Cirque du Creep: Alice in Horrorland
October 10 at the Yard, Beacon
Wonderland takes a turn for the macabre at Cirque du Creep’s Alice in Horrorland. The alternative night faire brings together more than 80 vendors selling dark art and oddities, alongside live bands, sideshow acts, stiltwalking creatures, fire performances, and roaming haunt actors. Flash tattoos, piercings, tarot readings, and henna offer additional ways to leave transformed. Expect rabbit holes and Mad Hatters among the Halloween spectacle. The event welcomes all ages, with free admission for kids 15 and under and a free shuttle from Beacon’s train station. Tickets and details online.
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
Select evenings through November 8 at Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson
The pumpkin-carving ambitions here extend considerably beyond a toothy grin on the front porch. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze fills Van Cortlandt Manor’s historic landscape with thousands of illuminated, hand-carved pumpkins across 23 themed areas, including a pumpkin circus, dinosaurs, and Hudson River wetlands. Dynamic lighting, interactive projections, and an original soundtrack animate the walk. Cider doughnuts and hot apple cider provide seasonal sustenance, while separately ticketed experiences include the Gourd & Goblet Tavern and Headless Horseman’s Hideaway. Purchase timed-entry tickets in advance.
Mystic Moon
Select evenings through November 1 at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, North Salem
For families who want Halloween atmosphere without a child clinging to their leg, Mystic Moon offers an illuminated walk through the orchard and woods, with theatrical lighting, music, mystical characters, and no jump scares. The roughly 40-minute trail includes plenty of photo opportunities, while this year’s new pirate-themed Kraken’s Cove provides a gathering place for seasonal treats, sweet cider, and the farm’s hard cider. Twilight admission slots offer a softer introduction for younger visitors. Children three and under enter free; tickets are sold by date and time.
Halloween at Unicorn Bar
October 16–31 at Unicorn Bar, Kingston
Unicorn Bar approaches Halloween as a season unto itself. Mora Monae and Scarlet Rose’s Slash Her! Pageant starts the festivities October 16, followed by a Halloween Honky Tonk with the Hudson Valley Flyers October 17 and Halloween Switch Salsa October 21. Crush Pleasure Shop throws its Halloween party October 23, while the month culminates with Afterglow on October 31. Hosted by Bambi and Nosferthotu, the Halloween-night dance party features DJ HUEMAN, boylesque, pole performers, and go-go dancers. See the calendar for individual events and tickets.
Catskill Mountain Railroad Pumpkin Express
October 17–18 and 24–25, departing from Kingston Plaza
The Pumpkin Express combines two reliable childhood enthusiasms: trains and picking out something to bring home. Catskill Mountain Railroad’s seasonal excursion follows the former Ulster & Delaware Railroad corridor to a pumpkin patch, where passengers select a pumpkin to decorate. The approximately eight-mile round trip takes about 90 minutes, with seating in indoor coaches or open-air cars for enjoying the autumn scenery. Trains depart from Westbrook Station at Kingston Plaza, making this an easy family outing before the carving knives come out. Purchase tickets online.
Spellbound Halloween Festival
October 17–18 at Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park, Carmel
Spellbound turns a corner of Carmel into Ashbury, a fictional village with a missing girl and plenty of reasons to distrust the woods. The two-day theatrical festival combines a Mystic Market, fire shows, and an immersive haunted trail following the disappearance of Arabella Thorn. Visitors can join a guided search party through the forest, with an earlier family-friendly version available for those who prefer their mysteries with fewer scares. The haunted trail requires a separate ticket from festival admission. Find festival information and tickets online.
Spellbound in the Valley
October 23–24 at the MJN Convention Center, Poughkeepsie
Readers whose shelves lean toward dark romance, monsters, horror, and things that go bump in the night can meet their literary accomplices at Spellbound in the Valley. The two-day event advertises more than 100 authors and vendors, with book signings and shopping at the MJN Convention Center. Select ticket packages add panel programming at the Bardavon and admission to a Gothic Victorian masquerade ball. This one is for grown-ups: the signing event is restricted to ages 18 and older, and the party is 21-plus. Compare ticket packages online.
Haunted Barn and Monster’s Ball
October 23–25 at Luther Barn; October 24 at the Lantern, Wassaic
Wassaic Project’s Haunted Mill has found new quarters—and a new name. This year’s Haunted Barn fills Luther Barn with artist-created installations and performances, including a fairy-tale forest, a recycled-material haunted petting zoo, shadow puppets, a giant inflatable puppet, and an interactive haunted music box. The barn welcomes all ages, with individual and family admission options. On October 24, the 21-plus Monster’s Ball takes over the Lantern’s garden with live music and a costume contest. Ball tickets must be purchased ahead, and costumes are mandatory. Reserve online.
Hocus Pocus Halloween Parade and Festivities
October 24 along Main Street, Beacon
Beacon makes a full day of Halloween with Main Street trick-or-treating and a Black Cat Scavenger Hunt. Find the cats hidden in participating businesses, collect passport stamps, and trade them for grab-bag prizes. The Hocus Pocus parade travels from South Avenue and Main Street to Veterans Place, where first responders host a trunk-or-treat. Happy Valley Arcade Bar adds a family-friendly celebration and costume contest, with prizes for kids, teens, and family or group ensembles. Parade participants gather at Polhill Park.
