50+ Scary and Not-So-Scary Things to Do for Halloween Season 2023 in Philly

Through Saturday, November 4, 2023 

A relative newcomer to the frights scene, Lincoln Mill Haunted House spins a spine-chilling story: Bodies were “discovered” in a secret basement chamber after flooding from Hurricane Ida in 2021, uncovering the mill’s dark and gruesome past. Explore the 160-year-old abandoned mill as you avoid the lingering spirits of workers who were subject to torment and experimentation by their disturbed boss a century ago, featuring scare actors, high-quality sets, special effects and animatronics. After your horror adventure, enjoy nightly food trucks and local craft brews. Bonus: Daytime no-scare tours and scavenger hunts are also available.

Through Saturday, November 11, 2023

I scream, you scream, we all scream … because we’re all inside an abandoned prison. Eastern State Penitentiary opens its cell blocks each fall after dark for Halloween Nights, one of Philly’s most beloved Halloween attractions and America’s largest haunted house. The legendary prison (which once housed infamous criminals from Willie Sutton to Al Capone) has ramped up bigger and better for 2023 with 15 different attractions across its 11 acres, including five haunted houses, two walking tours and five themed bars — plus the Fair Chance Beer Garden.

Halloween is a real scream in Philadelphia. The city takes spooky season to the next level as haunted houses and terrifying Halloween attractions pop up throughout the region to serve up some serious thrills and chills each fall. For more haunted houses and scary attractions in Greater Philadelphia, check out our 2023 guide.

Channel your inner paranormal investigator at this annual overnight event at Fort Mifflin. Guests are invited to explore the fort’s buildings and legends, enjoy stories and light refreshments around the fire pit, or just sleep over (if you can). This event is adults-only and tickets are required.

Dates vary by event

Philly loves its history, and legend has it that the city has many haunted landmarks. For the full history lesson (with a dash of the paranormal), check out our guide to ghost tours, including:

• Grim Philly Tours: Sex, vampires, murders and espionage, these R-rated tours — led by historians and authors — explore dark tales from the days of the Founding Fathers (ongoing).
• Spirits of ‘76 Ghost Tours: One part history, two parts haunt, this moonlight tour visits more than 20 very-historic-and-possibly-haunted Philly sites (Fridays and Saturdays through November 25, 2023).
• Ghost Tours of Philadelphia: Wander the streets of Old City on this candlelight tour, full of chilling tales, dark alleys, secret gardens and burial grounds (through November 30, 2023).

Climb aboard the world’s oldest floating steel warship for a night of music, drinks, games and Prohibition-era mischief. Tickets are required and include one free drink.

Ready for an offal time? A dining experience for only the most adventurous eaters, this ticketed event features a five-course menu of thematic and culinarily sophisticated organ-based dishes. Each dish is presented by acclaimed chef Eric Leveillee, and seatings conclude with a Q&A with physician Dr. Jonathan Reisman.

XFINITY Live! hosts two huge Halloween parties on back-to-back nights in South Philadelphia. The parties feature live music, DJ sets, silent discos, karaoke, bull riding and more. Dress in your Halloween best: More than $1,500 in cash prizes are on the line in themed costume contests. Tickets are required for both nights.

Philly’s most fabulous monthly Bingo game kicks off Halloweekend with a bloody good time. Compete for great prizes while enjoying scary-good entertainment from the bawdy drag denizens of the night known as the Bingo Verifying Divas. Tickets are required.

This two-story bourbon house and juke joint is throwing a spooky season bash — and you’re invited. Move your bones to live music, enjoy “Witching Hour” drink specials and win prizes at the Halloween costume competition. Admission is free and drinks are pay-as-you-go.

Send this waterfront hotspot into winter hibernation in style during this costumes-encouraged shindig. Hosted by Brittany Lynn of the Philly Drag Mafia, this ticketed 21-plus Halloween party includes an open bar, free hot dogs, DJ sets and a costume contest (with cash prizes!).

This Friday the 13th-themed Halloween party at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco’s swanky Stratus Lounge features drinks, DJ sets and a costume contest with over $1,500 in prizes. Tickets are required.

There’s one rule at this chill(ing) pop-up market: Treat every day like Halloween. More than 100 artists and vendors set up shop inside the historic Mount Moriah Cemetery, hawking spooky goods and handmade artwork with gothic flair. In between shopping and sightseeing, munch on pay-as-you-go food and drink while enjoying live DJ sets. There is a suggested $5 cash donation at the door. And, of course, costumes are encouraged.

The Philly Makers Syndicate kicks off a ghoulish day of entertainment, with over 70 vendors, a full bar with pay-as-you-go food and drink, live music performances, and a nighttime horror show by Luther’s Mid-Fright Snack. The event is free to attend with a $2 to $8 suggested donation.

Through Tuesday, October 31, 2023 (select dates)

The home of The Blob gears up for Halloween with a full month of horror movie celebrations. Offerings include screenings of cult classics like Coraline (October 7, 2023) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (October 28, 2023), along with dance parties and all-day movie marathons.

This supernatural two-hander satirizes B-horror movies, classic mysteries and Victorian melodramas with plenty of camp, comedy and costume changes. Tickets are required.

