8 Awesome Autumn Equinox Activities

With Labor Day in the rearview mirror and pumpkin spice everything already available everywhere, you're likely feeling autumnal even if the weather is still screaming summertime.

The autumn equinox this year will occur very early in the morning on September 23, 2023, marking the official end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but this event is actually far more interesting than just a change in seasons! This moment is one of two points in the year when the sun will illuminate the northern and southern hemispheres equally – how cool is that?

The momentous occasion calls for monumental autumnal equinox activities that your whole family will love to do before or after any autumn equinox events you have planned this year.

Backyard Campout

Make a backyard campout part of your autumn equinox celebrations! Gather sleeping bags, s’mores supplies, playing cards, and board games, and queue up your fall music playlist, then pitch a tent in your yard to enjoy autumnal equinox activities together as a family in the fresh air while you have fun fall camping!

Collect Autumn Leaves

The colorful and crunchy leaves of the fall season are perfect materials for fun autumn equinox children's activities. Go on a walk with your kids in search of vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds in your neighborhood or a nearby park or forest. You can collect the leaves and then create funny leaf people or animals with glue, eyes, pipe cleaners, and other craft supplies you have at home.

Squirrel Away Snacks for Winter

Make snacks like the squirrels who are storing nuts for the cold months this fall with one of the most enjoyable autumn equinox activities in your kitchen. Canning, pickling, and other methods of storing perishable foods are not only fun and educational, but it can also be helpful come winter to have soups, jams, and more ready-to-eat as a family.

Prepare An Autumnal Feast

Speaking of yummy food! Apples, squash, plums, figs, pumpkin, and cinnamon spice are staples of this season and can come together to make a delicious feast! Consider eating outside to better connect with nature during this most delicious of autumn equinox rituals.

Decorate Your Home

Wreaths of orange and red, pumpkins, scarecrows, and more help to make the season come alive. Turning this into one of your weekend activities for the autumn equinox can help the simple act of decorating become one of your family's most cherished and anticipated autumn equinox traditions.

Go Fishing at the Start of Fall

For many anglers, there’s nothing better than fall fishing, when the temperatures are cooler, the air crisper, and the fish are biting! One of the great autumnal equinox activities is to grab your rods and lures and head to the water!

Perform a Fall Equinox Ritual

The autumn equinox is the exact moment when the days get shorter, and nights become darker. To celebrate, one of the great autumn equinox activities for families is to perform autumn equinox rituals outside in nature together. Some of these rituals have been around for centuries as a way to celebrate and appreciate the harvest and the start of the fall season. Some autumn equinox rituals to try include:

• Lighting a fall-scented candle.

• Sitting around a bonfire with your kids.

• Expressing gratitude as the balance of dark and light is achieved.

• Share your plans for the future.

Watch an Autumn Movie Outdoors

One of the coziest outdoor activities for autumn equinox is to snuggle up outside and watch a movie together as a family. Consider a classic like The Goonies, an animated spooky fall film such as Coraline, or watch the sublime cartoon series, Over the Garden Wall which is set during and very much about autumn, friendship, family, and shedding proverbial old skin to become something new.

Check out even more outdoor autumn activities that your entire family can enjoy together this year!