If you have been waiting for the Hudson Beach FL coast to show off, this is the weekend. The Cotee River Bike Fest takes over downtown New Port Richey Friday through Sunday, BREWTOBERFEST pours at Craft Life Brewing right here in Hudson, Florida on Saturday, the Scarecrow Festival fills the Pioneer Florida Museum, and stone crab season opens a week from Thursday across Pasco County. Here is your October 9-11 weekend guide from Kathleen Paglaiccetti.
Cotee River Bike Fest: Friday Through Sunday in New Port Richey
The big one this weekend is the Cotee River Bike Fest, a Pasco County tradition since 2005 that rolls into downtown New Port Richey Friday, October 9 through Sunday, October 11. It runs daily from 10 AM to 10 PM along Grand Boulevard and Bank Street on the Cotee River, just a short drive south of Hudson Beach FL. Expect three days of live music, motorcycle shows, local vendors, food, and cold drinks filling the streets right on the water.
It pairs perfectly with a riverside walk or a stop at one of the waterfront spots in New Port Richey. For the full schedule, Visit New Port Richey keeps the official lineup posted.
BREWTOBERFEST 6 at Craft Life Brewing
If you want to keep the festival energy close to home, BREWTOBERFEST 6 pours Saturday, October 10 at 4 PM at Craft Life Brewing Company, 6810 Tower Drive in the Lakeside Woodlands area of Hudson, Florida. The brewery's annual Oktoberfest-style celebration brings German-style and homebrewed beers, cider and seltzers, food trucks, and live music to the taproom for an afternoon of sipping and snacking. It is a relaxed, community-driven way to spend a fall Saturday on the Pasco County coast.
Grab a table, sample a flight, and settle in for the afternoon. It is the same brewery that hosts the summer night markets we have covered before, and the team always puts on a good one.
Scarecrow Festival & Family Fun on Saturday
For families, Saturday, October 10 is loaded. The Scarecrow Festival at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village in Dade City runs 9 AM to 4 PM with a build-your-own-scarecrow station, pumpkin patch and pumpkin painting, a petting zoo, pony rides, blacksmith demonstrations, children's games, and live entertainment. Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for students, and free for ages 4 and under, with museum admission included.
Closer to the coast, Funville Farm's 2026 Fall Festival at 13725 Hudson Ave in Hudson keeps its pumpkin patch, hayrides, petting zoo, gem mining, and jumping pillow running every Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM through November 2, all included with the $12 admission. And in Odessa, the Halloween Haunting at Starkey Market runs Friday through Monday, October 9-12, with a $10 unlimited-play wristband for the KidsZone's giant inflatables and spooky surprises. Between the three, there is no shortage of ways to spend a fall Saturday in Pasco County.
Stone Crab Countdown: One Week to Opening Day
The date locals circle every fall is now just a week away. Florida stone crab season opens Thursday, October 15 and runs through May 1, which means the Gulf coast's favorite sweet claw meat starts showing up fresh at markets and on menus from Hudson Beach FL to the Pasco County coast and beyond. The rules come straight from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: only claws may be harvested, each claw must measure at least 2-7/8 inches from the elbow to the tip of the lower immovable finger, and claws may not be taken from egg-bearing crabs. The daily bag limit is 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.
One detail worth flagging for anyone planning to drop traps: recreational harvesters age 16 and up must complete a free online stone crab trap registration through the FWC and mark each trap with their name and address. You may set and bait traps up to 10 days before the season opens, so this weekend is the perfect time to get your gear in the water. The local markets in Hudson, Florida are already taking orders for the first claws of the year, and the jumbo ones go fast.
Beach & Fishing Conditions: Clean Water, Warm Gulf, Peak Mullet Run
On the water, conditions are excellent. The most recent FWC red tide update shows only background levels along the coast with no bloom affecting Pasco County, and the Gulf water off Hudson Beach FL is still warm, in the low-to-mid 80s, comfortable for wading, swimming, and paddling while the mornings finally carry a crisp fall edge.
This is also the heart of the mullet run along the Hudson, Florida shoreline. The big schools are pushing down the coast, and every predator in the gulf is following: snook, redfish, tarpon, jack crevalle, and speckled trout stack up behind the bait, with kingfish and mackerel working deeper water offshore. Early mornings and the late afternoon bite remain the most reliable windows. For launch points and the full species rundown, our complete fishing spots guide is the place to start.
For paddlers, the launches at SunWest Park and Hudson Beach are quiet on weekdays and glassy in the early hours, with the afternoon storms of summer mostly gone. Dolphin activity stays strong along the shoreline, and manatee sightings start to increase in the rivers and canals as the water cools. Give them space and enjoy the show.
Weekend Community Notes
Plan the Bike Fest. The Cotee River Bike Fest runs 10 AM to 10 PM daily Friday through Sunday in downtown New Port Richey. Arrive early for parking and grab a riverside table for the evening music.
Set your stone crab traps this weekend. Traps may be set and baited up to 10 days before the October 15 opener, so if you want your gear in the water for the first weekend of the season, this is the weekend to get it ready. Complete the free FWC trap registration first.
One note on the dining strip: the waterfront bar Ollie's on the Beach on Clark Street has closed, so the dependable open-air choice with your feet near the sand remains Sam's Beach Bar at 6325 Clark Street, an easy walk from the beach and a reliable stop after a paddle. Our dining guide is kept current with the open spots and the closures.
The Bottom Line: This is the weekend the Hudson Beach FL coast wakes up for fall. The Cotee River Bike Fest fills downtown New Port Richey October 9-11, BREWTOBERFEST 6 pours in Hudson, Florida on Saturday, the Scarecrow Festival and Funville Farm keep the family calendar full across Pasco County, and stone crab season opens a week from Thursday. The water is clean, the mullet run is peaking, and the community is alive. Get out there, say hello to a neighbor, and enjoy the slow, warm fall on the Gulf coast.
See you at the pier,
Kathleen
