50+ Scary and Not-So-Scary Things to Do for Halloween Season 2025 in Philly

Through Sunday, November 2, 2025 (select dates)

The story of Lincoln Mill Haunted House tells a spine-chilling tale of bodies “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 Manayunk mill as you avoid the lingering spirits of workers who were subject to torment and experimentation by disturbed owner Viktor Kane (possessed by the ghostly Corruptis) a century ago.

Expect scare actors, high-quality sets, special effects and animatronics, with new props, characters and sets for 2025.

Through Saturday, November 8, 2025 (select dates)

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) offers 11 different attractions across its 11 acres, including haunted houses, walking tours, an immersive light display, campfire ghost stories (with s’mores!) and spooky-themed bars, plus Triple Bottom Brewing’s Fair Chance Beer Garden.

New for 2025, Dark Tides takes visitors into an eerily abandoned fishing village where shadows hold dark secrets, and Apocalypse Pass immerses thrill-seekers into a chaotic scene with scares around each turn. Additionally, organizers promise shorter wait times due to a new, hybrid design that combines free exploration with guided experiences.

Dates vary by attraction

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 2025 guide.

Dates vary by event

Widely known as one of the most haunted places in the country, Fort Mifflin offers extra spooky programming in October:

• Candlelight Ghost Tours: Explore one of the nation’s oldest active military facilities after dark with Candlelight Ghost Tours at Fort Mifflin, a pure Halloween season experience free of decorations and costumed characters. It’s just you, your tour guide, a few candles and whatever apparitions might be roving the historic site near the Philadelphia International Airport. The one-hour walking tour covers three-quarters of a mile through America’s only operating base predating the Declaration of Independence (October 10-24, 2025, select dates).

• Sleep with the Ghosts: Feeling extra brave? Why not spend the night hanging out with the ghosts of Fort Mifflin? Sleep is optional for this event, designed with experienced paranormal investigators in mind. Dorm-style sleeping or BYO tent (October 25-26, 2025).

Dates vary by event

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

• Grim Philly Ghost Tours:
  • The R-rated Dark Philly Adult Night Tour visits Old City landmarks while spinning risqué tales of ghosts, sex, vampires, blackmail, espionage and murder from the days of the Founding Fathers.
  • The True Crime Philadelphia: Cemetery & History Tour mixes real-life crime stories and history lessons with tales of serial slayings and psychopathic killers, with stops at Revolutionary-era sites including Elfreth’s Alley and Benjamin Franklin’s Grave.
• Spirits of ’76 Ghost Tours of Philadelphia: 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 29, 2025).
• Ghost Tours of Philadelphia: Wander the streets of Old City with costumed tour guides on this candlelight tour, full of chilling tales, dark alleys, secret gardens and burial grounds (through November 29, 2025).

Does my witch’s hat clash with these headphones? These questions come up while prepping your costume or all-black attire for the Deadly Silent Disco Party in Bucks County.

Boogie on down to Peddler’s Village, choose one of three soundtracks to power your evening and get your dance on. The night’s festivities also include a Halloween Costume Strut, glow-in-the-dark lawn games, pay-as-you-go food trucks, fire pits, photo ops and more. Tickets are required.

Stateside Live! gets spooky on Halloween night during Halloween Haunts. Expect thrills, chills and plenty of Halloween hijinks along with great food and drinks.

Get started on your costume now, because your ticket includes entry into the costume contest with cash prizes. Shake your groove thang to live music from Engine #9, DJs, karaoke and silent disco. Round out the evening with a ride on the bull and plenty of spooky photo ops.

Spend Halloween night hanging out with the dinosaurs at Creatures of the Night, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Halloween bash.

Don your best dino-themed costume and get ready to dance and sing as DJs Ani Byrnes, Alex De Leon, JFK World Tour, N3MO and Shouk keep the beats moving all night. Enjoy libations, late-night bites and dino-sized Halloween fun.

Proceeds from ticket sales support the academy’s educational mission.

Send this Delaware River 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!).

Philadelphia’s oldest continually operating tavern gets the Halloween treatment this fall, featuring all sorts of spirits … and spirits.

Pumpkins, cobwebs and other festive decor transform the pub into a spooky, scary skeleton’s favorite place to be. Grab a seat at the bar with the tavern’s resident ghost (what 165-year-old establishment doesn’t have at least one?) and sip on Halloween special cocktails like a Candy Corn Martini, a Franken-Rita, a Screamsicle or a variety of pumpkin beers.

Since Halloween lands on a Friday this year, McGillin’s will keep the party going throughout the weekend, offering two nights of Halloween festivities.

