The best halloween events in the U.S.

Oh, you carved a pumpkin? That's cute, but it's not cutting it. The volunteers at The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze carved seven thousand of them. Every year, gourd gobblers travel to the Van Cortlandt Manor on the Hudson River (20 minutes north of the small New York town once terrorized by the Headless Horseman) to get a glimpse at larger-than-life pumpkin displays. Journey through a tunnel of jack-o-lanterns, marvel at a moving pumpkin windmill and creep yourself out at a cemetery with pumpkin tombstones and pumpkin-headed characters. With twinkling lights and a cup full of chili, this is one pumpkin-fueled autumnal experience.

In Salem, the witchiest center of the country, the Festival of the Dead celebrates death itself all month long. From evenings with psychic mediums who communicate with the spirit world to livelier events that explore the many mysteries of the afterlife, this festival offers an outlet for celebrating passed loved ones. However, the Witches Ball, at the heart of the festival, shows a different side of a normally macabre topic —the party includes a DJ, costumes, selfies, and more. Who wouldn’t want to honor the dead with a sinful night out?

Evil demons, rattling skeletons, and… kitty costumes? The Village Halloween Parade checks every Halloween activity off your bucket list: the weird, the horrifying, and the cute! Over two million people—adults and children alike—line the streets of New York’s Greenwich Village each year to see mammoth puppets, marching bands, and creative costumes at the largest public Halloween celebration in the U.S. And, after the little ones go home to feast on their fresh stash of candy, grown-ups can stick around for the afterparty.

Halloween gets a Mardi Gras twist with the Krewe of Boo. This parade has been spooking its way through the French Quarter since 2007. Floats with giant paper mache creatures toss out candy, voodoo doll pins, and yes, plenty of beads (this is New Orleans, after all). The festivities kick off with The New Orleans Zombie Run—be sure to dress up like the living dead so you can escape the Big Easy Rollergirls as they hunt down zombies on skates.

In St. Hellens, Oregon, immerse yourself in Halloweentown. Every October, the charming town transforms into the Disney Channel classic for a month-long extravaganza complete with a haunted hotel, spooky scavenger hunt, and a gargantuan pumpkin in the town plaza. St. Helens is also home to Bella Swan’s house from Twilight, where you can stay in Bella’s actual bedroom from the movie—before she turns into a vampire and births a vampire baby, that is. It’s a Halloween double whammy!

The ancient test put witches in the water -- if they floated, they were witches. Putting that old trick into practice, witches convene every year on Morro Bay to float for charity. The Morro Bay Witches Paddle transforms the tranquil waters of the bay into a cauldron of excitement. Standing on Coleman Beach, you might usually spot a humpback or blue whale—maybe even sea otters and sea lions. But during the event (this year on October 26), attendees can see the spectacle of cackling witches going out for a paddle. The annual event raises money for the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County as you’re invited to don your favorite witch or warlock costume and spend a bewitching morning on the water.

If there were a Halloween version of the competitive neighborhood light displays in Christmas Vacation, it would look something like Terror on Tillson Street. This two-block street in the small town of Romeo (outside of Detroit) hosts an estimated 80,000 visitors a year for its frighteningly extravagant decorations. There’s a killer-clown house, a ghostly pirate ship and even a hockey rink full of skeleton skaters. The residents say each year gets more elaborate, so this Halloween will be a treat even if you saw it last year.

Not many people would want to invite The Walking Dead to their hometown—what with its drooling zombies and constant killing—but the Thriller Parade in Lexington provides a more jubilant zombie walk for the masses. Set to the soundtrack of Michael Jackson’s iconic “Thriller,” several hundred zombies “dance, dawdle, and drag” themselves down Lexington’s Main Street. Kids and adults alike dress up, and grotesque costumes are outright encouraged.

The average Halloween enthusiast might have, I don’t know, maybe two or three pumpkins sitting on their doorstep. But not the folks at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The annual gourdish tradition puts 1,000 pumpkins on display—all carved to artistic and spooky delights. Costumes are highly recommended as you traipse the Garden after dark, weaving through entertainers, fall treats, and, of course, the jack-o’-lanterns carved into album covers, eerie cartoons, haunted tales from Chicago, vibrant Día de los Muertos tributes, and more.

If trick-or-treating around the neighborhood isn’t exciting enough for you, step up your game and go door-to-door (or basket-to-basket) to over 20 hot air balloons. The Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival in Scottsdale passes out 4,000 pounds of candy yearly and offers balloon rides, nightly costume contests, and fireworks. 

Imagine this: a 20-foot neon green witch face floats over a beach town in Delaware, and somehow it doesn’t terrify children. In fact, it only incites joyful cackles from the crowd. The original Sally the Sea Witch retired in 2019 after 25 years of presiding over the annual Sea Witch parade, but today, the festival features an exact replica made by Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade artist Ken Moody. During the festival, approximately 180,000 people convene in costume to watch the balloon—red eyes, crooked nose, and all. Other events include a broom-throwing contest, hayrides, a dog costume parade, and a scarecrow show.

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What started as an unfortunate story became a hilariously creative tradition held every year in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Legend has it that, after being buried atop a mountain, Emma Crawford and her coffin were washed away by a landslide. What did the town do? In honor of her life, it now holds coffin races in her name. Each team meticulously decorates a coffin, places one “Emma” inside, and cruises down the street as they attempt to beat each other’s times. Of course, if you’re more of a glue-gunner than a runner, there are also prizes for the best coffin designs (some of which are delightfully over-the-top).

The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is not quite a haunted house— more like a haunted boat. The decommissioned ocean liner (built in the 1930s) gets seriously spooky in the fall with five haunted mazes within the ship. There are also secret speakeasies, fire dancers, live music, ax throwing and rides when you need a break from being spooked. The Queen Mary is also allegedly haunted—so you just may see a real ghost or two!