Is it just me, or do you also enjoy Halloween now, as a parent, more than you ever did as a kid?
I can't get enough of the decor, the costumes, the spooky-themed food, and all the fun events. This year, I am especially happy to see that my teens aren't out-growing any of it anytime soon either. Since October 1, my sixteen year old has laid out her outfits for the next 30 days, and they are all combinations of orange and black. Whenever I catch her with her ear pods in, she is listening to Halloween movie soundtracks. Her room is decorated in cobwebs, (beyond the ones that were already there), and pumpkin lighting. This is going to be another fun year!
The events we have always loved pre-pandemic are back, the innovative events created during the pandemic are returning, and even some new events are popping up. This may be the best year yet.
Stay tuned to Macaroni KID Skokie-Niles-Park Ridge-Far Northwest Chicago, as we will keep you posted on all things sweet, and creepy, this season. Follow us on Facebook too, to ensure you don't miss a thing.
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THE SWEET
Skokie
Downtown Skokie Trick or Treat and Halloween Event
October 28 @ 1pm-3pm
All residents and their families are invited to dress up and walk the streets of downtown Skokie, trick or treating from business to business who set up a candy and activity station, including some music/DJ stations, in front of their stores.
Cost: Free
Kids Night Out at the Exploritorium
October 20 @ 6:30pm-9:00pm
Kids deserve a night out too! Drop your child off for an evening of supervised fun, crafts, snacks, Exploritorium playtime and many more surprises. Snacks will be provided. Please be sure to eat dinner before you come!
October's craft activity is Pumpkin Decorating! Each child will receive their own pumpkin to decorate and take home! We will be watching a non-scary Halloween movie and kids can come dressed up in costume for an early Halloween celebration!
Cost: $15/$19 R/NR
Skatium's Halloween Skate and Costume Contest
October 27 @ 7pm-9pm
Two hours of family Halloween fun at the Skatium Ice Arena! Trophies for the top 3 costumes. Goodie bags for all skaters 14 and under.
Cost: General Admission $9 / Skate Rental $3
Kooky Spooky Candy Trail
October 28 @ 3pm-5pm
Journey along the Kooky Spooky Candy Trail to collect candy and prizes by visiting each interactive station along the trail. Costumes are encouraged! If rain, the event will be moved inside the Oakton Community Center.
Cost: $10/child
Niles
Trunk or Treat at Oasis Fun Center
October 21 @ 10:00am-11:30am
Walk along the parking lot of decorated Park District, Village, and local business vehicles, and be given a treat! Register at the Howard Leisure Center.
Halloween Parade and Party
October 28
Join us in a parade from Oak Park to Grennan Heights. At Grennan there will be games, pumpkins, DJ, and more!
Park Ridge
Halloween Hoopla
October 13 @ 5pm and 7:30pm
October 14 @ 2:00pm, 4:30pm, and 7:00pm
Join us for a fun-filled family event that gets you ready for Halloween. Carve a pumpkin, stuff a scarecrow, jump on a hayride, and enjoy s’mores and hot cocoa around a campfire.
Cost $36/$54 R/NR
Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat
October 20 @ 6pm-8pm
Join us for an spooktacular drive-thru trick or treat experience you and your family will never forget. We are taking over the entire parking lot at Centennial Fitness and Activity Centers. Each car drives through multiple trick or treat stops hosted by the Park District, local businesses, and other organizations. Participants are encouraged to dress up and decorate their cars.
Cost: $15/$20 per car R/NR
Skeleton Egg Dip
October 28 @ 12:15pm-12:40pm
Goblins have laid eggs in the pool - help us get them out! Eggs filled with candy are placed in and around the Leisure Pool. Join us for a fun Halloween themed egg hunt to get a jump start on your Halloween candy collection.
Cost: $8/$11 R/NR
Trick or Treat with South Park Merchants
October 27 @ 3pm-6pm
Look for the pumpkin sign in the windows of the participating businesses.
Cost: Free
Morton Grove
Halloween Family Fest
October 27 @ 4pm and 6:30pm
Put on your costume and come to the Prairie View Community Center for our Halloween Family Fest! We will have carnival games, pumpkins to decorate, hayride, inflatables, food to purchase, and more. Join us for some spooky fun.
Cost: $5/$7 R/NR
Edison Park
Trunk or Treat
October 26 @ 4:30pm-6:30pm
Trick-or-Treat safely among 60 decorated vehicles at Edison Park's Trunk or Treat! Prizes awarded for top 3 trunks. Costumes encouraged. Bounce Houses, Face Painting, Balloon Artist, Affy Tapples. The first 350 kids will receive a complimentary trick-or-treat bag with a dining coupon for a local restaurant to use this night only! Trunk or Treat will be held at the East Metra Parking lot off Oliphant Ave.
Cost: Free
Norridge
Halloween Pop Up Shop
October 29 @ 12pm-5pm
Bring the family out to Mullens Norridge Bar & Grill for some Halloween fun while supporting some of your local small businesses. There will be trick or treat stations, a photobooth with backdrop, and tons of small businesses selling their goods, so get that holiday shopping done early!
