The Ultimate Guide to Halloween and Oktoberfest in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, September 27, 2023 – From Halloween happenings to Oktoberfest events, there are many ways to join in on all the fun in Philadelphia this fall.

Here in Philly, we take spooky season to the next level as creepy haunted houses, nerve-wracking hayrides and terrifying Halloween attractions pop up throughout the region, scaring up new and over-the-top Hollywood production-level experiences set inside some of the creepiest places you can imagine.

Eastern State Penitentiary, an abandoned prison, hosts the massive annual Halloween Nights. The basement of a century-old industrial warehouse morphs into the Fright Factory. Infamous Pennhurst Asylum, a deserted psychiatric hospital, transforms into a terror-inducing haunted house. Lose your sanity on a haunted ski lift (Scream Mountain) or aboard a runaway antique train (No Hope After Dark). Or, pick from a bevy of frightening historical ghost tours that offer up chilling tales of the city’s paranormal past and shocking true events, with a chance to witness other-worldly phenomena for yourself.

Meanwhile, Oktoberfest keeps Philadelphia hopping in the fall as Philadelphia and its Countryside come alive with dozens of seasonal beer fests, Oktoberfests and foamy fall festivals. Oktoberfest aficionados can try out South Street Oktoberfest, Roxtoberfest in Roxborough and Peddler’s Village OctoberFeast in Bucks County.

But great beer events under falling leaves aren’t limited to traditional Oktoberfests. Autumn beer and harvest festivals complete with live music, crisp brews and good eats include Kennett Brewfest, Midtown Village Fall Festival and Newtown Beerfest, while beer and food fests take over some of America’s most historic sites with Harvest Weekend at City Hall’s Dilworth Plaza, Oktoberfest at the Pearl S. Buck House, CiderFest at Woodford Mansion and the Delaware River Festival at Penn’s Landing.

Haunted Houses, Halloween Attractions & Ghost Tours in Philly for 2023

Haunted Houses & Scary Attractions

The Valley of Fear
Phoenix Sport Club, 301 W. Bristol Road, Feasterville-Trevose
September 22 – October 30, 2023 (select dates)

Located at the Phoenix Sport Club in Feasterville-Trevose, The Valley of Fear has offered thrilling Halloween frights for 35 years. The twisting, disorienting Original Haunted Hayride — rated 5 out of 5 skulls by Fright Review (and one of their “favorite trails”) — offers a dozen new scenes for 2023 and an all-new sound experience. Then, risk it all seeking One Eyed Willie’s lost treasure as you Escape From Willie’s Shipwreck Cove, featuring brand-new elements for the new season. Lastly, explore the dreaded mansion of evil at the risen-from-the-ashes Miles Manor Haunted House.

The Bates Motel
The Bates Motel, 1835 Middletown Road, Glen Mills
September 22 – October 31, 2023 (select dates)

Hollywood-level special effects ramp up the trilogy of terror at The Bates Motel in Delco, named one of the 10 Best Haunted House Attractions in America by CNN. The Bates Motel Haunted House offers high-tech effects, digital sound and lighting, and astonishingly realistic details. The Haunted Hayride is a 25-minute horror ride through the tall forest of Arasapha Farm featuring huge sets — including a full-sized Wild West town, new for 2023. And the Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Corn Trail is a walk-through experience riddled with terrifying animatronic monsters and professional actors.

Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue
September 22 – November 11, 2023 (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 (that 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.

Lincoln Mill Haunted House
Lincoln Mill Haunted House, 4100 Main Street
September 23 – November 4, 2023 (select dates)

A relative newcomer, 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.

Pennhurst Asylum
Pennhurst Asylum, 250 Commonwealth Drive, Spring City
September 23 – November 4, 2023 (select dates)

Operating in the same facility that housed an infamous psychiatric hospital for 80 years before being shut down, Pennhurst Asylum is a terrifying near-real-life attraction in Chester County. Described as the “scariest place I have ever seen, period” by HauntWorld, the 120-acre property offers three chilling attractions: the main Pennhurst Asylum haunted house, the disturbing Pennhurst Morgue and the panic-inducing Pennhurst Tunnels, all respectfully presented while reappropriating the site’s problematic history through feedback from the disability and mental health communities. For those looking for a little less horror, professionally guided daytime and paranormal investigation tours are available.

