Halloween New England Top Picks for October 27th - November 2nd, 2016

Here we are --officially counting down the nights on one hand until Halloween arrives. There is so much happening all during this week up to Monday night so you have a chance to fit your fair share of Halloween fun, Jack O' Lantern gawking, winning costume contests, and haunt-going into your free time. We don't envy you having to narrow down your agenda but we've whittled down some Top Picks for your Halloween week.

Four Nights Only - Boston's Rise of the Jack O 'Lanterns

The Boston premiere of Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns kicks off their 4-night run this Thursday, October 2th and runs through Sunday, October 30th. 

Being indoors, you can check it out during the day or night with a breathtaking exhibit of over 5,000 Jack O'Lanterns, carved giant pumpkins, pumpkin carving demos, full scale displays, and more Located inside the Boston Seaport World Trade Center--a truly enormous space--this will be an incredible, memorable event this Halloween season and we'll be there ourselves on Thursday night! Find more info (and a link to discount code).

Which Haunted Attractions are Open DURING this Week?

It's Halloween Week and there are four haunted attractions open Wednesday, October 26th including Fright Haven in CT and thirty-two open on Thursday, October 27th including Fear Town  and Haunted 20,000 Leagues in MA, Haunted Acres and Haunted Overload in NH, Fright Haven in CT, and House of the Dead in Maine. Click for a list of which haunts will be open weeknights.

Which 36 Haunted Attractions are Open this Sunday, October 30th?

Many haunts will be opening this Sunday, October 30th to help you make the most of your Halloween weekend. Visit Seven Cedars Haunted Hayride in RI, The Haunted Graveyard and Fright Haven in CT, Fright Fest at Six Flags New England, Haunted 20,000 Leagues, and Fear Town in MA, Haunted Overload and Haunted Acres in NH and House of the Dead in Maine.

Here is your complete guide to which Haunted Attractions are Open this Sunday, October 30th.

Which 26 Haunted Attractions are Open on Halloween Night?
It's not a given that New England haunted attractions will be open on Halloween, especial as the 31st lands on a Monday this year. There are twenty six that WILL be open including Ballroom of Horror at their new location and Fright Fest at Six Flags New England in MA, Haunted Overload features Fright Night Lite and Haunted Acres is holding a costume contest, and Seven Cedars Haunted Hayride in RI will be sending their hayrides deep into the pitch-black woods of Smithfield.

Top Event Picks for the Upcoming Week

Massachusetts

This state will be very packed with Halloween events, costume parties, ghost tours, and more over the next few days. We'll be at Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns this week and you can check it out too Thursday through Sunday in Boston. It's Frightful Friday Ghost Stories at Gore Mansion in Waltham and the Haunted Attic tours continue Thursday and Friday at the Old Manse in Concord. Saturday through Monday you can support haunters giving back to their community at Nightmare Marlborough's home haunt and bring with you a can of food for admission. Also Thursday through Sunday will be the Haunted House at Naumkeag in Stockbridge.

Get into the Halloween spirit in Walpole which will be hosting Pumpkin Carving in the Park during the early afternoon.

More family-friendly daytime fun includes Salem's Tricks, Treats, and Treasures on Monday and there is a Family Halloween Festival in Sandwich at the Heritage Museum and Gardens on Friday and Saturday.
In Somerville, the Ballroom of Horror opens on Thursday and runs trough Halloween and they'll host a Family Day on Sunday, Oct 30th.

Find TWO Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Cambridge at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology-- the adult celebration happens Saturday night and the family celebration will be held Sunday at noon.

In Newbury, MA on Sunday you might want to check out Cradle to Grave: Lamplight Tour of Coffin House and First Parish Burying Ground which is a nighttime haunted history tour complete with beer tasting.

Connecticut

On Friday you can find the Hallowed History Lantern Tour at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford and the Wadsworth Mansion Halloween Bash in Middletown. 

The Hale Homestead in Coventry will be treating you to an evening of spooky tales and refreshments at Things that Go Bump in the Night on Friday and in Norwalk on Friday through Sunday you can enjoy Ghostly Sightings at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum.

