Best Fall Festival in Irvine, CA

By Dana Okafor, Food Contributor

Published August 31, 2026 · 6 min read

The best fall festival in Irvine, CA is Tanaka Farms, based on rating and review volume — it's the only one we currently track in town. Here's what it offers, how it's rated, and how to get there — followed by the questions we hear most about visiting.

For every pumpkin patch we track nearby, see the full list of pumpkin patches in Irvine, CA or browse all of California. You can also browse fall festivals everywhere we track them on our Fall Festivals near me page.

Tanaka Farms

4.6 1,720 reviews Irvine, CA

5380 3/4 University Dr, 92612

Fall festivalFarm store

Tanaka Farms is ranked #1 on this list, located at 5380 3/4 University Dr, Irvine, CA, 92612. It carries a 4.6-out-of-5 rating on Google from 1,720 reviews, which puts it among the more established pumpkin patches in our data.

Beyond the pumpkin field itself, it's tagged for fall festival and farm store, so there's usually more to a visit than just picking a pumpkin and heading home.

Google hasn't surfaced a set of recurring review themes for Tanaka Farms yet, so there isn't a themed summary of what visitors say to pass along here — the star rating and review count above remain the clearest public signal until more detail comes in.

Tanaka Farms is one of the farms we track with a fall festival, which typically means a festival weekend is the farm operating at full capacity: every attraction open, food vendors on site, live music, and frequently craft or produce markets. it is the best day to visit if you want the complete experience…

Based on its public listing, Tanaka Farms is typically open Monday 9AM-5PM, Tuesday 9AM-5PM, Wednesday 9AM-5PM, Thursday 9AM-5PM, Friday 9AM-5PM, Saturday 9AM-5PM, Sunday 9AM-5PM. Pumpkin patch hours shift often during the season — expect longer hours the two or three weekends around mid-October and shorter, sometimes weekend-only hours toward either end of the season — so treat this as a strong starting point rather than a guarantee.

Admission pricing isn't listed for Tanaka Farms either — pumpkin patches generally charge one of three ways (free entry with pumpkins priced individually or by weight, a flat gate admission bundling attractions, or a per-attraction wristband system), so it's worth asking which applies here before you go.

It accepts credit cards, debit cards, nfc mobile payments and snap/ebt, though it's still smart to carry some cash — field admission and wagon rides at farms like this are sometimes handled separately from the main store.

Like most working farms, the exact open and close dates for Tanaka Farms can shift year to year with weather and how the pumpkin crop comes in, even though the general window is fairly predictable.

If you're planning a special trip, a weekday morning is consistently the quietest time to go, with shorter waits for wagon rides and easier parking than a weekend afternoon.

Wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy — pumpkin fields are working farmland rather than paved lots, and they get soft fast after rain — and call ahead if it's rained heavily in the last day or two, since field access and hayrides are usually the first things a farm closes when the ground is saturated.

Layers help too: fall mornings can start cold and warm up quickly once the sun is over an open field.

Tanaka Farms sits in Turtle Rock County, near Irvine, CA, with parking typically in a grass field rather than a paved lot — allow a few extra minutes on busy weekends for staff or volunteers to direct traffic, and if you're navigating by GPS rather than the link on this page, search the farm name directly rather than just the street address, since rural addresses sometimes route to the wrong gate.

See the full profile — hours table, rating breakdown, review themes, FAQ and a map you can route from — on Tanaka Farms's listing page, or tap Directions below to head straight there.

View details Directions

Frequently asked questions

What is the best fall festival in Irvine?

Based on rating and review volume, Tanaka Farms ranks first among the fall festival we track near Irvine, with a 4.6-out-of-5 rating. See the full breakdown above, or its <a href="/california/irvine/tanaka-farms/">full listing</a> for hours and directions.

When is fall festivals season near Irvine?

Most farms with a fall festival open it alongside the rest of their pumpkin season, roughly mid-to-late September through the first days of November, though the exact window shifts year to year with weather. Check the listings above or call ahead to confirm current dates.

How much does it cost to visit a fall festival near Irvine?

It varies by farm — some bundle the fall festival into general admission, others charge separately. See the admission details on each listing above where we have them, or call the farm directly to confirm current pricing.

Is this fall festival good for young kids?

It depends on the farm and, for haunted attractions in particular, can vary a lot in intensity. Check the individual listing pages above for feature tags and details, and call ahead if you're planning around a specific age group.

Do I need to book ahead for a fall festival near Irvine?

Some farms run first-come, first-served, while others — especially haunted attractions and festival-weekend events — use timed tickets. Check the farm's website or call ahead, particularly for a visit on a weekend in mid-October when demand peaks.

Summary

Tanaka Farms is the only farm we currently track with a fall festival in Irvine, CA, rated 4.6 out of 5. Ratings and review counts reflect public data at the time of writing and can change, and hours, admission and what's actually running on a given day can vary week to week during the season — always confirm with the farm directly before you drive out.

For more options nearby, see the full list of pumpkin patches in Irvine, CA or browse fall festivals across every state on our Fall Festivals near me page.