Scream Mountain at Spring Mountain Adventures
Spring Mountain Adventure, 757 Spring Mount Road, Schwenksville
September 29 – October 28, 2023 (Fridays and Saturdays)

Montco’s Scream Mountain at Spring Mountain Adventures takes you up the dark side of a ski mountain on a chilling haunted chairlift ride, letting you out at the top only to guide yourself down an eerie, dimly lit trail to the bottom. Once at the bottom, you’ll hop on a haunted hayride to visit the remains of quarrymen murdered in their sleep (who, naturally, haunt the resort). For those with acrophobia, the hay ride is available as a separate attraction. Live bands play nightly.

Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres, 881 Highland Road, Newtown
September 29 – October 29, 2023 (Fridays – Sundays)

Offering suburban scares since 1990, Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres features three ghoulish attractions all located on the 230-acre Gunser Farm, a working family farm in Newtown. At a mile-and-a-quarter, the Sleepy Hollow Hayride is one of the longest in the region, winding through dark woods and pumpkin fields. Afterwards, make your way through the abandoned village Field of Fright to old Malfate Manor, known as The House in the Hollow, a terrifying haunted house. End your night by the bonfire pit with live music at the brand-new concessions building.

Haunted Attractions at Winding Brook Farm
Winding Brook Farm, 3014 Bristol Road, Warrington
September 29 – October 31, 2023 (select dates)

Get ready for a three-part chilling adventure: Warrington’s Winding Brook Farm features three classic haunted attractions (ticketed separately) in one terrifying location. The Night Chills Hay Ride winds through woods transformed into the Gates of Hell — populated, of course, by eerie nighttime creatures. The Corn Walk of Horror is a haunting trail with blood-curdling screams at every dark turn. And try not to get trapped in the Haunted Hay Maze, where spooky characters chase you into a (seemingly) never-ending series of dead ends.

Fright Factory
Fright Factory, 2200 S. Swanson Street
September 29 – October 31, 2023 (select dates)

Like a nightmare right out of a Stephen King novel, the dark and cavernous basement of a 120-year-old abandoned factory is surely one of the scariest places on earth. That’s the setting for the high-scare, high-startle Fright Factory, a crowd-pleasing, creep-factor-100 warehouse in South Philly. The 25,000-square-foot space is split into three themed areas: Industrial Nightmare, South Side Sanatorium and Fright Factory Unholy. By the time you’re done, you’ll be begging to be let out of the basement.

No Hope After Dark
New Hope Railroad, 32 W. Bridge Street, New Hope
September 30 – October 31, 2023 (select dates)

Step aboard a frightful Halloween festival on the rails as the New Hope Railroad takes you on the No Hope After Dark journey (round-trip) to the unknown aboard antique trains where terror and holiday revelry collide. While on board, experience sinister characters, immersive sets, and heart-pounding fear as your electrifying ride to the chilling abyss takes a haunting turn when nightmares come alive. The 100-minute multi-location journey departs from New Hope Train Station, with luxurious first-class table seating or high-back bench seats in coach available.

Anatomy Eats Dinner at Lacroix
Lacroix, 210 West Rittenhouse Square
Wednesday, October 25

On Wednesday, October 25, Lacroix Restaurant at The Rittenhouse will host a Halloween-inspired, five-course culinary experience in collaboration with Anatomy Eats. A menu crafted by Executive Chef Eric Leveillee showcases offal-based dishes, with two ticketed seatings available at 5:30 and 8 p.m. 

Ghost Tours

Grim Philly Tours
Tours depart from the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street
Ongoing

Historians, authors and professors lead the highly researched, mature-audiences-only Grim Philly Tours, including several Halloween season excursions. The nightly R-rated Dark Philly Adult Night Tour features risqué tales of ghosts, sex, vampires, espionage and murder from the days of the Founding Fathers. The Saturdays-only Serial Killers and Cemeteries Tour mixes true crime and history lessons with tales of serial slayings and psychopathic killers. And the ever-popular Haunted Pub Crawl starts with visits to the sites of live witch trials and colonial boneyards before hitting up local taverns each Friday.

