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The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens transforms into the Asian Lantern Festival: Into the Wild at night! Photo courtesy of the zoo
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Visitors can actually ride the exhibits at the Florida Railroad Museum, which hosts a variety of experiences throughout the year. Photo courtesy of the museum
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Tour the Florida Everglades aboard the coolest mode of transportation--airboat! Kids will LOVE getting close to nature on a Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures tour. Photo courtesy Visit Orlando
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Pig on the Pond is an annual community event featuring carnival rides, kids zone, BBQ competition, and more. Photo courtesy of the event
Pig on the Pond is an annual community event featuring carnival rides, kids zone, BBQ competition, and more. Photo courtesy of the event
9/29/24 - By Charlotte B

Families are in for a treat this October in Orlando with a packed calendar of fun events to enjoy, including Halloween and fall festivals!

Fall festivals are in full swing and we've scoured the area for the best Orlando events in October for families and kids. Central Florida's theme parks are seasonally decorated, and guests can enjoy events such as Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, SeaWorld's Halloween Spooktacular, and Legoland's Brick-or-Treat. Set aside an October weekend to navigate your way through one (or more) of the Orlando corn mazes, snap family photos at a pumpkin patch, and make lasting memories at more events in Orlando.

Some of the best Halloween events in Orlando are included here, but be sure to check out our fully loaded Orlando Halloween Guide and Fall Fun Guide for Orlando Kids for all happenings and ideas this October. 

We’re adding more events to our family activity calendar every day, so don’t forget to check it frequently. Get our picks for every weekend in your inbox—sign up for our newsletters!

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Top Things to Do in Orlando with Kids this October

Brick-or-Treat at Legoland Florida Resort

Winter Haven
Weekends through October 27, 2024
Legoland Florida celebrates Halloween with its annual Brick-or-Treat event. Kids can visit Brick-or-Treat stations for candy and goodies, meet LEGO Halloween characters, partake in a Monster Party with costume parade, and enjoy ghoul-tastic Halloween shows. READ MORE

Happy Frights at Leu Gardens

Orlando
Select days through October 31, 2024
Experience Happy Frights at Leu Gardens, featuring immersive worlds like a mysterious swamp, a Crazy Carnival, and a Hedge Maze with the Mad Hatter. Enjoy Hip-Hop Dancing Aliens, a grand Día de Muertos celebration with live music, 8 trick-or-treat stations, and more. READ MORE

Screamin' Green Hauntoween at Crayola Experience

Orlando
Daily through October 31, 2024
This annual event at Crayola Experience Orlando includes monster-ific crafts, a themed scavenger hunt, characters photo-ops, and more. Trick or treating and DJ dance parties will take place on the weekends. READ MORE

Fall Festival and Pumpkin Patch at Santa's Farm

Eustis
Select days through November 2, 2024
Spend a fun fall day at Santa's Farm. Pick a pumpkin from the lot, visit Jack's barnyard animals, ride a horse or pony, and tour the farm on a hayride. There is also a play area with jump pillow, giant slide, barrel rides, zipline, Shark Tooth Beach, and more. READ MORE

SeaWorld Halloween Spooktacular

Orlando
Select days through November 3, 2024
SeaWorld’s Spooktacular is back with fun surprises, candy, costumes, and more. Kids love trick-or-treating (with purchase of reusable bag) during this daytime event as they explore the decorated trail and meet colorful characters. READ MORE

Fall Festival at Southern Hill Farms

Clermont
Thursdays-Sundays through November 17, 2024
The annual Fall Festival at Southern Hill Farms includes a corn maze, pumpkin patch, sunflower field, petting zoo, kids zone, and much more. READ MORE

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

Lake Buena Vista
Daily through November 23, 2024
Taste test foods from around the world, enjoy live entertainment, and embark on a family-friendly scavenger hunt at this annual Epcot festival. READ MORE

Great Scott Farms Fall Festival

Mount Dora
Weekends through November 24, 2024
This seven-acre corn maze is complete with interactive stations and a climbing tower. Additional activities include a smaller kids corn maze, pumpkin patch, tree maze, rope maze, large wooden castle playground, jumping pillow, hayride, zip line, 60-foot super slide, and more. READ MORE

