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Best Halloween Events in Boston for Kids and Families

Get out for the chilly nights and spooky sights with the best Halloween events in Boston! Naumkeag Pumpkin Show event photo courtesy of The Trustees
Get out for the chilly nights and spooky sights with the best Halloween events in Boston! Naumkeag Pumpkin Show event photo courtesy of The Trustees
9/24/24 - By N Ferreira

Grab your glow sticks and get ready for the best Halloween events in Boston! Halloween is just around the corner, and Greater Boston is the perfect place to celebrate the spooky season. Communities are organizing family-friendly Halloween events like pumpkin displays, story times, moonlit walks, haunted tours, and more. There's something for everyone—from the amazing Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show to Frightful Fridays at Gore Place and Stone Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo. Read on for our picks for the best Halloween events in Boston and New England.

Our Halloween Guide has more ideas for making the most of the holiday this year, including the best pumpkin patches in Boston and some seriously sweet and scary hayrides. For more seasonal fun, explore our Boston Fall Fun Guide.

 

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Tower Hill's gardens light up every weekend through Halloween. Photo courtesy of the Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Tower Hill's gardens light up every weekend through Halloween. Photo courtesy of the Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Best Halloween Events in Boston - Attractions

Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show

Stockbridge
Wednesdays through Sundays in October 2024
Naumkeag's famous gardens in the Berkshires are adorned with 1,500 jack-o-lanterns, hundreds of mums, and exciting gourds. There will be hot cider and treats. READ MORE

Phantoms by Firelight at Old Sturbridge Village

Sturbridge
Fridays through Sundays in October 2024
This locally beloved living history museum comes to life after dark and puts a Colonial-times spin on Halloween with a haunted outdoor experience. Explore the wooded grounds and village green after hours to discover bats, bonfires, ghosts, hidden candy, and even a headless horseman. READ MORE

Pumpkintown USA

East Hampton, CT
Daily through Halloween 2024
One of New England's premier non-scary Halloween villages, Pumpkintown USA annually draws about 25,000 visitors. The Village at Pumpkintown USA is home to more than 70 Pumpkinhead people and their pets. The unique village includes a fast food restaurant called MacPumpkins, a saloon, a jail, a church, barbershop, country store, farm, and a fire station. READ MORE

Halloween On The Hill

Beverly
Wednesdays through Sundays in October 2024
Explore this beautiful property as they transform Long Hill into a celebration of autumn and the Halloween season. Follow their seasonal-themed trail that will feature over 1,000 jack-o'-lanterns, hundreds of mums and pumpkins, elaborate Halloween sets, light displays, music, and more.  READ MORE

Haunted Happenings Grand Parade

Salem
Thursday, October 3, 2024
This time honored kick off to the Halloween season is full of color, pageantry, music and the enthusiasm of thousands of Salem’s students from kindergarten to college and local business owners. READ MORE

Ghosts and Graves of Lexington

Lexington
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Bring the family or social bubble to a ghostly outdoor adventure! The spirits of the Old Burying Ground are eager to bring Lexington's past back to life and share the tales of what brought them to the grave on this special candlelight tour. READ MORE

Frightful Fridays at Gore Place

Waltham
Fridays, October 11, 18, and 25, 2024
Take the kids to Gore Place for their annual tradition of spooky (but not too scary) storytelling—strolling through the beautiful 1806 Mansion.  Best for ages 6 and up. READ MORE

Fall-o-Ween Children’s Festival

Boston
Friday, October 18, 2024
The third annual Fall-o-Ween Children’s Festival returns to the Boston Common Frog Pond. READ MORE

Science Tricks & Animal Treats at the EcoTarium

Worcester
Saturday, October 26 - Sunday, October 27, 2024
Grab your cloak: the EcoTarium is in disguise this Halloween. Why choose between tricks and treats when they’re both so exciting? Join educators for sneaky science programs about animal camouflage, invisible forces, and secret powers; then join wildlife keepers to learn about the treats and training that enrich resident animals' lives. READ MORE

