Halloween & Pumpkin Festivals Near Boston 2026
Fall is a magical time in Mass and New England and there is a ton going on. I separated out pumpkin patches over here if that’s more your thing. This is focused on the festivals, parades, jack-o'-lantern walks and trick-or-treat events that only happen on specific dates in October, so its time to plan ahead.
Updated October 22, 2026 — what's left this season is one weekend (October 24–25) and Halloween itself on Saturday the 31st; after that, this page is a plan for next year. Every date below was checked against the organizer's own site this week. Since last week: boston.gov now lists Fall-o-Ween on the Common as Thursday, October 22, 4–8pm (not the October 16 date it showed earlier); the Jamaica Pond parade, Keene and Salem's Kids' Fun Fest are done and marked that way below; and the zoos still haven't posted Zoo Howl or Boo at the Zoo. October things sell out and get rained on, so double check weather and alternate dates before you drive out.
Quick answers
When do Halloween events start around Boston?
October 1. Salem's Grand Parade opens Haunted Happenings that Thursday night, and the jack-o'-lantern walks at Stone Zoo, Providence and Long Hill all light up the same week. The free city events cluster mid-to-late month — Fall-o-Ween on the Common landed on Thursday, Oct 22 this year and PruBoo is Sunday, Oct 25 — and Halloween itself is a Saturday this year, so neighborhood trick-or-treating is Oct 31. Farm stuff (pumpkins, mazes, hayrides) runs through the last weekend of October.
Which are best for toddlers?
Daytime, short, and free: PruBoo (indoor, stroller-friendly, done by 1pm), Somerville's Truck O' Treat (two hours on a Thursday evening, done by 7), and Krochmal Farms on a weekend morning. Drumlin Farm's Fall-oween on October 24 is daytime too, just ticketed. Of the night walks, Long Hill is built to dazzle rather than scare and under-2s are free, but it's a walk in the woods after dark: carrier, not stroller.
Is Salem worth it with kids?
Yes, on a weekday. No, on the last two weekends. Halloween falls on a Saturday in 2026, so the city will hit capacity early that week and parking is a lost cause. Take the commuter rail from North Station (about 30 minutes) and go for one specific kids' event, not "Salem in general."
The October calendar at a glance
Already happened: Haunted Happenings Grand Parade, Salem (Oct 1); Topsfield Fair (Oct 2–12); Howl-o-ween Pet Parade, Salem (Oct 10); Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade, JP (Oct 17); Keene Pumpkin Festival, NH (Oct 17); Kids' Fun Fest, Salem Common (Oct 17); AppleFest weekend one, Wachusett (Oct 17–18)
Thu Oct 22: Fall-o-Ween Children's Festival, Boston Common, 4–8pm (free; the city moved it from Oct 16)
Through Oct 30, Wed–Sun nights (plus Tue Oct 27): Halloween on the Hill, Long Hill, Beverly
Through Oct 31, Thu–Sun nights: Jack-O'-Lantern Nights, Stone Zoo
Through Oct 31 for kids, nightly: Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, Providence (the final night, Sun Nov 1, is adults only)
Fri Oct 23: Campfires and Critters, Drumlin Farm, Lincoln (ticketed, evening)
Sat–Sun Oct 24–25, the last weekend: Krochmal Farms Pumpkin Festival, Tewksbury (free; Safe Trick or Treat hayride); AppleFest weekend two, Wachusett Mountain
Sat Oct 24: Halloween Spooktacular, Boston Children's Museum (ticketed, after hours); Fall-oween on the Farm, Drumlin Farm, Lincoln (ticketed, daytime)
Sun Oct 25: PruBoo trick-or-treat, Prudential Center (free)
Thu Oct 29: Truck O' Treat, Somerville City Hall (free; rain date Thu Nov 5); Neponset Pumpkin Parade, Dorchester (free; rain date Fri Oct 30)
Sat Oct 31: Beacon Hill trick-or-treating (free; 4–9pm per the civic association)
Sat Oct 31 – Sun Nov 1: BooFest, Wachusett Mountain (11am–3pm; under 5 free)
Through Nov 1: The Great Jack O'Lantern Journey, Southwick's Zoo
Still not posted for 2026 as of Oct 22: Zoo Howl (Franklin Park Zoo) and Boo at the Zoo (Stone Zoo); details below
Free, and in the city
Fall-o-Ween Children's Festival — Boston Common Frog Pond
📍 Boston Common | 👶 All ages | 💲 Free | ☀️ Outdoor
Thursday, October 22, 4–8pm. The city's page had this on Friday, October 16; as of October 21 it lists Thursday the 22nd instead, so if you're reading this the same day, it's tonight, and if you're reading it later, it's done for the year. Kids run the Monster Dash obstacle course, take the alpine slide and the scarecrow slide, bounce on the Jumpin' Pumpkin, do crafts and field games, and eat whatever the dairy truck is handing out. Costumes on. It's the Frog Pond, so you can take the T and leave the minute someone melts down.
