Halloween Fun for 2021 Last Updated: October 2021
Halloween is around the corner and this year, Connecticut is filled with tricks, treats, and spooky celebrations. From zombie fashion shows, pumpkin festivals and scarecrow contests to ghost tours, haunted hayrides and beyond, there are plenty of fantastic frights to go around. To make sure you make the most of the season, we’ve broken down all the happenings – from kid-friendly events to truly scary experiences. Happy hauntings!
As always, be sure to check with each event beforehand to review their Covid-19 safety guidelines. To find even more Halloween events, click here.
Not-So-Scary Halloween Events
Ghost Tours and Legendary Haunts
Fun for the Bravest Souls
Fall Festivities
Not-So-Scary Halloween Events
If you or your little one want festive fun that won’t send shivers down your spine, these events are sure get you in the Halloween spirit.
Zombie Fashion Show, Putnam
October 1
The spectacle begins with zombies of all ages, as they stroll down the putrid runway for prizes.
Great Pumpkin Festival, Putnam
October 16
With an array of family-friendly activities, this event features The Official Great Pumpkin, 12th Annual Scarecrow Contest, Train Excursion, craft and art vendors, fantastic live music, activities for the kids, special pumpkin themed menus and more.
Scarecrows Along Main Street, Old Wethersfield
October 2 – 31
Stroll through downtown Old Wethersfield and admire unique scarecrows lined throughout the street. Discover different themes, photo-ops, and a classic Halloween small town atmosphere.
Pumpkin Patch at the Shoreline Trolley Museum, East Haven
Take a ride to the Pumpkin Patch! Kids can pick their own sugar pumpkin at the outdoor patch. Take a self-guided tour of our decorated trolley barns
2021 Scarecrow Contest & FestiFALL, Essex
October 7 - 31
As is an annual tradition, the “Scarecrow Lamp-Post Presentation,” scarecrows created by Essex, Centerbrook, and Ivoryton residents and businesses, line the Main Streets of the three villages. Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite scarecrow!
Halloween at The Connecticut Renaissance Faire, Lebanon
October 9 - 11
Don your favorite costume and revel in Halloween fun. See jousting knights, armored combat, circus-style entertainment, and more. Shop in New England's largest Medieval Marketplace with thousands of gift treasures. Feast on turkey legs and local craft brews.
The Great Wilton Pumpkin Fest
October 16
Find all kinds of fall fun with a focus on, of course, pumpkins. Watch a blacksmith hard at work at the forge; see docents in Colonial dress hearth cooking (with pumpkins), weaving and flax breaking, munch a donut and sip some cider. Kids can enjoy pumpkin decorating, pumpkin picking, lawn games such as “Ring Toss with Pumpkins” and “Corn Hole,” and a version of bocce using pumpkins and gourds.
Monster Petting Zoo at Yankee Cider Barn at Staehly Farms, East Haddam
October 2 – 6
Enjoy an interactive, immersive hayride spread across 40 acres at Staehly Farm Winery and Yankee Cider Company. This event is suitable for children under 8 and has absolutely zero scares, jump-outs, or frights.
Hollowed Harvest at Camp Mattatuck, Plymouth
September 24 – October 31
This event brings to life more than 7,000 incredible Jack-O'-Lanterns, creating stunning landscapes and larger-than-life displays designed to amaze audiences of all ages.
Pumpkin Passage at Nature's Art Village, Montville
October 1 - 31
Raptor Bay Trail has been taken over by goblins, witches, and mythical creatures, but don’t worry — we’ve made sure this event is fun for all ages. Instead of frights we chose lights. Six different spooky experiences await you on almost a half-mile of trail every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night that are sure to dazzle and delight.
Spooktacular Drive-Through Celebration, Simsbury
October 17
Families will collect treats during the drive-through which will start on Iron Horse Blvd and end at Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center where there will be food trucks, entertainment, and activities for the family!
Happy Hauntings at Lake Compounce, Bristol
October 2- 31
Geared towards children and families, Happy Hauntings will allow guests of all ages to dress up, trick-or-treat throughout the entire park and ride attractions. The event will also feature fall-themed food and cocktails, live entertainment and Halloween inspired decorations.
