Oct 24, 2018

Weekly Top Picks for October 23rd - 31st 2018

The much-anticipated Halloween weekend is here at last! As you'd expect there are countless incredible events taking place all weekend long and into the final days leading to October 31st.

You will have more than enough options to celebrate Halloween your way - whether it be Jack O' Lantern gawking, entering costume contests, soaking up your haunted history, reveling in Salem during Haunted Happenings, or getting in your thrills at local haunts. 

Good luck narrowing down your agenda but the good news is we're offering up some great Top Picks for your Halloween week.


Lights On, Lights Dim, Lights Out at Haunted Overload in New Hampshire
Friday through Sunday Haunted Overload in Lee will open up for their Daytime Haunt where you can see their artistry up close and in the daylight (no actors or scares).
On Monday Haunted Overload will offer their final Fright Night Lite of the season--a full nighttime light/sound/fog experience which still delivers their signature spooky atmosphere but without the actors or scares.

If you ever thought it was scary going through a haunt with the scene lights on, wait until you navigate the creatures with the lights off! Lucky for you, you can choose from two levels of fear - Tuesday, October 30th offers you a Lights Out Night WITH a Glow Stick and only a glow stick.

Not dark enough for you? Wednesday--Halloween Night--takes you all the way with a completely Glow Stick-free Lights Out Night--the first ever of the kind at Haunted Overload!
Advance online tickets highly recommended for both events.



Spooky Zoo and The Jack O'Lantern Spectacular
Families will want to join the festivities at the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI this Saturday and Sunday because Spooky Zoo is back with daytime outdoor autumn activities for the whole family.
Trick-or-treat on the Treat Trail by the red wolf exhibit inside the zoo beginning at 10:30am. All Spooky Zoo activities are free with Zoo admission and all children 12-and-under dressed in costume get in for half price. All activities are weather permitting and while supplies last.
It's also the final two weeks to catch the atmospheric and mesmerizing Jack O'Lantern Spectacular which is open every night through Sunday, November 4th also at the Roger Williams Zoo.

Cirque of the Dead
You have four more nights and six performances left to snag tickets to Cirque of the Dead's immersive, macabre circus experience!
Billed as a "grim Choose Your Own Adventure – zombies, vampires, haunted delights, and other magical creatures who will fill the evening with never-before-seen aerial acts, acrobatics, and more. This seductive adults-only Halloween horror spectacular is not for the faint of heart, but is filled with as much humor as it is with gore."
Performers will be suspended above you and roam the venue as you can enjoy a cocktail while taking in the festivities. With synth-rock provided by Minusworld, you can dance away to their live music.
This show is 18+ only, due to graphic/disturbing content. (Production uses strobe and haze effects). Cirque of the Dead details.

Never too late to pick pumpkins at a local patch!
As you know by now, Halloween New England makes it so easy to find a local pumpkin patch for carving your jack-o-lanterns in time for Halloween! Add the various community pumpkin carving contests and pumpkin displays to the mix of your pumpkin-buying needs and you will certainly need to stock up on more than a few!

We have state-by-state guides and maps to all your local farms featuring pumpkin patches and PYO pumpkins.
Click on your state for Halloween New England's Pumpkin Patch Guides for ConnecticutMaineMassachusettsNew HampshireRhode Island, and Vermont.

Still Time to Find a Costume for Halloween Events, Costume Parties, and Masquerades! 
We have two special New England costume and makeup supply stores we'd like to recommend for your last minute costume needs and final details.
Not every New England state can boast that they have a year-round, brick-and-mortar costume store but New Hampshire can! Costumania in West Lebanon moved to a new, bigger store to offer even more to their customers. If you can't get there in person, they also feature an online store.

Massachusetts-based Vampfangs is strictly an online store and they should be your first stop to buy special FX teeth (vampires, zombies, hillbillies, etc), FX contact lenses (blackout, werewolf, zombie, you name it), 3-D prosthetic transfers, conventional prosthetics, quality FX makeup, and even fragrances!

We are always happy to tip people off to how easy Halloween New England makes it to find your state's Costume and Halloween stores. We have lists of locally-owned, year-round, as well as many seasonal pop-up stores to make it easy! 
Click to see our complete Costume and Halloween Store guides for ConnecticutMaineMassachusettsNew HampshireRhode Island, and Vermont.



