Besides the holiday season, one of the best times of the year to visit Boston would be in October, around Halloween. Houses, restaurants and other buildings adorn their facades with lit-up pumpkins, fall leaves, spooky lamps and even skeletons, scarecrows etc. There are fun and spooky events organised citywide; pumpkin patches set up for picking, trick-or-treating to go to, special meals to have at restaurants, Halloween markets and shops to visit, and more. If you want to know about all the exciting Halloween events in Boston, keep on reading!
Top 15 Halloween Events in Boston
15 Entertaining Halloween events in Boston that you have to check out:
1. Boston Lights at Franklin Park Zoo
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Boston Lights at Franklin Park Zoo is organised around Halloween and serves to educate people about biodiversity conservation. Be prepared to be mesmerised by the 60 lights displays set up all around the zoo; there are lotus, sunflower, cherry blossom and crane glowing corridors along with a massive Tyrannosaurus Rex tunnel!
There are numerous lantern displays everywhere, especially traditional Asian lantern displays and lit-up scenes of the ocean and animals. A 164-foot-long phoenix is undoubtedly a major attraction here.
Address: 1 Franklin Park Rd, Boston, MA 02121, United States Timings: 6:00 pm to 11:30 pm
2. Put on a Cool Outfit for Alibi’s Halloween Mask-querade Party
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A former prison, the Liberty Hotel is known for hosting the Halloween Mask-querade party at Alibi, a trendy lounge. If you really want to enjoy one of the best Halloween events in Boston, put on a spooky costume and don’t forget your mask! Not only does the night entail a delectable meal from Scampo and themed cocktails but also live DJ! Towards the end of the event, prizes are given out to those who have the scariest, the most creative and the prettiest masks.
Address: 215 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114, United States Timings: 8:00 pm Admission fee: USD 169 onwards
3. Visit the Halloween Happening at the Museum of Science
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The Museum of Science adds a Halloween touch to its exhibits during the spooky season and strives to educate children through various interactive activities. What is special is the virtual event (29 October) organised by Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys wherein kids get to watch masquerade and music peafter-party and alsorformances and then participate in Halloween Happening afterwards.
They get to engage in a little Q&A, attend a virtual partake in a costume contest. The winner of the contest is decided by the band.
Address: 1 Museum Of Science Driveway, Boston, MA 02114, United States Timings: 7:30 pm Admission fee: None
4. Enjoy a Delicious Meal at Rebel’s Guild’s “Yelloween”
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If a spooky Halloween meal is what you are looking for, Revere Hotel has the right event for you! “Yelloween” at Rebel’s Guild is a special Halloween dinner comprising a three-course dinner in the colonial-inspired threatening-looking canon. Dress up for the occasion and mingle with your friends as you sip on some delicious Ketel One cocktails and Veuve Champagne pairings.
The menu features dishes like baked beans, delectable brown bread with molasses, bluefish paté and more. Make sure to reserve your table in advance!
Address: 200 Stuart St Ground Level, Boston, MA 02116, United States Timings: 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm Admission fee: USD 95 per person
5. Take the Educational Graveyard Virtual Tour
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If you are intrigued by the different afterlife traditions, then the King’s Chapel History Program has something for you. Although it doesn’t take place on Halloween, the virtual “Welcome to the Graveyard” tour is organised by the Gravestone Girls to teach you about cemeteries.
Join in for an educational tour revolving around cemeteries, symbolism, their art; it features information about the 16 and 1700s’ New England colonial burial grounds and the 19th century cemetery movement. You also get to learn the reason behind cemeteries and gravestones and their evolution.
Dates: 1 October Timings: 6:00 pm
6. Have a Spooky Night-out with the Official Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball
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Organised at the Hawthorne Hotel, The Official Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball is one of the coolest Halloween events in Boston that seeks to “honour the dead.” Enjoy a fun night of dancing, participating in rituals, listening to live music. The party will feature the Dragon Ritual Drummers, dancing in the Grand Ballroom, a free psychic reading and a magic circle to honour those who have passed.
Of course, there are delicious appetisers and drinks, a Selfie Station and a chance to win prizes for an amazing costume!
Address: 18 Washington Square W, Salem, MA 01970, United States Dates: 30 October Timings: 7:30 pm Admission fee: USD 150
7. Partake in an online Halloween Scavenger Hunt
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Scavenger hunts are always a key element of the spooky season and one such Halloween event in Boston is an online edition of the Halloween Scavenger Hunt. It will take you through a multitude of haunted places around the United States, with some of them being the Hollywood Hotel, Philadelphia’s Eastern Penitentiary and the Salem Witch Trial memorial.
As you virtually explore these eerie locations, you will need to look for answers to some tricky questions, and you can either play in groups of 6 or alone. Moreover, the tour is also an opportunity to get your dose of some fun ghost stories!
