It’s the week leading up to Halloween, and we’ve scared up some frighteningly fun Halloween festivities every day this week! Party Halloween-style at Surf Taco’s Parent-Child Costume Party and Garden State Discovery Museum’s Halloween Hootenanny. No need to wait until Saturday to trick-or-treat. Collect early-bird goodies at Westville’s Trunk or Treat and Downtown Millburn’s Trick-or-Treat. Don’t forget to check out our Event Calendar, and for even more family-friendly activitiy guidance, subscribe to our newsletter!

This is it folks, just five more business days before All Hallows Eve. Here in Los Angeles, there is absolutely no reason why Halloween should be a one day event revolving around the acquisition and consumption of candy. While I confess my own house is on its second bag of candy corn, we have also managed to squeeze in several thematic excursions: Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary is a must do for older kids who like to be terrified; it starts haunted and gets scarier from there. Spooky, atmospheric, and worth the monumental wait is the Ghost Train in Griffith Park; arrive before dark or just as it's closing to avoid the most epic lines. Rise of the Jack O’ Lanterns is dark enough to be mildly spooky but still appeals to young ones (hold out for discounted tickets on Goldstar or elsewhere). And Bob Baker’s Marionettes always offer an enjoyable way to celebrate the holiday; Mr. Baker is no longer with us, but his Halloween Spooktacular continues.

Free Halloween activities this week include The Hollow Trees at Kids Club on the Green in Glendale, cartoonist Dave Boatman showing Studio City kids some spooky Halloween cartooning, and a Hotel Transylvania family picnic on the Promenade at Santa Monica's Cinema on the Street. Don't forget to pass by Boney Island in Sherman Oaks, too.

The week leading up to Halloween is packed with plenty of activities centered around the holiday, including pumpkin carving, costume parties and the annual Boat Burning at the Long Island Maritime Museum.

For even more fall fun, check out our Long Island Events Calendar, which is updated daily. And get the best of what's happening for the upcoming holiday with our Halloween Guide. You can also get the best events of the week sent directly to your inbox each week if you sign up for our newsletter.

The countdown to October 31 has begun! Events this week are pretty much all about Halloween. Our top picks for young children include everything from a family-friendly concert (pictured) to decorating a trick-or-treat bag for free.  For older kids looking for spooky fun, there's a play featuring some creepy witches. Even if you're spending all your free time preparing for a Halloween party or making last-minute costumes, here's to a ghostly week!

Be sure to keep your eye on the full Event Calendar for more happenings this week and beyond.

The main event isn't until Saturday, but there's Halloween fun to be had all over Connecticut this week. There are activities for kids of all ages and interests, from storybook characters to cooking to sea creatures. For even more options check out our Halloween and Fall Fun Guide and the jam-packed Event Calendar which is updated every day. Have a spooktacular week!

You might notice a theme in our top picks for weekday activities for Westchester families this week: It’s Halloween! Why wait for October 31, when there are so many spirited programs that set the mood?

Regardless of the occasion, a performance by this group is always both entertaining and educational, so consider the STEM-filled Mad Science Creepy Chemistry Halloween Show. For less zany entertainment, pull up a toadstool for some Spooky Tales, or get extra mileage from that costume you invested in at the indoor Halloween Parade.

There are oodles of really cool FREE Halloween programs happening all week, as well as the first of the Day of the Dead activities we rounded up. And if you need a departure from holiday-themed activities, know that our Event Calendar has a varied assortment of other fun happening all week and beyond!

Beginning this week, Mommy Poppins Philly provides Philadelphia families with a weekly round up of our top Weekday Picks, to keep the fun at your fingertips in between our weekend event picks. And, with less than seven days before the most exciting night of fall, Halloween, there are many options. Leading up to the big day, kids can participate in activities such as costume parades and trick-or-treat opportunities. Below are our top picks by day, but be sure to check out the Events Calendar for each day's complete listing.

Looking for fun photos at local, kid-friendly places? Check out our new Instagram page and follow us @mommypoppinsPHL! Plus, tag us @mommypoppinsPHL in any of your Instagram photos of adorable kids' Halloween costumes!

Good grief! The Peanuts Movie, the first-ever 3D feature film based on Charles M. Schulz's beloved cartoon characters, hits theaters next month and to celebrate, the studio is sponsoring Snoopy-themed kid activities throughout NYC starting this Saturday, October 24. Whether your children are already fans from watching those classic holiday TV specials like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas or are just now learning how awesome Charlie, Linus, Lucy and the rest of the gang are, they're sure to have a blast at these FREE Snoopy sightings, cartooning lessons and other Peanuts-centric events in Manhattan and the outer boroughs.