Hamlin Pumpkin Patch

Winter Garden - FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Get ready for a delightful evening of fall fun with family and friends. Visit the Hamlin Pumpkin Patch for an unforgettable experience filled with seasonal delights. READ MORE

Longwood Dogtoberfest

Longwood - FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Get ready for a tail-wagging good time at Dogtoberfest, a paw-some afternoon filled with dog-friendly activities, a variety of vendors catering to all things canine, and performances by the Menestrelli Dog Circus. READ MORE

Renninger's Fall in the Field

Mount Dora - FREE
October 5-6, 2024
The annual Fall in the Field event at Renninger's Twin Markets includes a pumpkin patch full of heirloom pumpkins fresh from Ohio, as well as music, food, make-and-take crafts, and mini pumpkin decorating for kids. READ MORE

Boo at the Brevard Zoo

Melbourne
Weekends, October 5-27, 2024
At Brevard Zoo's annual Halloween event, guests can participate in themed activities, photo-ops, and trick or treating at the zoo. READ MORE

Club Lake Plantation Fall Festival

Apopka
Fridays-Sundays, October 5-27, 2024
Enjoy a day of family fun at Club Lake Plantation's Annual Fall Festival. Visit the pumpkin patch, navigate through the corn maze, take a hayride, lets the kids play their way through the toddler maze area and the many play structures available, and much more. READ MORE

Owl Prowl: Witches and Wizards - CANCELLED

Maitland
Friday, October 11, 2024
Visit the Audubon Center for an evening full of owl themed games, crafts, a presentation with live owl ambassadors, and a moonlit walk around the Center to view owls and observe their nighttime activities. Attendees will even get the chance to be sorted into an owl house! READ MORE

Postponed: Pig on the Pond Community Festival

Clermont
October 11-13, 2024
*Postponed to March 2025 due to storm.* Pig on the Pond is a annual community event featuring carnival rides, kids zone, BBQ competition, live entertainment, food vendors, pig racing, and many more family friendly activities. READ MORE

Spooky Empire - POSTPONED

Orlando
October 11-13, 2024
Spooky Empire has been delivering the best sights, sounds and screams to Halloween lovers since 2003. This event feature an enormous room of vendors, a film and tattoo festival, music, celebrity speakers, and more to satiate even the most diehard aficionados of the spooky season. READ MORE

Gold Over America Tour - Orlando

Orlando
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Simone Biles is bringing the Athleta Presents Gold Over America Tour to Orlando. Join her and a team of all-star gymnasts for an exhilarating, family-friendly show celebrating world-class gymnastics. READ MORE

Horizon West Pet Fest

Winter Garden - FREE
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Horizon West Pet Fest brings together pet owners, animal lovers, and the entire community for a day of fun. Enjoy dozens of vendors offering pet products & services, fun activities for kids & pets, contests & giveaways, adoption drives, local food vendors, and more. READ MORE

Kids Day at A Petrified Forest

Altamonte Springs
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Kids are invited to trick or treat along the haunted outdoor trail at A Petrified Forest (don't worry - characters will not be dressed as they are at night so as to not scare the little ones). Additonal activities include a dunk tank, costume parade, games, crafts, prizes, & more. READ MORE

Oktoberfest at Avalon Park

Orlando - FREE
Saturday, October 12, 2024
At Avalon Park's free family Oktoberfest event, browse vendors and food trucks while enjoying a polka band, alpine dancing, and other community performances. There is a kids area with a bounce park, and adults can stroll the beer garden.  READ MORE

Fall Festival at the Ranch at St. Cloud - CANCELLED

St. Cloud
October 12-13, 2024
Celebrate the season with a Fall Festival, featuring a crop maze, hay rides, kids zone, food trucks, pumpkin games, and more. READ MORE

Winter Park Autumn Art Festival

Winter Park - FREE
October 12-13, 2024
This annual community festival features live music and entertainment, children's art activities, food vendors, a beer garden, and of course, quality visual art. READ MORE

Gatorland's Gators, Ghosts and Goblins

Kissimmee
Weekends, October 12-27, 2024
Gatorland’s Gators, Ghosts, and Goblins returns for a 6th year of family-friendly fun and fright. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun in “Swamp Ghost’s Monster Museum,” where Cyrus the Gravedigger is ‘dying’ to teach you about the paranormal. Meet Gatorland’s own Florida Bigfoot, Skunk Ape, at the Cryptid Petting zoo, then hop aboard the Cryptid Express, where you can seek out hidden beasties like Moth Man, Chupacabra, Jersey Devil, and more. READ MORE

