Falling for Autumn Adventures: The Ultimate Guide to Twin Cities Pet Events This Fall (2025)
- Lauren
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The glorious return of cool temps and colorful leaves! Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Twin Cities Pet Events This Fall, your one-stop shop for all the new and returning events for you and your pets in the area. Fall in Minnesota means pet-friendly fall festivals, harvest activities, and outdoor events. It also means lots of group walks, hikes, and adventures. Whatever you and your pup like to do, this guide will fill you in on all the best events happening around Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the greater Twin Cities area!
The Ultimate Guide to Twin Cities Pet Events This Fall
Categories:
Pet-Friendly Art Fairs & Festivals
Dog Sports & Activities
Pet-Focused Events:
Saturday, August 30 - Monday, September 1, 2025
Minnesota Renaissance Festival Grounds, Shakopee, MN
Organized by: The Minnesota Renaissance Festival
"Enjoy your favorite fido friend at the Woofstock weekend. It will be a pooch pal party with contests, races, treats, and more! Experience a Howlin’ Hurrah!"
Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 10 am - 2 pm
Downtown Wayzata, MN
Organized by: Wayzata West Metro Chamber
"The races will be held on Saturday, September 6th at noon at the JJHD Dog Park (at the Panoway on Wayzata Bay Plaza) in Downtown Wayzata. The cost for entry for each event is $25. The races consist of three events: Sprints, Hurdles, and a Costume Contest. You can register for one event or all three! Entries will be accepted until the race is full. Entry fees are non-refundable."
Sunday, September 7, 2025, from 11 am - 5 pm
Grand Ave, St. Paul, MN
Organized by: Grand Ave Business Association
"Imagine your pup bringing you a brochure for a vacation planned just for them. Pet portraits, nail trims, dog washes, and a literal spa day all at local Grand Avenue businesses! Looking to foster or adopt? Local businesses partner with the best rescue non-profit partners to raise money and introduce their pets to those searching to foster or adopt. Visit the Pet Marketplace featuring dozens of pet-centric vendors and products to augment the hundreds of unique retail and eating establishments up and down the avenue."
Sunday, September 7, 2025, from 11 am - 2 pm
Downtown Wayzata, MN
Organized by: Wayzata West Metro Chamber
"It’s all about the dogs in Wayzata! You and your pup are challenged to join us for the JJHD DOGGY OLYMPICS! Looking for a great way to engage, burn off some energy, and have fun with your pup? Games are the best way to do that – they are fun for you and your dog! BYOD (Bring Your Own Dog) and take on the challenge of the WINE GLASS WALK, the ever-popular MUSICAL BEACH CHAIRS game, and the ultimate test of focus: our LONGEST SIT-STAY contest. Available to all dog sizes/breeds and their humans! The Doggy Olympics games can be played by any doggo/human team – and it’s FREE to register! Don’t let your pup miss out on the fun – join us by registering today."
Sunday, September 14, 2025, from 9 am – 2 pm
Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN
Organized by: RAGOM - Retrieve a Golden of the Midwest
"Something BIG is coming… Are you ready? Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 14, 2025, and get ready for Goldzilla—RAGOM’s unforgettable Fun Fair and Walk for Rescue! Walk alongside fellow Golden lovers. Enjoy a day packed with exciting activities. Meet adorable Goldens and Golden mixes. Support a mission that saves lives. One of the biggest Golden Retriever events in America, Goldzilla is more than just a day of fun—it’s a chance to make a real difference. Every dollar raised helps rescue and rehome Golden Retrievers in need. Stay tuned for event details and registration—this is one GIGANTIC event you won’t want to miss!"
Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 10 am - 1:30 pm
Coon Rapids Civic Center, Coon Rapids, MN
Organized by: City of Coon Rapids Recreation Division
"This is an annual event featuring fur-tastic events such as a pet/owner costume contest, kids games and more! Event goers browse dozens of vendor booths offering pet-related products, services and resources. There's even a Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest to show off your creativity! Demonstrations, entertainment and more! Come to the pet fair with your well-behaved, leashed furry friend and have a great time meeting other pet owners!"
Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 3 - 5:30 pm
Alimagnet Park Drive, Burnsville, MN
Organized by: City of Burnsville
"No bones about it – you and your pup will be howling with joy at this dog-friendly Yappy Hour! This event will be full of dog-themed vendors, food trucks, giveaways and furry friends. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. All dogs must remain leashed."