Now open

You’ve got one hour to help Dr. Frankenstein before an angry mob arrives. This escape room transports you inside Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s classic gothic novel.

You and your friends become Dr. Frankenstein’s assistants for the day, helping the mad scientist bring his creation to life by solving a series of riddles and puzzles. If you fail the mission? Well, you don’t want to know what will happen.

Through Friday, November 7, 2025

​​Grab a lab coat and follow in the footsteps of the great minds (read: mad scientists) that came before.

Led by one of Frankenstein’s senior scientists, alchemists-in-training mix up beakers and test tubes of mysterious potions and shimmering elixirs in the doctor’s secret laboratory hidden inside foundation. at the historic Divine Lorraine. The result: a delicious cocktail or mocktail concoction to enjoy with your fellow evil geniuses.

You can top off the 90-minute experience with additional pay-as-you-go drinks, hair-raising photo ops and a private tarot reading (at an additional cost).

Through Saturday, November 8, 2025 (select dates)

Grab your broomsticks and get thee to the Red Rum Theatre for The Hocus Pocus Cocktail Experience.

Enjoy the delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters — Winifred, Sarah and Mary — as they cast their entertaining spells with interactive performances, games and potions.

The sisters will teach you the tricks of the trade as you prepare your own cauldrons (er, glasses) of spell-binding drinks. Costumes strongly encouraged.

You’re never too old for Lego bricks. Grown-ups take over Montgomery County’s LEGOLAND Discovery Center for the evening in late October, activating their creative side.

Explore the Discovery Center’s regular attractions and spooky seasonal offerings, including the Imagination Express ride, 4D movie screenings, build-your-own-Lego pumpkin stations and create-your-own-potion stations. Tickets are required and costumes are encouraged!

Let’s do the time warp again! The musical that inspired the 1975 cult classic film is back at Bucks County Playhouse.

The show follows 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).

October 12, 2025 & November 2, 2025

Grab a group of friends and enjoy hilariously humorous Halloween-themed drag brunch at Evil Genius.

• A Brunch of Hocus Pocus: It might be 2 Spooky 4 Me, but if you do dare to buy tickets, enjoy a great lineup of drag performers including the Sanderson Sisters. Food and drink is pay-as-go (October 12, 2025, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.).

• Slayed: A Horror Movie Drag Brunch: Round out your Halloween weekend with this horror-themed drag brunch. Tickets get you access to the show with pay-as-you-go food and drink (November 2, 2025, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.).

Sink your teeth into Curio Theatre Company’s latest show — Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. The 90-minute witty comedy spins a gender-bending, hilarious rendering of Bram Stoker’s Halloween classic.

You’ll scream with laughter as you immerse yourself in the mountains of Transylvania, following the travels of a real estate agent with a blood-thirsty new client. Don’t worry: The vampires in the show don’t really bite.

Enjoy a movie night under the stars at Kensington’s Harrowgate Park for a Friday-night showing of Wicked. 

Get there early for Theodore the Impact-Mobile followed by tricks and treats from Mural Arts. Then settle into a lawn blanket or chair to watch the film as soon as the sun sets.

BYO-blanket and popcorn for an evening of suspense and cinematic excellence.

The night features a special screening of the horror classic House on the Haunted Hill (1959), and the vintage shorts The Tell-Tale Heart (1941) and The Fall of the House of Usher (1928), inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.

Fa-la-la-la-ahh! Oh, we are just practicing our falsetto for Scaraoke at McGillin’s. Costumed singers take the stage at the 164-year-old pub, serenading the group of ghouls and goblins for the chance to take home a prize.

Finalize your ensemble and your song choices, and get ready for a scary good time.

Now open

Step right up to a different type of carnival now open in town. Demented circus performers, unsettling sideshow attractions and unseemly “freaks of nature” beckon you inside the big top — if you dare.

Each fall, the ever-popular perennial perch, Uptown Beer Garden, transforms into one of the largest (and spookiest) Halloween pop ups in the city. Elaborately decked out in haunting decor, the expansive themed beer garden features bars dishing out creepy cocktails, chilling drafts and scary small bites.

The Center City cirque du terror is walk-in only and open for a limited time.

Through Friday, October 31, 2025

Spooky season is here — and this one’s for all the ghoulish gourmands. Craftsman Row Saloon transforms back into a Halloween-lover’s haven with its revamped Nightmare Before Christmas pop-up experience: Spooktacular Movie Mash.

