Think Rydal is just a quiet suburb that slows down once the pools close and the school buses roll? Not this September and October. On Friday, September 25, the 1986 fantasy classic Labyrinth fills the historic Keswick Theatre with a full orchestra playing the score live. The free gardens at PHS Meadowbrook Farm are hosting their September garden tour before the season wraps in mid-October. And on Saturday, October 25, The Mom Market's Spooktacular Fall Fest brings a whole family Halloween celebration to the Glenside area. Let us run through all three.
This is the stretch of the year when Rydal and Abington Township turn golden, and the calendar fills right along with the leaves. Whether you have lived here for years or you are a family weighing whether to call this area home, these three make a strong case. They range from free to a ticketed night out, all within a few minutes of Rydal, and all built around people actually showing up. Here is the rundown.
🎬 Hand-held walking shot down a gravel path at PHS Meadowbrook Farm on a crisp September morning, the historic stone estate house ahead, flower beds and shaped boxwood lining the path, a docent leading a small group toward a rose arbor, golden morning light filtering through mature trees, no readable faces. Text overlay: "SEPT GARDEN TOUR | PHS MEADOWBROOK FARM | FREE."
01 Free Days at PHS Meadowbrook Farm: The September Garden Tour Before the Season Closes
Start with something free and gorgeous right in our backyard. PHS Meadowbrook Farm at 1633 Washington Lane, Jenkintown is the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s open-air demonstration garden, and it is still in its seasonal run this September. On Saturday, September 19, the farm hosts its September Garden Tour, a docent-led walk through the grounds that covers the themed “garden rooms” and the estate landscape. There has also been a Know to Grow lecture series running through the season for anyone who wants to take the ideas home and dig in their own yard.
The best part is the price: the farm is free to visit with no reservation required, open Wednesdays through Saturdays during the season, which typically wraps up around mid-October. From Rydal it is about a ten-minute drive, and the grounds sit on the same corridor as the Abington Art Center and Alverthorpe Park, so you can easily build a whole morning around it.
It is the kind of place that never looks as good in the photos as it does in person, a green pocket of peace minutes from the train line. If you have been meaning to see it, make this the month.
🎬 Hand-held tracking shot along Easton Road in Glenside on a Friday evening, the Keswick marquee glowing up ahead through the autumn dusk, strings tuning up just audible through the doors, a crowd gathering beneath the canopy, warm light washing over the 1920s brick, a quick push-in on the marquee before you head through the doors. Text overlay: "FRI SEP 25 | LABYRINTH IN CONCERT | KESWICK THEATRE."
02 Labyrinth in Concert at the Keswick: Friday, September 25
For a proper night out, point yourself at the Keswick Theatre. On Friday, September 25, the beloved 1986 fantasy Labyrinth screens at the historic Glenside stage in a film-in-concert format, with the full score played live by an orchestra beneath the picture. David Bowie’s Jareth, the dizzying labyrinth, Sarah’s wild quest, all of it up on the big screen with live music filling a restored 1920s movie palace. It is the rare night out that works for a date, a family, or a nostalgic solo trip.
The Keswick sits at 291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, a five-minute drive from Rydal and steps from the Glenside Regional Rail Station if you would rather ride in. It is the crown jewel on Easton Road, a marquee-lit landmark that has hosted everything from classic rock to these immersive film-and-orchestra shows. Tickets are on the Keswick Theatre website and do move for concert-style nights, so grab them if this one calls to you.
A Friday night of fantasy film and live symphony minutes from your front door is exactly the kind of thing that makes you glad you live here.
🎬 Hand-held golden-hour pan across a family fall festival in a Glenside-area park, white vendor tents and strings of lights, pumpkins and hay bales, decorated booths with carved gourds, kids in costumes darting between as distant silhouettes, families strolling with tote bags, warm autumn light, slow-motion finish. Text overlay: "SAT OCT 25 | SPOOKTACULAR FALL FEST | GLENSIDE AREA."
03 The Mom Market’s Spooktacular Fall Fest: Saturday, October 25
And if you want to fast-forward to Halloween season, mark Saturday, October 25 for The Mom Market’s Spooktacular Fall Fest in the greater Glenside area, running 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The Mom Market brings its signature gathers of local makers and small vendors into a full fall festival: pumpkins and hay bales, decorated booths, and plenty of seasonal family fun under the golden October sun.
These Mom Market events are known for pulling together a warm, local, small-town vendor scene in one place, the kind of thing where you can knock out holiday shopping, grab a snack, and let the kids roam all in a single morning. It is a short drive from Rydal into the Glenside corridor, and it is a great way to meet neighbors and support the small businesses that give this area its character.
A fall festival like this is the neighborhood at its best: families out, local vendors front and center, and the whole season feeling like one long celebration. It is a perfect taste of what living in this area is actually like, and a great weekend to show prospective neighbors.
Living here means never running out of things to do.
A free September morning wandering the garden rooms at PHS Meadowbrook Farm before the season closes. A Friday night of Labyrinth and live orchestra under the Keswick marquee. A Saturday in late October hunting pumpkins and homemade finds at a Glenside-area fall fest. One garden, one concert-hall night, and one seasonal festival, all of it minutes from your front door. That is what life in Rydal and Abington Township looks like, and it carries all the way through fall.
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Quick Reference: September-October Events at a Glance
- PHS Meadowbrook Farm: September Garden Tour Sat Sep 19; open free Wed-Sat through mid-October. 1633 Washington Ln, Jenkintown. No reservation required.
- Labyrinth in Concert at the Keswick: Fri Sep 25. Keswick Theatre, 291 N Keswick Ave, Glenside. The 1986 fantasy with a full orchestra playing the score live.
- The Mom Market’s Spooktacular Fall Fest: Sat Oct 25, 9 AM-2 PM, greater Glenside area. Local makers, pumpkins, seasonal family fun.
September and October are the season to get out
From a free morning in the gardens and a live-orchestra film night to a harvest-time fall fest, Rydal and Abington Township keep the calendar full. Get involved and stay in the loop on every event.
