Tito Puente Jr. is playing a free show at the Wellington Amphitheater on Friday, October 16. That opens Wellington's busiest weekend of the fall: the annual Fall Festival takes over Village Park on Saturday afternoon, a Stevie Wonder tribute band plays the amphitheater that night, and on Sunday morning a charity bike ride rolls out from Village Hall. Three of the four events cost nothing to get into.

Friday: Tito Puente Jr. on Forest Hill Boulevard

The Village of Wellington's event listing puts Tito Puente Jr. on the amphitheater stage at 12100 Forest Hill Boulevard from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday, October 16, with food trucks from 6 p.m. He is the son of Tito Puente, the bandleader known as the King of Latin Music, and he has built his own career on his father's mambo, salsa and Latin jazz catalog, mixing the classics with newer material.

A name like this usually means a ticket at a performing arts center. Here it is a lawn chair on the Wellington Amphitheater grass and no charge. Come when the trucks open at 6 to eat first and pick your spot on the lawn. If you want a warm-up, the village's regular Thursday Nights in Wellington series has Sugar Music Latin Band the night before, on October 15.

Saturday afternoon: the Fall Festival at Village Park

Wellington's annual Fall Festival runs Saturday, October 17, from 3 to 10 p.m. at Village Park, 11700 Pierson Road. The early start is on purpose: families with small children can come for the daylight hours and still get home for bedtime, and older kids and adults can stay for the after-dark attractions.

The lineup includes costume contests, bounce houses, face painting, hayrides, laser tag, a petting zoo, a pie-eating contest, DJ music, food trucks, vendors and trick-or-treating while candy lasts, so bring a bag. Haunted Hallways, a walk-through scare, runs for this one night only. New this year is Dryvebox, a mobile golf and games simulator, along with a HADO Halloween battle, a team game played in augmented reality.

Admission is free, but rides and activities require an all-access bracelet. The village's announcement lists the prices:

Advance, through Friday, October 16: $7 for children, $5 for adults.
Day of the event: $10 for children, $5 for adults. Children 2 and under are free.

Adults only need a bracelet for the Dryvebox simulator, HADO, Haunted Hallways, laser tag and hayrides. You can buy bracelets in person at the Wellington Community Center, 12150 Forest Hill Boulevard, or at Village Park, or reserve them online through the village's CivicRec catalog and pick them up at the Will Call tent. On the day of the festival, bracelet sales stop at 9 p.m.

To skip the parking search, The Mall at Wellington Green is sponsoring a free shuttle from the Palm Tran stop near Macy's, starting at 2:30 p.m.

Saturday night: Hotter Than July

Back on Forest Hill Boulevard, the amphitheater hosts a second free concert. Hotter Than July is a Stevie Wonder tribute band fronted by Gerry Williams, who sings and also plays keyboards and percussion, backed by a rhythm section and a horn line. The show runs 6 to 10 p.m. with food trucks. Families who leave the festival after the early-evening rush can still catch the second half.

Sunday morning: The Western Ride

On Sunday, October 18, The Western Ride starts at Village Hall, 12300 Forest Hill Boulevard, at 7 a.m., with start times staggered by distance. The village calls it the largest organized ride in the western communities. Riders choose 15, 30 or 60 miles. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office leads the ride, support vehicles carry mechanical help, and there is food before, during and after.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the ride raises money for Women in Distress and Donnah's Fund, which support survivors and fund domestic violence education. Registration is $65 in advance and $75 on the day, and online signup closes at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, October 17. If you are not riding, expect cyclists on the western roads Sunday morning and drive carefully.

Plan the weekend

Everything this weekend happens along Forest Hill Boulevard and Pierson Road, so you can mix and match. Buy festival bracelets by Friday to save $3 per child. Bring chairs and cash or a card for the food trucks on both concert nights. Check the village's event calendar before you go, since outdoor shows depend on the weather.

If you are new to Wellington, this is a good weekend to learn how the village works: a major Latin jazz name playing for free on a Friday, a park full of costumed kids on Saturday, and the next morning neighbors riding for a cause on the same roads. Most suburbs would build a whole month around any one of those. Wellington fits them into one weekend.