PruBoo — Prudential Center
📍 Back Bay | 👶 Best under 8 | 💲 Free ($5 bag donation optional) | 🏠 Indoor
Sunday, October 25, 11am–1pm. Trick-or-treat at 30+ stores and restaurants inside the Pru, plus face painting, a magic show, crafts and live music. No registration. It's indoors, which makes it the rain plan for the last weekend before Halloween. Bring your own bag or give $5 for one — that money goes to Boston Children's Hospital.
Salem for littles — Grand Parade, Howl-o-ween Pet Parade, Kids' Fun Fest
📍 Salem | 👶 All ages | 💲 Free | ☀️ Outdoor
Grand Parade: already happened, Thursday, October 1. That was opening night for the whole Salem October, floats and marching bands and every kid in costume, theme "Old-School Halloween." It's a school night every year and runs late for the little ones, so file it for next October.
The Howl-o-ween Pet Parade (October 10) and Kids' Fun Fest on Salem Common (October 17) have both happened. What's left is Salem's last two weekends, and with a Saturday Halloween that's a crowd you don't want with a stroller. If you go anyway: commuter rail from North Station, not the car, one specific thing, then leave. hauntedhappenings.org has the day-by-day list.
Free neighborhood Halloween
The three that feel like the actual holiday rather than an event. All three have their 2026 dates now; Somerville posted its on October 7.
Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade
📍 Jamaica Plain | 👶 All ages | 💲 Free; lanterns $5–10 | ☀️ Outdoor, dusk
Saturday, October 17 — already happened. It was the 43rd one. Kids carry a paper lantern around the pond at dusk with a few thousand other families, most of them in costume — one of the best-looking things Boston does all year. For next October: buy a lantern ahead at City Feed or make one at a Spontaneous Celebrations workshop in the two weeks before, the loop is 1.5 miles on a flat path and wagon-friendly, and it's Orange Line to Green Street and walk.
Truck O' Treat — Somerville City Hall
📍 Somerville | 👶 Toddler–elementary | 💲 Free | ☀️ Outdoor
Thursday, October 29, 5–7pm; rain date Thursday, November 5. Confirmed for 2026 (the city posted it October 7). Kids trick-or-treat along the City Hall concourse, climb around a decorated city truck, and play lawn games, with light refreshments. It's short, it's early, and it's the ideal costume dress rehearsal for a two-year-old who isn't sure about the whole idea. 93 Highland Ave, an easy walk from Davis or the 88/90 bus.
Beacon Hill trick-or-treating — Halloween night
📍 Beacon Hill | 👶 Ages 3+ (leave the stroller) | 💲 Free | ☀️ Outdoor
Saturday, October 31, 4–9pm is what the Beacon Hill Civic Association lists for 2026. Last year the city closed the streets between Charles and Joy (Pinckney, West Cedar, Myrtle, South Russell) from roughly 4 to 7:30pm and thousands of kids worked the brownstones; Louisburg Square is the showpiece and gets shoulder-to-shoulder. With a Saturday Halloween this year, expect the biggest crowd yet. Go 4–5:30 with little ones, bring glow sticks for the dark side streets, and take the Red Line to Charles/MGH — there is no parking. If your kid hates crowds, this is the one to skip in favor of your own block.
Jack-o'-lantern walks
If what you typed into Google was "pumpkin festival near Boston," this section is probably what you meant. These are evening walks through thousands of carved pumpkins. They are beautiful, they run late, and they sell out on weekends.
Jack-O'-Lantern Nights — Stone Zoo
📍 Stoneham | 👶 All ages | 💲 From about $16; under 2 free; separate from daytime zoo admission | ☀️ Outdoor, evenings
October 1–31, Thursday–Sunday, 5:30–9:30pm, last entry 8:30. Hundreds of lit pumpkins, pumpkin sculptures up to 18 feet tall, carved giraffes and rhinos and bison, and a giant pumpkin chair for the photo. Twenty minutes from the city — the closest big display to Boston by a wide margin, and the one to pick if bedtime is a real constraint.
