Halloween New England Top Picks for September 28th-October 4th, 2017

With October arriving over the weekend, we are ready to celebrate the season! Bring on the scares, the thrills, the traditions, the lights, the trails, the displays, and yes, bring on the candy!

Halloween New England has you covered all season long our Top Picks, highlights for the weekend, special events not to be missed, contests, and other essential info to keep you on top of everything this Halloween.

Barrett's Haunted Mansion - Dare to Scare ALS Fundraiser night!

As one of New England's longest running haunted attractions, Barrett's Haunted Mansion continues to raise the bar each season. With over two decades of haunting, Barrett's now features a second attraction--the Haunted Compound--in addition to their beloved and ever-changing Haunted Mansion.

Barrett's also has the distinction of being home to Klown 1 who we're pretty certain might be the most terrifying clown on this planet (featured on the left-side photo) which compels some of us here at Halloween New England to attempt to make it through this memorable haunt with our eyes closed--something we are not at all proud of...at all.

Evil clowns aside, the folks at Barrett's are a generous bunch and they're hosting a big fundraiser Thursday, September 29th where all proceeds from tickets will be donated to ALS ONE! It's an event worth moving mountains to attend and it's one night only! The $30 tickets include the Haunted Mansion and Haunted Compound and they go on sale at the ticket booth at 6pm, doors open at 7pm. 

Costumania's Big Kids Costume Sale - 20% off Kids Costumes Oct 1st-7th

New Hampshire's own year-round costume store Costumania has a big sale coming up. They're offering 20% off all kids costumes purchased at their retail store during their week-long sale running October 1st-7th. Situated right off Rte 89 and very close to Rte 91, their huge new store in West Lebanon has everything from wigs, makeup, costume props, character supplies, and thousands of costumes for kids, adults, and any character you can dream up. Costumania is a small family owned business in West Lebanon, NH which operates as a year-round costume store since 1994. The 20% off kids costumes sale is available at their retail store only, not online. If you do decide to shop their online store you can use the Halloween New England exclusive online coupon for 10% off online purchases over $25 with promo code “HNE603”. 

Top Event Picks for the Upcoming Week

Connecticut

It's Time Traveler's Weekend at the CT Renaissance Faire and the highlight will certainly be the Doctor Who Cosplay Costume Contest taking place this Saturday, Sept 30th.
If you're looking for a family-friendly seasonal activity, check out Pumpkintown USA in East Hampton, CT where kids can enjoy a non-scary adventure through different decorated village scenes and take a hayride into the Pumpkintown forest.

Massachusetts 

Last year a new Halloween tradition was born at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA which is host to an immersive theatrical production The Sleepy Hollow Experience which is back again for a 5-week run on the grounds of this living history museum. Check them out Wednesday through Sunday nights and advance tickets are a must.

Haverhill Library is the place to be for free horror flicks this month! They have Movie Monster Monday Nights and Classic Spooky Matinees on Tuesday afternoons nearly every week in October starting Oct 2nd.

Halloween is the perfect excuse for kids to get messy and on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd they can do so in the name of science! Check out Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Science at the Discovery Museums in Acton, MA for some afternoon family fun. Click for more family-friendly Halloween events in MA.

Rhode Island

In scenic Portsmouth, RI you'll find Escobar Farm hosting their annual Pumpkin Festival in Lou's Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, September 30th (rain date Oct 1). Also, on Saturday, Sept 30th (rain date Oct 1) Frerich's Farm in Warren will host their Halloween Party for Individuals with Autism and their families with a pirate ship, scavenger hunt, western town, bubble table, and food.

Maine

If you're in the Wells area on Saturday, September 30th bring your whole family to the Punkinfiddle Family Festival for some pumpkin painting, scarecrow making, crafts, music, games, and a walk on the beach!

New Hampshire

Saturday, September 30th kicks off the first of two weekends of the annual Pumpkin Festival at Charmingfare Farm in Candia, NH. With sack races, pumpkin spoon races, a pumpkin rolling contest, and horse-drawn rides, there are tons of activities to be enjoyed on this vibrant farm for families with younger kids.

