Fringe theater takes over Greenfield at The Double Take Fringe Festival October 17-18! Enjoy eight short shows in eight different venues, all in walking distance. See as many as you can! Next up is the Greenfield Annual Word Festival October 21-25. Inspiring poetry and essays for six days in downtown venues. Read or listen! Finally, the 20th Annual CiderDays in Franklin County is October 31-November 2. Sample the best hard ciders on the planet! Tastings, workshops, food events and more. Find more information on Franklin County. 

October (almost) brings too many choices, from Verdi's tragic La Traviata to the musical playground of the 9th Annual HONK! Festival and lots in between. Head of the Charles Regatta returns for its 50th race and there are more Oktoberfests in and around Boston than in Germany! Author and comedian David Sedaris is in town, and you'll want to bookmark October 23-25 for the Boston Book Festival. Ringling Brothers' Circus entertains, as does ArtWeek and the Fenway's Opening Our Doors (October 13th) invites all to experience this culturally and artistically rich neighborhood with FREE workshops, performances, exhibitions, walking tours and even indoor kite flying. Find more information on Greater Boston. 

Fall means festivals in MetroWest! On October 4th, enjoy the 12-hour Oktoberfest in Hopedale, one of the region's largest gatherings with a bier garden, multiple stages for musical performers, a car show, crafters, and petting zoo. The next day (October 5th), choose from the Harvest Festival in downtown Franklin, the Heritage Festival on Marlborough's Main Street, and the 3rd Annual Farm Pond Festival in downtown Framingham. Find more information on MetroWest. 

The Theatre Workshop of Nantucket presents "RED" by John Logan through October 11th. "RED" is a searing portrait of bad boy artist Mark Rothko's ambition and vulnerability as he tries to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting. Paint collides with canvas live on stage, as masterpieces are born and torn down in a visceral experience that spills off the stage and forever changes the way you see red. Raw and provocative, and the winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Play. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Find more information on Nantucket Island.  

Take a wildlife expedition through the galleries when Festival of Trees 2014 On Safari opens at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield on Friday evening, November 14th! Festival of Trees 2014 On Safari will be on view to the public from Saturday, November 15, 2014, through January 4, 2015. The annual holiday event will feature more than 100 dazzling, delightful holiday trees decorated to evoke an exotic safari adventure. Don't forget your binoculars! Find more information on the Berkshires.