Channeling the spirit of Beetlejuice, The Addams Family, Scream, IT, Halloweentown and more, the ghostly pub decks the halls in orange and black, and dishes out a seasonally inspired menu of Halloween milkshakes, themed cocktails and frighteningly good eats. Vampire burgers and spook-etti & meatballs, anyone?

Through Sunday, November 2, 2025

One of Philly’s most popular holiday pop-up hotspots returns with a vengeance for another spooky season.

Decked out with over-the-top spooky decor and slinging scary-good cocktails (imbibed via blood bags, smoking cauldrons and a witch’s boot, of course), Nightmare Before Tinsel features wildly Instagrammable decor and artifacts — with this year’s theme channeling a creepy circus.

Sip to the season with cocktail twists like the Hocus Pocus (with elderflower liqueur and prosecco), the Resting Witch Face (with coffee liqueur and cold brew) and the Screamsicle (with buttershots and cream soda).

Through Sunday, November 2, 2025 (Saturdays & Sundays)

Drink up, darling. Don’t be scared: Trick-or-treat through five Halloween-themed tasting stations featuring Chaddsford Winery’s delicious sips, plus wine tips and pairings from an expert wine guide.

Tickets include a 45-minute walking tour around the property, tastings, pairings and a keepsake Halloween wine glass. Costumes are not required, but if you don your Halloween best, you could win a Chaddsford gift card.

Fire up the old broomstick and head to East Passyunk Avenue for a bewitchingly great time. Browse 30 of the avenue’s bars, restaurants and shops, sipping on seasonal special brews and cocktails and collecting stamps for your Witch Craft stamp card.

Tickets (sold out online but available in person for $10) include specials at participating East Passyunk businesses, a witch hat or a light necklace and a Witch Craft stamp card to help you keep track of all of the stores.

Then head to Insomnia Cookie Lab for the after-party — with raffle prizes.

There are plenty more opportunities to explore the spookier side of Philadelphia’s dining scene. Bars and restaurants across the city deck out their dining rooms with more pumpkins, skeletons and cobwebs than a goblin can count and serve up spooky seasonal specials.

Get the inside scoop on where to grab eerie eats and creepy cocktails with our 2025 guide to Philadelphia’s Halloween pop-up bars and restaurants.

Through Monday, October 20, 2025

The area around Morris Arboretum was once known as “Pumpkintown” — so where better to hold the annual, month-long ArBOOretum festival? The event features the 18th annual Scarecrow Design Contest — with “Cartoon Characters” as the theme for 2025 — where visitors can vote for their faves along the scarecrow walk.

Don’t miss the 100-square-foot Morris Pumpkin Cottage covered in hundreds of pumpkins at the end of the gourd-and-scarecrow-lined Pumpkin Promenade.

Through Sunday, October 26, 2025

Nothing says autumn has arrived like the appearance of the scarecrows at Bucks County play-shop-and-dine destination Peddler’s Village.

For eight weeks, more than 100 creative and colorful locally handmade scarecrows (ranging from silly to scary, and even some famous faces) line the grounds’ brick pathways. This year marks the 46th annual Scarecrows in the Village event.

Through Thursday, October 30, 2025

Known for its drive-thru holiday light display, Bucks County’s Shady Brook Farm gets into spooky season, too, during the family-friendly FallFest. The annual event features hayrides, barnyard animals, kids’ games, pedal go-cars, the Barn of Horror and a Sesame Street-themed corn maze, plus pick-your-own pumpkins, sunflowers and apples (sold separately).

When the sun goes down, the fun keeps going with bonfires, the Moonlit Maze, the not-so-scary Eerie Illuminations Halloween Light Show wagon ride, and live music on select weekends and evenings.

Through Friday, October 31, 2025

The pumpkin magic returns this year with a gourd-eous display at Kennett Square’s Longwood Gardens.

The vibrant hues of petite gourds, plump pumpkins and colorful chrysanthemums make the perfect backdrop for fall photos. Enjoy the garden in full fall splendor along with the seasonal displays around the Rose Arbor, the Peirce-du-Pont House Plaza, the Idea Garden and Ornamental Kitchen Garden.

Through Sunday, November 2, 2025

The name says it all when Linvilla Orchards’ annual Pumpkinland opens for the season. The gourd gala features a slew of daytime ticketed activities like harvest hayrides around the farm, corn and (slightly harder) hay-bale mazes, apple blaster target shooting, pick-your-own crops, fishing in Orchard Lake, and pony and train rides.

Things get spooky after dark with moonlight hayrides around the farm or to the nearby Witch’s House, ending at a campfire with cider and marshmallows.