Zoo Boo Bash at the Central Florida Zoo

Sanford
Weekends, October 12-27, 2024
Celebrate Halloween at the fan-favorite Zoo Boo Bash, the perfect way for children and families to safely show off those Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat while enjoying the fun of the Zoo. The Zoo will have plenty of not-so-scary decorations, inflatables, a DJ with music for dancing, and trick-or-treat stations with candy that’s conservation-friendly. READ MORE

Apopka Fall Family Festival

Apopka
October 17-20, 2024
The annual Apopka Fall Family Festival includes carnival rides, live music, food, vendors and more. READ MORE

Cancelled - Halloween at Boo Spring

Orange City
Saturday, October 19, 2024
*Update: This event has been cancelled. Halloween at Boo Spring includes a Haunted Trail, Guided Moonlight Hikes, and a Haunted River Cruise hosted by Blue Spring Adventures. This is a spooky after-hours event that will include loud noises, strobe lights, jump scares, and possible suggestive themes. Parental discretion is advised. READ MORE

Rocktoberfest / Monster Splash Seaplane Fly-In

Tavares - FREE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Join the City of Tavares for its annual Rocktoberfest featuring the Monster Splash Seaplane fly-in with a crowd favorite "pumpkin drop" contest, a live rock show, food trucks, vendors, contests, and more. READ MORE

Fall Festival at Lukas Nursery & Butterfly Encounter

Oviedo
October 19-20, 2024
The Fall Festival at Lukas Nursery features a hayride, dunk tank, paint-a-pumpkin (or paint-a-pot), face painting, corn kernel pit, a bounce house, and more. Explore the gardens, see the farm animals, listen to live music, enjoy balloon artists and a stiltwalker. READ MORE

Kids Halloween Party at Enzian Theater

Maitland
Sunday, October 20, 2024
There’s fun for all ages at Enzian’s family-friendly Halloween celebration. Put on your costumes and visit for a costume parade, crafts, and the film Frankenweenie. Kids can decorate their own spooktacular candy bag and enjoy some trick-or-treating outside after the movie. READ MORE

Pumpkin Glow at Oakland Nature Preserve

Oakland
Friday, October 25, 2024
The Oakland Nature Preserve's Glow Trail will be lined with Jack-o-lanterns created by members of the community creating a beautiful night-time hike. Feel free to dress in costume. There is candy for the kids and some cool critters to see. READ MORE

City of Apopka Halloween in the Park

Apopka - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
This is a free family-friendly Trick-or-Treating event with kid activities, vendors, and more. Children can trick or treat around the park, stopping at various vendor booths. Kids activities include bounce house, face painters, costume contest (ages infant to 12 years), vendors, and more. READ MORE

Lake Nona Graveyard Smash

Lake Nona - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
One night a year, ghosts and ghouls descend upon Lake Nona Town Center for trick-or-treating, inflatables, a DJ, and much more. READ MORE

Spooktacular at Avalon Park

Orlando - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Kids can trick-or-treat at this downtown Avalon Park event, which will also have bounce houses, community performances, vendors, food trucks, and a costume contest. READ MORE

Winter Springs Hometown Harvest

Winter Springs - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
At this annual event, enjoy free hayrides, bounce houses, fall activities, and delicious food trucks. Children are encouraged to dress in spooky, wacky, and fun costumes. Plus, the Winter Springs Police Department is hosting a National Night Out, so you can meet your local officers and check out the vehicles and equipment they use to keep us safe.  READ MORE

Mount Dora Craft Fair

Mount Dora - FREE
October 26-27, 2024
This popular craft fair held in historic Mount Dora features more than 350 exhibitors. Kids can enjoy an art tent and face painters. Live entertainment and festival food will round out the event. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Historic District of Longwood
Renninger's Florida Twin Markets
Audubon Center for Birds of Prey
Clermont Waterfront Park
The Ranch at St. Cloud
Central Park - Winter Park
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Lukas Nursery & Butterfly Encounter