Mini Golf at Alverthorpe, a Free Concert at High School Park, and Abington Fest: Your August-September Event Guide for Rydal

Think Rydal is just a quiet suburb? Here is what is happening over the next eight weeks. August is still wide open at Alverthorpe Park, where the mini golf course is in full swing and the lake is stocked with fish. September brings a free outdoor concert under the trees at High School Park. And October kicks off with Abington Fest, the second annual three-day celebration with a movie night, a 5K, and a Trunk-or-Treat that fills Crestmont Park with costumed kids. This is not your typical fall calendar.

Whether you have lived in Rydal for years or you are looking at the area for the first time, this stretch of late summer and early fall is when the neighborhood really shows off. Every event is within a ten-minute drive of your front door, each one is free or close to it, and each one draws the kind of crowd that makes a community feel connected.

🎬 Vlog direction: Hand-held tracking shot walking through Alverthorpe Park in late-afternoon August light, sun filtering through the oak canopy, close-up of a mini golf ball rolling past a windmill, cut to a grandfather and granddaughter casting fishing lines into the lake, families playing on the playground in the background. Text overlay: "ALVERTHORPE PARK — OPEN THROUGH SEPT 7."

01 Alverthorpe Park — Summer in Full Swing

There are still four weeks of summer left at Alverthorpe Park, and the park is making every minute count. The grounds are open from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM through September 7, which means long August evenings perfect for a last round of mini golf, a walk around the lake, or an afternoon with the kids at the wading pool.

The 18-hole mini golf course is open weekends and is the kind of low-stakes, high-fun activity that works for every age — toddlers taking their first putt, couples on a date, grandparents letting the grandkids win. The baby wading pool (free for ages 5 and under) runs through Labor Day. And the Alverthorpe Lake is stocked and open for fishing — registration for the 2026 season opened back in January, but if you have not registered yet, it is worth checking with the township to see if walk-up permits are still available.

Beyond the amenities, the park itself is the draw. Seventy-five acres of mature woodland, rolling lawns, and the kind of quiet green space that feels impossibly close to the city. Tennis courts, baseball fields, playgrounds, and shaded picnic spots. The lake is ringed by a walking trail that is perfect for a sunset stroll — or a post-dinner walk after you have grabbed takeout from one of the spots on Old York Road.

Two quick notes: Alverthorpe Park is for Abington Township residents and their guests (bring your ID if you drive). And after September 7, the park shifts to fall hours (8:00 AM to 8:00 PM), so make the most of these long August days while they last.

🎬 Vlog direction: Drone or crane shot pulling up over High School Park at golden hour, families streaming in with blankets and lawn chairs spread across the grass, a local bluegrass band tuning up on the stage, warm September light catching the first yellow leaves, kids running and playing on the grass before the music starts. Text overlay: "SATURDAY, SEPT 26 — 5:00 PM — FREE CONCERT."

02 Free Concert at High School Park — Shades of Green

Mark Saturday, September 26 for the season's last outdoor concert of the year. High School Park in Elkins Park — a quick drive down Meetinghouse Road from Rydal — hosts a free performance by Shades of Green starting at 5:00 PM, and this one has all the makings of a perfect early-fall evening.

The park itself is one of Cheltenham Township's hidden gems, with wide open lawns framed by mature trees and a natural amphitheater feel that makes outdoor concerts here especially good. The stage goes up on the grass, and the audience settles in on blankets, folding chairs, and the occasional picnic blanket laid out by someone who clearly does this every year. September evenings in this part of Montgomery County have a way of being just right — warm enough for short sleeves during the set, cool enough that you grab a sweatshirt for the walk back to the car.

Bring a blanket, pack a picnic, and plan to stay through the whole set. These free township concerts have a loyal following for a reason — the music is good, the company is better, and there is something about sitting on the grass with your neighbors as the sun drops behind the trees that makes you remember why you moved here.

🎬 Vlog direction: Fast-paced montage sequence — a kid's face lighting up as they sit behind the wheel of a fire truck during Touch-a-Truck, slow-motion of runners crossing the 5K finish line, a family with face paint and a toddler in a dinosaur costume approaching a Trunk-or-Treat car with a decorated trunk, a movie screen flickering to life under a darkening October sky. Text overlay: "OCT 2-4 — ABINGTON FEST AT CRESTMONT PARK."

03 Abington Fest — The Second Annual Community Celebration

The festival everyone was talking about last year is back. Abington Fest 2026 runs Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4, and the second annual edition is shaping up to be even bigger than the debut. Spread across three days at Crestmont Park (2595 Rubicam Avenue, Abington), this is Abington Township's flagship community celebration — the kind of weekend that makes you glad you live here.

Friday night kicks things off with a Movie Under the Stars in the park. Blankets, popcorn, the whole family sprawled out on the grass as the screen flickers to life. Saturday, October 3 is the big day: a 5K race and Kids' Dash in the morning, followed by the Fall Festival in the afternoon. This is where the real action is — a Touch-a-Truck event that lets kids climb into fire trucks, police cruisers, and construction vehicles they normally only get to wave at, plus a Trunk-or-Treat where neighbors decorate their car trunks and hand out candy in a safe, car-free zone. It is Halloween preview season for the little ones, and outdoor-festival season for everyone else.

Abington Fest is free to attend, and everything from the movie night to the 5K to the fall festival activities is designed to be family-friendly and welcoming. Last year's inaugural event drew a crowd that filled Crestmont Park from end to end, and the buzz has been building ever since. If you are new to the area, this is the best weekend of the year to meet your neighbors, connect with the township, and see what community celebration looks like in Abington.