Six Saturdays. That is the window this Michigan farm gives fall to show off.
The season starts in mid-September and keeps rolling into late October, which means you get more than one shot at catching the orchard at its best.
Apples do plenty of the work, but the bakery and cider make a strong case for lingering. Each weekend shifts a little, so the day never feels like a carbon copy of the one before.
The farm has been in the family since the 1960s, and the fall season now turns that working orchard into a much livelier stop.
I’d pick a Saturday, leave the afternoon open, and let the orchard decide how long I stay.
The Friske Family Started Farming Here In 1962
The Friske family’s farming story began in 1962 with Richard and Olga Friske. The couple had left Germany for the United States in 1952 and spent their first decade in America working at several jobs before returning to the agricultural roots that would shape the family business.
A second generation took over in 1983, when Richard Jr. and his brother Neil became partners. Neil left the farm in 1993, and Richard Jr. and his wife, Wendy, continued the operation while the farm expanded into additional fruit crops.
The retail side changed significantly in 2000. Richard Jr. purchased the former Elzinga’s Centennial Farm Market property on US Highway 31, renovated it, and opened the first Friske Farm Market retail location there.
That move added a fruit stand, bakery, cafe, gift shop, specialty-food marketplace, festivals, and group activities to the farm’s public side.
A third generation stepped forward in 2019, when Heidi, Richard III, and Jonathan became owners in the family businesses. Construction on another new market facility began in fall 2022, and the building opened on June 5, 2023.
That timeline means your fall visit connects several chapters of the same family operation rather than a seasonal attraction created from scratch.
Six Fall Saturdays Stretch From September Into October
The 2026 fall festival schedule runs for six consecutive Saturdays, beginning September 19 and ending October 24. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., giving you a defined window for the added activities while the farm market operates on its broader fall schedule.
Each weekend has its own place on the calendar. The Fall Fest Kick Off starts the season on September 19, followed by another Fall Fest Saturday on September 26.
Cider Fest arrives October 3, Apple Fest follows October 10, Harvest Festival lands on October 17, and the Fall Festival Finale closes the run on October 24.
That sequence makes it easier to choose a date based on what interests you most. One weekend can lean toward cider, another puts apples at the center, and Harvest Festival adds its own seasonal activities.
Certain festivals and activities require admission or separate tickets, while food, merchandise, and some attractions carry additional charges. Details can vary by event, so the Saturday you choose matters.
The useful part is that missing the opening weekend does not mean missing fall at Friske. Five more Saturdays follow, carrying the season well into October.
U-Pick Apples Put The Orchard Into The Day
Apple season is one of the strongest links between the festival and the farm itself. Friske lists mid-September as the typical start of its U-pick apple season, which places the orchard right alongside the opening of the fall festival calendar.
For the 2026 festival period, Friske lists Honeycrisp, Crimson Crisp, Gala, and Ambrosia among the U-pick choices. Fruit availability always depends on the harvest, but those four varieties are part of the farm’s published fall event lineup.
Picking your own changes the pace of the day. Instead of moving directly from one attraction to another, you can head into the orchard, choose a bag size, and spend part of the visit looking for fruit that suits you.
Families can mix varieties in the same bag during the listed festival U-pick program.
The wider orchard grows many more apple varieties, including Cortland, Empire, EverCrisp, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Northern Spy, Pink Lady, and others. Not all are guaranteed as U-pick choices on a particular festival date.
If apples are your priority, start with the orchard before the playground takes over everyone’s attention. A bag of fruit also gives you something useful to carry home after the festival food is gone.
Apple Cider And Pumpkin Spice Donuts Mark The Season
The bakery runs throughout the year, but fall changes the donut case. Friske makes its old-fashioned cake donuts fresh daily, and two seasonal varieties line up directly with the festival calendar.
Apple cider donuts are offered from Labor Day through Christmas, while pumpkin spice donuts are tied to Fall Fest season. That puts both flavors in play during the six 2026 festival Saturdays.
