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
Connecticut,
Maine,
Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
Rhode 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!
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.
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 piñatas, 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.
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.
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
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
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!
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?
In Rhode Island, it's the last full week to see the Jack O'Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence. The Spectacular is open every night through Sunday, November 4th.