Halloween Hullabaloo at Discovery Museum

Acton
Saturday, October 26 - Sunday, October 27, 2024
Join a Halloween celebration weekend! Dress for the occasion and try a few holes of Pumpkin Putt Putt and other outdoor games with a frightfully fun twist. Or check out the Spooktacular Scavenger Hunt and expect other ghostly surprises to pop up around the Museum!  READ MORE
Franklin Park's animals join the Halloween fun at Zoo Howl. Photo courtesy of Zoonewengland.org
Franklin Park's animals join the Halloween fun at Zoo Howl. Photo courtesy of Zoonewengland.org

Top Halloween Events in Boston - Farms, Parks, and Zoos

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular

Providence, RI
Daily September. 27 - November 2, 2024
Celebrate the Halloween season with a visit to Roger Williams Zoo's Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. Stroll through a path that features thousands of intricately carved pumpkins.  READ MORE

Fall Festival Weekends at Smolak Farms

North Andover
Saturdays & Sundays through October 27, 2024
Every weekend during September and October, the farm hosts a fall festival featuring weekly themes, live entertainment, carnival games, storytime, hayrides and more.  READ MORE

Sensory-Friendly Boo in the Barnyard

Southborough
Saturdays, October 12, 19, 26, 2024
The farm animals love to see you dressed up for Halloween! Halloween activities for children include ghost, pumpkin, and candy corn crafts, mask making, and a special take on trick-or-treating.  READ MORE

Stone Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo

Stoneham
Saturday, October 19 - Sunday, October 20, 2024
Children are invited to trick-or-treat among the animals at Stone Zoo. Thrills, chills, and animals lurk around every corner on the trick-or-treat trail, while other haunted happenings include mystery animal encounters, costume contests and a scavenger hunt with prizes! READ MORE

Sweet Halloween at Cider Hill Farm

Amesbury
Saturday, October 19 - Sunday, October 27, 2024
Put on a Halloween costume and head to the farm for some sweet fun. Little monsters can roam the farm and trick or treat from Cider Hill staff dressed up in fun costumes giving out little goodies at various stations. Treats include mini versions of kettle corn, caramel apples, stickers, tattoos, and more. READ MORE

Zoo Howl at Franklin Park Zoo

Dorchester
Saturday, October 26 - Sunday, October 27, 2024
Thrills, chills, and animals await at Franklin Park Zoo’s annual Zoo Howl! During this popular Halloween event, children are invited to trick-or-treat among the animals at the Zoo. Other haunted happenings include mystery animal encounters, costume contests and a scavenger hunt with prizes. READ MORE
Chatham's Pumpkin People in the Park has fun with Halloween displays. Photo courtesy of the Shannon Door Tavern
Chatham's Pumpkin People in the Park has fun with Halloween displays. Photo courtesy of the Shannon Door Tavern

Best Halloween Events in Boston - Walks and Tours

Tales and Tombstones Tour of Salem

Salem
Most Thursdays - Sundays through October 25, 2024
See the spookier side of Salem in these one-hour nighttime trolley tours past graveyards, haunted houses, underground passageways, and more. READ MORE

Pumpkin People in the Park

Chatham
Daily Saturday, October 12 - Halloween 2024
This annual tradition down the Cape brings together local businesses that craft clever, funny, or awe-inspiring displays of people and activities out of pumpkins. READ MORE

Halloween Glow in the Park at TreeTop Adventures

Canton
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Wear a costume and enjoy colored lights and music while climbing through the tree tops on this zip-line obstacle course. READ MORE

Ghosts and Graves of Lexington

Lexington
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Bring the family or social bubble to a ghostly outdoor adventure! The spirits of the Old Burying Ground are eager to bring Lexington's past back to life and share the tales of what brought them to the grave on this special candlelight tour. READ MORE

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