The bakery also makes pies, turnovers, scones, fritters, muffins, cookies, cakes, and other sweets in small batches. You do not need to turn the bakery stop into a long list, though. During fall, the seasonal donuts make the simplest place to start.
Fresh-pressed apple cider adds another layer. Festival listings include cider served hot, cold, as a slushie, and sparkling. Cider Fest on October 3 puts the drink at the center of the day with cider tastings alongside the regular fall food and activities.
That gives you two easy ways to match the weather. A cooler afternoon can call for hot cider, while a sunny festival day may point you toward a slushie instead.
If you are taking donuts home, deciding on the extra bag before leaving the bakery counter may save an argument later.
Apple Fest Carries A Family Tradition Dating To 1983
Apple Fest is one of the longest-running pieces of Friske’s fall calendar. The family dates the tradition to 1983, the same year Richard Jr. and Neil took over the farm as the second generation.
In 2026, Apple Fest falls on Saturday, October 10, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. U-pick apples are part of the day, along with fall food, fresh-pressed cider, apple cider and pumpkin spice donuts, specialty ice cream sundaes, and the farm’s play attractions.
Apple Fest also lists pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting, cornhole, and an inflatable obstacle course. Some of those activities are tied to specific festival dates rather than every Saturday, which is one reason the themed calendar matters.
The event sits in the middle of the six-weekend run, after Cider Fest and before Harvest Festival. If apples are the main reason you are heading north, that date puts the crop squarely at the center of the outing.
The farm’s long connection to apples also extends beyond the festival itself. U-pick, a fruit stand, bakery products, and orchard-based field trips all keep the crop connected to different parts of the business.
For a fall day built around the orchard, October 10 gives you the fullest apple-focused version of the schedule.
The Playground Adds Zip Lines, Slides And A Jumping Pillow
The farm’s play areas turn the festival into more than an orchard stop. The 2026 fall lineup includes the Friske Flyer Zipline, Mega Jumping Pillow, inflatable obstacle course, Apple Tree Climbers, Adventure Barn, and a large double-lane Mega Slide.
Those activities give younger visitors a reason to move between the orchard, food, and play areas rather than spending the entire day in one part of the property.
Face painting and cornhole also appear across festival listings, while pony rides and a petting zoo are scheduled on selected dates such as Apple Fest and Harvest Festival.
The market is at 10743 US Highway 31, Ellsworth, MI 49729, about 10 miles south of Charlevoix and 40 miles north of Traverse City. During fall, market hours are listed as 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Festival hours on the six Saturdays are narrower, running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. That difference gives you room to shop before or after the festival portion of the day.
If the playground is likely to be the main event for your group, put it somewhere in the middle. Apples and bakery bags are easier to manage before everyone uses up their energy.
The Finale Keeps Fall Going Through Late October
The final festival Saturday arrives on October 24, extending the season more than a month beyond the September 19 kickoff.
The finale keeps many of the familiar fall pieces together, including the Mega Slide, Adventure Barn, Apple Tree Climbers, Mega Jumping Pillow, Friske Flyer Zipline, face painting, and inflatable obstacle course.
Food stays part of the day as well. Apple cider and pumpkin spice donuts, fresh-pressed cider, specialty ice cream sundaes, brick-oven pizza, sandwiches, and other festival food appear in the finale lineup.
That late-October date gives you another option if September fills up quickly or if you simply prefer waiting until deeper into the season.
The farm does not compress its fall calendar into one weekend, so you can choose the Saturday that suits your plans rather than treating opening day as the only chance.
Pets are not permitted during festivals and events, apart from qualifying service animals. Families using the play areas should also expect some attractions and activities to require separate tickets or fees.
By the end of the six-Saturday run, the farm has moved through its kickoff, cider celebration, Apple Fest, Harvest Festival, and finale.
The calendar changes, but the core stays consistent: apples, bakery treats, cider, farm play, and a family operation that has been growing in northern Michigan since 1962.