Philly Ghosts: Phantoms of Philadelphia Tour
Tours depart from Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 217-231 W. Washington Square
Ongoing

While other ghost tours concentrate on famous landmarks, the Philly Ghosts: Phantoms of Philadelphia Tour explores the dark underside of Philly’s Old City, one of the oldest residential regions in the nation. Expert guides lead you on a journey through the city’s shocking past via its most haunted buildings, ancient streets and ghostly monuments, telling stories of historical events, local legends and eyewitness accounts. The standard tour lasts about an hour and covers eight stops over a mile, while the extended tour runs 90 minutes across a mile-and-a-half with a dozen stops.

Ghost Tours of New Hope
Tours depart from Parry Mansion Museum, East Ferry & South Main streets, New Hope
Through Saturday, November 18, 2023 (select dates)

The lantern-lit Ghost Tours of New Hope, led by best-selling author and long-time paranormal investigator Adi-Kent Thomas Jeffrey, are one-hour, one-mile ghostly ambles through the streets of the Bucks County river town offering interesting and surprising stories of spine-tingling hauntings and spooky locales. Public tours are available every Saturday, plus Friday nights during October only, as well as on Halloween night. Tours meet in front of Parry Mansion.

Spirits of ’76 Ghost Tours of Philadelphia
Tours depart from 325 Chestnut Street
Through Saturday, November 25, 2023 (Fridays and Saturdays)

The paranormal stories heard along the Spirits of ’76 Ghost Tours are “one part history, two parts haunt.” Experience moonlight stops at more than 20 of Philly’s (definitely) historic and (possibly) haunted sites for chilling and grisly stories from the city’s past like the ghosts of Independence Hall, the dancing statue of Ben Franklin, paranormal Pine Street Church & Cemetery, and grim tales of Edgar Allan Poe and Leo Callahan (the only person to successfully escape Eastern State Penitentiary), plus haunted movie set locations from The Sixth Sense and National Treasure.

Ghost Tours of Philadelphia
Tours depart from Signer’s Garden, 434-498 Chestnut Street
Through Thursday, November 30, 2023 (daily)

Wander the streets of Independence National Historical Park, Old City and Society Hill by candlelight on the guided Ghost Tours of Philadelphia. Hear chilling ghost tales, visit haunted houses and see where the bodies were buried (literally) from the days of William Penn to the Founding Fathers to today. Costumed tour guides spin spooky tales of villains, tragedies and plagues as you explore haunting burial grounds and historic sites along the dark city’s back alleys and secret gardens on a journey based on the book “Ghost Stories of Philadelphia, PA.”

Ghost Tours of Phoenixville
Tours depart from Mansion House 37, 37 Bridge Street, Phoenixville
October 6-28, 2023 (Fridays and Saturdays)

Explore what’s been called the most haunted borough in Pennsylvania along the spooktacular Ghost Tours of Phoenixville in Chester County. Led by renowned paranormal author Peggy Schmidt, the 90-minute walking tour stops by the town’s most eerie and supernatural locales, including Phoenixville Library, Colonial Theater (setting for The Blob), Forge Theatre (a former funeral home), and more with stories dating back to the Revolutionary War and Civil War. Reservations required.

Candlelight Ghost Tours at Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin, 6400 Hog Island Road
October 7-29, 2023 (select dates)

Explore one of the nation’s oldest active military facilities after dark with Candlelight Ghost Tours at Fort Mifflin, a pure Halloween experience free of decorations and costumed characters. It’s just you, your tour guide, a few candles and whatever friendly apparitions might be roving the historic site near 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. While you wait for the tour to begin, grab a few “spirits” from the pop-up bar — and be sure to arrive in costume Halloween weekend.

Must-Sip Oktoberfests & Beer Fests in Philly

Midtown Village Fall Festival
13th Street from Chestnut Street to Walnut streets and several surrounding blocks
Saturday, September 30, 2023 | Noon-8 p.m.

The lively all-day Midtown Village Fall Festival returns to the neighborhood along 13th Street (and several surrounding blocks) for this can’t-miss party in Center City. The annual celebration — which attracts more than 50,000 attendees each year — features pop-up sidewalk sales from Midtown Village retail shops, restaurants, boutiques and galleries, plus multiple stages of live music, kids’ activities, and plenty of food and beverage sampling. And don’t miss the concurrent Brü & Tradesmans Fall Fest on Chestnut Street with more live music, DJs, outdoor bars and great German pub grub.

