There’s no better season to enjoy the North Hills district than in fall. With 130+ local shops, seasonal concerts and events, excellent restaurants and sophisticated bars, a farmers’ market, and so much more, North Hills has a whole new vibe in the fall.
If you’re planning on spending a day in North Hills in the fall and not sure what there is to do, what stores have deals on, or what events to check out – this guide is for you. This is everything you need to know about North Hills in Fall.
Fall Events in North Hills
We’ll kick things off with some fun events taking place this Fall. From community events to festivals, here’s how to be entertained in North Hills during this fall season.
Midtown Farmers Market
- Hours: Saturdays, 8:00am-noon (Oct 31st last day)
- Location: North Hills Common
- Parking: Main District Garage
- Website: MidtownFarmers.com
Each Saturday morning from mid-April to October 31st, the vibrant Midtown Farmers Market in the Commons area is a community favorite. Here you’ll find local farmers, crafters, and creators from around the region selling a variety of locally grown produce and goods. Pay a visit to this local farmers’ market and purchase some fall-related produce. Here are some special Fall market events:
Wellness Wednesdays
- Date & Time: September 2nd – October 7th 2026, 6:00pm – 7:00pm
- Address: Midtown Park, 4011 Cardinal at North Hills Street
Wellness Wednesdays is a Fall seasonal event on a Wednesday night in Midtown Park throughout September and early October. If you love getting exercise outside, head to the Midtown Park lawn for a variety of fitness classes and workouts. There’s usually a huge crowd, sometimes drawing 150 people a week, and each session is as little as $6.15 per session.
Caroline enjoyed her outdoor yoga session hosted by Midtown Yoga; they also have boot camps and Pilates. Keep Wellness Wednesday in mind for the Fall season!
Pop Up Music (Various Dates)
- Where: The Commons and Midtown Park
- Time: Fridays at 6pm-9pm at The Commons, and Sundays at 5pm – 7pm Midtown Park
- Cost: free
A new event is coming to North Hills this Fall. While you shop, you can be serenaded by local musicians and bands on Friday and Sunday evenings only. Music will take place on stages throughout September and October in The Commons and Midtown Park.
The full lineup is as follows:
The Commons
- September 11th – Michael Blakey
- September 18th – Grace Lucia Lee
- September 25th – Bella G.
- October 2nd – Van Meter
- October 9th – Robert Morton
- October 16th – Gary Pullen
- October 23rd – Mary Selvidge
Midtown Park
- September 20th – Robert Morton
- September 27th – Savanna Bassett
- October 4th – Open Mic Hero
- October 18th – Bella G.
- October 25th – Angela & Will
Not only does it provide wonderful background music, but you can also discover up to 20 new local artists from the surrounding areas. NOTE: Pop Up Music operates in two locations, Midtown Park and North Hills Commons, on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
Iron Chef Competition at Midtown Farmers Market
- Where: Midtown Farmers Market, The Commons
- When: Oct 3, 2026; 9am – 11:30am
- Cost: free
Enjoy this exciting culinary showdown is back for another year as four of North Hills’ favorite restaurants compete in an Iron Chef Challenge. Chefs from Foxcroft Wine Co., Good Graces, Leo’s Italian Social, and Tamasha will face off in a live cooking competition
Each chef will receive two mystery ingredients revealed on competition day, then shop the Midtown Farmers Market to gather additional fresh, local ingredients to create their signature dish. With limited time and unlimited creativity, watch as these talented chefs transform market-fresh ingredients into culinary masterpieces.
Midtown Makers Market
- Where: Makers Alley, Innovation District
- When: September 15th, October 20th, November 17th, December 15th
- Cost: free
Enjoy the annual Fall fun by shopping for unique arts and crafts in the vibrant Makers Alley, Innovation District. Shop the vendor market, sip cocktails, and support local small businesses while listening to live music.
North Hills Block Party, October 8, 2026
- Where: Midtown Park
- When: Oct 8, 2026; 11.30am – 1.30pm
- Cost: free
What a fun way to do your Fall or holiday shopping in North Hills? Gather your friends for the annual North Hills Block Party on Thursday, October 8th, where you can enjoy a vendor village, food tastings, giveaways, live music, and more.
North Hills Kids, September 22 and 29, 2026
- Where: The Commons
- When: 9.30am – 11.30 am
- Cost: free
The Fall North Hills Kids series is a weekly event held on Tuesday mornings throughout September. This pop-up event is designed to spark STEAM learning and exploration for babies and toddlers. Featuring hands-on activities like arts and crafts and storytimes, as well as Fit4Mom Stroller Fitness classes for moms! It’s free to attend, but supplies are limited. First come, first served.
Boos & Brews
- Where: Midtown Farmers Market
- When: Oct 31, 2026; 8am – 12pm
- Cost: free
The annual Boos and Brews is a fun Halloween-themed event featuring craft beer tastings from local breweries. You can decorate pumpkins, enjoy live music, and a costume parade held in the commons area of North Hills.
Author talks and book signings at Quail Ridge Books
Quail Ridge Books isn’t just a bookstore; it’s a reader’s paradise. You can take part in book clubs, discover indie authors, and take your children to story times under the tree on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday morning (from 10.30am).