Mark your calendars for Linvilla’s all-you-can-carry pumpkin day on Sunday, October, 26, 2025.

What better way to celebrate the pumpkin harvest than to invite artists to carve 70 giant pumpkins as festival-goers watch? The three-day, beloved Chadds Ford tradition kicks off on Thursday, October 16, 2025, when the artists get to work and the pumpkin guts fly. All pumpkins are then lit and displayed Friday, October 17, 2025, and Saturday, October 18, 2025.

The native pumpkins come from a local farm, SIW Vegetables, and weigh in at a whopping 150 to 400 pounds. There’s also a Haunted Trail, raffle prizes, live music and local vendors with pay-as-you-go food and drinks.

Bring your little ones to Franklin Square to see it transformed into a pumpkin patch for the day. Each child can pick their very own pumpkin, decorate it and then bring it home for Halloween.

The event is free for children 10 and under, though space is limited. You can sign up on the website for guaranteed pumpkin picking, but there will also be a small number of walk-up tickets available until they run out.

If you have a hankering for more farms, scarecrows, pumpkins, and classic fall fun, check out our 2025 Guide to Farms & Attractions for Classic Fall Fun in Greater Philadelphia.

Through Saturday, November 1, 2025

Channel your favorite ghostly tour players from Arrrgh-nold Palmer to Boooo-by Jones as Philly Mini Golf at historic Franklin Square transforms into Spooky Mini Golf, featuring 18 holes of eerie lights, haunting music and scary surprises under the cover of a spooky fog.

Tickets are required for the Center City miniature golf course, which features Halloween décor across its greens dotted by famous Philly landmarks like the LOVE sculpture, Elfreth’s Alley, the Chinatown Friendship Gate and Boathouse Row.

Through Wednesday, October 29, 2025 (Wednesdays only)

Celebrate Bok-tober by summoning the coven for some early evening pumpkin painting and family-friendly fun.

Tickets include your very own li’l pumpkin and all the art supplies you’ll ever need. Keep the creative juices flowing with food and drink available for purchase.

Through Sunday, November 2, 2025

Looking for entry-level spookiness? Sesame Place brings the tricks and the treats at The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular.

The event consists of not one, not two, but six spooky attractions (ah-ah-ah!), including Halloween-themed shows and parades, a Halloween dining experience, a Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt, Halloween storytimes, and a costume contest on Sunday, October 26, 2025 (with cash prizes for best child’s costume and best family costume).

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, November 2, 2025

The Fintastic Pumpkin Glow fall “sea-son” event returns to Adventure Aquarium on the Delaware River waterfront in Camden. Peruse the tanks of sea creatures and discover mesmerizing collections of glowing gourds (in every shape and size) shining above the surface or illuminating the depths among sharks and stingrays.

The underwater pumpkin patch and giant underwater octopus return this year along with new friends: a glowing, pumpkin-faced sea turtle and a gourd-geous frog perched on a lily pad. All “Fintastic” fun comes with general admission, but for an extra add-on, visitors can pick out a pumpkin to paint and take home.

Beware of cuteness overload! This year marks the 13th annual canine costume contest that puts the “dog” in “doggone adorable.”

As the pups strut their stuff down the streets of Northern Liberties, enjoy live tunes, Halloween vibes, pay-as-you-go food and drink, raffle prizes, and more.

There’s no fee to attend, but if you plan to bring a costumed pup, there’s an entry fee for the contest with a chance for the $500 grand prize. All proceeds benefit Street Tails Animal Rescue.

Grab your brooms, costumes and Harry Potter glasses for an hour-long musical adventure at the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Children’s Halloween Spectacular.

Enjoy enchanting classics such as music from A Night on Bald Mountain and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice along with eerie favorites like Bach’s thundering Toccata and Fugue. Music from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and many others round out the bill, sure to delight budding wizards.

Get there before the show (10:30 a.m.) to enjoy arts and crafts, photo ops and a costume contest, all in Commonwealth Plaza. Tickets are required.

Join an expert tour guide for a family-friendly journey through the Penn Museum’s spooky side.

Grab your amulet as you hunt for museum creatures large and small. You’ll hear about the myths, monsters and legends of ancient cultures. Simmering below the surface of the stories is an exploration of monsters and their meanings.

Why have countless cultures conjured images of mythical creatures such as vampires, sea monsters and werewolves? Find out the answers on this spooky-season peek into the museum’s collections. Your ticket to the tour gives you all-day admission to the museum.