Philadelphia All-Star Craft Beer, Wine, and Cocktail Festival
Citizens Bank Park, 1 Citizens Bank Way
Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 1-4 p.m. & 6-9 p.m.

Game on! The weekend after the Phillies regular season ends, the Philadelphia All-Star Craft Beer, Wine, and Cocktail Festival takes over Citizens Bank Park for the region’s biggest beer sampling party and music festival. Voted a top ten “Best Beer Festivals” in the world by USA Today, the Philly version of the traveling fest features over 250 craft beer, wine and cocktail options, plus yard games and multiple stations of live music. Day and night sessions are available, and VIP upgrades include early admission, Phillies alumni meet-and-greets, and photos in the Phils’ dugout.

Fall for Ardmore
Schauffele Plaza, 99 Cricket Terrace, Ardmore
Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 2-6 p.m.

Formerly known as Ardmore Oktoberfest, the Fall For Ardmore festival returns for its second season, this year celebrating the Main Line community’s sesquicentennial (that means 150th birthday). Businesses throughout downtown hold pop ups and sidewalk sales, but the action centers on Schauffele Plaza, which will be alive — and free — with live music, German fare and beer favorites from numerous local breweries. VIP beer garden tickets with reserved seating are available.

Harvest Weekend in Dilworth Park
Dilworth Park, 1 S. 15th Street
October 6-8, 2023

It’s fall farm season at Dilworth Park (in front of City Hall) as the three-day Harvest Weekend sets up residence with local bands, pumpkin painting and carving, circus performers and apple cider-making, plus autumn eats from bratwursts to Bavarian pretzels. The of-age crowd can enjoy beer selections like Troegs Oktoberfest and Michelob Ultra, specialty cocktails made with Maker’s Mark Bourbon and Haku Vodka, and a Saturday afternoon stein-hoisting. Be sure to check out the on-site Made in Philadelphia Fall Market, featuring over 70 art, photography, jewelry, glassware, woodwork and culinary vendors.

Octoberfest & Halloween Fun Day at Playwicki Farm
Playwicki Farm, 2350 Bridgetown Pike, Feasterville-Trevose
Saturday, October 7, 2023 | 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The wooded rolling hills of Playwicki Farm are the backdrop for the park’s annual Octoberfest & Halloween Fun Day celebration featuring music from local DJs, food trucks, craft vendors, family activities, a performance from the Mummers and brews in the outdoor beer and wine garden.

Ambler Oktoberfest
Butler Avenue, Ambler
Saturday, October 7, 2023 | 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

The spirit of the fall season takes over downtown Ambler in Montco for Ambler Oktoberfest, a street festival where restaurants and businesses along Butler Avenue and surrounding blocks celebrate the season with retail pop ups and sidewalk sales, live music on two stages, over 75 craft vendors and food trucks, restaurant samplings, kids’ rides, and an outdoor beer garden in the heart of the borough.

Roxtoberfest
Ridge Avenue between Lyceum Avenue and Leverington Avenue
Saturday, October 7, 2023 | Noon-6 p.m.

Celebrating 11 years of tradition and over 8,000 yearly attendees, the free-to-attend, pay-as-you-go Roxtoberfest street festival takes over Ridge Avenue in Roxborough with a selection of food trucks, German folk music all day on a main stage, games and competitions (with prizes!), fun for the kiddos, costumed pets, more than 70 craft vendors and civic organizations, and plenty of beers and brews.

Oktoberfest Main Line
Good Samaritan Field, 212 W. Lancaster Avenue, Paoli
Saturday, October 7, 2023 | Noon-7:30 p.m.

Downtown Paoli is the site for the family-friendly Oktoberfest Main Line, a charitable humanitarian aid fundraiser with live music and oompah bands, fall games, pumpkin decorating, martial arts demonstrations, a bouncy-house obstacle course, and a dog costume contest featuring prizes for best trick, best lookalike, best pooch smooch and waggiest tail! Of course there will be plenty of German food, nagelspielen, stein-hoisting contests and craft beers from La Cabra Brewing and Conshohocken Brewing.