If you're a fan of the SyFy Channel's special effect make-up challenge Face Off then you will want to make a beeline to The Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce in Bristol where on Saturday Face Off contestant Tyler Green will choose 3 lucky customers to do their Halloween makeup!

In Bridgeport on Saturday, kids families may want to make a point to swing by Spooktacular! at the Discovery Museum and Planetarium and for adults on Saturday night the Connecticut Renaissance Faire transforms into Halloween Knights from 6:00pm onward in North Haven.

Halloween revelers might love to party at the Atomic Age Halloween a retro-themed event at the Lyric Hall in New Haven on Monday night. Your ticket gets you food, a DJ, live music, and many surprises.

Middlefield CT will also be home to this year's Vampire Ball which includes dinner, dancing, live music, and a cash bar. Naturally, you'll want to go all out with your costume if you want to compete for cash prize for best costume.


New Hampshire

On Halloween night at Haunted Acres in Candia you can enter their Annual Costume Contest to win cash prizes and you can even take $10 off general admission tickets when you wear a costume on that night!

Also on Halloween, Haunted Overload in Lee will feature their special Fright Night Lite which is a variation of their "regular" event. On Lite Night you can experience the full show inside the attraction but without the scares.

Friday night in Concord is the Haunted Mansion Masquerade for dancing, games, food, a bar, palm reading, mediums, portraits and more. 

Friday and Saturday in Portsmouth is the annual Ghosts on the Banke which is a family-friendly evening of ghostly tales, safe trick or treating, a costume parade, a bonfire and more.
If you're in the Portsmouth area any day or night leading up to Halloween, take a driving or walking tour of the 65 scarecrows across Portsmouth and the Pease Tradeport during Scarecrows of the Port.

Rhode Island

It's the final week and a half of Roger Williams Park Zoo's Jack O'Lantern Spectacular in Providence which runs nightly through Nov. 6th. At this zoo this weekend you will also find the family-friendly Spooky Zoo on Saturday and Sunday which features trick or treating, animal encounters, costumed characters, music and zoo admission. Another family event worth checking out is the A-Mazing Halloween Party at Escobar Farm's Corn Maze in Portsmouth on Saturday.

Don your best costume on Friday and head out to Newport Vineyards' Halloween CarnEvil in Middletown for a special Halloween party complete with costume contest, creepy cocktail hour, circus performers, a sideshow, tarot reading and live music (21+ event).

Maine

In Portland you will find many events happening this Halloween weekend. In York, Poe: Tales of Fear and Suspense is a theatrical dinner event on Monday October 31st (plus 4 nights in early November). Try Longfellow's "Haunted House" tour, reading, and adult beverages taking place nightly now through October 31st. At Port City Musical Hall, Prince lovers will celebrate his music at Purple Brainz: a Halloween Tribute to Prince on Saturday the 29th. Also on Saturday, if you are in Kennebunk, join in the All Souls Walk to partake in a cemetery tour and to soak up local haunted history. It will also be your last chance to catch the WICKED: Haunted Walk in Mexico, ME on Friday and Saturday.

Vermont

On Saturday in South Burlington, the Dark Circus Masquerade Ball might catch your eye with a costume contest for a $200 first prize, live performances, roaming circus characters, a DJ and even a special discount with your Nightmare Vermont ticket stub. For non-scary Halloween family fun, consider VINS Nature Center's Hoots and Howls event in Quechee on Saturday where you'll find snakes, owls, bones, gooey science experiments, storytelling, games, and crafts.

If you're lucky you can snag a seat on the Halloween Express Train Ride (non-scary) leaving from Burlington to Shelburne which features costumed characters, Halloween storytime, treats, and more during the 60-minute trip. 

Where has Halloween New England been lately?

We spent a wonderful Thursday night at Barrett's Haunted Mansion (Abington, MA) and loved the addition of The Compound. Friday brought torrential rain but nothing held Haunted Overload (Lee, NH) back on that night because everyone put on an incredible show despite the weather challenges. We were thrilled to fit in a trip to Haunted Hill in Cumberland, RI to wrap up our weekend and especially loved meeting some crazy haunt-going fans 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 Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns (Boston, MA) for their opening night Thursday, Haunted Acres (Candia, NH), 20,000 Leagues at 5 Wits (Foxborough, MA), The 7-1-5 Haunted House (Canton, MA), Vengeance in the Valley (Guilford, VT), Mike's Haunted Maze (Sunderland, MA), and Seven Cedars Haunted Hayride (Smithfield, RI). Fingers crossed that we can get everywhere we want to go!

