, jewelry, oils, clothing, incense, and more.

Let your spirit play. Let your curiosity lead. Let your magic rise.

3rd Annual Costume Night at Cochran Park

Put on your costumes and join for the third annual Costume Night at Cochran Park (100 S 21st Street) on Friday, October 10, from 6-8 p.m.
Free activities include:
🎃 Pumpkin Painting (thanks to PowerTech!)
👻 Movie Screening (announcement coming soon!)
🎃 Light-up Balloon Animals
👻 Fall Photo Ops
🎃 Glow Kickball
👻 Glow Soccer
🎃 Glow Football Toss
👻 Glow Pickleball
🎃 Glow Kan Jam
👻 Imagination Playground (big blue blocks)
🎃 Music
👻 Council Bluffs Public Library Station
🎃 Glow Basketball
👻 Prizes, and more!
🍔Thanks to Iowa West Foundation, they will have free hamburgers from 6-8 p.m. 🍿☕Plus, food vendors selling drinks and snacks.
Parking is limited, so walking or biking is encouraged! On-street parking is available in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Lanoha’s Annual Fall Festival

Join for an afternoon full of Family Fall Fun!
🚜FREE Spooky Hayrack Ride
🍧Yummy Treats
🤡Face Painting
🎯Pumpkin Launcher for Savings &
🎃Fall Family Fun
🐶Bring your fur babies too, we’re Pet Friendly!
Come visit some of our favorite local vendor friends while you’re here and enjoy seasonal specials all day long!

An Old Market Fall Festival: Beats, Bites & Autumn Nights

🍂 Celebrate fall in the heart of the Old Market!
Join Sunday, October 19, 2025 for Beats, Bites & Autumn Nights — a fall festival filled with music, food, and fun. Enjoy the Old Market Witches Walk 2025, live bands, flame-grilled eats, an urban pumpkin patch, spooky cocktails, and more!
🔗 All the details: OldMarket.com/fall
✨ Festival Highlights
🎶 Live Music on the Catalyst Patio & at The Dubliner Pub
🧙‍♀️ Witches Walk – 4:00 PM stroll | 5:00 PM awards ceremony
🎃 Urban Pumpkin Patch – Pumpkins from Callahan Creek Wholesale
👻 Costume Fun – Dress up & join the festivities
🍔 Flame-Grilled Fall Menu + spooky cocktails & seasonal drinks at Catalyst | The Farnam
📍 Catalyst Patio + Harney Street | Old Market
🗓️ Sunday, October 19 | 2:00 – 8:00 PM
🎉 Presented by The Dubliner Pub, The Farnam Hotel & Old Market Association
✅ Free to attend | Open to all ages
🍂 Food & drinks available for purchase

Bison Fest at Botna Bend

In honor of National Bison Day, come visit our bison herd out at Botna Bend Park and learn more about this magnificent species and the conservation efforts that help protect them.

Swing by between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for fun, family-friendly activities, including:

  • Botna Bend’s live bison herd
  • Atlatl throwing
  • Bison wool spinning
  • Flint knapping
  • Hay rack rides
  • Bison artifacts
  • Food by The Feed Trough
  • Crafts
  • Fossils
  • Union Pacific Railroad Museum: Learn about the history of bison and the railroad
  • The Nature Conservancy: Learn about the symbiotic relationship between bison and the prairie 
  • Music by Ron Cisar
  • Video presentations on the Joy Creek Major archaeological site & Coralville Lake’s Devonian Fossil Gorge

This event is free with a $3 park entry fee or an annual permit and will be held RAIN or SHINE. We’ll see you there!

Fields of Flight

🎈 Fields of Flight – Hot Air Balloon Night at the Orchard 🎈

✨ Saturday, September 12 – Council Bluffs scenic Ditmars Orchard & Vineyard

Get ready for a truly unforgettable evening as colorful hot air balloons rise over the apple orchard and light up the night sky! 🌅

🍎 With live music, delicious food, and breathtaking views, this is one night you won’t want to miss.

🎶 Event Highlights:

  • 6:00 PM – Balloon Flight (weather permitting)
  • 5:30–9:30 PM – Live Music by RAVEN
  • ~7:40 PM – Balloon Glow at Dusk (weather permitting)

FAQ – All You Need to Know

🚗 Parking & Tickets:

  • $40 per car – Admission included (only ONE ticket needed per vehicle!)
  • Prepaid parking tickets available online only – limited quantity!
  • No walk-ins – carpooling encouraged.
  • Free shuttle/tram service from parking areas.
  • Non-refundable – this is a benefit for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

💳 Payments:

  • Orchard accepts Visa/MasterCard for purchases over $5.
  • No ATM on site – cash is fastest! (Some vendors may only take cash.)

🎈 Balloon Rides:

  • Spectator event only – no private or tethered rides.

🌤 Weather:

  • Balloon flights are weather dependent – pilots decide about 1 hour before launch.

✨ What’s a Balloon Glow?

  • At dusk, pilots fire up their propane burners to light the balloons while they remain on the ground – it’s magical and camera-worthy! 📸

🍔 Food & Drinks:

  • No outside food, drinks, or coolers.
  • Orchard Café favorites + food vendors (yes, apple cider doughnuts!)
  • Beer, wine, hard cider, pop, water, and apple cider available.

🐾 Pets:

  • As much as we love them, pets must stay home.

🚻 Restrooms:

  • Porta potties available (indoor restrooms closed).

🪑 What to Bring:

  • Chairs, blankets, bug spray – be comfy and prepared!

🍎 Orchard Activities:

  • U-Pick closes at 3:00 PM to allow tractors for shuttle service.
  • Apples available for purchase in the store.
  • Playground open for kids during the event.

Mark your calendars, grab your friends, and come enjoy an evening of music, food, and hot air balloon magic – all for a great cause! 🎈❤️

Chili Fest

Bring the whole family out and enjoy a warm bowl of chili in the crisp fall air at the Arrowhead Park Chili Fest. This annual fall tradition will be on Saturday, October 10th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and promises fun for the whole family!

Join us for games, pumpkin painting, and of course, CHILI!

Hayrack ride trick-or-treating will be from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

A $3/vehicle park entry fee or membership is required to enter the park. Free-will donations will be gratefully accepted & used to fund additional free and low-cost public programming at your county parks. For questions not answered online please call Arrowhead Park at 712-485-2295.

This event will be held rain or shine. Please meet at Breezy Lodge.

5th Annual Little Bo Backyard Bash

Join for the 5th annual Little Bo Backyard Bash in the Dundee Bank parking lot.
 
This year includes live music, art, activities, food trucks, beer, cocktails and much more! All proceeds go to the Little Bohemia Business Association.
 
Live music: Wedding, Nathan Ma Band, Parfait and Left Handed Country.
 
Skatefest Omaha, Film Streams, Local Art Plug, Bemis Center, BFF and many more will be set up. Food trucks, include La Sierra Mexican Hotdogs, Twin Happiness, Island Chill 402, Abra Kebabra and Best Burger. Beer & cocktail sponsors are Lumen Beer Co., Big Grove Brewery and Fizzy’s Fountain & Liquors.
 

The RiverFront One Community Cultural Festival : Community Culture Fest with NCA

Join the Nebraska Chinese Association and The RiverFront for an evening of cultural performances, regional vendors, family activities, and a great selection of food!  Performances will encapsulate various cultures, with live music and dancing from 6 to 9 PM.  The One Community Festival will be held at the Performance Pavilion and Downtown Green event lawn at Gene Leahy Mall.