Which Haunted Attractions are Open on Weeknights this Week?
It's Halloween Week and it's your last, best chance to see as many haunts as you can pack in before your favorite season is over.
Wednesday, October 24th has two haunted attractions open tonight including  Barrett's Haunted Mansion in MA.

Thursday, October 25th offers up eleven local attractions to choose from including Haunted Overload (Lee, NH), Fright Haven (Stratford, CT),  DementedFX (Holyoke, MA) Fear Town (Seekonk, MA) and Barrett's Haunted Mansion (Abington, MA), and Field of Screams in RI.
Click for a complete list visit our Guide to which Haunted Attractions are Open Weeknights.





Which 13 Haunted Attractions are Open on Halloween Night?
It's not a given that New England haunted attractions will be open on Halloween, especially as the 31st lands on a Tuesday this year. There are thirteen attractions that WILL be open including Fright Haven in CT, and Field of Screams in RI, and in NH,  Haunted Overload rings in Halloween with Lights Out Night!



October is going by quickly and if you are scrambling to pack in more haunt visits, you'll want to check out our Guide to Haunted Attractions Open on Sunday Nights.
It's the last big weekend for many haunts to be open - find out which TWENTY-SEVEN haunts will be open this Sunday, October 28th including Trail of Terror (Wallingford, CT), Legends of Fear (Shelton, CT), The Haunted Graveyard (Bristol, CT), Fright Haven (Stratford, CT), Haunted Overload (Lee, NH), Scary Acres (Hope, RI), Field of Screams (East Greenwich, RI), 13th World (Cumberland, RI), Fear Town (Seekonk, MA),  Barrett's Haunted Mansion (Abington, MA), DementedFX (Holyoke, MA)




New England is packed with Halloween events on the biggest weekend of the season! It's a challenge to whittle down to our Top Picks when there are so many to choose from but we'll narrow it to our Top Picks below. You can always find the complete event listings for each New England state (plus CT and MA have Family-Friendly Event Guides) on our website Halloween New England.

Massachusetts
The Bay State will be busy busy busy!
Wednesday the 24th offers up Lizzie Borden and the Forty Whacks a free theatrical performance by the Delvena Theatre Company at the Boxford Library and you can also catch a matinee of Lizzie Borden on Saturday at the Braintree Library!
Thursday is the weekly haunted house-dinner combo Bite and Fright at Barrett's Haunted Mansion.
Friday and Saturday the 26th and 27th are your last two chances for showing off your Charleston, conjuring your fanciest flapper or showcasing your inner gangster at the vintage Halloween Party of the season - The Haunted Speakeasy at the Bull Mansion in Worcester.
North Shore Halloween lovers will want to check out Saturday's costumed festivities at The Mummy: A Castle Hill Halloween Party held on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA.  Loosely based on the 1932 movie The Mummy, this is an interactive Halloween theatrical party where 1920s attire encouraged!
On Saturday in Easthampton, dress up as your favorite write and party at the Dead Writers Dance - Literary Halloween party.

On Friday in Waltham, it's the return of Frightful Friday Ghost Stories inside the darkened 1806 Gore Mansion which serves as the perfect setting for an evening of spooky tales and haunted activities.
On Saturday, October 27th in Jamaica Plain's Minton Stable Community Garden you'll find the kid-friendly Ghouls in the Garden - a non-spooky Halloween celebration in the garden, complete with piƱatas, crafts, and apple cider pressing!

Saturday is also you final opportunity to experience a guided Lights-On Tour of Barrett's Haunted Mansion in Abington, MA for only $10.

If you're near Walpole, you'll enjoy more family Halloween fun at Pumpkins in the Park: Nocturnal Tales and Treats at Francis William Bird Park on Saturday with their beloved annual pumpkin decorating & carving contest, a pumpkin-lit “nocturnal trail", Halloween-themed games & activities, parade, spooky music & more!
On Saturday, Oct. 27th you can celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Hocus Pocus with the Hex-a-long Hocus Pocus in Norwell where you can catch an interactive screening of this classic flick and are invited to sing, cheer, and scream-along ...and costumes are welcome!
Grab your friends and head to the Halloween Lip Sync Battle and Costume Contest at Grendel's Den in Cambridge.


Saturday morning kicks off with the costumed Devil's Chase 6.66 Miler in Salem so you can bank some exercise points before your evening debauchery. 

Be sure to bring a non-perishable food item with you for your admission on Saturday and Sunday (plus Halloween night) to experience Voodoo on the Bayou a local home haunted house presented by Nightmare Marlborough.

