October 2026 in Stanwood: Come Have Some Fun With Us 🍂

Okay, October in Stanwood is showing off a little.

Homecoming. A fall 5K. Our first Oktoberfest. Cider pressing. Halloween downtown.

Apparently we have plans. 😂

And if you’re new here, thinking about moving here, or you’ve lived in Stanwood forever but somehow always find out about things after they happen, consider this your invitation.

Come. Seriously.

You don’t need to know anybody, have kids, or already be “involved” in the community. Just show up.

I’ll be at some of these things too, so say hi! Bring your family. Invite your neighbor. Text the friend who always says, we should do more stuff around town.

This is the stuff.

🏈 First Up: Homecoming Week | October 5–9

There is something about Homecoming week in a smaller town.

You can feel it.

Stanwood High School’s Homecoming Week is October 5–9, with the Homecoming Parade Monday, October 5 from 5:30–6:30 PM along 272nd Street NW.

Even if you don’t have a high-schooler, this is part of our community.

Come watch the parade and cheer for kids you don’t know. Better yet, bring your little ones so they can see the big kids representing their school.

If you recently moved here, this is also one of those moments when Stanwood starts feeling a little less like the place you moved to and a little more like your town.

🍂 Saturday, October 17: Just Block This Day Off

I’m serious.

Don’t make other plans.

October 17 is giving us an entire Stanwood fall day, and I fully intend to participate. 😂

🏃 Start With the Harvest 5K

Saturday morning starts at Hamilton Landing Park with the Harvest 5K Fun Run.

Registration opens at 9 AM and the race starts at 10 AM.

Before you immediately tell me, Lacey, I am absolutely not running a 5K…

You can WALK.

Bring the kids, stroller, or dog on a leash. Wear a costume if you want. Plus, kids 10 and under participate free.

This is not the Olympics.

We’re going outside together. 😂

Honestly, Hamilton Landing in October? You couldn’t ask for a more Stanwood place to start a fall Saturday.

🌭 THEN WE HAVE OKTOBERFEST.

Stanwood is having its inaugural Oktoberfest downtown from 3–9 PM.

And when I read the schedule, I was immediately sold.

Beer garden. Food. Local vendors. Live music. Stein-holding contests. A hot-dog-eating contest. Family activities.

And…

A WIENER DOG TROT AND COSTUME CONTEST.

I’m sorry.

You cannot tell me there’s going to be a parade of tiny dachshunds dressed in costumes downtown and expect me to stay home.

😂😂😂

Yes, I will be there.

More importantly, this is exactly the kind of event I want to see grow in Stanwood.

Come downtown and eat something. Shop somewhere local. Listen to music or enter a contest. Most importantly, watch the wiener dogs.

Along the way, you’ll probably run into six people you know and three people you didn’t know before you came.

That’s how community happens.

Not because someone announces, Today we are building community.

Instead, it happens because we keep showing up in the same places. Eventually, everybody starts recognizing everybody.

🍎 Want Peak PNW Fall? Go Press Some Cider.

We can’t talk about fall here without crossing the bridge.

Arrowhead Ranch on Camano is offering Press Your Own Cider through October 31.

This would be such a fun fall afternoon.

It’s also one of my favorite things about living here: Stanwood and Camano are different, but our lives overlap constantly.

Maybe it’s breakfast in Stanwood, followed by an afternoon on Camano and then back across the bridge for football.

Ideally, you’re home before dark.

Okay, probably after dark because it’s October in Washington. 😂

If you’re trying to decide which side of the bridge fits you better, I wrote an entire guide about Stanwood vs. Camano Island because there really are lifestyle differences worth understanding.

But wherever you land?

You’re part of this community.

👻 AND HALLOWEEN IS ON A SATURDAY THIS YEAR

Parents, we won.

Saturday, October 31.

No trying to get everybody fed, costumed, and out the door after school on a random Tuesday. Even better, we don’t have to pretend bedtime is still happening normally.

We get a SATURDAY.

And downtown Stanwood is celebrating with Ghouls Night Out from 3–6 PM.

More than 50 local businesses are expected to participate with candy and giveaways.

So yes.

Put on the costume, bring the kids, and walk downtown. Get the candy. See your neighbors. Say hi to people.

Most importantly:

Come be part of it.

🏡 If You Just Moved Here, I Especially Want You to Come

This part is important to me.

Moving somewhere new can be weird.

At first, you have a house and an address. You’ve figured out where the grocery store is. Maybe you’ve even learned which lane you need to be in before you get to the bridge. 😂

But that doesn’t necessarily mean it feels like home yet.

That takes longer.

It happens slowly: someone recognizes you, your kid sees a friend somewhere outside of school, or the person at the coffee shop starts knowing your order.

Eventually, you start saying, “Oh, I know them.”

Then one day you realize you stopped looking up directions. You’ve developed opinions about which way to drive across town. Somewhere along the way, you started showing up.

That’s why I care about these events so much.

They’re not just “things to do in Stanwood.”

They’re opportunities to belong here.

So whether you moved here six months ago, six weeks ago, or literally last weekend:

You’re invited.

Don’t wait until you feel like a local.

Come anyway.

After all, that’s how you become one.

❤️ And If You’re Thinking About Moving to Stanwood…

This is the part of real estate that you can’t see in listing photos.

Of course, I can show you a beautiful kitchen. We can talk about square footage, neighborhoods, commute routes, property types, and what you’ll get for your budget.

But eventually I’m going to ask you something else:

What do you want your life to look like here?

Because you’re not just choosing a house.

You’re choosing where your Saturdays happen, where your kids grow up, and which coffee shop you’ll stop at when you’re running late.

Along with that, you’re choosing the parks you’ll walk, the businesses you’ll support, and the people you’ll keep bumping into.

Eventually, today’s community events become your family’s traditions.

That’s why I love helping people move here.

I moved here and built a place for myself too. And now I get to bring people with me.

So if you’re considering Stanwood, start with my Moving to Stanwood, WA guide. Then read my Stanwood vs. Camano Island guide if you’re trying to figure out which side of the bridge feels more like you.

After that?

Come to something.

You don’t need an invitation.

But just in case you wanted one:

Here it is.

Yes, you are invited.

And yes, I will probably be there.

If you see me, please come say hi.

Welcome home. 🤍

— Lace

Lacey Winslow
REALTOR® | Selling Stanwood
Windermere Real Estate / CIR
425-780-1163