The Arvada Harvest Festival has been a community tradition since 1925. The first Festival was held on October 17, 1925 and was created to commemorate the first paved road from Denver to Arvada (Grandview Ave). There was a bad snowstorm the Friday before that first Festival. The Governor, Mayor of Denver and the County Commissioners did not make it because of the weather. The milkmaids and the other townsfolk shoveled off the area for the celebration to take place. The dates were picked to accommodate the harvest of our "what was then" a primarily farming community.

About 1929 the date was changed to this earlier date because of winter weather considerations. There we're only three years the Festival was not held. Once during the depression, once during World War II and due to a polio scare.

The Arvada Chamber of Commerce ran the Festival until the mid 1950's-60's then involved the Arvada Jaycees. In 1966 the Jaycees pretty much took over the event in and in 1971 was the last year the Chamber was a sponsor host. The event is still an Arvada Junior Chamber function although more citizens have been involved and running events in recent years.