During October, there’s plenty of Halloween fun in the Cumberland Valley for both adults and children. Here are some highlights to help you plan your Weekend Easy getaway. For a complete list of all Halloween and fall activities, check out our events calendar. Due to COVID-19, events may have been modified and safety protocols may be in place. Please check directly with the event organizers if you have questions.

Destination Carlisle’s Halloweekend (October 16-18)

Come to downtown Carlisle for a weekend of spooktacular fun! The storefronts will be decorated with seasonal decor and the public gets to choose their favorites. Lighted pumpkins will form a path around downtown each night  Downtown merchants invite everyone to enjoy photo ops, games, crafts, and limited-time offers of specially-themed drinks and food.

11th Annual Spooky Saturday (October 17)

Spooky Saturday will not take place this year.

Not-So-Scary Fun for the Little Ones

Even the little ones can get in on the fun. While most Halloween parades have been canceled this year, there are still a number of activities and events for families to enjoy.

  • Everything Pumpkin: Partial Hands-On Kids' Cooking Class @ The Kitchen Shoppe -- October 4
  • Creature Feature Weekend @ Cumberland Drive-In -- October 16-18
  • Street of Treats in Downtown Mechanicsburg -- October 17
  • Spooky Halloween Scavenger Hunt @ AACA Museum -- October 24, 25, 31
  • Camp Hill Borough's Halloween Costume Contest @ the Borough Building -- October 27
  • Halloween Drive-Thru at the Drive-In -- October 24
  • Halloween Family Fun Event @ Hollabaught's -- October 31
  • Carlisle Borough's Halloween Contest & Trunk or Treat Party @ Stuart Community Center -- October 31

For Adults

  • Magic Mondays @ Grand Illusion Hard Cider -- Mondays in October and throughout the year
  • Create-Your-Own Gourds @ Meadowbrook Gourds -- October 3 & 4, 10 & 11
  • Oil Painting: Fall Pumpkins @ Carlisle Arts Learning Center -- October 8, 15, 22, 29 (4-week class)
  • Historical Ghost Tours @ Carlisle Theatre -- October 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31
  • Haggle-Ween Weekend @ Carlisle Antique Mall -- October 24 & 25
  • Eat, Drink & Be Scary Cooking Class @ The Kitchen Shoppe -- October 25
  • An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe @ Grand Illusion -- October 29
  • North Hanover Halloween Party @ Participating Business along N. Hanover Street in Carlisle -- October 31
  • Howl-o-Ween with Speranza & Libre's Lager Release Pawty @ Big Bottom Brewery -- October 31
  • Gather your friends and book a private tour (for groups of 8 or more) with The Barefoot Historian for a grizzly evening walk through Carlisle's gruesome past.

Halloween Parades

Mechanicsburg, Carlisle, New Cumberland, Camp Hill, and East Pennsboro Township, have canceled their Halloween parades for 2020.