As we round into the final weeks of October there are more events than ever-- both in-person and virtual - to mark the celebration of your favorite time of year. There are even plenty of events happening on weeknights, mostly virtual, to feed your Halloween mood and to keep you in a spooky state of mind as you slide into the weekend.
You will have more than enough options to celebrate Halloween
your way - whether it be taking jaw-dropping Jack O' Lanterns, online costume classes, ghost tours, spooky storytelling events, contests, online how-tos, pumpkin events. 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 to get you right into Halloween week.
Spooky Zoo and Sensory-friendly nights at The Jack O'Lantern Spectacular
Families will want to join the festivities at the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI this Saturday and Sunday, October 23rd and 24th is the return of the beloved
Spooky Zoo with daytime outdoor autumn activities for the whole family.
Trick-or-treat on the Treat Trail inside the zoo beginning at 10:00am. All Spooky Zoo activities are free with Zoo admission. All activities are weather permitting and while supplies last.
It's also the final week and a half to catch the atmospheric and mesmerizing
Jack O'Lantern Spectacular which is open every night through Sunday, October 31st at the Roger Williams Zoo.
A wonderful addition to this year's Spectacular is the new
Sensory-friendly Night at the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular which is offered one hour before the trail opens to the public. Designed for those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing differences (and their families!) the over 5000 pumpkins will light up the Zoo’s Wetlands Trail, but without the environmental music or special effects. Find Sensory-friendly nights from 5:00pm-6:00pm on Tuesday, October 26th and Wednesday, October 27th.
Burial Ground Paranormal Investigations over Halloween weekend!
Join
Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours in Mystic, CT on Saturday, October 23rd for two very special Halloween Week interactive paranormal investigations of the historic Whitehall Burial Ground.
The annual
Whitehall Burial Ground Paranormal Investigations begin in Mystic just before the clock strikes midnight. Haunted by specters from the 17th-19th centuries, guests will utilize real ghost hunting and paranormal equipment as they set forth on a quest to interact with those who walked Mystic's past. The investigation even includes a mini version of their Cemetery Tour!.
These investigations sell out every year so get your tickets ASAP for the Saturday, October 23rd, and October 30th events.
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.
Still Time to Find Costumes for Halloween Events, Parties, and Masquerades!
Halloween New England makes it a snap 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 so you're never left in the lurch finding the perfect details for your costume.
Celebrate the full moon this Thursday, October 21st with evening hikes guided by lunar light--a perfect way to slow down and enjoy the sights and smells of being outdoors in October.
Check out the
Full Moon Hike at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA, and the
Moonlight Hike at World's End in Hingham, MA. Both are great opportunities to bond, get your kids outside under the stars, and share the joys of nature at night with your family. Pre-registration online is required.
The Vampyres invite you into the elegant space of Maison Vampyre in Salem, MA this Friday, October 22nd for an author meet and greet with
Coby Micheal, writer of The Poison Path Herbal.
Coby Michael is an author, researcher, teacher, and poisoner who is well versed in plant lore and ritual entheogens. With a background in religious studies, focusing on folklore and magick, he teaches numerous workshops on plant magick, esoteric herbalism, and the Poison Path.
On Friday, October 22nd in the afternoon, you are invited to discuss
"Rosemary's Baby" at Worcester Library HorrorFest in Worcester, MA. Other books and lore around this week's discussion theme on the devil will be explored. Ages 18 & up welcome.
Nocturnal Animal Pumpkin Trail is being held daily from Friday, October 22nd through next week at the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, North Andover, MA.
This year’s Nocturnal Animal Trail offers a display of pumpkins and lanterns, a story walk, and a nocturnal animal scavenger hunt to excited your little ones along a safe and socially-distanced trail. Costumes are welcome!
You'll love the Concord Tour Company's atmospheric walk through two of Concord MA's oldest cemeteries as we explore everything about our graves from burial customs to iconography. The
Grave Addiction Cemetery Tour is a humorous and sometimes chilling look at the stories behind the stones. The tour route will walk for about 1-mile total over a combination of rough, uneven ground and some paved sidewalks in low light. These twilight tours are offered on Friday through Sunday at twilight during every weekend in October through Halloween.
Use promo code HALLNE2021 for 10% off Grave Addiction standard admission pricing.
Grave Detectives! for Kids & Families is an interactive discovery tour for kids and adults exploring the art, history, and sometimes funny stories behind the gravestones.
Grave Detectives! by
The Concord Tour Company, will introduce families to some of Concord MA’s oldest history that is hiding in plain sight at Old Hill Burying Ground. This tour will introduce kids to how to read gravestone iconography, how to use images to roughly date stones, and how the epitaphs convey information. This is a family-friendly tour suitable for kids 7y and up!