City Winery hosts two nights of haunting and hilarious performances:

• Ghosted with Megan Goetz: In this comedy show, comedians “ghost” write sets for each other — and read them on stage for the first time (October 7, 2023).
• Two Girls One Ghost Live: Corinne and Sabrina of the Two Girls One Ghost podcast take you through a live paranormal investigation of one of the country’s most haunted sites (October 8, 2023).

October 8, 15 & 29, 2023

“Bubble, bubble, I’m in trouble.” These Halloween-themed drag brunches at Evil Genius are a tribute to witches and horror aficionados alike. Tickets are required per show and brunch is a la carte.

• Wigs and Witches Drag Brunch (October 8, 2023)
• Slayed: A Horror Movie Themed Drag Brunch (October 15, 2023)
• It’s All Just a Brunch of Hocus Pocus: A Halloween Drag Brunch (October 29, 2023)

Let’s do the time warp again! The musical that inspired the 1975 classic cult film returns to Bucks County Playhouse in a brand-new production. The show follows fiancés Brad and Janet as they seek shelter from a storm in a castle full of music and debauchery. Tickets are required and include a prop bag. Bonus: Book the Stay and Play package at the Ghost Light Inn next door and get two tickets (pending availability).

Step into Philly’s glittering labyrinth for a night of entertainment during the season’s final Twilight in the Gardens. The evening features a live performance by pianist and singer Black Buttafly, a Halloween monster magnet craft activity and self-guided tours of the garden’s rarely seen mosaicked basement. Tickets go on sale October 13, 2023, and advance purchase is recommended.

Through Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Complete with witches’ hats, real pumpkins and hopefully-not-real giant spiders, Craftsman Row Saloon breaks out a special Halloween menu with spooky shakes, pumpkin mac and cheese, mummy stromboli and more.

Through Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Stranger Things happen in Philadelphia. This Hawkins-inspired pop up at Uptown Beer Garden is complete with set recreations from the hit Netflix series, replica Demogorgons and limited-edition cocktails.

Quoth the raven all day long! This immersive pop up — set in the neighborhood Edgar Allan Poe once called home — features a live interactive performance and four cocktails inspired by Poe’s most famous stories. Costumes (or cocktail attire) are recommended, and all-inclusive tickets are required.

This graveyard smash gets over a dozen Northern Liberties bars into the Halloween spirit — and challenges them to craft the neighborhood’s best Bloody Mary. You’ll be the judges and the winning bars get 365 days of bragging rights. Keep an eye out for this year’s participating locations.

Through Sunday, October 29, 2023

It’s slightly spooky season at Bucks County’s Peddler’s Village (just 45 minutes north of Center City Philadelphia) for the annual Scarecrows in the Village display. Check out over 100 scarecrows — all handmade by local Philly crafters — lining the charming getaway’s brick pathways.

Through Sunday, October 29, 2023

Bucks County’s Shady Brook Farm gets into the Halloween season with the family-friendly FallFest, featuring wagon rides, barnyard animals and festive attractions. Pick the perfect sunflower (while supplies last), head to the pumpkin patch to pick your own, or explore the five-acre corn maze before relaxing by the fire pit with live music, food and spirited drinks. And don’t miss the not-so-spooky Eerie Illuminations Halloween light show (separate ticket required).

Through Sunday, November 5, 2023

The name says it all when Linvilla Orchards’ annual Pumpkinland opens its doors for the season. The gourd gala features a slew of daytime ticketed activities like harvest hayrides around the farm, corn and straw bale mazes, apple blaster target shooting, pick-your-own crops, fishing in Orchard Lake, and pony and train rides. Things get spookier after dark with moonlight hayrides around the farm or to the nearby Witch’s House that end at a campfire with cider and marshmallows.

Head over to the Longwood Gardens’ Pumpkin Playground (free with admission) for fall fruit-themed fun and just a few perfect Instagram ops in the Idea Garden Children’s Corner with pumpkins, gourds and corn husk towers. And stick around after sunset for the Illuminated Fountain Performances, colorful dancing water shows at the magnificent five-acre fountain garden (select days) featuring music from David Bowie, Mozart, Taylor Swift and more.

Eat your heart out, Charlie Brown. This three-day celebration in Delaware County turns truly great pumpkins into spectacular jack-o’-lanterns. On October 19, 2023, watch artists carve over 70 giant pumpkins into illuminated works of art, which will be on display through October 21, 2023. The celebration also includes live music, pay-as-you-go food and drink, a kid-friendly haunted trail, and raffle prizes. Tickets are required and can be purchased on-site.

It’s not spooky season if you’re not picking a giant orange fruit (we double-checked this). Bring the kids to Franklin Square for a pick-your-own-pumpkin patch, complete with pumpkin-decorating supplies to get you Halloween-ready. The free family-friendly event is catered to kids 10 and under and supplies are limited (so advance tickets are recommended).

