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Halloween is in the air! Here's how you can celebrate locally! I tried to keep all locations within an hour's drive. Bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates and additions. Also - make sure to click on links for anything you're interested in! Some of these are special events that sell out quickly or require pre-registration.
| Parades |
Summit PAL Parade | Oct. 26th
Meets in the DeForest Parking Lot at 2:45pm
Madison Halloween Parade and Magic Show | Oct. 26th
Meet at the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building, trick-or-treat downtown
Westfield AddamsFest Halloween Trunk or Treat and Parade | Oct. 27th
An ooky, spooky Halloween celebration.
Cranford Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Chunkin' | Oct. 27th
Meet at the Cranford Community Center at 1pm
Maplewood Parade | Oct. 31st
Trick-or-treat and roam the streets of Maplewood Village!
Library of the Chathams | Oct. 31st
Meet in the children's room and bring a camera for some special photo ops with visiting characters!
Livingston Fright Night | Oct. 31st
Trunk or treat and a costume contest parade!
| Events and Displays |
Ongoing displays and events listed first, and then listed by date!
The Great Pumpkin Train | Phillipsburg NJ
Select weekends in September, all weekends in October, $12-18/ticket
Ride a train to a pumpkin patch and visit the Ol' Susquehanna Mine and Corn Maze!
*WIN A FAMILY 4-PACK OF TICKETS TO THIS EVENT HERE*
The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze | Croton-on-Hudson NY (Westchester)
Select weekends in September, daily in October, weekends in November, $17+/ticket
More than 7,000 jack o'lanterns illuminated! Make a weekend trip out of it and explore Spooky Hollow, too!
Hayrides + Campfires | Elizabeth NJ and Mountainside NJ
Sept. 16th and 30th in Elizabeth, Oct. 2nd, 7th, and 14th in Mountainside, $6-12/ticket
A hayride, entertainment, hot chocolate and marshmallows.
Brite Nites Jack-O-Lantern Display | Warren NJ
Weekends in October
A huge Jack-O-Lantern display, food trucks, and haunted barn.
Haunted gingerbread house decorating | Short Hills NJ
Oct. 5th, $30/person (ages 8-13)
Assemble and decorate a gingerbread haunted mansion!
Spooky Snacks at Chatham Library | Chatham NJ
Oct. 7th, free
Make Halloween snacks with ShopRite
Pumpkin Decorating at Livingston Library | Livingston NJ
Oct. 11th, free
Decorate a pumpkin!
Halloween cookie party | Short Hills NJ
Oct. 12th, $30/person (ages 8-13)
A Halloween party with cookies!
Hayride, Trunk or Treat, and Bonfire | Mountainside NJ
Oct. 13th, 1-3p, $5/person
The name says it all! Enjoy all of the above near Trailside Nature + Science Center!
Jack the Ripper presentation | Livingston NJ
Oct. 16th, 7pm, FREE!
A clinical psychologist discusses Jack the Ripper at the Livingston Library.
Halloween crafts | Millburn NJ
Oct. 17th, 3:30pm, FREE!
Special Halloween crafts at the library.
Ghosthunting in NJ and NYC lecture | Summit NJ
Oct. 17th, 7pm, FREE!
A talk about the most haunted places in NJ and NYC.
Scream on the Green: Scooby Doo 2 | Summit NJ
Oct. 18th, 6pm, FREE!
Family dance party, s'mores, pictures with Scooby Doo, and more!
Pumpkin Patch at New Generation Learning Center | East Hanover NJ
Oct. 19, 10a-1p, $5/pumpkin
Pick and decorate a pumpkin!
Haunted hike at Martin's Brook Park | Summit NJ
Oct. 19th, $5 suggested donation
Hike along the haunted trail!
Spooky Halloween Camp In at Liberty Science Center | Jersey City NJ
Oct. 19th, 6pm, $65/person
Spend the night at LSC and have tons of spooky fun!
Addamsfest | Westfield NJ
Oct. 19-20th, 26-27th, FREE!