At noon in Faneuil Hall in Boston is the Halloween Pet Parade & Costume Contest

In Great Barrington on the afternoon of Sunday, October 28th you can find Bram Stoker's DRACULA - live radio drama at Bard's College at Simon's Rock.
It's another Halloween weekend highlight on Sunday at Grendel's Den in Cambridge with Heartpounders: Halloween Tales of Horror with Odds Bodkin where Bodkin reveals supernatural tales from Colonial America, French Canada, China, and Russia.
Saturday night at midnight begins the 18th Annual Horror Movie Marathon (12 hours) Featuring "Alien" and "The War of the Worlds" (1953) plus FIVE more Film Screenings at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline.
On Sunday, at Salem's Hawthorne Hotel is The Mourning Tea: Remembering the Dead high-tea Victorian-era inspired event.
In Salem at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Tuesday, October 30th it's Devil's Night at Barrett's Haunted Mansion in Abington, MA where you can brave their first-ever evening with physical contact, complete terror, and pure chaos at this limited ticket event. Both haunted attractions will be open during this event and customers must be 16 years of age or older to participate (including parental permission required for those under 18). Advanced tickets are required. 
Also on Tuesday you can experience Dining with the Dead at Sturbridge Publick House with Paranormal Investigators Thomas D'Agostino and his wife Arlene for an exclusive hands-on investigation of the most haunted rooms within the Publick House.
On Halloween Night, horror lovers are being served up "Halloween" and "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" double feature horror film screening at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline.

Connecticut
In Granby, on Saturday and Sunday, don your costume and head to an 18th-century prison for Halloween at Old New-Gate prison  where you can find performances by the Marquis of Granby Ancient Fyfe and Drum Corps, a children's costume parade, Revolutionary re-enactors, Old New-Gate stories with a spooky twist, face painting, and other activities during this early-evening event for adults and kids alike.

There are only 3 more chances to channel your best zombie before the Halloween Night Thriller Flash Mob Performance in New Milford, CT so be sure to swing by one of the three remaining Thriller Flash Mob Rehearsals coming up Saturday and Sunday, Oct 27th and 28th and Monday the 29th.
Friday, October 26th in Middletown is the Wadsworth Mansion Halloween Bash - a 21+ costume party fundraiser held at the Long Hill Estate.

In Wethersfield Saturday and Sunday, you might hear some spine-tingling yet historically accurate tales during "Up Close and Creepy: Witches and Tombstones Tours" at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum.
For more haunted history, on Saturday you will find the Hallowed History Lantern Tour at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford and Thursday through Saturday at the Mark Twain House and Museum there is also three chances to catch the Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours filled with haunted history, dark tales, and Victorian traditions surrounding seances and spiritualism--and not suitable for children .

It's also your final weekend to visit the Pumpkin Patch at the Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor open Friday through Sunday which includes trolley rides, pumpkin picking, pumpkin decorating, children's play area and more! Stick around East Windsor and you can return for a very different kind of Halloween event at the Trolley Museum, - Rails to the Darkside haunted trail at night.
On Sunday at noon in Kent, you can burn off some candy calories at the Kent Pumpkin Run on Sunday--a costumed 5-mile walk/run!
Find a complete list on our Family-Friendly Halloween Event Guide.
On Halloween night our top picks include the aforementioned Thriller Flash Mob Performance in New Milford and the Goth Prom Halloween Party fundraiser billed as "a true Prom experience for the dark at heart" which also serves as a fundraiser to support the great work at Spark Makerspace!

New Hampshire

On Friday and Saturday in Portsmouth, you can find the family-friendly Ghosts on the Banke festivities held at the historic Strawberry Banke Museum.
Friday night in Canterbury's Shaker Village you can enjoy ghost stories and tales of otherworldly encounters at Spirit Encounters.
Rouse yourself out of bed on Saturday morning to run the Haunted Hustle 5K Fun Run in Bethlehem.
It's the final weekend to support the local fundraising haunted attraction The Salisbury Woods Haunted Barn and Trail in Salibsury, NH.
For another round of costumed revelry, on Halloween night in Portsmouth, you can celebrate the season at the decidedly adult-focused Portsmouth Halloween Parade

