Halloween on a Saturday, Día de Muertos and Election Day alpacas.
Halloween is on Saturday this year - no confusion on what day is trick or treating day. If you time it right, your kid can just stay in their costume the whole weekend and you save on laundry - don’t say I never give you good tips.
Saturday there's barnyard trick-or-treating at Powisset Farm and a free Halloween fiesta in JP, and Sunday Chelsea throws its Día de Muertos festival with a Catrina parade and face painting. If your kids are off on Election Day, the libraries can be a good options with Dino Day in Somerville and live alpacas in Burlington.
Picks of the Week
Chelsea Square Park, 179 Winnisimmet St, Chelsea · Sunday, November 1, 1:00–5:00 PM · Free · Drop-in · All ages
A Catrina parade kicks it off at 1, then mariachi, ballet folklórico and Brazilian drumming on the stage, plus face painting, food vendors and community ofrendas. The ofrenda exhibit is also open free at the ICA Watershed in Eastie on Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 5.
Powisset Farm, Dover · Saturday, October 31, 11:00 AM–2:00 PM · $20 adults / $15 kids (members $12 / $9), under 2 free · Registration required · All ages
Kids trick-or-treat from the barnyard animals in costume, hunt for hidden pumpkins, play pumpkin toss and take a hayride.
Mozart Park, 10 Mozart St, Jamaica Plain · Saturday, October 31, 3:00–4:30 PM · Free · Drop-in · All ages
A free neighborhood Halloween party in the Latin Quarter, right before trick-or-treating. Bring the kids in costume. If the weather looks iffy, check Hyde Square Task Force's social media before you head over.
☔️ Bad Weather Backups
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge · Thursday, October 29, 5:00–9:00 PM · Free · RSVP encouraged, walk-ins welcome · All ages
Kids trick-or-treat through the galleries after hours and see specimens that rarely come out of storage: odd insects, reptiles, strange plants and minerals. They decorate a trick-or-treat bag and hit the photo booth, and nature-themed costumes are encouraged. Free parking at the 52 Oxford St garage if you RSVP.
Discovery Museum, Acton · Friday, October 30 & Sunday, November 1, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM; Saturday, October 31, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM · Free with admission · All ages
Pumpkin Putt Putt and other Halloween games outside, a scavenger hunt through the museum, and costumes welcome.
Charles River Museum of Industry, 154 Moody St, Waltham · Saturday, October 31, 11:30 AM–12:30 PM · Free with museum admission · Drop-in · Ages 4+
A Frankenstein storytime, build a paper monster, watch a Tesla coil demo in the machine shop and do a scavenger hunt for a candy bag. Kids can also climb on Waltham's 1871 steam fire engine for a photo.
☀️ Outside Adventures
Drumlin Farm, Lincoln · Friday, October 30, 5:30–7:00 PM · $22 per person (members $18) · Registration required · Families with kids 5–12
Kids can touch and handle real owl wings, skulls and talons inside, then head out at dusk to listen for screech owls, barred owls and great horned owls. Bring a flashlight with a red light if you have one. The same program runs at Broadmoor in Natick depending on which is closer for you.
Boston Nature Center, Mattapan · Saturday, October 31, 10:00–11:00 AM · $10 per person (members $8) · Registration required · All ages
An easy one-mile bird walk on flat trails. Binoculars and field guides are provided.
📚 Library Picks
Burlington Public Library (outdoors) · Tuesday, November 3, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM · Free · Drop-in · All ages
Kids meet a real alpaca from the Harvard Alpaca Ranch and ask the ranchers whatever they want. Come at 10:30 for the alpaca storytime first
West Branch Library, 40 College Ave, Somerville · Tuesday, November 3, 2:00–4:00 PM · Free · Drop-in · All ages
Storytime, a scavenger hunt, crafts and digging for fossils. Central, East and West are all having Dino Day
Central Library, 79 Highland Ave, Somerville · Saturday, October 31, 3:00–4:00 PM · Free · Drop-in · All ages
Kids parade through the library in costume, trick-or-treat at every desk, then end with a dance party in the auditorium. There's also a morning parade at the West Branch at 10.
Cary Memorial Library, Lexington · Wednesday, November 4, 4:30–5:30 PM · Free · Registration required · Grades 3–5
Kids start with a whole sugar pumpkin and end up with pumpkin waffles, salted pumpkin seeds, maple syrup and hand whipped cream
Know a Boston family who needs this? Forward this email to them — it’ll make their week.
Fun for the whole family
Chuckie Harris Park, East Somerville · Saturday, October 31, 1:00–4:00 PM (rain date Sunday) · Free · Drop-in · All ages
Live music, local vendors, raffles and a pet costume contest. Kids come in costume, and the dog can too.
Stone Zoo, Stoneham · Thursday–Saturday, October 29–31, 5:30–9:30 PM · Tickets required, check the site for prices · All ages
A nighttime walk through the zoo lit up with carved jack-o'-lanterns. Halloween night is the last one, so go early in the evening with little ones. You need tickets, so plan ahead (i realized this one the hard way when i did not plan and missed out on going Sunday)
🎃 Last weekend for Halloween, first look at the holidays
Halloween & pumpkin festivals near Boston — what’s still on through the 31st.
Christmas markets near Boston with kids — in case you missed it last week. Snowport opens November 6.
Fall foliage hikes near Boston — the color is hanging on for one more week or two.
The Full Rundown
Thursday, October 29
Autumn Leaves and Crafts (10:30 AM) — Brookline Village Library · Free · Registration required · All ages
Friday, October 30
Spooky Storytime — Belmont Public Library · Free · Ages 5+
Saturday, October 31 — Halloween
Spooky Science Weekend (9:00 AM–4:00 PM) — Museum of Science, Boston · Museum admission · All ages
Sunday, November 1
Beginner Tumbling with the Little Gym (3:00 PM) — Newton Free Library · Free · Ages 1–5
Monday, November 2
Babytime (10:30 AM) — Brookline Village Library · Free · Babies
Singalong with Matt Heaton — Central Library, Somerville · Free · All ages
Tuesday, November 3 — Election Day
Coolidge Corner Readathon (10:00 AM) — Coolidge Corner Library, Brookline · Free · Ages 3+
Playful Penguins Storytime for Toddlers — Belmont Public Library · Free · Toddlers
Wednesday, November 4
Little Bookworms Author Study — Belmont Public Library · Free · Registration required · Ages 3–6
See all 319 events this week → the full calendar
Know one other Boston parent who’d want this? Share your link below — one referral gets you into this month’s giveaway (a day pass, event tickets, or a membership to a local kid spot).
Know a Boston family who needs this? Forward this email to them — it’ll make their week.
Was this forwarded to you? Get the best family events in Boston delivered free every week. → Subscribe here
Have an awesome week. Dito signing off.
