2010 Halloween Weekend Info & Events

Below are listings & links to events happening Halloween weekend for families & children
(please scroll to the bottom to see events for older kids)

For additional events relating to Halloween (happening on other days) or fall events for Sept thru Nov, please go to our Holiday Calendar.

Also check out:
Halloween curfew & Trick-or-Treating information
Halloween Fun

Best Kid's Halloween Photo Contest Winner!

Congratulations to "Ghostly Girl" who received 196 out of 532 votes in our Halloween Costume Photo Contest. Her family won a Dunkin' Donuts prize pack, including trick-or-treat bags, worth $40. Thank you to all the contestants, whose photos and vote standings can be seen here.

---

Spooky Halloween Fun (Indoor & Outdoor Events by County)

Halloween Fun at NJ Farms: Part 1, Part 2

Various Locations
Michael's stores - Come and get your FREE trick-or-treat pail! Plus enjoy a free coloring activity, FREE Crayola® Model Magic® Fusion™ and a Make-It Take-It Halloween frame. Children will also receive a balloon and candy. While supplies last.

Bergen County
Too Cute to Spook (Paramus) -  Halloween Costume Pizza Party at New Jersey Children's Museum on Oct 29. Sessions start at 5:30, 6, 6:30 & 7 pm & tickets can be purchased online.
Halloween Spooktacular (Paramus) - at the NJ Children's museum; pumpkin decorating, candy and toy trick or treating, Halloween stories and more

Camden County
Safe Trick or Treating (Camden) - Have a howling good time at the Camden Children’s Garden by using the Garden to do your trick or treating. Children must be accompanied by an adult; takes place 12 pm to 4pm Oct 31.
Halloween Events (Haddonfield) - haunted walking tours Oct 15, 16, 22 & 23; Halloween Parade & Haunted Mansion Oct 30
Halloween Parade (Lindenwold) - noon on Oct 31 from Lindenwold High School to Lindenwold Park.

Cape May County
Trick or Treat at the Physick Museum (Cape May) - from 5pm-7pm; some spooky characters are waiting at the Emlen Physick Estate for ghosts, pirates & princesses
Tales of Terror Trolley Ride (Cape May) - tours run from 7 to 9 pm, buy tickets online or call (800)-275-4278
Haunted House Tours  (Cape May) - other Haunted house tours throughout the weekend

Essex County
Latino Heritage Festival: Dia de los Muertos (Newark) - Day of the Dead celebration at the Newark Museum from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Oct 30.

Middlesex County
Halloween Ghost Tours (Perth Amboy, Middlesex County) - tours of Proprietary House leave every hour from 5 to 10 pm Oct 31 (tours also on Oct 30)
Halloween Parade (Woodbridge) - Oct 30, starts at 10 am
Family Fun & Halloween Festival (Woodbridge) - Oct 30 from 2 pm to 4 pm

Morris County
Tricks & Treats (Madison) - on Oct. 30; Come in costume to the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts & participate in a number of activities, including games and crafts. 
PRE-REGISTRATION RECOMMENDED
Edgar Allan Poe: The Life, Loves and Tales of Terror of the Master Storyteller of the Macabre (Budd Lake) - Performances run 10 am Oct 27-29 and and 8 pm on Oct 29. There are also several performances in November.
A Miller's Halloween (Chester) - from 1 pm to 3:30 pm on Oct 30 at Cooper Gristmill. Spooky stories, decorate pumpkins, play old-time games
Historic Haunting (Morristown) - 1 pm to 4 pm Oct. 31;  ghost stories, games & prizes. The price is the cost of admission to the site.
Annual Halloween Costume Parade (Chester) -
On Oct 31, parade begins 4:30 pm on Grove Street next to Pleasant Pools & Patio. The costume contest is open to children 12 and younger. All are welcome to Trick or Treat throughout downtown Chester.

Ocean County
73rd Annual Parade (Toms River) - On Oct. 30; they recommend you arrive about 2 hours prior to the start of the parade, which is 7 pm
30th Annual Halloween Parade (Pt. Pleasant) - starts at 1 pm October 31

Salem County
42nd Annual Halloween parade (Alloway Township) -  7 pm Oct 30 (rain date Oct. 31) with floats, unicycles, bands and more. Organizers suggest visitors arrive at 5 pm for the parade, which begins near the post office at 18 School Lane.

