A neighbor's guide to living near the water

Stillwater Events

Stillwater Events

Community events, festivals, and seasonal happenings in Stillwater - the events calendar locals and visitors actually use.

Stillwater Events

Stillwater has one of the most active event calendars of any community in the metro, and the home stretch of October is packed. The MEA weekend is behind us: the Stillwater Fall Craft & Gift Show filled the high school, The Big Carve took over the Lift Bridge Brewery patio, and the Stillwater River Boats closed their 2026 season with the Halloween Boat Party and the final public cruise on Sunday, October 18. This week the spooky season takes center stage: Courthouse by Candlelight lights up the 1867 Washington County Historic Courthouse on Thursday, the murder-mystery dinner series and Haunted History Trolley Tour keep running, and Sunday brings Trick or Treating on Main Street, when 50+ downtown businesses pass out candy to costumed kids. The Stillwater Farmers Market runs its final Saturday of the season this week, the bluffs are settling into late-October amber, and Halloween night finishes the month with bar crawls and costumes. Here is everything coming up.

This Week: October 19 - 25

The Home Stretch of Spooky Season

  • Courthouse by Candlelight -- Thursday, October 22, 7-9 PM at the Washington County Historic Courthouse (101 W Pine St). A family-friendly candlelit Halloween tour of the 1867 courthouse, with guided tours at 7:00, 7:40, and 8:30 PM. $10 per person, registration required. Washington County
  • Stillwater Farmers Market, final Saturday -- Saturday, October 24, 7:30 AM-noon at 3rd & Pine Street (Stillwater Veterans Memorial). The area's largest market closes its 2026 season this Saturday, so this is the last chance to stock up on apples, squash, honey, and artisan goods from the vendors you have been seeing all year. Discover Stillwater
  • Polio's Last Mile -- Saturday, October 24, 9:30-11 AM, starting at the Stillwater Lift Bridge. A free nonprofit run/walk supporting polio eradication, with a flat course along the riverfront. Discover Stillwater
  • Escape Room at the Historic Courthouse -- Saturday, October 24, sessions at 11 AM, 12:30 PM, and 2 PM in the courthouse jail. An Ada Hubbell-themed escape room for groups of up to five, and the 1867 jailhouse setting does most of the atmosphere work. Washington County
  • Trick or Treating on Main Street -- Sunday, October 25, 11 AM-2 PM in downtown Stillwater with 50+ participating businesses. The last-Sunday-of-October tradition: costumes out, candy in hand, and downtown at its festive best. Discover Stillwater
  • Free Trunk or Treat -- Sunday, October 25, 2 PM at Salem Lutheran Church (14940 62nd St N). A free trunk-or-treat for families. AllEvents Stillwater
  • Murder Mystery Dinner Theater -- Fridays through October 30 at the Stillwater Event Center. The Murder Mystery Co. runs an interactive dinner show, a fun date-night option as the patio season winds down. Discover Stillwater
  • Haunted History Trolley Tour -- Select evenings through October 30. The 9th annual trolley tour spins the river town's ghost stories and history, running 7-10 PM on October evenings. Discover Stillwater
  • Spooktacular Make & Take Stained Glass -- Through Thursday, October 22 at Locale Makers Market & Boutique in downtown Stillwater. A Halloween-themed stained-glass make-and-take for early holiday crafting.
  • Live! from North Woods and Waters -- Tuesday, October 20, 7-8 PM, an online conversation from the St. Croix Heritage Area about life along the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers.
  • Fall colors -- The St. Croix Valley's peak window landed in mid-October, and the show is now settling into late-season amber. The bluffs right above the river still hold good color as the oaks turn, so a river walk in William O'Brien or along the bluff trails is still worth the trip this week.

October: Festivals, Harvest & Halloween

  • Courthouse by Candlelight -- Thursday, October 22, 7-9 PM at the Washington County Historic Courthouse. Candlelit Halloween tours of the 1867 courthouse; $10 per person, registration required. Washington County
  • Murder Mystery Dinner Theater -- Fridays through October 30 at the Stillwater Event Center. The Murder Mystery Co. runs an interactive dinner show, a fun date-night option once the patio season winds down. Discover Stillwater
  • Haunted History Trolley Tour -- Select evenings through October 30. The trolley spins the river town's ghost stories and history; the 9th annual edition runs this season, with the Haunted History Trolley running 7-10 PM on October evenings. Discover Stillwater
  • Trick or Treating on Main Street -- Sunday, October 25, 11 AM-2 PM in downtown Stillwater with 50+ participating businesses. The event traditionally lands the last Sunday of October, and this year's edition is set for the 25th. Discover Stillwater
  • Stillwater Halloween Bar Crawl -- Saturday, October 31, from 3 PM (official downtown crawl) and 4 PM (Portside edition), plus the Monster Bash Halloween Music Festival at King Coil Spirits. Wristband pub crawls with drink specials across Stillwater venues. Tickets
  • Death, Victorians, and Spiritualism at the Warden's House -- Friday, October 30, 6-7 PM at the Warden's House Museum (602 Main St N). A free Halloween-eve program on Victorian mourning and spiritualism in the river town's most historic house. Discover Stillwater
  • The Frankensteins Are Back in Town -- Weekend performances through November 1 at The Phipps Center for the Arts just across the river in Hudson. A spooky staged production with live music. Phipps Center

MEA Weekend - Wrapped Up

October 17-18, 2026 - Completed

The MEA weekend delivered its usual full calendar: the Stillwater Fall Craft & Gift Show filled the high school on Saturday, The Big Carve took over the Lift Bridge Brewery patio on Sunday, the nature sketching class filled The Outing Lodge, and across the river Hudson's 73rd annual Rotary Halloween Parade stepped off at Camp St. Croix. The Stillwater River Boats closed their 2026 season with the Halloween Boat Party (21+) on Saturday night and the final public cruise on Sunday, October 18. See you all at Trick or Treating on Main Street this Sunday, October 25.