The final two dates to take this tour are this Saturday, Oct. 23rd, and next Sunday, Oct 31st!
Bonus! Use promo code HALLNE2021 for 10% off Grave Detectives standard admission pricing if you found us through Halloween New England!
Join Krochmal Farms in Tewksbury, MA for the annual
Trick-Or-Treat Horse-drawn Hayride with Costumed Characters on Saturday, October 23rd, and Sunday, October 24th. Taking place at a fully-functioning livestock farm, families are invited to a kid-friendly Halloween-themed horse-drawn hayride through the woods! The hayride will include several stops to feature your favorite costumed characters who'll be handing out candy to the kiddos. Families to get their kids all dressed up in their Halloween costumes for the ride to make the most of the festivities!
Enjoy the magic of a fall evening in New England, dry leaves underfoot, the moon above, autumnal lighting guiding pathways. There might not be a better way than visiting Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston for
Autumn Illuminated. You'll find this event being offered evenings on Thursday through Sunday, now through October 31st with a half-mile illuminated evening stroll through the gardens.
The lighted route through the gardens will highlight fall colors and provide a special after-dark stroll through the heart of Tower Hill Botanic Garden.
What have you been missing while you were being frightened out of your mind? Find out at
Lights On Tour at Barrett's Haunted Mansion with Guided tours behind the scenes of Barrett's Haunted Mansion in Abington, MA! You've always wanted to get a look behind the scenes at the notorious Barrett's Haunted Mansion's two attractions, costume, and makeup trailers, and more, now is your chance! In their 30th year, Barrett's haunts have outdone themselves and you won't believe the incredible detail scenes!
Only two more chances to attend - this Saturday, October 23rd, and next Saturday, October 30th from 2:00pm-4:00pm. The tours run between 30-40min.
As part of The Coolidge Corner Theatre's excellent Halloween season programming,
"An American Werewolf in London" is screening at their historic Brookline cinema on Saturday, October 23rd at midnight. You won't want to miss this classic horror film renowned for its special effects!
If you are on the North Shore this weekend, stop by Gloucester for the new program this year called
Creature Feature at Hammond Castle Museum which is a live presentation of Hammond's Genre Writings.
The Creature Feature is a two-part program that opens with a reading of “The Pet,” and spotlights a live adaptation of John Hays Hammond, Jr.’s never-before-seen play, “The Termite Monster,” both of which are a part of Hammond’s collection of creative stories.
Four performances per evening are offered Saturday, October 23rd and Tuesday, October 26th.
Connecticut Halloween Events (Full Guide)
For those who just want to be mildly spooked,
Spooky Night Lights On -Walk-through at Legends of Fear in Shelton, CT. Spooky Nights, Halloween Lights, No Serious Frights! On Thursday, October 21st, Legends of Fear welcomes guests to their Haunted Forest - this time
without the live scares or haunt actors!
In addition to nightly scares and screams at
The Dark Manor in Baltic, there are two additional events to highlight for them this week: Students get rewarded on Thursday, October 21st during
Student Night where it's $5 off admission with ID to this spooky outdoor haunted attraction and graveyard. For those not up for the scares and shrieks, you've got your first of two weekends to take in the "
Daytime Matinee Haunt" on Saturday and Sunday, October 233rd and 24th--a low-scare, daytime twist for some lighter Halloween fare starting at noon.
In West Hartford, on Thursday, October 21st learn history as you’ve never heard it before.
West Hartford Hauntings at the Old Cemetery, the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society’s spooky, theatrical cemetery tour returns! Your ghostly guide leads you on a lantern-lit tour of Old North Cemetery where you experience tales of death, disease, and real history.
The Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry has been around since 1776 which is more than enough time to acquire its fair share of ghost stories.
Things that Go Bump in the Night Candlelight Tour at the homestead is a special candlelight tour that will take you around the property. The moonlit evening tour will feature the Hale Staff’s spooky encounters as you may have seen featured on the Syfy channel’s Ghost Hunters. Tours are held on Thursdays and Fridays, now through October 29th.
Join Julie Griffin, photographer, writer, investigator, and medium, for her
Wicked Woods: Ghostly Photographs Lecture as she talks about her experiences photographing The Great Beyond! See her photographs and hear her amazing stories this Thursday, October 21st at Gallery 53 in Meriden.
Tap into your inner zombie - live out your 80's music video dreams! Learn your favorite Halloween zombie choreography when you join in on a
Michael Jackson's Thriller Mob - Rehearsal on Saturday, October 23rd, Sunday, October 24th, and Wednesday, October 27th. You'll learn a modified version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and you do not have to be a dancer! The more rehearsals you attend, the better, but you only need to attend one to learn and participate in the big performance.
