Welcome To Fall Fest - What to Expect

You’ve travelled hundreds or even thousands of miles, across rocky mountains and prairies and even a lake or two,  and made your way to beautiful Burford  Ontario in anticipation of Fall Fest 2026! What will you find when you arrive?

NEW FOR 2026! There are two ways in, and two ways out. The North Gate is for day parking and camping, while the South Gate is for Event Staff, Mounties, VIPs, Vendors and Accessible parking ONLY. Choose your gate wisely. 
To simplify traffic control, 90% of traffic flow for the event will be going in and out the north gate - that's the very first gate you come to as you drive down Park Ave from Highway 53 to get to the fairgrounds. If you're camping, make an immediate right into the camping area once you're past the pig barn and follow the ONE WAY traffic to your campsite. If you're parking, follow the big arrows and pylons (and the directions of our helpful volunteers) to the parking area. Please DRIVE SLOWLY and WATCH FOR GEOCACHERS as you drive around the track. The North Gate can be found at N 43 06.082 W 080 25.570. 
In an effort to streamline the traffic in and around the legion this year, access to the SOUTH GATE (approximate coordinates N 43 05.916 W 080 25.492) will be limited to those with VIP wristbands or an accessible parking permit clearly displayed on the dash or license plate of the vehicle driven. If you do not have a VIP wristband or a parking permit, you will not be allowed access through the south gate. 
The main gate (that’s the one in the middle, where the posted coordinates for the event are) IS NOT OPEN TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC (except for emergency vehicles).  Simply put, if you don't have a wristband, go in the NORTH GATE. If you have a wristband, you'll also have a designated parking spot with your name on it - look for the sign with your name. No wristband = no reserved parking spot. If you happen to go in the wrong gate, a giant knight will pop up and say “you chose poorly” as you drive back out and to the other gate (not really, but now you’re thinking about what a cool cache that would be!)

If you arrive at a decent hour, from approximately 9am - 7pm - you’ll likely find people in bright yellow vests to greet and direct you as you enter the North Gate.  These people are volunteers, please be nice to them. They will have some swag for you if you're camping, and can help you find your campsite.  If you're not camping, please don't ask for a swag bag - they're only for registered campers. :)
If you arrive and no one is on duty, you should be able to find your way around until a volunteer is available, and if you’re REALLY stuck, find anyone in an orange EVENT MOUNTIE shirt for help.  If you plan on arriving after 7pm, please plan on being self sufficient until morning. DO NOT WAKE UP THE CAMPING MOUNTIE (or his wife) AT 2AM JUST TO GET YOUR SWAG BAG!! It can wait until morning.

If you arrive "after hours" you will likely be on your own until morning… but not really, because there will be orange shirts wandering around pretty much all day and night, and lots of other campers milling around as well.   The website has a map for your reference.  Remember - find the flag with your campsite number and then set up to the right of the flag. Once you arrive, feel free to set up, and then start checking out all of the cool activities we have on site. As March 2026, caches for the event will begin to publish, so you could go find some of the 3500+ caches within 20 miles of event HQ, or you could stay on site and join the games and on-site activities, or complete a nearby adventure lab (or 500).  There are plenty of scheduled activities, but also a lot of cache finding excursions, puzzle solving sessions, and even marshmallow roasting competitions that are organized by groups of cachers - talk to people, find out what they’re doing, and make your plans accordingly.

No one bites. At least not in public…Whether you’re coming from 20 minutes up the road or across the continent, there’s no point in being shy, because you’re going to see the same people every day for the next 4-5 days.  We don’t think anyone bites, but if you're worried - find someone with an orange EVENT MOUNTIE shirt to say hello to first.  We screened them, and unless they are running low on caffeine, they’re usually pretty chill (except for Pasha88… but she does accept Pathtags as peace offerings…). 

The Registration Table, Event Store, Pathtag Bucket, Volunteer Sign In, Silent Auctions, and Will-Call Pick Up are all located in the same building. That means it’s going to get busy, and lines may be long, especially on Thursday morning. We apologize in advance. You only need to visit the registration table if you did NOT pre-order a swag package through our Square site. If you pre-ordered a registration package (even the Buckaroo for a Day free package) it will be available for you at the Will-Call pickup and you can skip the registration line altogether. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pre-register for the event. This makes life so much easier for everyone involved! Seriously, unless you want to waste almost 24 hours waiting for the event registration booth to open so you can get a package, do as much pre-registration online as you can. Plus, if you pre-register, you'll be included in the bonus Games like the name Tag match game. You’re going to want to check out pretty much the entire website as well, looking for easter eggs… have you found any yet? They’re going to come in handy at the event!  

Please make an effort to pick up your stuff from the store, or have someone pick it up on your behalf. After this last round of Canada Post strikes, we really don’t want to have to rely on them for anything. Remember, with a note or your receipt, you can have a friend pick it up for you.  If you did not pre-order stuff and are interested in getting some, we only order a little more than we need for pre-sales to sell at the event, usually just enough to fulfill our minimum orders for items. If you want a specific item, or a specific size (especially big or tall sizes) the best thing to do is pre-order so we can have these ready to go for you. 

Now, go have some fun! Just like every other caching event, the goal is to have a GREAT time. Whether you’re a hardcore cacher with 50,000 finds looking for challenges or numbers, a DT Grid chaser looping for the next loop, an Adventure Lab aficionado looking for some cool adventure labs to complete, or you’ve been dragged here by a geocache-loving spouse and you’re here (on your anniversary weekend, of all things!!) to be supportive and prevent a divorce, we hope you can find something to enjoy at Fall Fest 2026. As long as we keep all the motorized vehicles off the ATV  track, feel free to explore the grounds, find some caches, and chat with your new best friends. Welcome to Fall Fest.