Downtown Bend Just Got a Harvest Bake-Off — Pies, Chili and Fall Festival Vibes

Downtown Bend spent the first weekend of October smelling like art booths, craft cider and — new this year — competitive pie crust. Yes, really.

The 2026 Ember Sauna Bend Fall Festival took over downtown from Oct. 2–4, packing the streets with artisan booths, live music, food vendors, craft beverages and family activities, according to That Oregon Life and MyCentralOregon.com.

The big twist for 2026: a first-ever Harvest Bake-Off, where home cooks could enter pies, breads and chili for ribbons and prizes — with presentation counting, too, and a Best Display Award for anyone who goes full pumpkin décor.

Music headliners included Fleetwood Mask (a Fleetwood Mac tribute) and Chicago's LowDown Brass Band, with regional acts filling out the weekend. Admission to the festival itself is free, which is very Bend of them.

Hundreds of makers, interactive art, pumpkin painting and that high-desert October air — plus a prize-winning pie somewhere in the middle. We'll take two slices to go.

Source: That Oregon Life / MyCentralOregon.com. Read the original article.

Looking for something fun to do? See what's on in Bend this weekend on Evvnt.

Photo via free stock (Unsplash or Pexels license). Cropped and resized for Evvnt.