The Juanita Friday Market's 2026 season ran on Fridays from June 5 through September 25, 3 to 7 p.m., and that last Friday has now passed. For the rest of the year, Juanita's waterfront follows two different calendars. Juanita Beach Park packs its fall into a few big dates. Juanita Bay Park, around the shoreline at 2201 Market Street, runs on a monthly schedule of guided walks that continues after the beach goes quiet.
Planning October and November around Juanita means keeping both calendars in mind. The beach dates are fixed, and some need registration. The bay events repeat, so missing one costs about a month's wait.
The beach has four dates between now and mid-December
Juanita Beach Park's fall season is short. Here is everything on the city and event calendars between now and the end of the year:
- Saturday, October 3: Harvest Festival, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sixth annual festival takes over Juanita Beach Park North at 9703 Juanita Drive NE. It's free. Food comes from the Rustic Bites Round-up of food trucks. The contests include pie eating, corn shucking, and a cornhole tournament. The Kids' Korral has ring toss, horseshoes, pumpkin bowling, crafts, and pony rides. The music lineup is 24 Madison, The Silverbacks, and School of Rock Bellevue.
- Saturday, October 10: Wheels & Reels drive-in, showing Hoppers (PG). The lot opens at 6 p.m. and the movie starts at 7 p.m. It's $20 per vehicle, and you have to register in advance.
- Sunday, November 15: Kirkland Turkey Trot. The 10K starts at 9 a.m. and the 5K at 9:05 a.m., and the park's parking lot is closed from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
- Saturday, December 12: community bonfire at Juanita Beach Park. The city's earlier bonfire stop, on November 28, is at O.O. Denny Park.
Of the four, the drive-in is the easiest to underestimate. The city's Fall 2026 to Spring 2027 schedule has one fall screening. After Hoppers on October 10, the next showing is The Mandalorian and Grogu (PG-13) on March 13, 2027. That's five months later. Toy Story 5 follows on April 10, and Project Hail Mary on May 8. The screening runs rain or shine with no refunds. RVs, limos, buses, tailgating, and alcohol are not allowed. Registration is through KirklandParks.net or by phone at 425-587-3336.
The Harvest Festival has its own logistics. The city says on-site parking is limited and asks people to walk, bike, or take transit. A free bike valet will be on site. A shuttle runs every 15 minutes between the North Kirkland Community Center at 12421 103rd Avenue NE and the festival, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The festival is also collecting food for people in need, so you can bring a nonperishable item to the food collection tent.
The North Kirkland Community Center hosts one more event this month. The Pee Wee Monster Bash runs there on October 30 from 10 a.m. to noon. It's for ages 1 to 5 and costs $18 per child. Neither of the Juanita parks has a Halloween event on the calendars reviewed for this post.
Juanita Bay Park runs on a monthly schedule
Eastside Audubon has three kinds of programs at Juanita Bay Park. Between now and Thanksgiving there are six dates:
| Date | Event | Time | Sign-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Oct. 4 | Interpretive Tour | 1–2 p.m. | Free, no registration |
| Wed., Oct. 7 | Bird walk | 7:20–11 a.m. | See listing |
| Thu., Oct. 22 | Wildlife and birding photo walk with Kenmore Camera | 7:20–9:30 a.m. | Free, registration required |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Interpretive Tour | 1–2 p.m. | Free, no registration |
| Wed., Nov. 4 | Bird walk | 7:20–11 a.m. | See listing |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Wildlife and birding photo walk with Kenmore Camera | 7:20–9:30 a.m. | Free, registration required |
The interpretive tour is the easiest of the three to join. Eastside Park Rangers lead it on the first Sunday of every month. It's free with no registration, and you meet at the kiosk by the parking lot. The walk is under two miles round trip at a leisurely pace. Children 6 and older are welcome with an adult. The route is mostly flat and covers grass, pavement, and boardwalk. The boardwalk and paved path are ADA accessible, but the grass field is uneven and unpaved. No parking pass is needed.
Audubon says the park is home to songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, amphibians, turtles, beavers, and other small mammals. October also lines up neatly with the beach calendar. The Harvest Festival is Saturday, October 3, and the first bay tour is the next afternoon, Sunday, October 4. Together they make a full Juanita weekend with almost no driving in between.
The bay is bigger this fall than it was a year ago
The bay's fall programs are taking place in a park the city has been expanding. A parks investment summary in the city's September 23, 2026 Park Board packet lists a 1.5-acre Juanita Bay expansion on Forbes Creek Road. The city bought it in November 2025 for $1,275,000. The same summary lists a native wildflower meadow at Juanita Bay that was tilled and planted in 2025 and 2026, at a cost of $19,000.
The volunteer calendar is a good way into that side of the park. Green Kirkland is holding a stewardship day at Juanita Bay Park's east entrance on Friday, October 9, from 10 a.m. to noon. It meets at 10442 Forbes Creek Drive, not the main parking lot on Market Street, so check the address before you go. The interpretive tours start at the kiosk by the main parking lot.
If you'd rather volunteer a little farther south, the city has also scheduled a free habitat restoration event at Rose Hill Meadows Park, 8200 124th Ave. NE, on Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The work includes removing invasive plants, planting, mulching, and weeding. It ends two hours before the Harvest Festival does.
The beach changed, too
Several changes at Juanita Beach Park were finished in time for this fall, and they show up on ordinary weekday visits, not just event days. The same Park Board summary lists the following:
- Juanita Dog Park: made permanent in 2026 with fencing, at a cost of $27,000.
- Automatic gates: installed at Juanita Beach, with Houghton Beach's gates wrapping up. The two parks share a $170,000 budget line.
- Juanita Beach North ball fields: both fields were fully renovated in 2025, with new dugouts and fencing.
- Accessible and inclusive play: Juanita Beach is one of the parks listed for interactive musical play features.
The ball fields sit on the north side of the park, where the Harvest Festival is held, so festival visitors on October 3 will see the 2025 renovation.
The water itself had a short closure in late September. Juanita Beach's swimming area closed on September 15 because of elevated bacteria. It reopened at 4:15 p.m. on September 22 for swimming, wading, and other water activities, on the recommendation of Public Health – Seattle & King County. King County posts current results on its Lake Swimming Beach Data page. Check that page before a cold-water dip in October.
Dinner after the drive-in
Juanita has a newer option for after a beach or bay outing. Secret Burger Kitchen opened its Kirkland location at 9739 NE 119th Way and held a grand-opening event on July 11. An earlier report from February predicted a spring opening and listed a different address. The restaurant's locations page shows the NE 119th Way address and current hours.
Here are the fall weekends, put together. October 3 and 4 combine the Harvest Festival with the first bay tour. October 10 is the only drive-in night until March. November 1 is the next first-Sunday tour, and November 15 is the Turkey Trot, with the beach lot closed until 11:30 a.m. For anyone who wants to bring a question to city leaders, the City of Kirkland has also scheduled Conversations with Council for October 17, 10 a.m. to noon, at Fire Station 26's community room, 9930 124th Ave. NE.
Sound Real Estate Services follows Juanita's park and waterfront schedules all year, including how the beach and bay change with the seasons. If you own a home or rental near the bay and want to talk about how the area is changing, Schedule a Consultation with our team.
