Which day does Wilton's outdoor season close? On this year's calendars, four separately run operations all have their last day between Wednesday, October 28, and Saturday, October 31. By November 1, three of them have handed off to a scheduled replacement, and Weir Farm has shrunk to its grounds and trails.
The Wilton Farmers' Market holds its final Wednesday of the 2026 season on October 28 at the Town Green, 101 Old Ridgefield Road, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Three days later, Ambler Farm's Saturday Farm Stand opens for the last time this year, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 31, finishing a run that goes every Saturday from June through October. The scarecrows lining Wilton Center's streets for the Chamber's Scarecrow Fest stay up through 5 p.m. that same day. At Weir Farm National Historical Park, the Burlingham House Visitor Center, the Weir House and studio tours, and the restrooms all close for the off-season on November 1 and stay closed through April 30.
Where Each Season Ends, and Where It Picks Up
| Where | Last outdoor date | What takes over from November 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Wilton Farmers' Market, Town Green | Wednesday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | The season ends |
| Ambler Farm Farm Stand | Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Ambler's online Greens Sale pre-orders open Nov. 1 |
| Scarecrow Fest, Wilton Center | Saturday, Oct. 31, through 5 p.m. | Shop Wilton runs Nov. 1 to Nov. 30 |
| Weir Farm buildings, tours and restrooms | Saturday, Oct. 31, the last day of the Wednesday-to-Sunday schedule | Grounds and trails stay open daily, sunrise to sunset |
The outdoor season stops at four places within four days. That makes the next week and a half worth planning out, because the final Saturday, October 31, holds three of those four last chances at once.
Before the Handoff: Thursday, October 22, Through Sunday, October 25
The last full weekend before the closings is a busy one, and it starts on Thursday.
- Thursday, October 22. Ambler Farm's Fright Night session originally set for October 16 now runs on this date from 6 to 8 p.m. The sessions on October 23 and 24 are already listed as full. That same evening, Wilton Library hosts Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry, at 7 p.m. as part of its ASML Author Series. The library closes early that day, at 3 p.m., to get ready for the event.
- Saturday, October 24. The Chamber's Pumpkin Parade and trick-or-treating fills Wilton Center from 2 to 4 p.m. ASML sponsors it, activities gather at the gazebo, and local businesses and nonprofits hand out treats. Old Ridgefield Road is closed to cars from the Town Green to Godfrey Road during the event, and it goes ahead rain or shine. Earlier that morning at Weir Farm, October Artist-in-Residence Robin Dluzen opens the residency studio from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Friends of Weir Farm will serve light refreshments and set up art activities for children, and no registration is needed.
- Sunday, October 25. Art instructor Bobbi Mullen leads Take Part in Art at Weir Farm from 1 to 4 p.m., offering informal tips on watercolor and landscape painting with the park's supplies. There is no registration.
According to the park's featured programs page, the free art supplies are available "during Visitor Center hours," so they go away when the Burlingham House closes after October 31. For anyone who has been meaning to paint on the Weir grounds with borrowed materials and a ranger close by, this Sunday and the following week are the last chance until spring.
Weir Farm's Art Moves to the Library
The biggest handoff is at Weir Farm. When the buildings close on November 1, the work they've hosted is already on display elsewhere in town.
Wilton Library's October and November exhibit, Weir Inspired: Works of the Weir Farm Artist Collective, shows work by more than 30 area artists from the park's Artist Collective program. It runs through Thursday, November 19. The Collective met at the park all season, gathering in the Burlingham Barn on first Thursdays and holding paint-outs on third Thursdays from May through October. Its last gathering of 2026 is Thursday, November 5, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Burlingham Barn. So for about three weeks of November, the clearest view of what was painted at Weir Farm this year hangs on the library walls.
The residency follows the same timing. Robin Dluzen's October 24 open studio is the last one for the 2026 Artist-in-Residence group, and the park opens applications for its next round on November 1, the same day the buildings close.