Halloween Craft Workshop and Scavenger Hunt
October 24–25 at Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz
Historic Huguenot Street gives elementary-aged kids a hands-on Halloween outing with three seasonal craft projects and a scavenger hunt across its 10-acre grounds. Spooky clues provide the incentive to explore, while the workshops offer something to bring home besides another bag of candy. Activities run both days, with advance registration required for a specific time slot. Admission is $10 per child, and accompanying adult guardians enter free. Families can also return October 31 for free trick-or-treating among the historic homes. Register online.
Beneath the Hudson
October 30 at EMPAC, Troy
Troy’s maritime past gets a supernatural rewrite at EMPAC’s free Halloween party. Beneath the Hudson sends visitors through the haunted remains of a lost steamboat, encountering ghostly sailors, river creatures, and a curse to unravel. The immersive ship experience is recommended for ages nine and older; festivities throughout the building include trick-or-treating, mask-making, costume contests, and a photo booth with Proctors Theatre props. Screenings pair Muppet Treasure Island with Lake Placid, while the evening shifts toward dancing with Hellseeker Club DJs Rachel Rave and 100 Psychic Dreams. Details online.
Peter Samelson: “Phenom”
October 30–November 1 at Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill
Magician Peter Samelson returns to Bridge Street Theatre with “Phenom,” a show of magic and mentalism that makes memory, perception, and the reliability of the senses part of the act. Drawing on 50 years of repertoire, Samelson builds an evening around improbable coincidences, revelations, and encounters that challenge an audience’s confidence in what it has just witnessed. For Halloween-weekend entertainment that gets inside your head, this offers an alternative to the standard haunted-house circuit. Tickets are available online.
MyKingstonKids Halloween Parade: Pirates on the Hudson
October 31 at Kingston Plaza and along Broadway, Kingston
MyKingstonKids gives its annual Halloween parade a maritime makeover with Pirates on the Hudson—Treasure & Treat Hunt. Families gather at Kingston Plaza before heading along Broadway and through surrounding areas for a celebration combining costumes, live music, food, games, and treasure-hunting fun. Pirate attire suits the theme, though the broader mission remains bringing Kingston families together for a community Halloween adventure. Groups and organizations planning to participate can register through MyKingstonKids, which also provides contact information for parade questions.
New Paltz Halloween Parade
October 31 in the Village of New Paltz
The annual New Paltz Halloween parade begins at 6pm at the corner of Main Street and Manheim Boulevard in the heart of the village, and ends at the firehouse. For even more costume fun and treats, head over to Historic Huguenot Street with the kids from 3:30 to 5:30pm for trick or treating.
Shadows and Spirits: A Hex and Harvest Supper Club
October 31 at the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park
The CIA serves its Halloween chills between courses at Shadows and Spirits, an immersive supper club in Farquharson Hall. Fictional hosts Mrs. Lenora Van Alstyne and her folklore-obsessed cousin Mr. Percival Finch preside over a four-course Hudson Valley harvest dinner, with wine and spirits pairings and a “Hex on the Rocks” cocktail hour. Close-up conjurers, card readers, and mysteries to unravel before dessert add theatrical intrigue to the feast. Tickets are $285, including food, drinks, tax, and the Student Support Service Charge. Reserve online.
BOO Bitch: Circus of Freaks
October 31 at Keegan Ales, Kingston
Molly Sterrs and Andy Monk bring BOO Bitch back on Halloween night with a Circus of Freaks takeover of Keegan Ales. The 21-plus party combines dancing, drag, projections, a photo booth, roaming performers, and a costume contest. Announced participants include DJ Flared Bass, drag performer BlackMail, and projection artist BA Maile, with additional performers being revealed throughout October. Come prepared to contribute to the spectacle: costumes that terrify, delight, or thoroughly confuse are all welcome. Admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Purchase tickets online.
Disco of the Dead
October 31 at the Tin Barn, Clermont
The Tin Barn resurrects the dance floor for Disco of the Dead, a 21-plus Halloween party with an APB Entertainment DJ, drinks, and a prize for best costume. Gettin’ Smashed Smash Burgers supplies the food, leaving guests free to concentrate on the more pressing business of dancing in whatever elaborate apparatus they’ve decided to wear. Admission is $5, making this a relatively economical way to take your costume out for an evening in Columbia County. Find event details online.
Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Attractions
Select evenings through October 31 in Ulster Park; Children’s Day October 17
Headless Horseman packs 13 attractions into one ticket, from haunted houses and walking trails to a corn maze and hayride. This year’s hayride, The Cursed Earth of Crow Hollow, follows a town whose contaminated water unleashes monstrous insects, transformations, and restless dead. Also new is the Crow Hollow Candy Company, where visitors risk becoming ingredients. Evening attractions are recommended for ages 13 and older; Children’s Day offers a separate option for younger visitors. Purchase tickets online.
Kevin McCurdy’s Haunted Mansion
Select evenings through November 1 in Wappingers Falls
Fifty years of frightening people gives Kevin McCurdy’s Haunted Mansion plenty of material for its anniversary season. This year’s attractions include Horrorwood: The Backlot, Garden of Evil, Deadline Diner, Corn Hollow, and Fisherman’s Wharf, with elaborate mazes, special effects, and live performers supplying the scares. A tribute to the attraction’s five decades adds some history to the horror, while the Grumpy Pumpkin serves food, drinks, and mini doughnuts for a post-scream snack. The evening experience is not recommended for very young children. Advance reservations are required.