If you are looking for some natural Halloween fun, head to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education’s annual family-friendly fall festival, Halloween Hikes and Hayrides.

Each ticket comes with a s’mores kit to make around a campfire and access to all hikes, hayrides, games, crafts and a movie. Hayrides explore the Schuylkill Center’s forested grounds all decked out in the fall foliage.

Take a non-spooky hike to look for and listen to nocturnal creatures who come alive at night. Play some games, make a magic wand or nature-adorned trick-or-treat bag, and jump into a thick pile of leaves.

Budding scientists will enjoy a spooky-season-themed day of fun at The Franklin Institute’s Spooky Science Day. Enjoy hands-on activities along with tons of photo ops.

Expect lots of gooeyness with a hands-on slime, dough and putty demonstration; watch the pumpkin guts fly when you learn how NOT to carve a pumpkin; and learn about all the gross things that make us human at the That’s Gross! Live Science Show.

General admission to the museum gets you access to all the spooky science fun.

Bring the fam out to eclectic East Passyunk for a day of Halloween festivities. The street will be closed to traffic for the event.

On the docket: live music, vendors, pumpkin carving and a pet costume contest. Trick-or-treat along the avenue’s shops; check business windows for creepy critters who might just be holding candy treats.

In addition to Halloween, many Latin American cultures celebrate Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. Explore and learn about the traditional celebration at the FDR Boathouse along the banks of the Schuylkill River.

Enjoy traditional dance and musical performances, check out Cesar Viveros’ stunning art installation at the park and find vendors selling crafts and pay-as-you-go food.

This one’s for the mini monsters and craft creatures.

PopUpPlay’s free afternoon Halloween bash hits Cherry Street Pier with a wave of spooky creativity, as attendees build giant cardboard monsters, watch shadow puppet plays, conquer the Skull Scavenger Hunt, frolic in a mini Halloween village and more, while jamming to live beats by DJ Frost

It’s all treats at the Xfinity Mobile Arena when the Broad Street Bullies take on the Nashville Predators on October 30, 2025.

If you’ve been looking for a reason to get a Gritty costume, here’s your opportunity, as fans are encouraged to come in costume to cheer on the team.

Attendees can also expect special giveaways, activities, music and food and drink specials.

Don your costumes and bring the littles out for a day of interactive fun at the Please Touch Museum.

The day’s festivities include Halloween-themed science shows, writing activities and arts and crafts, in addition to the museum’s daily programs.

The Museum of the American Revolution celebrates All Hallows’ Eve with a colonial flair.

Take a page out of the books of our forefathers, who carved turnips instead of pumpkins to ward away evil spirits, and learn about the surprisingly historic origins of the Headless Horseman campfire story.

Dinosaur-loving kids will adore the Halloween-themed Dinos After Dark at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

Enjoy pay-what-you-wish admission (with a recommended donation of $10) for family-friendly fun after hours. Meet some of the Academy’s scientists and educators and taste a pumpkin-spice flavored cricket (if you dare!).

The event wraps up at 8 p.m. to make way for the adults-only Creatures of the Night! Halloween bash (see above).

Through Friday, October 31, 2025

This plastic-brick paradise lights up the jack-o’-lanterns with plenty of kid-friendly Halloween goodness.

Activities include monster-themed games, a potion-making experience, a creepy scavenger hunt, a 4D (!?) movie and trick-or-treating.

General admission tickets get you access to all the Halloween activities.

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).

Don’t miss trick-or-treating (costumes are very much encouraged!) and pumpkin feedings with your favorite zoo residents.

Manayunk’s family-and-pet-friendly spooky-time festivities kick off with a special costume parade.

Starting at the Pretzel Park Farmers Market, the procession of witches, wizards, superheroes and more continues down to Main Street, where select stores give out surprises to trick-or-treaters.

Consider it a Halloween warmup. Dress the kiddos in their costumes and bring them out to Franklin Square for treat stations all throughout Franklin Square.

Designed for the littlest monsters and ghouls, the free event is for children 10 and under. Get your tickets ahead of time, as the event requires advanced registration.

All of the fur babies deserve a Halloween treat (or several), too!

Dress up your pup in a snazzy Halloween costume and let your furry friend follow the Bark or Treat Trail as their noses find a trail of treats and giveaways.

Also on the docket: music, photo opps and plenty of space for fido to run and play.

Head to the top of the hill for some trick-or-treating fun at the annual Halloween event along Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill.

Participating businesses will be doling out sweet treats and non-edible surprises to kiddos and families decked out in their best Halloween costumes. Keep an eye out for business with the “Treats Here” posters.