But for adults looking for something unique to do in North Hills in the Fall, particularly on a rainy day, then head to Quail Ridge Books for an author talk and book signing. NOTE: you do need tickets to attend a book signing/talk. In 2026, the authors appearing at Quail Ridge Books for a talk and signing are:
- Sep 2: Sarah Addison Allen — 6:30 PM
- Sep 3: Rachel Gillig — 6:30 PM (Sold out)
- Sep 9: Sandra W. Headen — 6:30 PM
- Sep 15: Alayna Ravenwood — 6:30 PM
- Sep 16: Kristy Woodson Harvey — 6:30 PM (Sold out)
- Sep 20: Jonathan Stutzman & Heather Fox — 2:00 PM
- Sep 22: Abrea Armstrong — 6:30 PM
- Sep 23: Richard Osman — 6:30 PM
- Sep 29: W. Jason Miller — 6:30 PM
- Sep 30: Michelle Cassandra Johnson — 6:30 PM
- Oct 6: Benjamin Bradley — 6:30 PM
- Oct 7: Mack Paul — 6:30 PM
- Oct 8: V.E. Schwab — 6:30 PM (Sold out)
- Oct 14: Sylvain Johnson — 6:30 PM
- Oct 20: Women Behaving Badly — 6:30 PM
- Oct 21: Bethany Joy Lenz — 6:30 PM (Sold out)
- Oct 24: Carrie Williford — 10:30 AM
- Nov 10: Ellen Skrmetti — 6:30 PM
- Nov 11: Becca Freeman — 6:30 PM
- Nov 12: Barbara Kingsolver — 6:30 PM (Sold out)
Fall Seasonal Drinks and Bites
North Hills is not short of cute coffee shops and restaurants where you can fuel up with seasonal drinks. Here are some of our favorites:
Pumpkin Spice Latte at Jubala
- Address: 200 Park at N Hills St, Suite 140
- Website: jubala-northhills.square.site
Coffee always comes first for us, and one of our favorite coffee shops in Raleigh is Jubala Coffee, and their North Hills location overlooks Midtown Park. They’re a specialty coffee shop, and their lattes are up there with the best in the Triangle.
During the fall season, why not order one of their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Or if you prefer something sweeter, try their Miele Latte, which is made with housemade cinnamon syrup. Consider pairing it with an Apple Cinnamon or Cinnamon Glaze Waffle – our kids love their Banana Nutella Waffles!
Fall-flavored cupcakes from Edible Art, Bakery & Dessert Cafe
- Address: 4351-115 The Cir At N Hills St
- Website: edibleartnc.com
Looking for fall-related cupcake flavors? Look no further than Edible Art, Bakery & Dessert Cafe! They’ve been making sweet, Southern, scratch-made cupcakes and desserts since 1982. Last season we popped into this signature bakery and went with a box of four, including:
- Pumpkin S’mores: Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcake topped with marshmallow buttercream drizzled with ganache and sprinkled with graham crumbs.
- Almond Amaretto cupcake – an almond cupcake with amaretto nut filling and almond buttercream
- Red Velvet (gluten-free) cupcake – Red Velvet cupcake topped with vanilla buttercream and cocoa powder
They also have several standard flavors and are good to visit any time of year, and every day they make one fresh gluten-free cupcake flavor that is delicious!
Coquette Brasserie
- Address: 4351 The Cir At N Hills St
- Website: coquetteraleigh.com
Coquette is our favorite French-style restaurant in the Raleigh area and where we go to reminisce about our trip to Paris. We love the French sophistication, ambiance, and decor here. And of course, their warming fall food, including their signature French Onion Soup, Escargot (snails), Fried Brussels Sprouts, and Boeuf Bourguignon. For dessert, the Chocolate Profiteroles and Macarons are a must.
But they also make fantastic cocktails. Tell bartender Ash that Craig & Caroline from This Is Raleigh sent you, and enjoy one of his fall-themed drinks. We really enjoyed these two cocktails made by bartender Ash!
- Blueberry Cello Spritz: Housemade cello, cassis, muddled blueberries.
- La Mule: Housemade cello, ginger beer, fresh lime juice, splash of cranberry, candied ginger
STIR
- Address: 4242 Six Forks Rd #100
- Website: stirraleigh.com
One of our favorite brunch spots in Raleigh is STIR, not only for their fresh and delicious brunch favorites such as Oysters, Deviled Eggs, Filet Benedict, and Strawberry Nutella Waffles, but also for their signature craft cocktails.
They have a monthly special menu, which features dishes made from fresh, seasonal produce. They also have seasonal cocktails and select wines that come out just for Fall. All dishes are made from scratch using fresh and seasonal ingredients.
Kilwins
- Address: 200 Park at N Hills St Suite 110
- Website: kilwins.com
If you’re an ice cream lover, Kilwins has been serving its ice cream, chocolates, and confectionery since 1947. It has fall-flavored scoops. Some of our favorite flavors in the Fall are:
- Butter Pecan – rich butter pecan-flavored ice cream with fresh roasted pecans.
- Marsh-Mallow S’more – marshmallow-flavored ice cream with swirls of marshmallow & chocolate fudge, and a burst of chocolate-covered graham crackers.
- Pumpkin Pie – rich pumpkin ice cream with spices and sugared pie crust pieces.
- The Perfect Apple Pie – rich vanilla-flavored ice cream with a hint of cinnamon, swirls of caramel, baked apples with sugared pie crust pieces.
Shop for Fall Clothing
What we love about the North Hills District is its walkability. Park your car once and explore on foot. And that includes shopping. If you need new additions to your Fall wardrobe, there’s plenty of clothing stores here. Some of our favorites include:
- Evereve
- Johnnie-O (for men)
- Uniquities
- Monkee’s of Raleigh
- Voda Boutique
- Liles Clothing Studio
- and of course REI for the outdoor enthusiasts.
- See the full list here.
More North Hills Inspiration
Need more ideas for visiting North Hills? Check out these other guides for all seasons and activities:
- 48 hour guide to North Hills
- Fabulous North Hills restaurants
- Fun date ideas for North Hills
- Fun things to do in North Hills with kids
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