Halloween New England Top Picks for October 5th -11th, 2017

Happy October everyone! After 11 months of waiting and counting down the days, our favorite month is here at last! Even better, it both looks and feels like October ought to. With the long weekend upon us, there are plenty of night activities, attractions, and events that are open for you to take full advantage of another memorable month in New England.

Top Event Picks for the Upcoming Week

Rhode Island

Tonight (Thursday, Oct 5th) is the Opening Night for the annual Jack O' Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park and Zoo in Providence, RI! This pumpkin festival features a jaw-dropping number of carved jack o' lanterns on display fitting a different arcing theme every year. Held 7 nights a week from October 6th through Nov. 6th, you'll be treated to a breathtaking display of carved pumpkins and pumpkin displays, It's a perfect way to spend a crisp fall evening and you still have time to try your luck at winning a pair of tickets on the Halloween New England website. Details about the Spectacular.

On Saturday, October 7th you can also swing by Frerich's Farm to take part in their Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off which includes live music, a morning pumpkin drop, day-long farm activities, and the weigh-off takes place at noon.

Connecticut

Friday, October 6th is the first of nine nights the Graveyard Shift Ghost Tour in Hartford, CT with be offered this month. With multiple nightly tours for each date, it's an annual event worth checking out. Saturday, October 7th is the return of Night Fall Hartford--an outdoor, family-friendly, early evening event that culminates with a performance featuring breathtaking, giant, illuminated puppets.
In Lebanon this 3-day weekend, stop in for All Hallows Weekend festivities at the CT Renaissance Faire where Saturday they'll host a Kids Costume Contest and if you're attending the faire on Monday you'll definitely want to enter their Day of the Dead Costume Contest.

Massachusetts 

Salem is where it's at this weekend with some top-notch events to start your October off right. Thursday, October 5th is the much-anticipated Grand Parade to kick off this year's month-long Salem Haunted Happenings. Starting Friday, Salem's House of the Seven Gables will open their play "The Legacy of the Hanging Judge" which is held inside the historic property and has multiple performances a night. Saturday night offers up a free outdoor screening of "Ghostbusters" held  on the Salem Common.
Sunday in Salem welcomes back the 3rd annual Howl-o-ween Pet Parade to Derby Square. This is a free event for spectators and all species of participants but if you plan to enter your furry one in the parade would need to register their pet to be eligible for contest judging.
There are lots of horror-film screenings going on throughout the month but our three picks for this weekend are all being held at CinemaSalem: "Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood" on Saturday night, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" on Sunday night, and "They Live" on Monday night.

Salem travel tip: If you're not already familiar with taking the train (MBTA commuter rail) into Salem then you are missing out--it's the easiest way to get in and out and save yourself any parking drama. We like to park at the Swampscott MBTA station and take the train 1 stop into Salem. It's a quick walk from the Salem station into the downtown area and the MBTA even adds extra trains during the last weekend of October.

On Saturday, October 7th the Haverhill Library is hosting a free performance of "Jack the Ripper" from the Delvena Theatre Company (suitable for age 12y and up).
Every Tuesday in October, the Boston Public Library is screening classic horror films at their South Boston branch. This Tuesday you can enjoy "The Mole People" (1956).

Maine

All weekend long Damariscotta will welcome visitors from every corner for their annual Pumkinfest and Pumpkin Regatta. With pumpkin dessert contests, pumpkin drops, giant pumpkin parades and more, and pumpkin catapults, the star of the weekend is the Pumpkin Derby on Sunday where participants paint, decorate, theme-out, and engineer giant 400-700 Lb pumpkins into boats to race one another in the harbor. With two racing categories--motorized and non-motorized, this is always a highlight of the long weekend every year in Maine.

New Hampshire

Scenic New Hampshire is hosting several pumpkin events this weekend including the weekend-long Pumpkin Festival in Milford and PumpkinFest at DeMeritt Hill Farm held Saturday and Sunday, in Lee. 

During the entire month of October, you can tour the Plainfield Pumpkin People which is a neighborhood display of over 200 pumpkin "people" along Rte 120 in Plainfield. You can observe them daily during normal daytime hours while you are in the are for leaf-peeping.

Vermont

Cedar Circle Farm is celebrating our favorite squash with their annual Pumpkin Festival! Here you'll find horse-drawn wagon rides, pumpkin picking, educational activities, self-guided farm tours, and a super tasty seasonally inspired food options at the concession stand. Join in the fun on Sunday, October 8th at their East Thetford farm. 