The grounds stay open, too, so the off-season is more than a calendar entry. The park's grounds, trails and parking lot are open every day of the year from sunrise to sunset. Maps, brochures, self-guided tours and Junior Ranger activities sit on the Visitor Center porch seven days a week. The National Park Passport stamp is on that porch and at the wayfinding kiosk in the visitor lot. Leashed dogs are welcome both in the park and in the next-door, privately owned Weir Preserve, a 110-acre network of hiking trails. The park asks visitors to carpool because parking is limited, and groups coming in more than two cars need a reservation.
The park also has one larger November program. On Thursday, November 12, and Friday, November 13, Master Craftsman Neil Rippingale leads a free two-day stone-wall workshop from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The Friends of Weir Farm host it, with funding from a grant from The Sue B. Hart Foundation. Participants learn how to build, restore and repair dry-stone walls using native stone. Space is limited to 12, registration is required, and participants must attend both days. It's open to adults 18 and older and to 16- and 17-year-olds who come with a parent or guardian. Because it runs in November, the workshop takes place on grounds that are open while the buildings are closed, which suits work done outdoors with gloves and a bag lunch.
Wilton Center Trades Scarecrows for Receipts
In the Center, the handoff happens on a single day. Scarecrow Fest ends on October 31, and Shop Wilton 2026 starts November 1 and runs through November 30. This year the Chamber made it paperless. Shoppers photograph receipts from any retail store in Wilton during November and upload them, and 10 entries will be drawn for gift cards to local stores and restaurants.
The newest storefront in that mix is Folkways Wine and Spirits at Old Post Office Square, 10-24 Center Street. GOOD Morning Wilton reported that the shop welcomed its first customers on February 23, 2026. It carries wine, spirits, beer, non-alcoholic drinks and specialty goods, and it planned tastings and small-group programs. This November will be its first holiday season in the Center.
The restaurants that could end up on those prize gift cards were all in one place just a few weeks ago. Wilton Restaurant Weeks ran from September 21 to October 4 with 21 participating restaurants, and GOOD Morning Wilton published the full roster. It ranges from Baldanza at the Schoolhouse, Marly's Bistro and Craft 14 Kitchen + Bar to Orem's Diner, Heibecks Stand, Sly Bandit Brewing Company, Toozy Patza Pizza and Totsy Turvy Cafe and Play.
Ambler Farm Turns to Greens and Colonial Winters
Ambler Farm's last farm stand on October 31 also hands off to a planned schedule. From the stand's final Saturday, the farm's public calendar shifts to winter preparation and holiday greens.
- Online Greens Sale pre-orders open November 1 and close November 15. Pre-orders are picked up Saturday, November 28, from 9 a.m. to noon. Public sales follow from noon to 4 p.m. that day and run again Sunday, November 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Colonial Experience: Preparing for Winter offers family field-trip sessions on November 19 and 20, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at $55 per family.
- My Sprout + Me, Fall 2 runs October 26 through December 18 for children ages 1 to 4 and their caregivers, with morning sessions from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
- Ambler After School, Fall 2 meets Wednesdays from October 28 to December 16 and Mondays from November 2 to December 14. There is no class on November 25.
Ambler's annual-happenings page also lists a Thanksgiving Day pumpkin launch by trebuchet. The farm hasn't posted a 2026 time for it on its event calendar yet, so check Ambler Farm's calendar closer to the holiday.
In November, Ambler's produce table becomes a greens pickup on November 28, and Wilton Center's scarecrows give way to a month-long Shop Wilton drawing. Weir Farm's Collective artists stay on view at Wilton Library through November 19, and the park's trails remain open every day from sunrise to sunset.
Following Wilton's calendar this closely is part of how Blanchet Team gets to know a town, and we pay the same attention to its homes. If a November walk past the Weir Farm stone walls or a Saturday greens pickup at Ambler has you thinking about where your household fits in Wilton, we'd be glad to talk it through with you. Work With Us.
