Granville Island's 2nd Annual Pie Contest is part of its Fall Festival on September 29, 2011. Photo: Granville Island

Fall gets its official start in 2011 on September 23, and Granville Island is welcoming the season with a roster of fun-filled, all-ages events in late-September and October.

To celebrate the season of harvest, Granville Island brings out the warm, autumn-inspired comfort foods for its annual Fall Festival on September 29: the festival includes the Granville Island Farmers Market Second Annual Pie Contest—where you can enter your own pie and sample the competition with free pie tastings—as well as cooking demonstrations, the Granville Island Farmers Market, “Weird and Wonderful Garden Items,” and a Kids Corner with free kids’ activities.

Next up in the ‘All-In Autumn’ on Granville Island is the Vancouver-wide Culture Days arts fest on September 30 – October 2 and the Railspur Alley Artisan Market on October 1, where you can meet Railspur resident artists, peek into artist’s studios, watch demonstrations, and purchase one-of-a-kind gifts.

On October 10—the day after Thanksgiving—you can work off your extra Thanksgiving calories with the annual Turkey Trot, a 10km run that starts and ends on Granville Island, winding around False Creek along the way. The Turkey Trot benefits the Vancouver Food Bank, so be sure to bring a donation!

Finally, October on Granville Island wraps up with the return of the Vancouver International Writers Festival on October 18 – 23. This annual festival brings writers from around the world together with readers for discussions, debates, poetry bashes, and more.

For more on Autumn Events on Granville Island, check out their event listings.