Thursday, September 25, 2025, from 5 - 6:30 pm
Rivertown Dog Park, Hastings, MN
Organized by: City of Hastings
"Event highlights include dog-friendly booths, exciting giveaways, a strut your mutt” costume contest, raffles, prize baskets, a balloon arch photo opportunity, and the 437 food truck. A special thank you to our sponsor: Fluegel's Lawn, Garden and Pet Supply in Hastings!"
Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 3 - 7 pm
Unleashed Hounds & Hops, Minneapolis, MN
Organized by: Unleashed Hounds & Hops
More details coming soon!
Sunday, October 5, 2025, from 12 - 2:30 pm
Freedom Park, New Brighton, MN
Organized by: New Brighton Parks & Recreation
"Attention, New Brighton Pooches! Mark your human’s calendar for New Brighton Parks and Recreation's barkin' awesome and furrtastic dog event: Tails on the Trails! Take your pup for a walk on the trails of Freedom Park while you visit company and non-profit vendor booths, see special dog-related demonstrations, and let your leashed pup socialize with other neighborhood friends. No pup? No problem! There will be plenty of fun for the whole family. This event is free to attend. Dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet."
Pet-Friendly Art Fairs & Festivals:
August 16th - September 28th, 2025, 9 am - 7 pm, Rain or Shine
Open weekends (Sat. & Sun.) plus Labor Day, September 2nd & Festival Friday, September 27th, 2024
Minnesota Renaissance Festival Grounds, Shakopee, MN
Admission: Varies
"Bring Your Dog – The Festival Is Dog Friendly! No other pets will be allowed on Festival grounds. There is a Dog Gate at both King’s and Queen’s Gate entrances."
Pet-Related Benefit Events:
Sunday, September 7, 2025, from 11:30 am - 4 pm
White Bear Lake, MN
Benefitting: Home for Life Animal Sanctuary
"Home for Life will present our Third Annual Beach Party at White Bear Lake on September 7th! The beach is part of the Ramsey County Park system and part of the beach will be reserved for our event that day. We will have a catered lunch under a big tent, adult beverages, gifts and treats for you and your dog, music, and all the sun and swimming you and your dog can handle! The event will open at 11: 30 am with the DJ spinning the tunes, an amazing Caribbean inspired buffet catered by D'Amica, with gourmet ice cream and pup cups for dessert , tropical drinks, frosty beer, and loads of swimming and sun. As a token of our esteem, all attendees will receive gifts including a beach towel with custom design by Laguna Beach California artisit Debby Carman."
Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 10 am - 1 pm
Trapp Farm Park, Eagan, MN
Benefitting: Rescue Network
"Join us for Strut For Mutts 2025, Rescue Network’s premier fundraising walk/run uniting animal lovers, adopters, and advocates in support of our life-saving mission. This uplifting community event celebrates the power of second chances while raising vital funds to support our growing rescue efforts. Bring your furry companions**, your walking shoes, and your heart for rescue. Whether you're walking in memory of a beloved pet or celebrating your own adopted companion, your participation fuels hope, healing, and a future full of wagging tails. Let’s strut, step by step, toward a better world for mutts. **Dogs that are not aggressive toward people or other animals are welcome at the almost 3K event. Dogs must be current on vaccines and always leashed (retractable leashes are prohibited)."
Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 9 am - 12 pm
Thomas Beach, Minneapolis, MN
Benefitting: The Bond Between
"Lace up your sneakers, leash up your pup, and get ready to walk or run to save lives at The Bond Between’s Fast & The Furriest 5K on Saturday, September 13th at Thomas Beach on Lake Bde Maka Ska! This event is more than just a 5K, it's a fundraising movement to help animals in need. This year, we're setting our biggest goal yet: Raise $100,000 through the power of our community- and that means you! Whether you're walking solo or forming a team, you’ll have the chance to fundraise for The Bond Between and win pawsome prizes along the way."
Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 10 am - 1 pm
Chaska Veterans Park, Chaska, MN
Benefitting: Carver Scott Humane Society
"Run, Walk, Wag is a family and dog-friendly 5k for seasoned runners, leisurely walkers, and leashed companions. Cheering you on at the finish line will be a pet and local business fair, food, beverages, and the stars of the show - adoptable animals hoping to find their forever homes! More than just a day of fun, by participating, you will be contributing to the rescue, care, and rehoming of the over 1,000 dogs and cats who make their way through CSHS every year. Every step you take, every wag you share, and every dollar raised will directly support our work of connecting animals in need with people who care. So mark your calendars and get ready to run, walk, and wag our way to a brighter future for our furry friends!"