The creator of The Addams Family is a Westfield native and this festival is a celebration of all things Charles Addams! A masquerade ball on Oct. 19 and a Kids Zone on Oct. 20 are just a few of the spooky events going on this year! *Oct. 20th is FAMILY FUN ZONE day!*
Rocky Horror Picture Show at Historic Rialto Theater | Westfield NJ
Oct. 19, 9pm and midnight!
A full audience participation experience! Adults only, for obvious reasons!
Little Moving Artist Halloween Dance Party | Millburn NJ
Oct. 20, 12:30pm, $20/child
A dance party at Busy Bee!
Halloween Train Express | Whippany NJ
Oct. 20th, $11-20
A 45-minute round trip train ride! Wear your costumes!
Doctor Faustus play | Summit NJ
Oct. 20th, 2pm, FREE!
A free play at the library.
Jumpin' Jamie Halloween music and puppet show | Chatham NJ
Oct. 24th, 10am and 10:45am, FREE!
A free show for preschoolers and their caregivers.
Gardens Aglow | Upper Montclair NJ
Oct. 25th, FREE!
Artfully carved pumpkins on display!
Halloween cupcake wars | Millburn NJ
Oct. 25th, 3:30pm, FREE!
A fun activity for teens at the library.
Annual SOMA Halloween Party | Maplewood NJ
Oct. 25th, 6pm
Join your neighbors at The Woodland!
Genius Gems Haunted House | Millburn NJ
Oct. 25-27th and 30-31st, 7:30-9pm, $7.50/person
Stay and play with Magnatiles!
Chatham Street-n-Treat | Chatham NJ
Oct. 26th, 10a-12p, FREE!
Fun at the Farmers Market and then downtown trick-or-treating!
Trail Tales (ages 6+) and Teeny Tiny Trail Tales (ages 2-5) | Chatham NJ
Oct. 26, times vary based on age group, $3-8, ages 3+
Take a hike and listen to spooky (or not so spooky for the younger set) nature tales at Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center.
Trunk or Treat at New Generation Learning Center | East Hanover NJ
Oct. 26, 4:30-6:30p, FREE!
Wear your costume and trunk or treat!
9th Annual Fright Night | Livingston NJ
Oct. 26, 4-7p, FREE!
Fun activities, a trunk or treat, Halloween parade, and haunted walk.
Spooky Storytime at the zoo | West Orange NJ
Oct. 26th, 10am 12pm, 2pm, and 4pm, $10/person, free under 2
Wear a costume, read a spooky story, and meet an animal ambassador.
Halloween Spooktacular Saturday | Vauxhall NJ
Oct. 26th, 1pm, FREE!
A Halloween festival with Trunk or Treat.
Halloween Harvest at West Orange Farmers Market | West Orange NJ
Oct. 26th, 9am, FREE!
Wear your costumes and celebrate Halloween at the Farmers Market!
Halloween Family Fun Day | Union NJ
Oct. 26th, 11am, FREE!
Costumes and vendors at Rock 'n' Joe's in Union.
Hocus Pocus at Miller-Cory House Museum | Westfield NJ
Oct. 26th, 1:30pm, $5/child
Wear your costume, decorate cupcakes, participate in a scavenger hunt, and more!
RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns | Secaucus NJ
Oct. 26-27th, $22-26/ticket
1,000+ REAL, hand-carved pumpkins on display at the Meadowlands!
Halloween cooking class at Kings | Short Hills NJ
Oct. 26th, $50/person (ages 8-12)
Make Halloween candy bucket cookies, ham and cheese mummies, brain cupcakes, and eyeball cakes!
Hocus Pocus with Kathy Najimy live at MPAC | Morristown NJ
Oct. 26th, $19-99/ticket
Actress Kathy Najimy, one of the Sanderson sisters, joins conversation and a viewing of Hocus Pocus at MPAC.
Halloween parent-and-me cooking class at Kings | Short Hills NJ
Oct. 27th, $60/pair (ages 8-12 with parent)
Make vampire bat wings, eerie eyeball tacos, Mr. Bones' sassy ribs, and graveyard cupcakes.