The Thriller Mob is an annual event and they are always looking for Zombies (ages 13+) for an organized flash mob taking place on Halloween night in New Milford, CT at 6:30pm during "Trunk or Treat". This event will be filmed and produced for YouTube.
Get into the spirit of the season & meet the ghosts of New Londoners who have ghoulish stories to tell. Hear their tales and talk with them if you dare at
Hempsted Halloween in New London, CT on Saturday, October 23rd. Experience the city’s oldest house at twilight & make s’mores over an open fire.
The popular and fascinating
Elm Grove Cemetery Tour returns to Mystic this Sunday, October 24th. This special occasion graveyard walk hosted by the acclaimed
Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours invites you to discover the Elm Grove Cemetery. Learn about those who walked Mystic from the 1800's into the Gilded Age -- Sea Captains, Merchants, Civil War soldiers, World War I soldiers, those plagued by the Spanish flu, and the families that made Mystic what it is today. Learn of unique grave markings and walk with the spirits of Mystic's colorful past.
Limited space is available for this special afternoon tour.
Can you find your way out of the corn maze using just a flashlight, your instincts, and the light of the moon?
The Flashlight Maze at Wells Hollow Creamery in Shelton, CT is a non-haunted maze taking place on Friday & Saturday evenings this October!
Oddities Bazaar in Bridgeport, CT is happening this Sunday, October 24th, and will feature all local artists, crafters, and fine purveyors of curiosities, big and small. With everything from hand-made skull-shaped soaps, crystals, witchy accessories, and apparel, as well as new and vintage oddities, tomes, and curiosities this event will take place inside The Arcade. This event is free to attend, donations are welcome.
Pre-teens can be treated to some fun Halloween programming at the Henry Carter Hull Library in Clinton this Monday, October 25th at
Pumpkin Carving for Tweens. Be sure to register in advance as space is limited--pumpkins will be provided.
Come explore the haunts around the world and those in your own backyard with premiere storyteller Jeff Belanger who will be presenting
Ghosts and Legends on Thursday, October 21st in Conway. Jeff serves up different stories every time he offers this program, so even if you've been treated to one of his presentations before, this is sure to feel new. There will also be a Q&A and book signing.
Daytime Haunt at Haunted Overload is running through its two final weekends where you can visit this stunning, award-winning haunted attraction in the comfort of daylight without any actors or scares. Offered from 10am-4pm on Fridays through Sundays, this self-guided walk along the haunted trail will amaze you with its incredible Halloween creatures, treetop tall ghosts, haunt props, and other spooky scenes. Even suitable for kids who like scary things but don't want to
be scared...and the daytime event is perfect for that kind of experience. Enjoy the artistry and you are invited to take all the photos you want (and you
will want to).
See a live theater performance of Dracula" (theatre) at The Strand in Dover over the next two weekends - Friday-Sundays, October 22nd-24th and 29th-31st. Brought to you by NH's own Break a Leg Legally theatre company, this sounds like a fabulous evening of live theatre which is a wonderful way to fuel your Halloween mood. The play is intended for thrill-seeking theatre-goers and is appropriate for all groups.
Do you need some help on your costume look this season? Register for a
FREE Costume Building Night at Port City Makerspace in Portsmouth offered EVERY remaining Saturday in October from 5:00pm-8:00pm. Each October, Port City Makerspace offers Free
Costume-Building Nights to encourage people to go above and beyond for
their costume! Volunteers will be around to work on their costumes and help you
with yours. If you need help with tools or items in their shop, they can
help you operate the equipment or guide you through the workspaces. Many
tools are available for use for guests, like the following: 3D
Printers, Cricut Maker, Sewing Machines, Laser Cutter, Hotwire Cutter,
and lots of hand tools. FREE event but reserve your ticket and space. Suggested
donation for these nights is $5, and all donations will go to the
Portsmouth Halloween Parade.
Halloween Storybook Hayrides at DeMeritt Hill Farm
in Lee, NH on Saturday and Sunday, October 23rd and 24th for a special event geared toward younger children and featuring all of your littles' favorite storybook characters. You'll hear enchanted stories told while you bump along on a fun hayride through the nature trails and orchard. Each child will receive Halloween goodies and a pumpkin followed by a story read by Mother Goose-- and face painting too.
In Nashua, NH there is a beloved candyland trail that is twisted into a creepy walk through a nightmare...and it's free! It's called the
Spookville Haunted Trail and on Sunday, October 24th they are offering a
Sensory Friendly Day If you are looking for the full sounds/visual/scare experience you can check them out in the evening for their
full show.
The Spookville Haunted Trail is an open-air haunted trail where you can enjoy the sights and spooky fun for yourself. The event is free but donations are accepted to support the SCARE Costume Charity.
The Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI is past the halfway point --you are in your final two weeks to catch the atmospheric Jack-O'-Lantern Spectacular which is open 7 nights a week through Sunday, October 31st.
Don't forget to circle their special
Spooky Zoo daytime festivities occurring Saturday and Sunday, October 23rd and 24th. Spooky Zoo is a daytime Halloween extravaganza offering Halloween fun for the whole family! Children Trick or Treat throughout the Zoo beginning at 10:00am (while supplies last) getting the chance to visit the animals while picking up some goodies.
Bring the whole family for some out-of-this-world fun!
The Vampire Circus comes to Woonsocket on Friday, October 22nd for a fascinating presentation and fusion of cirque, theatre, comedy, and cabaret, The Vampire Circus features curious characters and death-defying acrobats from all over the globe to amaze you with their display of strength, balance, and special effects. The Vampire Circus is a show for all ages.
Looking for more kids' activities? Check out our
Family-friendly Halloween Events Guide for fun in RI.
Snacks and drinks are available for purchase. FREE admission and FREE popcorn!
Take the family for some trick or treating and lovely Billings Farm in Woodstock this Sunday, October 24th for the farm's annual Family Halloween.Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes and join the fun by participating in a costume parade--and even enter to win the costume contest. Kids will soon be in a Halloween mood after you hear spooky Halloween stories, visit the spooky Sunflower House, and make a spooky spider web necklace. Other fun will be taking place such as wagon rides around the farm and pumpkin bowling.
Presque Isle Haunted Hearse Tour asks the question- Are there really ghosts and lingering spirits in Presque Isle? Find out on Thursday, October 21st, or again on Halloween Night itself - Sunday, October 31st! This is a rain or shine event and it leaves from the historic Fire Station on Church St. Presque Isle.
Welcome the undead in the best way we know how -- you'll never defeat them so you might as well join the ranks of ravenous brain-eaters! The
Bangor Zombie Walk takes place this Saturday, October 23rd in mid-afternoon as you are invited to crawl, walk, stumble or drag yourselves through the streets of Bangor as you haunt the waterfront. Bonus - the Brewer witches will join in the seasonal fun, once again. for their annual Witches walk
Make the most of your remaining October weekends by checking out haunted attractions on a Sunday night! This weekend there are TWENTY-FOUR haunted attractions open this Sunday, October 24th.
Be sure to check out
Trail of Terror (Wallingford,
CT),
Legends of Fear trail (Shelton, CT),
Haunted Overload (Lee, NH)
13th World (Cumberland, RI),
Factory of Terror (Fall River, MA),
The Dark Manor (Baltic, CT),
Fear on the Farm at McCray's Farm (South Hadley, MA),
Fear Town (MA),
Barrett's Haunted Mansion (Abington, MA),
Terror at Quassy (Middlebury, CT) and
DementedFX (Holyoke, MA). Find the complete list of who'll be open at our
Sunday Night Haunt Guide!
Sundays often offer shorter lines and a more personal experience-- so what are you waiting for?
Which Haunted Attractions are Open on Weeknights this Week?If you are like us, you'll want to pack in as many haunts during October to take full advantage of the Halloween season and our Weeknight Guide was created with you in mind!
Wednesday, October 20- Wallingford's Nightmare on the Ridge (Auburn, ME)
Thursday, October 21st has 10 haunted attractions open including the trail at
Legends of Fear for
Spooky Night Lights (Shelton, CT),
Barrett's Haunted Mansion (Abington, MA)
The Dark Manor (Baltic, CT) with a special
Student Admission Deal,
Haunted Overload (Lee, NH),
Factory of Terror (Fall River, MA)
13th World (Cumberland, RI),
DementedFX (Holyoke, MA), plus three more!
Haunted Houses, Mazes, and Haunted Hayrides Opening Thursday, October 21st
Nightmare Vermont (CT)
Haunted Houses, Mazes, and Haunted Hayrides Opening Friday, October 22nd
CONTESTS: All Contests Wrapping up soon for the season! Act fast to enter!
We've got two contests live on Halloween New England - the number of contest opportunities is winding down to allow people enough time to enter, win, and redeem their tickets.
We've got a giveaway for a pair of tickets to
13th World in Cumberland, RI so enter ASAP before this contest ends!
Plan your spooky fun for next year when you score contest tickets to join
Block Island Ghost Tours in Block Island, RI through 2022!
Visit Halloween New England's
home page for contest details and links for entering to win!
Do you want to be a ghostbuster? Learn about the History of the Paranormal Nighttime Investigations on Friday and Saturday, November 12th and 13th in Lincoln, RI. As part of the weekend exhibit, there will be a paranormal investigation led by Brian Cano on Friday evening with two sessions, lasting two hours long each.