Lumberjack Days - Wrapped Up

July 17–19, 2026 - Completed

The 92nd annual Lumberjack Days wrapped up in mid-July with three days of music, food, river activities, and community celebration. Highlights included lumberjack shows in Lowell Park, BMX stunt shows, floating performance barges on the St. Croix, and the Grande Parade through downtown on Sunday. The new downtown garage sale on Saturday was a hit. Mark your calendars for next year's 93rd edition.

Weekly Summer Events - Wrapped Up

Summer Tuesdays Ended August 11

The 2026 Summer Tuesdays season wrapped up with its finale on Tuesday, August 11, featuring live music and a free outdoor movie at North Lowell Park. See you in summer 2027.

Ongoing: Patio Music & River Cruises

  • Thursday Night Patio Music at The Freight House - Every Thursday evening, 6–9 PM, on The Freight House patio (305 Water Street South). Live music right on the river, with patio music also on Fridays (6:30–9:30 PM), Saturdays (2–5 PM), and Sundays (noon–3 PM) while the weather holds. Event calendar

River Boats & Cruises

The 2026 Stillwater River Boats public cruise season is complete: it wrapped on Sunday, October 18 with the Halloween Boat Party (21+) costume cruise over the final weekend giving the year one last festive sailing. The fall 2026 run packed in the 24th Annual Benefit Dinner Cruise, the Anthony Shore Elvis cruise, two Wine, Spirits & Brews tasting sailings, the Ballroom Surfers "Back to the 50s" cruise, the Murder on the Nile mystery dinner cruises, and the big fall color weeks. The decks are quiet until spring; watch for the 2027 schedule, which typically opens in May. Stillwater River Boats

Boating notes: Minnesota's newest public river access, the St. Croix Crossing access in Oak Park Heights, is open north of the bridge with a double launch and trailer parking, a convenient place to put in for a late-season paddle along the river corridor. Across the river, MnDOT is closing the Highway 243 bridge at Osceola for replacement beginning this month, late October 2026, with the crossing set to stay closed through fall 2027 and the new span slated to open in 2028. The planned detour runs via the Highway 8/Taylors Falls crossing to the north (about 15 minutes added) or the Highway 36/Stillwater crossing to the south (about 30 minutes added). One change for boaters: the northernmost parking lot and boat ramps at Osceola Landing closed September 14, 2026 and will stay closed through late summer 2028 as a construction staging area, while the south launch remains accessible.

Annual Highlights & Fall Events

  • St. Mary's Germanfest - Friday, September 4, at St. Michael and St. Mary Catholic Church. A 21+ evening of polka bands, German food, beer and wine, games, and souvenirs. Completed for 2026.
  • Waldfest 60th Anniversary - Monday, September 7 (Labor Day), noon-6 PM at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in the City of Grant near Stillwater. A free, cash-only Bavarian party in the pines that closed out its 60th edition. Completed for 2026.
  • River Valley Yoga Festival - Friday, September 11. A day of outdoor yoga, meditation, and wellness on the banks of the St. Croix. Completed for 2026.
  • Stillwater Oktoberfest - Friday, September 18, 5 PM at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter. German food, beer, and live music in the pines, the Gasthaus's own kickoff to the season. Completed for 2026.
  • Stillwater Fall Craft & Gift Show - September 26-27 at Washington County Fairgrounds. 150+ crafters and vendors. Completed for 2026.
  • Ballroom Surfers "Back to the 50s" Dinner Cruise - Thursday, September 24, on the Stillwater River Boats. A retro-themed dinner concert cruise. Completed for 2026.
  • Spirit of the St. Croix Art Festival - September 26-27 at Hudson's Lakefront Park, just across the river. Free juried art festival with 80+ regional artists. Completed for 2026.
  • Rivertown Fall Art Festival - October 3-4 in downtown Stillwater. The 49th annual festival, free admission, 10 AM-5 PM both days. Completed for 2026; see you at the 50th next fall.
  • Stillwater Harvest Fest - October 10-11 at Lowell Park. The giant pumpkin weigh-off, pumpkin drop, kids' costume parade, pumpkin regatta, and chili cook-off filled the weekend, with the new 45-foot Ferris wheel drawing big crowds. Completed for 2026; see you next October.
  • Stillwater Farmers Market - Saturdays, 7:30 AM-noon at 3rd & Pine Street (Riverview Parking Lot at Stillwater Veterans Memorial). Through Saturday, October 24. The area's largest farmers market with produce, meats, baked goods, flowers, and artisan crafts.
  • Governor's Fishing Opener - The 2026 Governor's Fishing Opener was held May 8-9 on the St. Croix River in Stillwater.
  • Stillwater Fall Craft & Vendor Show - November 27 at Stillwater Armory. Presented by RSG Development.
  • Stillwater Fall Craft & Gift Show (High School) - Saturday, October 17, 10 AM-4 PM at Stillwater Area High School (5701 Stillwater Blvd N). A fall craft show with local vendors, timed for early holiday shopping. Completed for 2026. Explore Minnesota

For more regional events, see Events Guide. For the full Stillwater calendar: Discover Stillwater.

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