Halloween on the Hill — Long Hill, Beverly
📍 Beverly | 👶 All ages; under 2 free | 💲 $32 adult / $15 kids 3–15 ($27 / $10 for Trustees members); the cheaper value nights ended October 22 | ☀️ Outdoor, evenings
October 1–30, Wednesday–Sunday, 5:30–8 or 8:30pm depending on the night, plus Tuesday, October 27. Confirmed for 2026. The Trustees line a woodland trail with hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns and oversized Halloween sets — a graveyard, a pirate ship — silly more than spooky, which makes it the night walk to start with for kids under five. Cider-and-donut tent halfway. Advance timed tickets only, nothing sold at the gate, and the last weekend sells out, so book now. The Wednesday–Thursday value nights ran through October 22; what's left (October 23–30, plus Tuesday the 27th) is full price. About 40 minutes from Boston, and it's apple-picking territory — do the orchard in the afternoon and the trail at dusk.
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular — Roger Williams Park Zoo
📍 Providence, RI | 👶 All ages | 💲 Mon–Thu $20 adult / $16 child (2–12); Fri–Sun $23 / $19; under 2 free | ☀️ Outdoor, evenings
October 1 – November 1, nightly 6–10:30pm; the final night, Sunday, November 1, is adults only, so for kids the last night is Saturday, October 31. The original, and still the biggest — thousands of carved pumpkins along a trail through the zoo, many of them themed scenes that are actual art. Tickets are timed, online only, and must be bought in advance; weekends go. It's an hour from Boston, so go on a weeknight: cheaper, shorter lines, and you're still home by 9. Kids will be up late. That's the deal you're making.
The Great Jack O'Lantern Journey — Southwick's Zoo
📍 Mendon | 👶 All ages | 💲 About $21 adult / $13 child (3–12) online, more at the door; under 2 free | ☀️ Outdoor, evenings
September 25 – November 1. Thousands of pumpkins plus performers — acrobats, jugglers, the "Witches of Southwick." It's a separate ticket from zoo admission and about 50 minutes west. Their site wasn't loading when I checked the dates, so confirm the nights before you buy.
Hollowed Harvest: Wicked Labyrinth — Salem
📍 Salem, 300 Derby St | 👶 All ages, mildly spooky | 💲 General admission $17–20 | 🏠 Indoor
Salem's indoor pumpkin labyrinth: hundreds of carved jack-o'-lanterns in dark corridors, a spider-web tunnel, a skeleton "concert," a pumpkin funeral. Rain or shine. Their 2026 season calendar is up on the site now — check it for the night you want; last year it ran mid-September through Halloween. The dark corridors are fine for most kids and a lot for some four-year-olds.
Farm festivals and fairs
Krochmal Farms Pumpkin Festival — Tewksbury
📍 Tewksbury | 👶 Best 2–10 | 💲 Free entry and parking; $7 hayride, $7 pony ride, $7 corn maze, $2 to feed the animals | ☀️ Outdoor
Last weekend: Saturday and Sunday, October 24–25, 10am–5pm. Then it's done for the year. Hayride, pony rides, corn maze, goats and sheep to pet, pumpkins to pick, and this weekend the hayride is the "Safe Trick or Treat" version: a 25-minute horse-drawn ride where costumed characters along the route fill a candy bag. Thirty-five minutes up 93, no ticket, and you only pay for what your kid actually wants to do. This is the straightest answer to "pumpkin festival near Boston."
Topsfield Fair
📍 Topsfield | 👶 All ages | 💲 $15 advance; children under 8 free with an adult ticket | ☀️ Outdoor
October 2–12. Over for 2026. The oldest county fair in the country: the giant pumpkin weigh-off, barns full of animals, midway rides, fried everything. For next year: buy tickets before it opens, because the price goes up once it's running, and a weekday afternoon is the sane version. Saturday is the parking-in-a-field version.