Rhode Island
Wednesday and Thursday, October 24th and 25th are Super Hero Nights at the Roger Williams Zoo where you might meet Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man!
Saturday and Sunday welcome the return of Spooky Zoo for family-friendly seasonal activities and zoo-wide trick or treating at Roger Williams Zoo in Providence.
Thursday through Saturday night you can check out Underland: Immersive Haunted House Experience in Pawtucket and their Saturday night event offers a special end-of-the-night costume party!
Friday night at Newport Vineyards in Middletown is the annual Halloween CarnEvil Costume Party with circus performers, a fortune teller machine, and "Creepy Cocktails".
Saturday night is the Pumpkin Stroll at Wilcox Park in Westerly and the Twilight Tour at Casey's Farm Cemetery in Saunderstown and the Historical Ghost Walk at North Burial Ground in Providence.
Saturday at Bristol's Audobon Center is The Perfect Pumpkin Party featuring tons of kid-friendly games like pumpkin ring toss, sticker pumpkin patches, and a scavenger hunt for pumpkins hidden in the refuge.

Maine
In Bangor, on Saturday you're invited to don your graveyard attire and join the undead for the Bangor Zombie Walk. Portland you will find many events happening this Halloween weekend. In Kennebunk on Saturday is the All Souls Walk featuring midday narrated tours through Hope Cemetery.
Wednesday through Saturday, plus Monday, at the Wadsworth-Longfellow "Haunted House" in Portland you can check out tours of the historic home based on Longfellow's poem "Haunted Houses" - they'll be providing a family-friendly version of the tour and a separate adult tour.

Vermont
Saturday in Vermont will deliver plenty of Halloween fun starting with the Newport Halloween Monster Bash and cold-water Vampire Swim.


In Essex Junction, VT is another Halloween Hustle 5K and Kids Race so don your costume and sneaks to burn off all that pre-Halloween candy snacking (yes, everybody does it...).
More family-focused events happening Sunday starting with the Shelburne Museum Trick or Treating Haunted Happenings in Shelburne and in Woodstock is the Family Halloween at Billings Farm and Museum.

On Monday night at Maple Street Park in Essex Junction, you'll find the pathways lighted by carved Jack o' lanterns of all sizes and shapes at The Great Pumpkin Walk and all are invited to drop off their own pumpkin earlier in the day if they wish to participate.

Where has Halloween New England been lately?
We spent a wonderful Friday night doubleheader in New Hampshire at Haunted Overload (Lee, NH) where we got there early enough to enjoy the Daytime Haunt and stay for the nighttime show. On the same night, we headed to Haunted Acres (Candia, NH) to take in this multi-attraction haunt for their farewell season. On Saturday night we headed to southern NH for our first visit to The Dark Crop haunted corn maze at Lavoie's Farm (Hollis, NH) where we've never seen scare actors having more fun scaring the pants off people than here! On Sunday we lined up another two-fer haunt night at 13th World (Cumberland, RI) and Fear Town haunted house (Seekonk, MA) which is always one of our favorite double-header haunt nights every season--and this season lived up!
As always, we especially loved meeting some crazy haunt-going fans--including fans who remembered meeting us years ago!-- there who spend their Halloween season much in the way we do!

Where is Halloween New England headed this weekend?
We've got an ambitious Halloween week lined up and we hope to fit everything in! We've penciled in the National Theatre performance of Frankenstein screening at our local AMC theatre, Cirque of the Dead at OBERON in Cambridge, MA, and hopefully Underland in Providence, RI. We'll see if the weather accommodates us because we have a few more places circled too!



Visit Halloween New England's home page for contest details.

Congrats to Jenna Guanci and Courtney McQuaid who won tickets to Fear Town Haunted House, Kim Choquette won the combo tickets to check out the final weekend of The Haunted Graveyard,  Ariedne Velez and Kathleen Durant each won tickets to the Jack O' Lantern Spectacular,  Julia Hoover scored tickets to Vengeance in the Valley, Mike Rossi scored tickets to 13th World,  Vanessa Young and Ami Barry each won a $25 certificate in merchandise from CostumaniaDalmary Santiago and Deltra Kroemer won tickets to Legends of FearNina Camuso, Harrison Ingham, and Noel Macy won tickets to Haunted Overload, and  Tina Taylor won tickets to Barrett's Haunted Mansion!


We're thrilled to have teamed up again with the uber-talented The Pixel Perfection: After Dark whose incredibly creepy and inspiring haunt photos populate the guides again this year. As always, we know you love their photos...just please don't steal their photos! Why not just follow them on Facebook or Instagram or hire them to capture your Halloween attraction or event?

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