September Culinary Adventures

In September, as the night air turns cooler, we look forward to the flavors of fall. To help usher in the flavors of fall, the Buttonwood Park Zoo hosts an annual event celebrating autumn culinary favorites. The First Taste of Fall offers a sampling of local beer and wine and bites from a variety of food trucks. Stroll through the zoo, listen to live music, and support wildlife conservation and education on September 13 from 4 to 7 PM. Get your tickets for First Taste of Fall now.

The Love the Ave Block Party celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month on September 13 from 5 to 7 PM at the Nye Street Pocket Park. Enjoy a mix of Hispanic cultural cuisine and cultural performances.

Celebrate the bounty of the seas at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s annual Seafood Soiree. This local seafood showcase features an impressive array of seafood prepared by local chefs. Take your chance at the Fluke and Flounder auction, listen to live music, and enjoy the fresh ocean air at Cisco Brewers New Bedford. Secure your tickets now for Seafood Soiree on September 16 from 5:30 to 8 PM.

Fall Flavors in October

The Blount Fine Foods New Bedford Seaport Chowder Festival celebrates its twentieth year on October 11 from 11 AM to 5 PM. Sample chowders and soups from local restaurants and caterers, and vote for your favorites. This event takes place in the heart of the working waterfront of City Pier 3. For the first time, you can take the train and a complimentary shuttle from the Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot! Don’t miss out, get your tickets for the Seaport Chowder Festival today.

Make it a Weekend

Food Truck Festivals of America brings the ninth annual Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival to Fort Taber on Saturday, October 4, from noon to 5 PM. Choose from regional food trucks featuring a variety of cuisine. Options include Portuguese, barbecue, Indian, fried favorites, and sweet treats like ice cream, fried dough, and whoopie pies. Also enjoy local craft beer and cocktails. Bring your friends and family, lawn chairs, picnic blankets, and sprawl out on the beautiful peninsula at Fort Taber Park. Buy your tickets now for the Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival.

Also on October 4, from 3 PM to 12 AM, the South Coast Business Alliance hosts the nineteenth annual New Bedford Oktoberfest. This event on Pope’s Island features local breweries and beverage providers, live music, food trucks, and games. Attend this year’s NB Oktoberfest.

On Sunday, October 5, the Johnny Cake Hill Wine Club debuts the first-ever Johnny Cake Hill Wine Festival. Located in the Whaling National Historical Park, Johnny Cake Hill is home to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Fishing Heritage Center, Seamen’s Bethel and Mariner’s Home, and local shops and galleries. Sample from a selection of over eighty wines in this historic setting. Enjoy small bites of food, live music, and surprise giveaways. Ten percent of ticket sales will benefit WHALE (Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE) and include a logo souvenir, sampling glass, and entrance to the Bethel and Mariners’ Home. Get your tickets ready for your Wine Festival experience now.

Music and Art

The New Bedford Whaling Museum presents a special event of their First Friday series on September 5 from 5 to 9 PM. Celebrate 50 years of Cape Verdean Independence with KabuJazz: Celebrating Cape Verdean Independence through Music. The Kabu Jazz Ensemble is led by Candida Rose with musical direction by J.L. Santos Spencer. The performance will offer a blend of Cabo Verdean and American musical traditions. Doors open at 5, allowing time to explore the Museum’s current exhibition celebrating Cabo Verdean history, culture, and identity: Morabeza: Cape Verdean Community in the South Coast.

This year, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum toasts to forty years. They invite you to help them celebrate at their Garden Serenade on September 21 from 3 to 5 PM. The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra will play selections carefully crafted to befit the beautiful gardens at the Museum. The performance will occur under the nineteenth-century pergola in the garden. Bring your blankets and a picnic to enjoy on the lawn during the concert.

Sports and Recreation

Ride for a cause with the Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride. Presented by the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the ride supports efforts to protect our watershed. Ride through scenic landscapes of the South Coast and Upper Cape, choosing between a one-hundred-mile, seventy-seven-mile, or forty-one-mile course. These routes wind through cityscapes, farmland, villages, cranberry bogs, and coastal country backroads. Forty-one-mile riders can stay in downtown New Bedford for a reduced rate at the New Bedford Harbor Hotel. Register today for the Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride.

Country Fests

Bring your dancing boots and appetite for the Fall Festa at Madeira Field on Saturday, September 27, from noon to 8 PM. Featuring two stages with several country music acts. Get ready for line dancing, activities for the kids, vendor shopping, a cash bar, and a pig roast dinner.

Countryfest Weekend returns to Cisco Brewers New Bedford from September 5 to 7. Expect country music, mechanical bull rides, line dancing, and this year, the addition of a family day on Sunday with activities for all ages, including a petting zoo and pony rides.