YAY! Fall Fun

Get ready for a day of autumn excitement at YAY! Fall Fun in University Circle! Bring the whole family for an afternoon packed with FREE, fall-themed activities. From a spook-tacular Costume Parade to hands-on educational zones, live performances, and a showing of Hocus Pocus, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Jump to: Educational Zones Performances Costume Parade Food Vendors Accessibility

Discovery Zone

• Cleveland Botanical Garden: Enjoy tree cookie crafts, family passes, and educational resources, redeemable anytime before expiration.
• Cleveland History Center: Learn about doll history and make your own paper dolls at the CHC tent, inspired by the All Dolled Up exhibit.
• Nature Center at Shaker Lakes: Explore snails, create leaf rubbings, and possibly decorate pumpkins while enjoying free books.
• Case Western Reserve University Farm Group
• Hitchcock Center for Women: Kids can challenge their memory while learning fun facts about Cleveland and University Circle through a matching game featuring local landmarks.
• Center For Arts-Inspired Learning

STEM Zone - Supported by PPG

• NASA GVIS: Experience virtual reality activities like walking on the Moon, interacting with weightless objects, and exploring NASA-designed aircraft at the NASA Glenn Graphics and Visualization Lab.
• Hathaway Brown Robotics (The Fighting Unicorns): Join the Fighting Unicorns for a robot craft and learn more about their robotics team and projects.
• Sears think[box]: Decorate plywood pumpkins and bring them to life with laser-cut designs, LED lights, and circuits at the think[box] table.
• Greater Cleveland Aquarium: Discover STEM in the underwater world and test your knowledge with a shark teeth-matching activity at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium table.
• Food Strong: Learn fun pumpkin facts, explore a sink-or-float station, and build a mini catapult at this interactive table for young scientists.
• Cleveland Public Power: Play Electricity Bingo, matching electricity-related items instead of numbers, with Cleveland Public Power.
• Sasaki: Design your own park.

Arts & Culture Zone

• Cleveland Museum of Art: Create a clay creature inspired by the Demons, Ghosts, and Goblins exhibit or contribute to a spooky scroll.
• Zygote Press: Make your own woodcut print and explore various printmaking techniques at Zygote's printing press.
• The Music Settlement: Explore instruments, enjoy musical fun, and learn about The Music Settlement’s programs for all ages at their interactive tent.
• The Cleveland Orchestra: Discover Cleveland Orchestra family concerts, digital learning resources, and try out instruments at the Instrument Discovery Zone.
• 10K Movement
• Talespinner Children’s Theater: Join Talespinner Children's Theatre to design a costume for a scarecrow! Use your creativity, artistry, and unique perspective to show us what you think a crow might be scared of. Submit your finished design to our costume contest to win a free class with TCT, valued at $175!
• Cleveland Water Department: Play a match game to win prizes by finding pairs of water-related items at the Cleveland Water Department's table.
• Cleveland Public Library Book Box

Play Zone

• Cleveland Water Pollution Control: Visit WPC's educational trailer to learn about protecting sewer systems, the urban water cycle, and see a working model of combined and separate sewers in action.
• Face Painting: Cleveland Institute of Art students and Flower Entertainment
• Rock Climbing Wall
• Petting Zoo
• Inflatable Obstacle Course

* Waivers are needed for this zone. Please visit the registration tent to fill out the waiver and receive your wristband.

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Performances on the Kulas Stage:

• 1:00 PM - The Music Settlement
• 1:45 PM - Talespinner Children's Theater: Talespinner Children's Theatre will be presenting selections from Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, and their upcoming production of A Year with Frog and Toad. These colorful, joyful, silly, and FUN songs are sure to get the entire family moving and grooving!
• 2:30 PM - 10K Movement: Watch the 10K Exhibition, a mini-dance battle where eight Northeast Ohio dancers compete head-to-head in a thrilling, DJ-curated celebration of Hip Hop and Street Dance culture.
• 3:15 PM - Costume Parade: The Costume Parade is a family-friendly event. Please remember that weapons and masks are not permitted for the safety and enjoyment of all attendees.
• 4:30 PM - Outdoor Movie: Hocus Pocus

Pre-registration for the Costume Parade is now closed. Families are still encouraged to join the parade!

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Food Vendors:

• Patterson Fruit Farm
• You Enjoy My Donuts
• Manna
• Odd Dog Coffee
• Kernel's by Chrissie

Available Accessibility Items & Services

YAY! Fall Fun is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all attendees. The event will feature accessible restrooms, a wheelchair charging station, a social story closer to the event, and a calming area for those needing a less busy space. We will also offer noise-canceling headphones and fidget toys to borrow to ensure a comfortable environment for everyone.

Download the YAY! Fall Fun Social Story

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Plan your trip! Visit riderta.com or ugointhecircle.com for information on busing, rapid transit, and parking

Though there will be plenty of parking in and around University Circle garages and along streets, we highly encourage alternate methods of transportation.

By Car

University Circle is easily accessible by car from all directions. For driving directions to our University Circle Visitor Center use Google Maps to map your own route. Before you leave, check our Map for available parking locations and our Transportation Alerts Page.

Accessible Parking

Available at nearby museum garages.

By Public Transit

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) operates six (6) bus routes, plus the Euclid Avenue Health Line (bus rapid transit) and the Red Line (heavy rail) routes to and through the district. Use the Transit app for real-time bus and train info on the go and to purchase your ticket.

By Bike

Cleveland is a Bicycle Friendly Community and getting to and around University Circle by bicycle is getting easier every year. Don't have your own bike? Use a shared e-scooter or e-bike provided by one of the participating companies in the City of Cleveland’s shared mobility program. Before you ride, consult this helpful guide from Bike Cleveland and this network map of cycling routes in the area, provided by the Heights Bicycle Coalition. View recommended bike routes to University Circle on uGO’s biking page.