Most of the public events on Piscataway's October calendar are on one of two roads. Riverside Park and East Jersey Old Town Village sit on River Road. The YMCA at the Piscataway Community Center and Kennedy Library sit a few doors apart on Hoes Lane. These two roads meet, and Middlesex County lists River Road between Hoes Lane and Overbrook Road as one of its current road projects.
The storm that pushed back the township Bike Tour also moved it onto the same Saturday as the library's How-To Festival and the opening weekend of the county Fall Harvest Festival. That makes October 17 the busiest day of the month. All three events are close enough that one household could reasonably do all of them.
Saturday, October 17, in order
Here is how the day lays out using the published hours:
- 8 to 9:30 a.m. Bike Tour check-in at the YMCA at the Piscataway Community Center, 520 Hoes Lane.
- 10 a.m. The ride starts. The route is about 8 miles.
- 10 a.m. The Fall Harvest Festival opens at East Jersey Old Town Village, 1050 River Road.
- 11 a.m. The How-To Festival opens at Kennedy Library, 500 Hoes Lane, and the harvest festival holds its first musket demonstration.
- 1 p.m. Second musket demonstration on River Road.
- 3 p.m. The How-To Festival closes and the last musket demonstration begins.
- 5 p.m. The harvest festival closes for the day.
At 8 to 10 mph, an 8-mile ride takes roughly an hour, so a rider who starts at 10 a.m. should finish in time for the library's midday hours. The township page says the tour is a ride, not a race, but riders must be able to keep that pace. Both Hoes Lane events end before the harvest festival does, so River Road can be the afternoon.
Hoes Lane takes the morning
The township calls the Bike Tour a free community ride through Piscataway's streets. It has more rules than most township events, so it pays to read them before Saturday morning:
- Register through Community Pass with the Piscataway Recreation Department. Every participant must sign a waiver, which you can email in ahead of time or bring to check-in.
- Helmets are required for everyone.
- Anyone under 18 must ride with an adult, and riders must be 13 to ride alone. Young children can ride with a parent in a proper seat, trailer or tag-along.
- Only low-speed, pedal-assist e-bikes are allowed, with no throttle e-bikes. E-bike riders must stay behind the group and show license and registration as state law requires.
- Pre-registered riders get a T-shirt.
The How-To Festival at Kennedy Library runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Piscataway Public Library lists it for children, teens and adults. The festival includes crafts, interactive demonstrations and community information, and registration is open through the library's How-To page. Because the library is at 500 Hoes Lane and the YMCA is at 520, a family can finish the ride and walk over without moving the car.
River Road takes the afternoon
The Middlesex County Fall Harvest Festival at East Jersey Old Town Village is free. It runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on two weekends, October 16 to 18 and October 23 to 25. The county lists wagon rides, pumpkin picking, living-history interpreters, music, crafts and food. The village's historic buildings are open for exhibits, and musket demonstrations happen at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Rutgers Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners will answer gardening questions and share information on farm markets around Middlesex County. A tent sells pies, cider donuts, pickles, salsa and preserves to take home.
The county is also running its RIDE shuttle, which offers free, accessible, on-demand trips between East Jersey Old Town Village and the Cornelius Low House. The idea is to park once and see more than one historic site. If you already spent the morning on Hoes Lane, the shuttle makes it easy to add one more stop without moving the car again.
Because the festival runs on two weekends, October 17 is only one option. Anyone who would like a calmer Saturday can do the Bike Tour and the library that day and save the village for October 23, 24 or 25, when it keeps the same hours.
The weekends on either side
October 17 is the busiest day, but River Road gets things going a week earlier, and the month ends with a home game at SHI Stadium on Halloween.
| Date | Event | Location | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct 7 | Spooky Mason Jar Luminaries | Kennedy Library | See library calendar |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Piscataway Multicultural Festival | Riverside Park, River Road | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Irish Origins of Halloween | Westergard Library | See library calendar |
| Fri to Sun, Oct 16 to 18 | Fall Harvest Festival | East Jersey Old Town Village, 1050 River Road | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Piscataway Bike Tour | YMCA, 520 Hoes Lane | Check-in 8 a.m., start 10 a.m. |
| Sat, Oct 17 | How-To Festival | Kennedy Library, 500 Hoes Lane | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct 18 | PBA Local 93 Trunk or Treat | 1 Ericsson Drive | 3 to 6 p.m. |
| Fri to Sun, Oct 23 to 25 | Fall Harvest Festival | East Jersey Old Town Village, 1050 River Road | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Rutgers vs. Michigan | SHI Stadium | Kickoff TBA |
The second annual Multicultural Festival at Riverside Park is presented by the township's Civil Rights Advisory Commission. The flyer lists music, dancing, food trucks, vendors, community organizations and family activities. TAPinto's listing adds games, cultural performances and health and wellness information, and names Council Vice President Sharon Carmichael as the one inviting the community. The flyer and TAPinto give the park's address as 490 River Road, while the township calendar lists 430 River Road, so check the address before you put it into a GPS. The township calendar also shows registration as closed. No performers or food vendors had been announced in the materials we reviewed.
The day after the big Saturday, Piscataway PBA Local 93 holds its Trunk or Treat from 3 to 6 p.m. at 1 Ericsson Drive. That gives families a Halloween event two weeks before the 31st.
Halloween is a Saturday this year, and Rutgers hosts Michigan at SHI Stadium that day. As of early October, the official ticket listing still shows the kickoff time as TBA. Rutgers also has home games against Nebraska on November 14 and Michigan State on November 28, with those kickoff times also TBA. Families planning Halloween evening will want to check back once Rutgers sets the kickoff time.
Where the two roads meet
The county's current project list includes River Road from Hoes Lane to Overbrook Road, shared by Piscataway and Highland Park, under project number PIS622. The listing gives no construction schedule, detour plan or completion date. Before driving from Hoes Lane to the village on a festival day, check the county's page for any notices.
The same county list includes Stelton Road from New Durham Road to Melrose Avenue and two segments of Washington Avenue. In May 2026 the township held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a separate $9 million rebuild of Centennial Avenue from River Road to Knightsbridge Road. The township calls it the biggest road project in Piscataway history, with $4 million of the cost coming from the State. The plan includes sidewalks on the north side, a multi-use path on the south side, new asphalt, storm-sewer upgrades and new curbing.
If you finish the day with a meal near Centennial Avenue, Buffalo Wild Wings opened at 1315 Centennial Ave. on July 6. Royal Chicken & Biscuit opened its first drive-through on July 29 at 475 S. Washington Ave. Both are new since summer and are short drives from the October events.
Bike Tour registration goes through Community Pass, and the waiver can be emailed in early or brought to check-in at 520 Hoes Lane on October 17.
If you're a Piscataway homeowner and you'd like to talk through what a fall listing or a move within Middlesex County would look like for your household, Erick Gonzalez is happy to walk you through it one step at a time, in English or Spanish. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
