The Village Green had its last farmers market Saturday of the season on September 26. The season had run every Saturday from May 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 17519 Vashon Highway SW. Two weeks later, on Saturday, October 10, King County Metro switched the Water Taxi to its fall and winter schedule. Vashon went back to ten round trips on weekdays only, the pilot weekend service ended, and so did the 7:30 p.m. Friday sailing from Pier 50.
Put those two changes together and October through November becomes the stretch when getting off the island takes the most planning. This year there's plenty on the island for people who stay put, including a new music shop in town, full calendars at the arts center and the theater, and a Halloween that runs from early afternoon until late across several hosts.
The boats set the terms
Car ferries have the most effect on fall plans. Washington State Ferries' Fall 2026 schedule for the Fauntleroy–Vashon–Southworth route lists a "2-boat schedule with a third, unscheduled bonus boat" from Monday, October 5, through Sunday, November 8. In practice, the two-boat schedule is what WSF commits to, and the third boat runs only when it can.
The first week of that schedule showed how little slack there is:
- Monday, October 5: The Beachcomber reported that WSF had suspended the Triangle Route because of a crew shortage, and that at least one boat was expected back around 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 6: The route was back on its scheduled two-boat service, according to the Beachcomber's follow-up. As of 7:21 a.m., WSF said the third boat, Kitsap, was still out for lack of crew.
- May 2026 context: Earlier in the year, the Beachcomber reported that WSF's contingency plan still names the Triangle Route as its first source of a relief vessel when a boat elsewhere breaks down, which can take the route from three boats down to two.
We haven't found a confirmed day-by-day status for the bonus boat since October 6, so check WSF alerts before any off-island trip with a fixed time. With fewer boats running, plenty of fall evenings will be spent on the island, and the calendar below is built around that.
A record store that wants you to stop ordering online
The newest stop in town was slated to open its doors on October 2. King Tide Music is at 17816 Vashon Highway SW, across from Snapdragon Bakery & Cafe, in the building that used to house the event venue The Station. The Beachcomber describes it as part record store, part instrument shop and part event space.
According to the Beachcomber, the idea started last December. Islander Ryan Gray was tired of ordering gear from online retailers and brought the idea to his Ballast bandmate Shawn Carkonen. Shawn and Stacy Carkonen now run the shop with Gray. Island music fans may remember the Carkonens as owners of Screaming Mimi's, the record store they bought in 2001. It later became Vashon Island Music and closed in 2017.
The shop is pitched at people who would otherwise buy from somewhere else. Shelves hold cords, strings, tuners, turntables and amps, the things islanders often have to order online or buy across the water. The owners told the Beachcomber they want prices close to what you'd pay off-island. Stacy Carkonen put it this way in the Beachcomber's story:
"Sometimes when you get to the island, they [prices] get bumped up, and we're really trying not to do that to folks."
About 70% of the LPs, CDs and cassettes are used, bought from collectors and at record shows. The selection leans toward blues, Americana, jazz and rock rather than new hit releases. The name comes from king tides, when some of the year's highest tides are followed by unusually low ones that expose wide stretches of beach. The first king tides of the season are part of what makes Vashon's beaches worth walking this time of year.
Other storefronts in town are changing too. Wine Shop Vashon announced it would close October 3 after six years. Owner Liz Ophoven told the Beachcomber that Kate Perry planned to open Cazimi, a wellness café serving juices, smoothies and snacks, in the same space. The report didn't give an opening date. Subway, which the Beachcomber called the island's only chain restaurant, served its last sandwiches on August 18.