Put together your favorite fall looks and get ready for all the fun, frolic, food and foliage that come with farm and harvest festival season in Greater Philadelphia. Spend a sunny weekend afternoon enjoying quintessential autumn activities like apple picking, pumpkin carving, cider sipping, hayrides, scavenger hunts, corn mazes, farmer’s markets and more at even more countryside destinations like Hellerick’s Family Farm, Highland Orchards and more. Our guide to farm fall fun is right this way.

Through Sunday, November 5, 2023

Looking for entry-level spookiness? Sesame Place brings the tricks and the treats at The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular. The event is made up of not one, not two, but six spooky attractions (ah-ah-ah!) including Halloween-themed shows and parades, themed rides, a Halloween dining experience, a Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt (with gifts!), Halloween storytimes, and a kids costume contest on Sunday, October 29, 2023 (with top prizes for top costumes). Plus, look forward to lots of trick-or-treating and photo ops around the park. Tickets are required, with additional tickets necessary for Halloween dining.

Through Sunday, October 29, 2023 (weekends only)

The Halloween spirit takes over The Franklin Institute with a full month of spell-binding programs and experiences. Activities include a maze featuring Gourd’n the Giant Pumpkin Robot, live science shows spanning electricity and combustion to mystery dissections and gross anatomy, and, of course, trick-or-treating. All programming is included with museum admission.

When the clock strikes midnight, Philly Mini Golf transforms into Spooky Mini Golf, featuring 18 holes of fog, lights, music and other spooky surprises! Tickets are required — and you can ramp up the frights with the Spooky Twosome Package, which includes discounted admission to Spooky Twilight Tours at the Betsy Ross House (starting October 13, 2023).

Potions class is in session. The Cauldron Philly hosts enchanting potion-making workshops featuring four drinkable potions (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), a limited-edition Halloween potion, and dark and twisted harvest season tales. Tickets include magic wands and equipment rentals, and children are welcome.

October 4-25, 2023 (Wednesdays only)

Summon the coven for an evening of pumpkin painting and family-friendly fun. Tickets include your very own li’l pumpkin and all the art supplies you’ll ever need, and you can keep the creative juices flowing with food and drink available for purchase.

Beware of cuteness overload! This annual canine costume contest puts the “dog” in “doggone adorable.” As the pups strut their stuff down North 2nd Street, enjoy live tunes, Halloween vibes, pay-as-you-go food and drink, raffle prizes, and more. The festival is free to attend and proceeds benefit Street Tails Animal Rescue.

Fatality! SuperGameDay takes over Cherry Street Pier with a free all-day family extravaganza. The day features Mortal Kombat and Super Smash Bros. videogame tournaments, a screening of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), a Nintendo Switch Lite raffle, costume contests, trick-or-treating, vendors, music, panels, and more.

Bring the fam out to eclectic East Passyunk for a day of Halloween festivities. On the docket: live music, square dancing, vendors, a craft show, a pumpkin patch, hay bales, a kids’ costume parade, free costume photos, trick-or-treating and more.

South Street pulls out all the stops for this jam-packed All Hallows’ Eve celebration. Along with trick-or-treating at several local businesses, families can enjoy circus performances, costume contests, free arts and crafts (a la pumpkin decorating), pay-as-you-go spooky refreshments and so much more.

Through Saturday, November 11, 2023

Setting up shop at Andorra Shopping Center in Roxborough for 2023, Halloween House Philadelphia is an experience for revelers who enjoy tamer haunts (without catering to the toddler crowd). The immersive no-touch, no-jump-scare, no-gore attraction transports you to a Halloween world with impeccably detailed rooms featuring themes including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Glow in the Dark, The Vampire’s Lair, Horror Movie Graveyard and more.

October 13-28, 2023 (Saturdays & Sundays only)

The home of Revolutionary-era icon Betsy Ross plays up Philly’s grisly past during special twilight tours this October. Gather in the courtyard to hear tales about bloodletting, smallpox, yellow fever (and the general ickiness of life in 18th-century Philadelphia) before taking a shadowy tour of the pint-sized property. Note: Because of some queasy content, these tours are not recommended for small children.

Through Tuesday, October 31, 2023

This 33,000-square-foot plastic-brick paradise lights up the jack-o’-lanterns with plenty of kid-friendly Halloween goodness. Activities include monster-themed games, a LEGO pumpkin patch, a creepy scavenger hunt, a 4D (!?) movie and trick-or-treating. General admission tickets are required.

Calling all ghosts and ghouls: The Philadelphia Zoo’s annual Halloween extravaganza is back. The zoo’s exhibits transform into Halloween havens with pumpkins, spooky décor, festive treats, and fall activities (for the humans). New this year: a themed Nature Blazer scavenger hunt, full of Halloween-y discoveries.

Consider it a Halloween warmup. Dress the kiddos in their costumes and bring them out to Franklin Square for treat stations all throughout the park. This free event is for children 10 and under, and advance registration is required.

Enjoy the crunchy leaves and fall colors while loading up on sweets at Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ Trick-or-Treat Trail. The day features a costume and candy parade plus nature walks with plenty of scarecrows. Tickets to the arboretum are free for children 3 and under.

Don your costumes and bring the littles out for a day of interactive fun at the Please Touch Museum. Trick-or-treat at the museum’s daily programs and earn special prizes by completing a Halloween Hunt.