Haunted Houses & Trails Opening Thursday, October 28th, 2016

Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns Boston (MA) - non-haunted Walk
Sandy River Farms (ME) – Haunted Corn Maze


Haunted Houses & Trails Opening Saturday, October 30th, 2016

Ballroom of Horror (MA)
Coppal House Farm (NH) – Spooky Corn Maze

Halloween New England Top Picks for October 13th - 19th, 2016

Halloween New England is a busy "place" right now--okay, technically we are in a not-too-special office--but the website is humming with new events being added every day and thousands of New Englanders checking it all the time for guidance about what is happening in their area. It's is always gratifying to see the response of activity on the website, the Facebook responses, and the blog feedback because it is just a reminder that our fans and followers share our obsession with Halloween thrills. We know we are not the only ones plotting and scheduling our night tours and haunted attraction adventures each and every weekend (and during the week too). We'll keep you ahead of the game with our guides and event listings so you won't miss anything special!

Top Event Picks for the Upcoming Week

This Saturday, October 15th is the Zombie Bike Ride in Nashua, NH complete with make-up artists on site to help turn you into the undead. Zombie Bike Ride details.

The Jack O'Lantern Spectacular in Providence is in full swing and they still have almost three more weeks to see their incredible display of Jack o'lanterns. Best of all, they are open 7 nights a week until Nov 6th so you really can find a date and time to fit in to go. Even better, this Saturday they offer their Intricate Pumpkin Carving Workshop. 

A ticket to this event will offer you 2 hours of instruction, allow you to try your new skills on your pumpkin, includes a buffet dinner, a ticket to the Jack O'Lantern Spectacular and the opportunity to skip right to the front of the line to enter! Details.

Friday in Worcester, MA offers a Halloween Hike at "Boo Meadowbrook" and also the weekend-long Rock and Shock.

All weekend Newburyport, MA will host a pair of annual Halloween events: On Friday you'll find Witches Night Out and their Great Pumpkin Lighting and Stroll will be held on Saturday.

For curious history-minded Halloween fans, the Hearthside House Museum in Lincoln, RI is hosting a fascinating annual exhibit called "Candlelight Tour: Gone but not Forgotten: Victorian Mourning Customs".
During the length of the exhibit, this historic home converts all ten of their preserved rooms into a representation of scenes from a 19th Century wake complete with Victorian funerary memorabilia on display, a wicker coffin, mourning clothing, jewelry crafted with pieces of the deceased's hair, and a selection of photographs of family members of the deceased who have posed for portraits with dead loved ones propped up.

Click here for details on the five dates you can catch the Gone but Not Forgotten exhibit throughout October.

On Saturday night, the Connecticut Renaissance Faire will transform into Halloween Knights which is described as a haunted village filled with photo-happy zombies, costume contests for kids and adults, safe trick or treating, jack o’ lanterns, moonlight shopping, mulled cider, pumpkin pie, a zombie dance" and the evening culminates with a haunted joust to the death. Halloween Knights is held on 3 nights only in October so click here for details and future Halloween Knights dates.

During the next 3 weekends Mystic, CT is hosting "Nautical Nightmares" a theatrical walking tour which explores legends, ghost stories, and unsolved mysteries. Click for details on Nautical Nightmares.

Next Monday marks the return of the week-long  Vortex: Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Film Festival in Providence, RI which will run October 17th - 23rd and features a selection of films from across the globe. You can find a schedule of films and links for tickets at our Vortex Festival event listing.

If you think you're not afraid of the dark (or even if you are), you may want to pop by Barrett's Haunted Mansion in Abington, MA this Tuesday, October 18th to experience one of their three Lights Out nights of the season.

A heads up: tickets are selling out fast for the new Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns in Boston later this month!