Cost: Free
Portage Park
No Scare Family Fun Fest at The Catacombs
October 14 @ 10am-2pm
Trick or Treating at 11am. Bounce House, games and prizes, concessions, baked goods, face painting, incredible bats (11am-1pm)
Cost: Adults are free, kids $15.88
Evanston
Halloween Party at Little Beans
October 29 @ 2pm-4pm and 5pm-7pm
Enjoy an evening of family fun this Halloween at Little Beans! This event will have tons of fun activities like pumpkin painting, trick-or-treating, and snow cones. Food and Drink available for purchase.
Cost: $35 for the first child, $30 for additional children, Up to two adults for free, additional adults $5 each.
Highwood
Highwood Pumpkin Fest Carnival
October 6-8
HIGHWOOD'S ANNUAL PUMPKIN FEST features 
Carnival Rides, Games, 
Food, 
Live Music and plenty of 
Pumpkins!
Gurnee
Six Flags Great America Boo Fest
Now through October 29
Explore all your family-favorite coasters and attractions together during Kids Boo Fest! Kids areas are available from 11:00am-5:00pm. Enjoy the family-friendly classic adventure of trick-or-treat in the park! Little goblins can trick-or-treat on Candy Corn Lane from 1:00-3:00pm. From pumpkins to hay bales to scarecrows, enjoy all this season has to offer — with a few special thrills and twists of our own. Camp Boo! activities are available from 11:00am-5:00pm.
Winnetka
Smarty Pants Big Balloon Halloween Show
October 28 @ 10am-11am
Cost: $10 advance/$15 door
Union
Pumpkin Train
October 14, 15, 21, and 22 @ 11am-4pm
Enjoy a ride to the pumpkin patch aboard Halloween-themed electric interurban trains. While at the patch, ask the farm hands to help you find the perfect pumpkin, and pose for pictures in the various colorful, life size cutouts, as well as an antique farm tractor and hay wagon.
Cost: Adults $18, Seniors 16, Children $14
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THE CREEPY
Skokie
Zombie Tag
October 19 @ 5:30pm-8:00pm
Will you survive the night or will a Zombie get to you? Bring the whole family and meet at Oakton Park to play a giant game of tag with a Zombie twist to gear up for Halloween. Tag will be followed by a showing of the movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas on the Oakton lawn. All participants must pre-register. Feel free to come in costume!
Cost: $10/$12 R/NR
Scream Scene
Now through November 4
Scream Scene is a seasonal haunted house held every October in Skokie. Each haunting season features new characters, sets and scenes making each new year more frightening than the last. Skokie Water Playground, abandoned for the season, becomes host to the most frightening experience in Skokie. With it's chainsaw maniacs and insane clown maze, Scream Scene has been terrifying visitors since 1997. Parental discretion advised: Not recommended for children under 10 years old! (Though, there is a "lights" on version on October 28 from 3pm-5pm for only $3.)
Cost: $13
Norwood Park
The Haunted History of the Mystery
October 28 @ 6:00pm and 6:45pm
The Norwood Park Train Station brings you a family friendly spooky Halloween event inside the train station hall. Attendees will experience a haunted station experience along with a story telling history of the station. Suggested ages 6-12 years old. Children must be attended with an adult. There will also be an awesome place for a family photo against the haunted house backdrop and treat bags for the kiddos!
Cost: $10 per adult and $5 per child under 12 yrs old. Adult ticket includes an adult beverage.
Portage Park
The Catacombs
October 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, and 29
The Catacombs is a non-profit haunted house run by a group of volunteers selected by the school and church. All money raised through ticket sales, concessions, and sponsorship goes directly to the school to help fund a better education for the youth in our community. The Catacombs is a family-friendly event, although the haunt is not necessarily recommended for children under the age of 12. We leave it to the parent or guardian’s judgment to decide whether a child can survive our haunt.
Cost: $13
Rosemont
The 13th Floor Chicago
Now through November 5
Get ready for the most fun you've ever had getting scared at the world-famous 13th Floor Haunted House in Chicago!
In most buildings, the 13th floor doesn't exist--but here, in the heart of Chicago, it's terrifyingly real. The legendary 13th Floor has been praised by and featured on America Haunts, Travel Channel, MTV, Haunt World Magazine, and USA Today calls it "One of the best haunted attractions in the US." Purchase tickets early as Chicago's most horrifying haunted house is expected to sell out!
Cost: $19.99+
Gurnee
Six Flags Great America Fright Fest
Now through October 31
We visit Great America every fall. It's the perfect time to go.The temperature is usually a little cooler, the lines are shorter, and the changing colors of all the leaves, really make it quite picturesque. Add to that all the fun Fall, Halloween decorations, and seasonal menu items, and it is an enjoyable day even for non-riders.The park has three different kids' areas for the less daring, and everyone enjoyed the live shows, including the new Monster Bash, an interactive Halloween party for tiny goblins. On Saturdays and Sundays, kids can get in costume too and join characters on a Trick or Treat Trail. At 5:45pm, The Uprising Parade: Nightly Call of the Dead begins. This is the cue for kids 13 and under to make their way to the park exit or dare to be scared.
Don't forget to check out our Fall Guide for more fun this season!