AppleFest — Wachusett Mountain
📍 Princeton | 👶 All ages; under 5 free | 💲 $18 adult / $13 junior at the gate; cheaper bought ahead online | ☀️ Outdoor
October 24–25, 10am–5pm; the first weekend (October 17–18) is done. The skyride up the mountain at peak foliage, magic and circus shows, contests, roaming characters, apples. It's a bit over an hour west, and it's the same weekends the leaves turn out there, so it doubles as the foliage trip. If you miss it, Wachusett runs BooFest the next weekend, Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 11am–3pm: costume parade and contests, trick-or-treat at the skyride, paint-a-pumpkin, under 5 free, and half off at the ticket window if you show up in costume or bring your own pumpkin.
Keene Pumpkin Festival — Keene, NH
📍 Keene, NH | 👶 All ages | 💲 Free | ☀️ Outdoor
Saturday, October 17 — already happened. The tower of lit pumpkins, carving stations, live music on three stages, kids' games and crafts. It's two hours, so it's a day trip, and this year it moved to Railroad Square because of road work downtown. File it for next October.
Late October: now confirmed, and still waiting (as of October 22)
These happen every year. All but the two zoo events have posted 2026 dates. Zoo Howl and Boo at the Zoo still haven't, so that entry is what they were last year and what to watch for.
Halloween Spooktacular, Boston Children's Museum. Confirmed: Saturday, October 24, 5–8pm. After-hours trick-or-treat through the whole museum, pumpkin putt-putt, zombie bowling, a creepy-crawly animal show, and Boo Bags for the 3-and-unders. Tickets are on sale; last year it was $30 a person and sold out, so don't sit on it. The museum's "Pumpkin Patch of Play" Halloween activities run October 14 – November 1 during regular hours if you miss it. bostonchildrensmuseum.org
Neponset Pumpkin Parade, Pope John Paul II Park, Dorchester. Confirmed: Thursday, October 29, 5:30–7pm; rain date Friday, October 30. Free. Bring a carved pumpkin and a costume; they light the pumpkins along the path, there's candy and hot chocolate. neponset.org
Fall-oween on the Farm, Drumlin Farm, Lincoln. Confirmed: Saturday, October 24, 9am–5pm. This is what Drumlin is running instead of Tales of the Night, which is not on the 2026 program. Costumes on: meet the Drumlin Witch, take a hayride around the sanctuary, get up close with the wildlife and farm animals, live music, treats. Activities repeat in time blocks all day, so come when you can. $15 adults / $12 kids 2–12 (members $10 / $8); under 2 free. Special-event pricing applies to everyone, members included, and no library passes that day. Want the after-dark version? Campfires and Critters is Friday, October 23, 6–8:30pm: s'mores, fireside tales, wildlife encounters and a walk on the spooky wooded trail; $24 a person for nonmembers ($20 members), for families with kids 5–13, registration required. massaudubon.org
Zoo Howl (Franklin Park Zoo) and Boo at the Zoo (Stone Zoo). Daytime trick-or-treat among the animals, usually Halloween weekend, included with admission. Still not posted as of October 22: Zoo New England's events list has Jack-O'-Lantern Nights (above, through October 31) and a Snow Leopard Day at Stone Zoo on Saturday, October 24, 10am–2:30pm, and nothing called Zoo Howl or Boo at the Zoo. If it shows up this late it'll be on the zoo's events page, but don't plan the weekend around it. zoonewengland.org
Davis Mega Maze, Sterling. The big corn maze plus farm festival. As of mid-October it's weekends only: Saturday and Sunday 11am–5pm, last admission an hour before close, and their calendar shows which days through Halloween. Saturday's Fright Night (6:30–10pm) is a separate ticket and not for littles. Last year about $27–30 at the gate. davismegamaze.com
Making it work with kids
Jack-o'-lantern walks are a bedtime problem. They don't start until dark. Under-fours do better at Krochmal or Fall-o-Ween; save Providence for the year they can stay up.
Weeknights for the ticketed ones. Cheaper at Providence, shorter lines everywhere, and you'll actually get a parking spot.
Two things a weekend, not three. A farm in the morning and a pumpkin walk at night is a full day. Adding a fair to that is how everyone ends up crying in the car.
Bring a flashlight and a real jacket. October nights near Boston are 45 degrees by 8pm, and the paths are dark on purpose.
For the actual picking, Pumpkin Patches Near Boston has the farms and opening dates, and Apple Picking Near Boston covers the orchards. The year-round list is 150+ Things to Do with Kids in the Boston Area.
And for what's on each week, subscribe to Boston Family Calendar. Every Wednesday, free.
see you out there fellow parents,
Dito from Boston Family Calendar
