Seasonal · Citywide

Halloween in Boston 2026: Pumpkins, Ghosts and a Very Busy Salem

Candy for the kids, colonial graves for the grown-ups, and a straight-talking plan for Salem.

By Fun Boston Published 6 min read

Boston does Halloween in a few flavors: free candy runs for kids, glowing zoos after dark, and 17th-century graveyards that need zero decorating. This year Oct. 31 lands on a Saturday, so expect a big weekend. Our single best tip: if Salem is on your list, go on a weekday and take the train.

Best Halloween events for kids

PruBoo at the Prudential Center

The 32nd annual PruBoo is indoor trick-or-treating at 30+ shops and restaurants, plus face painting, crafts, magic shows by Robert Clarke and sets from the Stacey Peasley Band. Rain can't touch it, which in Boston in late October is worth a lot.

Free (trick-or-treat bags are a $5 donation to Boston Children's Hospital) · Prudential (Green Line E) or Copley · Sun., Oct. 25, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Fall-o-Ween Children's Festival on Boston Common

The city's Fall-o-Ween Children's Festival takes over the Frog Pond with a Monster Dash obstacle course, slides, crafts, field games, and music and magic on the Parks Department stage. Costumes are encouraged for kids and adults, so yes, you can finally wear the inflatable dinosaur.

Free · Park Street · Fri., Oct. 16, 4–8 p.m.

Jack-O'-Lantern Nights at Stone Zoo

Stone Zoo in Stoneham lights its paths with carved pumpkins on October evenings. Tickets are required for everyone over age two, sales are final and can't be moved to another date, and evenings can sell out, so buy ahead. Gate prices are higher than plan-ahead prices.

Prices vary by date; EBT/WIC cardholders pay $10 a ticket for up to four (as of Sept. 2026) · 149 Pond St., Stoneham, free parking, easiest by car · Oct. 1–31, Thu.–Sun., 5:30–9:30 p.m., last entry 8:30

Boston Lights at Franklin Park Zoo

Not technically Halloween, but Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience fills the zoo with giant glowing lantern sculptures, and it runs every night in October. The zoo asks that costumes be family-friendly, not fully cover the head, and skip big inflatables and full-body animal suits (nobody wants to be mistaken for staff).

Plan-ahead pricing varies by night; EBT/WIC is $17 a ticket for up to four (as of Sept. 2026) · Forest Hills (Orange Line) then the 16 bus, or Ruggles then the 22, 28, 29 or 45 · Nightly Oct. 1–Nov. 8, 5–10:30 p.m., last entry 9:30

Spooky history for grown-ups

The old burying grounds

Boston's scariest Halloween decor is 300-plus years old. The Granary Burying Ground (founded 1660) holds Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and the five victims of the Boston Massacre. Right up Tremont Street, King's Chapel Burying Ground is Boston Proper's oldest, from 1630, with John Winthrop and William Dawes. The city notes its stones were rearranged in the 1800s, often not matching who's underneath. Sleep well.

In the North End, Copp's Hill (1659) is where Cotton and Increase Mather, the ministers tied to the Salem witch trials, are buried. So is Prince Hall, the founder of Black Freemasonry.

Free · Park Street for Granary and King's Chapel; Haymarket or North Station for Copp's Hill (45 Hull St.) · Open daily, about 9 a.m.–4 p.m., so these are daytime spooks only

Ghosts & Gravestones trolley tour

Ghosts & Gravestones is a 90-minute trolley-and-walking tour with a costumed guide that includes after-hours access to two burying grounds. It's rated PG-13, not recommended for kids under 13, and kids under 6 aren't allowed. There are stairs and cobblestones, so wear real shoes.

From $37.40 per person online, advance reservations required (as of Sept. 2026) · Aquarium (Blue Line); departs 200 Atlantic Ave. by the Marriott Long Wharf · Nightly from 6 p.m.; check availability before you go

Freedom Trail Lantern Tour

The Freedom Trail Foundation's Lantern Tour is a 90-minute, one-mile night walk through pirate graves, murders, grave robbing and spies, led by a cloaked guide. It's recommended for ages 12 and up. The page lists Thursdays through Saturdays until Oct. 30, plus Oct. 28, but doesn't print the year, so confirm your date when you book.