Somerset County
Annual Costume Parade (Franklin) -  Parade for Children from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., 712 Hamilton St @ Township Pharmacy’s; Dollar Place & Mane Appeal Salon, Somerset
Halloween Costume Parade (Raritan) - starts 6 pm; candy & prizes for kids & adults of all ages
Pumpkin Patch (Somerset) - 1 to 4 pm at the Van Wickle House
Mischief Night Madness (Somerset) - at Colonial Park Putting Course on Oct 29 (rain date 10/30)
Spooky Night Hike (Bedminster) -  7 pm to 9 pm on Oct 29 at the Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve. After the hike, gather around a campfire for some spooky tales and a snack.
Brite Nites and Haunted House Showcase (Warren) - from 6 pm to 9 pm Oct  29-31. A pumpkin path that wanders through the fields and gardens of the Arboretum. Hundreds of creatively carved and lighted pumpkins will be on exhibit. Ticket can be purchased online for different time slots.
Somerset County libraries - including Black Cat Hat story and craft on Oct 29 and 30 for ages 2 to 6 and Magic, Myths and Monsters for kids older than 5 October 29 - both at the Hillsborough Library; a Spooktacular Craftacular at the Bridgewater Library for ages 3 to 8 on October 30, an Elephant and Piggie Halloween Dance Party at Plainfield Library on October 30. These events are free but you must have a county library card and register for these free events (you can register online or by phone).
Trick or Treat (Warren) - Oct 30; trick or treat at the Warren library anytime between 9:30 am and 4 pm

Union County
The Great Pumpkin Carve Out (Cranford) - Oct 30 events throughout the day, including free Halloween Plays for kids 4 to 8
Victorian Halloween (Cranford) - at the Crane-Phillips House Museum 2 pm to 4 pm Oct 31. Learn how 19th century Irish immigrants influenced this holiday, including the legendary “Jack O’Lantern.”
Halloween Parade (Cranford) - starts at Chestnut and High Streets at 2 pm on Oct 31.
Monster Music (Westfield) - performed by the Westfield Symphony at The Presbyterian Church 8 pm Oct 30
34th annual Halloween Parade and Costume Contest (Union) - starts at 1:30 p.m. on Oct 31 from Axton Avenue South on Stuyvesant to Roosevelt Avenue and Connecticut Farms School for residents
Trick or Treat Downtown & Costume Contest (Westfield) - 11am to 3 pm in downtown Westfield
Halloween Parade (Summit) - begins 4 pm on Oct 30 (rain or shine) from the Bouras Parking Lot, 25 DeForest Avenue. Kids can trick or treat downtown before the parade
Halloween hayride (Mountainside) -  starts 6:30 pm Oct. 29.  Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are available at Trailside Nature and Science Center, 452 New Providence Rd., Mountainside or at the Union County Administration Building, Dept. of Parks & Community Renewal, 2nd Floor, Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth. Call Trailside at (908) 789-3670 for ticket availability.

Ghoulish Indoor Fun & Events (by county)

In the Crypt (aka at home)
Movies at home - Real Simple's top 10 list of Halloween movies, including some family favorites
Howl-O-Ween fun - pets in costume, online puzzles (for older kids) & holiday trivia
Howling Good Books - Sandy's review on some of the best bets this Halloween for kids of all ages
Other Great Halloween/Fall Books - ParenthoodNJ's growing compilation of great reads

Frightening Fun for Older Kids & Teenagers

Most of these start in the early evening

Haunted Hayrides in various towns
State Scare Factory (Belleville) - tickets can be purchased at the door
Fright Fest at Schaefer Farms (Flemington) - not recommended for children under 10
Nightmares Haunted Attraction (Montvale) - they have ticket prices for kids under 10 but use your judgment
Field of Terror Haunted House & Hayride (Mullica Hill ) - not recommended for kids under 13
Ghost Hunt Halloween Tour at Dey Mansion (Wayne) - they say this event is PG13 and all children 13 and younger
MUST be accompanied by an adult. Use your judgment for younger kids.