Where is Halloween New England headed this week?

Coming on the heels of our visit to the Sleepy Hollow Experience last night, we've got an ambitious weekend lined up with our Connecticut tour!
We have plans to see Fright Haven (Stratford, CT), Creeperum (Hamden, CT), Legends of Fear (Shelton, CT), The Haunted Graveyard (Bristol, CT), and Trail of Terror (Wallingford, CT).

Where has Halloween New England been lately?

We wrapped up September with a return visit to Barrett's Haunted Mansion in Abington, MA which always sets the bar so high and we took our first trip to see Headless Horseman Haunted Houses and Hayride in Ulster Park, NY. (Don't worry, that was our last outside-of-New-England haunt trip for the remainder of the season). Last night we had a wonderful time in Sturbridge, MA at the Sleepy Hollow Experience --a fascinating, entertaining, and magical musical interpretation of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Set outdoors amongst the historical buildings on the property of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA. this was an event circled on our list for this season ever since we couldn't fit it in last year.

Looking for a Guide to Which Haunted Attractions are Open Sundays? If you love to plan your October weekends ahead like we do and want to check out haunted attractions on an off-peak night, we've compiled our essential Guide to Haunted Attractions Open on Sunday Nights.

We've got eight contests right now on Halloween New England - many of them went live today!
It's your last chance to win a pair of Speed Passes to Haunted Acres (NH), and you can try your hand at winning a 4-pack of tickets to Field of Screams (RI) or a 4-pack for 13th World (RI). We've just posted new chances to win a pair of tickets from Fear Town Haunted House (MA) and Vengeance in the Valley (VT).
Our invite-only contests are over but you can still win a pair of general admission tickets to see Haunted Overload (NH) and there's a new chance to win admission for two to see the Jack O' Lantern Spectacular (RI). Visit Halloween New England's home page for contest details.

Congrats to Jeremy Cotter who won an incredible ticket prize for him and five of his friends to see Fright Haven (CT), Bob Secondi won the Be a Monster for a Night VIP Experience at Creeperum (CT), Ashley Volkens won a pair of tickets to Fear Town Haunted House (MA) and Vanessa Young won her way into the special invite-only night at Haunted Overload!

Haunted Houses, Trails, Haunted Hayrides, and Night Corn Mazes opening Friday, October 6th:

Field of Screams Haunted House and Hayride (RI)
Vengeance in the Valley (VT) Haunted Hayride and Haunted Corn Maze 
Haunted Tunnel at Slater Park (RI)
Dead North (VT) - Haunted Corn Maze
Hysteria at Connors Farm (MA) – Trail and non-haunted Flashlight Corn Maze
Century Hayride and Spooky Walk (MA) 
Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm (CT) – non-haunted Flashlight Maze

Haunted Houses, Trails, Haunted Hayrides, and Night Corn Mazes opening Saturday, October 7th:

The Dark Crop (NH) - Haunted Corn Maze
Harvest of Horrors (MA) - Trail and Haunted Hayride

Haunted Houses, Trails, Haunted Hayrides, and Night Corn Mazes opening this Sunday, October 8th:

Haunted Halloween Havoc (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:

Trail of Terror (CT) 
The Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce (CT)
Creeperum (CT)
Legends of Fear (CT) – Trail and Haunted Hayride

Fright Haven (CT) 

Barrett's Haunted Mansion (MA)
Fear Town (MA)
13th World (RI) 
Haunted Acres (NH)

The 7-1-5 Haunted House (MA)
DementedFX (MA)
The Monster Mash Haunted Hayride (MA) - Haunted Hayride 
Witch's Woods (MA) - House and Haunted Hayride
Ghost Ship Harbor (MA) 
13 Nights at Jiminy (MA)
Marini Farm Corn Maze (MA) – non-haunted Flashlight Corn MazeFrightFest at Six Flags New England (MA)
Factory of Terror Worcester (MA)
Factory of Terror Fall River (MA) 
The Ghoullog (NH)
Fright Kingdom (NH)
Screeemfest at Canobie Lake Park (NH)
Nightmare New England / SpookyWorld (NH)
Beans and Greens Farm Haunted Corn Maze (NH)
Coppal House Farm (NH) – non-haunted Flashlight Corn Maze
Nightmare Acres (CT)
The Haunted Isle (CT)
Dark Manor (CT)
Factory of Terror West Warwick (RI) 
Haunted Labyrinth (RI)
Seven Cedars Haunted Hayride (RI)

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?