Not-So-Scary Halloween Scavenger Hunt, South Norwalk
October 16 - 31
Families with young children can look forward to a Not-So-Scary Halloween Scavenger Hunt, an interactive adventure filled with goofy creatures, bewitching tricks, and a few challenging tasks. Children are invited to come in their Halloween costume (or not) and enjoy this fun escapade.
Jack-o-Lantern Walk, Mystic
October 26 - 30
Stroll along some of the darker, oft-overlooked portions of the Mystic Seaport Museum property and enjoy the spectacle of several hundred lit jack-o-lanterns on display. Then play a lawn game, enjoy some live music, warm up by a roaring fire, create a fall-themed craft, or take a spooky guided tour in which you learn about the darker side of life in a 19th century seaport town.
Ghost Tours and Legendary Haunts
Fascinated by the paranormal? Lucky for ghost hunting fans, Connecticut is filled with tales of apparitions – and there’s no better time to explore than near Halloween! Check out these haunted spots or embark on one of the tours below.
Fun for the Bravest Souls
Venture to these attractions… if you dare! From haunted houses to terrifying trails, these Halloween activities aren’t for the faint of heart. Grab your friends and get ready for a night of frightful fun.
Trail of Terror, Wallingford
October 1 - 30
Venture through a four-acre outdoor trail that offers guests a terrifying experience as they make their way through.
Nightmare on Main: Phobia: The Faces of Fear
October 9 - 24
What are your worst fears? Are they real or imagined? Find out the history, the scientific reasons and see if we can scare you. Six evenings only. Paid reservations are required.
Monster Hunt CT at Yankee Cider Barn at Staehly Farms, East Haddam
October 1 – 31
Discover an interactive, immersive horror hayride spread across 40 acres at Staehly Farm Winery and Yankee Cider Company.
Terror at Quassy at Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury
October 8 - 31
Attend the amusement park’s first-ever Halloween fright event brought to you by the organizers of the former Haunted Graveyard attraction that used to take place each year at Lake Compounce. The amusement ride area of the park will be transformed into a variety of frightening attractions, live performances will take place, and a number of the park's rides and restaurants will be open.
Legends of Fear Haunted Hayride at Fairview Tree Farm, Shelton
September 25 – October 31
Board a tractor-pulled hay wagon into fields and forests of fear for thirty minutes of spine-chilling fun. Expect to be truly terrified!
The Dark Manor House, Baltic
October 1 - 31
Step into The Manor and experience the ghastly entities that haunt its tormented halls. If you survive the Manor, you are left with no choice but to enter The Graveyard at the Dark Manor Haunted House in Baltic.
Rails to the Darkside at the Connecticut Trolley Museum, East Windsor
September 24 – October 30
Discover the untold story of Newberry Road cemetery. During the darkest of the nights, the mournful cries of the abandoned dead are heard around old Newberry Road and the trolley museum's Newberry Siding. Do you dare ride to the dark side?
Evidence of Evil Haunted Attraction at Lyman Orchards, Middlefield
October 1 - 31
Are you brave enough to enter the woods and face all your worst fears? An all-new interactive haunted attraction is waiting for you. Be prepared, you will be asked to participate in the scares!
The Haunting Of Water Street, South Norwalk
October 21 - 31
Produced by Broadway artists and crew members, these live performance art events will scare, entertain, and creep out even the bravest of adults, putting everyone in the Halloween spirit! The Haunting of Water Street is an outdoor walk-through haunted house designed as a maze with chilling surprises around every corner.
Fall Festivities
And of course, Halloween festivities and fall fun go hand-in-hand! This year enjoy autumn activities like pumpkin picking, corn mazes, leaf peeping, and visits to local farms.
In addition to your Halloween candy, treat your sweet tooth to farm fresh pies, apple cider doughnuts and other tasty treats! Find these goodies at places like Old Cider Mill in Glastonbury, Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, Rogers Orchards Shuttle Meadow Farm in Southington, Ellsworth Hill Orchard & Berry Farm in Sharon, and Beardsley's Cider Mill & Orchard in Shelton.
For more ideas for planning the perfect New England fall, check out these ways to enjoy the season or any of the suggestions below.