Adults $17, seniors and students $15, kids 6–12 $8 (as of Sept. 2026) · Park Street; starts at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, 139 Tremont St. · Evenings through Oct. 30

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" at Old North Church

An actor and a live bass-fiddle-banjo trio perform a one-hour musical reading of Irving's ghost story in the candlelit church where the "one if by land" lanterns hung. You can add a 20-minute crypt tour for $12. Yes, the church has a crypt. Of course it does.

Single seats $36, private pews $100–$160 (as of Sept. 2026) · Haymarket or North Station · Fri., Oct. 9, 5:30–8 p.m. window

More October dates worth a costume

Halloween Vintage Block Party

The Downtown Boston Alliance lists a free Halloween Vintage Block Party with 60-plus vintage and local vendors, DJs, food trucks and Halloween contests. RSVP details were still "coming soon" when we checked.

Free general admission · Downtown Crossing (Summer and Washington streets) · Sat., Oct. 10, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Halloween weekend in Boston (Oct. 30–Nov. 1)

Oct. 31 is a Saturday, so the whole weekend is fair game.

  • Friday, Oct. 30: The Celtics host the Bulls at TD Garden at 7 p.m. (North Station).
  • Saturday, Oct. 31, afternoon: The Bruins play the Blackhawks at 1 p.m., early enough to get home for trick-or-treaters.
  • Saturday night: It's the last night of Stone Zoo's Jack-O'-Lantern Nights, and Boston Lights is open too. Buy zoo tickets ahead.
  • The big finale: Salem ends Haunted Happenings with a 400-drone show over the North River at 10 p.m. More on getting there below.

Salem day trip: Haunted Happenings 2026

Salem's month-long Haunted Happenings is extra this year because the city is marking its 400th anniversary. Destination Salem says the festival draws more than a million visitors, and that reservations are "strongly recommended" for attractions, tours and events, especially on weekends.

2026 highlights

  • Grand Parade: Thu., Oct. 1, 6:30 p.m., from Shetland Park through downtown.
  • Howl-o-ween Pet Parade: Sat., Oct. 10, 10:30 a.m. (pet registration $5 local, $10 out of town).
  • Salem Night Faire: Fri.–Sat., Oct. 16–17 and 23–24, 5–10 p.m.
  • Witch Hats on the Wharf: Sat., Oct. 17, 11 a.m., a world-record attempt on the waterfront.
  • Halloween: live music from noon, then the drone show at 10 p.m.

Getting there

Train: Salem is on the MBTA's Newburyport/Rockport Line from North Station, and the station is in Zone 3. On weekends the $10 Weekend Pass covers unlimited Commuter Rail rides (as of Sept. 2026), and Halloween is a Saturday. The MBTA's Newburyport/Rockport timetable says a special schedule with extra trains between Beverly and North Station runs every October weekend, starting Oct. 3, and that no bikes are allowed on weekend trains in October. Check the posted schedule before you go.

Ferry: The Salem Ferry leaves from 66 Long Wharf (Aquarium, Blue Line) and takes 50–60 minutes to the terminal on Blaney Street. It runs seasonally "through the Halloween season." Reservations aren't required, but booking ahead is recommended for October weekends. Check the 2026 schedule and fares before you go.

Driving: Don't, if you can help it. Salem's MBTA page also shows buses 451 and 455 detoured every Friday through Sunday in October for the festival, which tells you plenty about the traffic.

Crowd tips

Go on a weekday if you can. If it has to be a weekend, catch an early train, reserve anything with a ticket, and pick up a map at the visitor center at 245 Derby St. Halloween night in Salem is more a stadium crowd than a stroll.

The short version

  • Best for little kids: PruBoo on Sun., Oct. 25, free and indoors.
  • Best free city event: Fall-o-Ween at the Frog Pond, Fri., Oct. 16, 4–8 p.m.
  • Best night out with kids: Stone Zoo pumpkins (Thu.–Sun. in October) or Boston Lights (nightly). Buy tickets ahead.
  • Best for grown-ups: Granary and King's Chapel by day, then a ghost tour or Sleepy Hollow at Old North (Oct. 9) by night.
  • Salem: Take the train from North Station, go on a weekday, and book ahead.
  • Halloween Saturday: Bruins at 1 p.m., zoo lights at night, or Salem's 10 p.m. drone show if you really love crowds.

Sources

Prices, hours and schedules change. Tap through to the official source before you go, and if we got something wrong, tell us. We log every fix on our corrections page.

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