This breathtaking exhibit of Jack O'Lanterns will feature over 5,000 carved pumpkins, pumpkin carving demos, full scale displays, and more during their brief 4-night run (Thurs Oct 27-30th, 2016). Being held inside of the Boston World Trade Center at the Seaport--a truly gigantic space to fit this Rise's enormous event--you know this will be an incredible, memorable event this Halloween season.
Find more info (and a link to sign up for discount code) at our Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns Boston page.

Calling all Fans of The Walking Dead!

This Saturday, October 15th CT's The Haunted Graveyard will be hosting Sonequa Martin-Green "Sasha" from The Walking Dead for a special Meet & Greet! 

Ms. Martin-Green will be at The Haunted Graveyard with multiple opportunities to meet and engage with her fans – and she'll even be going through the haunted house with "Ultimate Fan Experience" ticket holders. Starting at 7:45pm there will be autograph signings and photos with Sonequa for Haunted Graveyard customers held near the haunt entrance (nominal extra fee for selfies and autographs) but there's a limited supply of tickets left for the chance to participate in the Meet & Greet!

The Meet & Greet ticket ($50) includes One (1) Adult Combo admission (rides and haunt) with Fast Pass Access, participate in a 1-Hour Session with Sonequa from 6:30-7:30pm in the Starlight Ballroom, Appetizers, a Q&A Discussion and a chance to mingle with “Sasha.” Find tickets for the 6:30pm Meet & Greet here.

Find Out Which Haunted Attractions are Open Weeknights!
The hardcore Halloween fans know that it's not enough to squeeze in your haunt-going fun on Friday and Saturdays. To really get the most from the short season, you'll be glad to know which haunted attractions are open on Monday through Thursdays and we have you covered with our Guide to Haunted Attractions are Open WEEKNIGHTS.

Our Guide to Which Haunted Attractions are Open Sundays
If you are looking ahead to plan your October weekends but want to check out haunted attractions on an off-peak night, we have your Guide to Haunted Attractions Open SUNDAY NIGHTS.

Where has Halloween New England been lately?
We had an absolute blast on our haunted attraction tour through Connecticut last weekend. a HUGE thanks to The Haunted Graveyard (Bristol, CT), Fright Haven (Stratford, CT), Creeperum (Hamden, CT), Legends of Fear (Shelton, CT),  and Dark Manor (Baltic, CT) for showing us a tremendous time, filling our weekend with screams and chainsaws, and for graciously hosting us at their haunts.

Where is Halloween New England headed this weekend?
Our weekend kicks off on Thursday at Ghost Ship Harbor in Quincy, MA for their Black Carpet event followed by a trip to Swansea, MA to see Almeida's The Bloodfields on Friday night. Saturday we'll be headed up to Hysteria in Danvers, MA, and on Sunday we will be in central MA at DementedFX at their new Holyoke location and possibly we'll squeeze in New England Scare Fest in Springfield too!

Contests Now Open 
We've got six NEW contests open on Halloween New England and we round past the mid-point of October, the contests will start winding down (to give you a chance to use the winning tickets).

Right now you will find ticket contests for Fear Town Haunted House in Seekonk, MA, Fright Fest at Six Flags New England in Agawam, MA, Haunted Overload in Lee, NH, Fright Haven in Stratford, CT, Haunted 20,000 Leagues in Foxborough, MA, and the Jack O'Lantern Spectacular in Providence, RI.


Recent Contest Winners
Congrats to Marha Houle who won a pair of Speed Pass tickets to Haunted Acres, Jean Waugespack won tickets to the Jack O'Lantern Spectacular, Kelly Lopez won tickets to Fright Fest at Six Flags New England, Tristan Gioia, Courtney McQuaid, Ryan Lee, Justin Woelfel, Nicole Eng, Crysania Bezio,m and Matt Kozak won their way into the special invite-only night at Haunted Overload, and Craig Miranda won a four pack of tickets to The Haunted Graveyard!

Haunted Houses & Trails Opening Thursday, October 13th, 2016

New England Scare Fest (MA)

Haunted Houses & Trails Opening Friday, October 14th, 2016

Haunted Overload (NH)

Lakeville Haunted House (MA)

Haunting at the Hollow (CT)

Haunted Houses & Trails Opening Saturday, October 15th, 2016

Fright at the Fort (ME)