Sunday, September 28, 2025, from 10 am - 2 pm
Crazy Legs Farm & Pumpkins, Farmington, MN
Benefitting: Rescue Network
"Join us for our fourth annual Fall Pet Photo Fundraiser at Crazy Legs Farm & Pumpkins with K Schulz Photography! Bring your dogs and your family for a fun fall photo shoot where proceeds go to Rescue Network! A $30 donation via card, cash, Venmo, or PayPal will get you one digital with additional digital and physical prints that can be purchased through the online gallery ($12 for prints and $20 for digital). All photos will be uploaded to a portal that you will have access to via email and it will be posted in the event page in order to download your digital photo. Photos are 10-2 with a break for the photographer from 12-12:30. We will have a fun fall themed photo spot set up with pumpkins and more!"
Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 11 am - 4 pm
Wildlife Science Center, Stacy, MN
Benefitting: Wildlife Sceince Center
"Join us for this unique annual event featuring autumn family fun among the wolves, raptors, bears, cougars and other resident wild animals. Enjoy educational demonstrations, shop with local artisans and vendors selling their wares, and get a great meal from Las Twins Mexican Cuisine! will be on-site providing adult beverages. Presentations include Remarkable Reptiles, Working Dog Pack and Raptors of the Great Lakes Region. All event proceeds benefit the Wildlife Science Center. Have fun and help fund raise for a great cause!"
Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 12 - 4 pm
Bear Cave Brewing, Hopkins, MN
Benefitting: Spot's Last Stop Canine Rescue
"Brews for Barks 2025 is here! Get ready for a tail-waggin’ good time — our biggest in-person fundraiser of the year is back, and it’s going to be better than ever! Join us and your four-legged companions on Saturday, October 4th, from 12:00pm to 4:00pm at Bear Cave Brewing in Hopkins for a day full of beer, bites and barking-good fun. Come raise a glass (or a paw) and support Spot’s Last Stop in our mission to rescue and re-home dogs in need. Dogs are welcome! Please note: Pups are only allowed on the rooftop and attached atrium (not the upstairs brew hall), and stair access is required — exterior access isn't paw-friendly."
Sunday, October 5, 2025, from 10 am - 2 pm
Lakefront Park, Prior Lake, MN
Benefitting: Adopt a Husky Minnesota
"Our annual fundraising event and an opportunity for us to thank all of our adopters and supporters with a dog friendly filled day! We start our day with a hike around beautiful Lakefront Park in Prior Lake, MN. After the hike attendees are free to check out our silent auction, raffle items, and tons of vendors! We also provide lunch for registered participants. Our day wraps up with prizes for those who raised the most and awards for a few of our outstanding volunteers!"
Dog Sports & Activities:
Saturday, September 28, 2025
Organized by: Hiking Dogs Co.
Led by: @lucy.goosey018
Rice Marsh Lake Loop, Eden Prairie, MN
Admission: Free (sign up here)
TBD
Organized by: Hiking Dogs Co.
Led by: @lucy.goosey018
TBD
Admission: Free (sign up here)
TBD
Organized by: Hiking Dogs Co.
Led by: @lucy.goosey018
TBD
Admission: Free (sign up here)
Friday, November 28, 2025
Any Minnesota State Park
Admission: Free
"On four days each year, all Minnesota state parks and state recreation areas offer free admission to everyone - no vehicle permits needed!"
Add an Event:
Am I missing a Twin Cities pet event? Do you have an upcoming event you'd like to add to a future blog post? Please submit your event here to get it added to this list! Thank you!
About Scruff Life Photography:
Hi, I'm Lauren, the pet-loving photographer behind Scruff Life Photography! Based in Minnesota, I specialize in capturing the unique bond between people and their beloved pets. Whether you’ve just welcomed a new furry friend into your life or are cherishing the years spent with a lifelong companion, I’m here to help you preserve those special moments. Pets are family, and their stories deserve to be celebrated with timeless, professional photos you’ll treasure forever. Let’s create something meaningful together — reach out today to schedule your pet photo session!