What have we been up to? Where are we headed?

While it's early in the New England haunting season, Halloween New England took a pilgrimage to Atlanta last weekend to visit the acclaimed Netherworld Haunted House. We had an incredible visit with a peek behind the scenes, met the staff, crew, and actors, and loved talking to the many people who have helped sustain that haunt for 21 years and continue to set the bar so high among large-scale professional haunts. We loved every aspect of the event from the two attractions, to the outdoor festivities, to the gift shop. We can't thank the Netherworld crew enough for showing us their southern hospitality!
We've got plans to swing through Barrett's Haunted Mansion this weekend and we'll be doing one last out-of-New-England haunt visit to see Headless Horseman Haunted Hayride this Saturday. After this weekend it will be all-New England all-the-time and we just can't wait!

More Incredible Contests!

We've got seven contests right now on Halloween New England.

Ending soon: WIN a pair of tickets to the special invite-only night at Haunted Overload in the woods of Lee, NH; Win a VIP experience to Be a Monster for a Night at Creeperum Haunted House in Hamden, CT! Enter here for both.
New Contests: Since last week we've added your chance to win $20 in merchandise from Costumania in West Lebanon, NH and a contest for a pair of tickets to Vengeance in the Valley Haunted Hayride and Maze in Guilford, VT. Fright Haven in Stratford, CT is giving away a ticket for you and FIVE of your friends to celebrate the season together at their haunted attraction this October, and we've got a four-pack of tickets to see Fields of Screams' three haunted attractions in West Greenwich, RI. Enter soon to win a four-pack of tickets to the Jack-o-lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI.
Stay tuned for more contests being added through the weekend including another chance to win a pair of Speed Passes to see Haunted Acres' five attractions in Candia, NH and a contest to win tickets to see what Fear Town Haunted House has in store for you this season.

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

Congrats to Sarah Lemoine who won a pair of Speed Pass tickets to Haunted Acres, Rob Rogers, Shannon St. Ours and Crystal Murray each won a four pack of tickets to 13th World,  Jason Morey, and Michelle Curran won a pair of tickets to Fear Town!

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 on Sunday Nights.

Haunted Houses, Trails, Haunted Hayrides, and Night Corn Mazes opening Friday, September 29th:

Fear Town (MA)

The Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce (CT)
Creeperum (CT)
Haunted Labyrinth (RI)
Seven Cedars Haunted Hayride (RI)
Witch's Woods (MA) - House and Haunted Hayride
The 7-1-5 Haunted House (MA)
The Monster Mash Haunted Hayride (MA) - Haunted Hayride 
DementedFX (MA)
Ghost Ship Harbor (MA) 
The Haunted Isle (CT)
Dark Manor (CT)
Fright Kingdom (NH)

Haunted Houses, Trails, Haunted Hayrides, and Night Corn Mazes opening Saturday, September 30th:

Trail of Terror (CT) 

Legends of Fear (CT) - Trail and Haunted Hayride
13th World (RI)
Haunted Acres (NH)
Nightmare Acres (CT)
Screeemfest at Canobie Lake Park (NH)
Factory of Terror Worcester (MA)
Factory of Terror Fall River (MA) 
Factory of Terror West Warwick (RI) 

Haunted Houses, Trails, Haunted Hayrides, and Night Corn Mazes opening this Sunday, October 1st:

13 Nights at Jiminy (MA)

*as always, if the weather is lousy it's wise to double check that the event is open as some may close for inclement weather

In case you missed it... Haunted Houses, Trails, Haunted Hayrides, and Night Corn Mazes already open:

Barrett's Haunted Mansion (MA)

Fright Haven (CT) 
FrightFest at Six Flags New England (MA)
Marini Farm Corn Maze (MA) – non-haunted Flashlight Corn MazeThe Ghoullog (NH)
Nightmare New England / SpookyWorld (NH)
Coppal House Farm (NH) – non-haunted Flashlight Corn Maze
Devil's Playground Haunted Walk (NH)
The Ghoullog (NH)

We're thrilled to have teamed up again with New England's own 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 instead or hire them to capture your Halloween attraction or event?