Dates: 10 October Timings: 9:00 pm
8. Taste Some Halloween-themed Dishes at Nightmare on Charles Street
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Another Halloween dinner to attend at the Liberty Hotel, Nightmare on Charles Street is hosted at Clink on 31 October. Reserve one of the tables “behind bars” and enjoy a scrumptious Halloween-themed three-course meal. There are shock-tails from Don Julio as well as Ketel One that you can sip on while you listen to the live music performances including a live DJ.
Don't forget to reserve a table and take in the spooky ambience of the eerie jail as you mingle with your friends.
Address: 215 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114, United States Timings:6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Price: USD 65 per person
9. Go Pumpkin Picking at Shelburne Farm
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Halloween season is incomplete without pumpkin picking and Shelburne Farm in Stow is where you need to go for it! The farm has pumpkins in all shapes and sizes, ideal for making pies, carving, whipping up cocktails and more. You can go and say hi to the animals on site or taste some of the yummy warm cider doughnuts, pies, hot mulled cider etc.
There is a Tractor and Gator Playground for children and you would perhaps be able to enjoy some live music performance as well!
Address: 106 W Acton Rd, Stow, MA 01775, United States Timings: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
10. Head over to the Howl-o-ween Photo Booth with Your Pets
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Don’t worry about your furry friends being left out of the Halloween festivities because The Godfrey Hotel organised the Howl-o-ween Photo Booth especially for them! Open for four days and for everyone, the event gives you an opportunity to take some fun pictures with your pets in the lobby.
Your pets get to enjoy treats made by Polkadog Bakery, a local establishment and you can post these pictures on Instagram to win a free overnight stay at the hotel! All you need to do is tag the hotel and you’ll know if you win on 2 November.
Address: 505 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111, United States Dates: 29 October- 1 November Admission fee: None
11. Buy Your Tickets for the Spooky Screens at Suffolk Downs
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Suffolk Downs, a former racetrack, sets up a pop-up movie drive-in for 3 days around Halloween. Spooky Screens features a new movie each day, such as Hocus Pocus, Scream and Beetlejuice that you can watch from the comfort of your own car. You can choose to get your own snacks and drinks or you can get something from one of the food trucks on site.
Moreover, each ticket, which needs to be purchased in advance, will also get you a trick-or-treat box!
Address: 525 William F McClellan Hwy, Boston, MA 02128, United States Dates: 23- 25 October Timings: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
12. Test Your Pumpkin-carving Skills at the Pumpkin Carvin’ Party
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Loretta’s Last Call, a southern music venue, hosts the annual Pumpkin Carvin’ Party for every pumpkin carver out there. You can buy your tickets online and each one will get you a carving kit, a pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin beer. Try your hand at it and at the end of the event, the best carvers will be given a prize.
The one who wins first place will be given a $100 gift card to Loretta’s and the one who comes second will get a dinner for two at the venue.
Address: 1 Lansdowne St, Boston, MA 02215, United States Dates: 23 October Timings: 6:30 pmTickets: USD 15
13. Make Your Way over to the Boston Hill Farm
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Situated in North Andover, the Boston Hill Farm is an ideal destination for pumpkin picking. Not only can you go around the pumpkin patch looking for the perfect gourd, you can also go strawberry, apple, peach, blueberry and raspberry picking, given that they are in season. If you go over the weekend, there is live music and you can also go to the petting zoo on site.
The Farm is pet-friendly too! Don’t forget to get some homemade goods from the Farm Stand.
Address: 1370 Turnpike St, North Andover, MA 01845, United States Timings: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
14. Hop on the Trolley of the Doomed
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Although open all around the year, hopping onto the Trolley of the Doomed organised by Boston Ghost Tours around Halloween has a special feel to it! It is an opportunity for you to get off the trolley and explore the various haunted locations in Boston such as some of the oldest burial grounds and the site of a grave-robbing scandal.
Throughout this 90-minute tour, you will also hear spooky stories of the Boston Common executions and the Omni Parker House paranormal activity, amongst others.
Address: 200 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02110, United States Dates: Year round Timings: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
15. Experience the Spookiness That Is Witch’s Woods
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Head over to the Witch’s Woods in Westford for a complete horror experience featuring various rides and a number of fun attractions. Try to “make it out alive” as you deal with witches, ghouls, spirits, werewolves, vampires and more while riding tractors and going through castles. Some of the main attractions include Witch’s Woods Haunted Hayride, Vampire Passage, Castle Morbid and Horrorwood Chamber of Chills.
The Jack O’ Lantern Jamboree is a popular lanterns display.
Address: 79 Powers Rd, Westford, MA 01886, United States Distance from Boston: 34.8 miles (About 40 minutes away) Dates: 2- 31 October (Friday- Sunday)
Make sure to book your tickets for Boston for October so that you can indulge in all the various “eerie” and spooky events that are organised all around the city. No matter how old you are, there is something for everyone and you will undoubtedly enjoy the Halloween events in Boston including parties, pumpkin patches, dinners, markets, displays etc.
