Costumed Pet Parade
Bring your four-legged friends and show off their best fall costumes. Pets must be leashed and comfortable in a crowd. Watching is every bit as good as entering.
Saturday, October 24, 2026 · 4 – 8 PM
What's Happening
Come hungry, bring the kids, bring the dog. Here is everything waiting for you on the museum grounds — food, animals, hayrides, crafts, community tables, and a bonfire to close out the evening.
Saturday, October 24, 20264 – 8 PM · afternoon into dusk
The Alva Museum21420 Pearl Street, Alva, Florida
Admission is freeDonations welcome
🌭 Come hungry
Food & Treats
A great variety of local food and treats, all in one place. Bring cash — some trucks take cards, but not all of them.
- Jonesez BBQA festival regular, and the smell that finds you first.
- The 200 Burger Food TruckBurgers off the flat-top.
- Donut NVHot, fresh, and worth the line.
- Sunny Days Ice CreamStill Florida in October — you will want this.
- Little Shuckers Street CornElote done right.
- Museum Bake SaleHomemade, and every dollar stays with the museum.
- Rooster's ProduceFresh fall produce — and the donated pumpkins for the children’s craft project.
Serving a good meal to a whole town takes vendors. Bring your truck or table →
🎃 Something for everyone
Fun for the Whole Family
Animal Rescue & Adoption Event
Meet some wonderful animals looking for their forever homes, and learn more about the work local animal rescue does the rest of the year.
Fire Truck Demonstration
Get an up-close look at our local fire equipment and talk fire safety with the crew. Reliably the most photographed twenty minutes of the evening.
Children's Crafts & Games
Creative activities and games for our youngest festival-goers, including pumpkin decorating with pumpkins donated by Rooster’s Produce.
Hayride
One of our favorite fall traditions. Climb aboard for a loop around the grounds — no ticket, no charge, just get in line.
Bonfire
The fire is lit as the light goes. Pull up a chair, stay a while, and let the evening wind down the way fall evenings should.
Pet & Kids Portraits
Fall portraits of the kids, the dog, or both at once. A keepsake from the evening to take home.
🔥 As the light goes
The Whole Evening, All at Once
By six the light is off the field, the string lights come on, and everything is happening at the same time — the wagon making another loop, a line at the trucks, and the fire drawing everyone in as it gets dark.
Four to eight, free to walk in, and no need to stay the whole time. Most families come for an hour and end up staying for three.
Plan Your Visit
Inside the museum
The Alva Museum History Hunt
The museum doors are open all evening. Children can explore the collection, discover fascinating pieces of Alva's past, and work through an interactive history hunt designed to make local history fun.
It is a good excuse to step inside the 1909 building, out of the noise, and see what the town looked like a hundred years ago.
About the Museum🤝 Meet your neighbors
Community Organizations & Local Groups
Visit the many promotional and community information tables throughout the festival. Come meet the people and organizations working to make our community a better place — and find out how to join them.
Is your group in the community?Nonprofit and community tables are welcome. Reserve a spot →
🍁 Celebrate Fall. Celebrate Community. Celebrate Alva.
Bring your family, invite your friends, enjoy some great food, take a hayride, meet local organizations, watch the pet parade, and discover Alva's history. There's something for everyone at Autumn in Alva.