The calendar, from opera night to Jingle Bash
Opera, arts fairs, cider and holiday shopping all come to Vashon this fall, so none of them requires a ferry. Here are the dates worth putting on the fridge:
| Date | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 16–18 | Vashon Center for the Arts | VRT's Moby Dick |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Vashon Theatre | The Metropolitan Opera: Macbeth |
| Oct 17–18, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Blue Heron Education Center | Vashon Art Bazaar |
| Oct 17 and Oct 25 | Dr. Bob Norton Memorial Orchard, 10030 SW 210th St. | Fruit Club member cider pressing |
| Tue, Oct 20 | Vashon Theatre | Paul Bannick: Owls |
| Sun, Oct 25 | Vashon Center for the Arts | VMCO's Fall Flourish |
| Oct 28–31 | Vashon Theatre | VFI Presents: Colony, Leviticus, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, It Ends |
| Fri, Nov 6 | Vashon Center for the Arts | Marc Broussard |
| Nov 13–14 | Vashon Center for the Arts | Mary Poppins, Jr |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Land Trust building, 10014 SW Bank Rd. | Fruit Club apple identification, open to the public |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Vashon Center for the Arts | Robbie Fulks |
| Sun, Nov 22 | Vashon Center for the Arts | Albiani On… "An Indigenous Present" |
| Nov 24 and 25 | Vashon Theatre | You Can See Everything; 2026 Seattle International Comedy Competition |
| Sat, Nov 28 | Vashon High School / VCA | Jingle Bash holiday art show, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; VRT's A Christmas Carol |
Saturday, October 17, is the busiest day before Halloween. The Art Bazaar opens at Blue Heron, Fruit Club members press cider at the Norton orchard, Moby Dick is in its second night at VCA, and the Met's Macbeth plays at Vashon Theatre. The Paul Bannick program on the following Tuesday is the one to pick if you'd rather spend an evening on local wildlife.
The Fruit Club's public apple-identification program on November 14 is open to anyone wondering what is growing on an old tree in their yard. It's at the Land Trust building on Bank Road. Jingle Bash on November 28 brings more than 60 local artists and makers to Vashon High School, with food vendors, live music and free admission. The same day, VRT opens A Christmas Carol at VCA.
Halloween runs from early afternoon until late
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and the 2026 listings spread the day across several hosts, each with its own start time. In order:
- 1–3 p.m.: Cart or Treat at Vashon Island Golf & Country Club. The listing describes it as coming "before the big trick-or-treating in town."
- 4 p.m.: The Oh Vashon Halloween party starts, with trick-or-treating at the restaurant from 5 p.m., contests, and a DJ later in the evening.
- 4:30–8:30 p.m.: Halloween at The Green, listed on the Vashon Island Growers Association's events calendar at the Village Green. The listing doesn't describe activities yet.
- 7 p.m.: The dance floor opens at the Snapdragon Halloween Disco Party, after trick-or-treating on the café side.
Hours and road details for the town-wide trick-or-treat are still unconfirmed. As of mid-October, the Chamber's Halloween page still shows its 2025 details, so last year's hours and street closure shouldn't be assumed for this year. Every stop on this list is within a short walk of the Village Green, except Cart or Treat at the golf club. Families can work their way toward town as the afternoon goes on.
Getting around the island this fall
Two county projects affect trips on the island over the next few weeks.
The Judd Creek Bridge on Vashon Highway SW reopened to vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles at 10:40 a.m. on September 29. The repair isn't finished, though. King County testing showed that parts of the new deck overlay didn't fully bond to the concrete underneath. The overlay will have to be replaced completely, and there aren't enough warm, dry days left this year to do it. The contractor is expected back in late spring 2027, weather permitting, so expect patching and paint marks on the deck until then, and another closure next year.
For walkers and dog owners, the main date is October 17. The annual limited deer hunt at Island Center Forest runs from then through November 1. The trails stay open to the public, but the rest of the park is closed to everyone except hunters. King County Parks also plans to cut canopy openings in an alder stand southeast of Mukai Pond by the end of 2026. That work could close parts of the Meadowlake Trail for a day or two, with notices posted once it's scheduled. The larger forest-thinning project, first planned for September 2026, has been pushed back to August 2027 at the earliest.
If you're planning a stretch of island weekends this fall, from opera night at Vashon Theatre to Jingle Bash, Connie Sorensen is glad to share what we know about where the island gathers this time of year. Schedule a personal consultation, and we'll talk through how the ferries, the trails and the town calendar fit together from now until the holidays.