Monster Dash and Family Fun Run | Cranford NJ
Oct. 27th, 9am, $27 for 5K, $30/family for family fun
Run in costume to support Project Home of Cranford!
Historic Halloween Happenings at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm | Morristown NJ
Oct. 27th, 1-3pm, $2-6/person
Play special Halloween games and learn about Halloweens past.
Spooky storytime and slime making | Maplewood NJ
Oct. 29th, 6:30pm, FREE!
Listen to a spooky story and make slime!
Halloween Party at Village Play Cafe | Chatham NJ
Oct. 30th, 3pm, $10-15/child
Open play, crafts, prizes, and trick or treating!
Downtown Trick-or-Treat | Summit NJ
Oct. 31st, 2:30-4pm, FREE!
Trick-or-treat downtown at any business with a poster in the window!
Halloween Serendipity Club at the library | Summit NJ
Oct. 31st, 4pm, FREE!
Trick or treat at the library and listen to stories and songs.
Safe Howl-O-Ween at the zoo | West Orange NJ
Oct. 31st, 4-8pm, $3-5/person
Trick-or-treat at the zoo!
Millburn Fire Truck or Treat | Millburn NJ
Oct. 31st, 5-8pm, FREE!
Open to Millburn/Short Hills residents only!
The Great Pumpkin Sail | Mountainside NJ
Nov. 1st, $12-16/family
Bring your Jack-O-Lantern to Echo Lake Park and watch it sail away in the pond in a sea of other Jack-O-Lanterns! Hot chocolate and marshmallows around a campfire included. Tickets go on sale Oct. 2!
Halloween Spooktacular Saturday Ice Skate | Roselle NJ
Nov. 1st, 8-10pm, $5 to enter, $6 to rent skates
A costume contest on ice!
| Haunted Houses and Hayrides |
Haunted houses are listed to provide families with a comprehensive list of activities in the area (plus some not super-local but definitely worth a trip for the real thrill seekers!). Macaroni Kid encourages all parents to use their own personal discretion and research to determine age appropriateness for their children.
- Fright Factor (Florham Park NJ)
- $10 entrance, both kid-friendly and "massive scare" options, multiple dates, check website for details
- Haunted hike at Martin's Brook Park (Summit NJ)
- $5 suggested donation, October 11
- Livingston Haunted Walk (Livingston NJ)
- $5/person, cash only, October 25-26
- Haunted Hayrides at The Deserted Village (Berkeley Heights NJ)
- $8-16/ticket, October 25-27
- Haunted Orchards at Demarest Farms (Hillsdale NJ)
- $25/ticket, weekends in October, check website for details
- 13th Hour Haunted House (Wharton NJ)
- $25-35/ticket, select weekends in September, Thurs-Sun in October
- Fright Fest at Six Flags (Jackson NJ)
- $40-70/ticket, select weekends in September, weekends in October
- Brighton Asylum (Passaic NJ)
- $36-66/ticket, select weekends in September, Thurs-Sun in October
- Field of Terror (East Windsor NJ)
- $20-80/ticket, select weekends in September, all weekends in October
- Conklin Farm U-Pick (Montville NJ)
- $10 haunted hayride, weekends, email conklinupick@gmail.com for details
- Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penetentiary (Philadelphia PA)
- $24-44/ticket, select weekends in September, almost daily in October
- Bane Haunted House (Hells Kitchen NYC)
- $30-55/ticket, select weekends in September, almost daily in October
- Horseman's Hollow (Sleepy Hollow NY)
- $22-28/ticket, October weekends and November 1-3
- Headless Horseman (Sleepy Hollow NY)
- $30-60/ticket, $12-17/ticket for children's day (October 12 + 26), check website for dates
| Return to our Fall Family Fun Guide |
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Know of a fall event you don't see listed here? Drop me a line at juliel@macaronikid.com to let me know!
Know of any cancellations/reschedules/relocations for any events listed? Tell me at juliel@macaronikid.com!
**As of publication, this list is correct and complete, however any events may be cancelled or rescheduled due to inclement weather. Check with the venue or town for any cancellations!**
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