Kennett Brewfest
600 S. Broad Street, Kennett Square
Saturday, October 7, 2023 | 1:30-5 p.m.

Serving up October fun in Kennett Square for over a quarter-century, Kennett Brewfest is a beer lovers’ paradise, pouring more than 175 beers from 80-plus craft breweries including regional favorites Blondes and Brewnettes, Round Guys, Cartesian Brewing and Kennett Square’s Braeloch Brewing and Kennett Brewing Company. There’s plenty of fun and activities, too, with live music, unique food from local restaurants, games and lots of retail and crafts vendors.

Friday the 13th October Beerfest
Sunset Social at Cira Green, 129 S. 30th Street
Friday, October 13, 2023 | 6-8 p.m.

Get into the spooky season spirit on Friday the 13th at Philly’s coolest elevated urban park. Located at Cira Green — Philly’s “Park in the Sky” perched 12 floors and 95 feet in the air atop the Cira Centre South Garage — Sunset Social hosts the Friday The 13th October Beerfest. Several vendors serve up a half-dozen seasonal beers options and autumn bites while DJs and live acoustic bands pump out the tunes. It’s the perfect place to chill with some autumn brews and spectacular views of the Center City skyline.

23rd Street Armory Oktoberfest
23rd Street Armory, 22 S. 23rd Street
October 13-14, 2023

The 16,000-square-foot indoor Drill Hall hosts the fifth annual Brauhaus Schmitz 23rd Street Armory Oktoberfest, a boisterous two-day, three-session event billed as Philly’s most authentic German fall fest. The Rittenhouse Square West venue — home to the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry — is transformed into a traditional Munich festival tent with German food and beer (served in one-liter masskrugs at tables and benches imported from Germany) alongside a raised stage with oompah music and dancing. Tickets are required, and VIP packages offer perks like reserved seating and early entry.

Goat’oberFest 2023
Laurel Hill West Conservatory, 215 Belmont Avenue, Bala Cynwyd
Saturday, October 14, 2023 | 4-6 p.m.

The billys, nannys and does of the Philly Goat Project (PGP) take over the Conservatory at Laurel Hill West Cemetery for the “spirited” Goat’oberFest fundraiser, which includes signature cocktails and s’mores around the firepit, a first look at the 2024 PGP calendar, special cemetery mini-tours, photos with over a dozen goats, and an exclusive event T-shirt. Enter the raffle to win art created by the goats and place bids in a silent auction featuring items like signed prints from goat photographer Jessica Kourkounis. This event is open to adults and mature teens 14-plus (accompanied by an adult).

OctoberFeast at Peddler’s Village
Peddler’s Village, 100 Peddlers Village, Lahaska
October 14-15, 2023

The 7th annual OctoberFeast celebrates a full weekend of fall fun at the 42-acre food-and-shopping haven Peddler’s Village in Bucks County. The free two-day German-inspired fête features ax throwing, pony rides, a petting zoo, lawn games, pumpkin painting, food trucks and a food tent and plenty of boutique shopping. Swing into the season with three live German brass bands, a German dance-team performance and lots of craft brews. Grab your own custom stein from the beer garden and stroll amongst larger-than-life scarecrows, part of the 44th Annual Scarecrows in the Village display.

CiderFest at Woodford Mansion
Woodford Mansion, 2300 N. 33rd Street
Saturday, October 21, 2023 | 1-5 p.m.

A fundraiser for the historic homestead and an overall good time, the sixth annual CiderFest at Woodford Mansion returns for two days in Fairmount Park as part of Philly Cider Week. Enjoy samples of local ciders, wine and specialty cocktails, plus live music, games, arts and craft vendors, beekeeping and cider-pressing demonstrations, and tours of the original Philadelphia colonial Georgian mansion — a National Historic Landmark that dates back to 1756. To complete the fall feel, grab a blanket and enjoy a picnic lunch and charcuterie board (available for purchase) while surrounded by stunning foliage.

Oktoberfest at the Pearl S. Buck International
Pearl S. Buck National Historic Landmark, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie
Saturday, October 21, 2023 | 1-5 p.m.

Now in its second year, the Oktoberfest at Pearl S. Buck International at Bucks County’s Pearl S. Buck House — the historic Perkasie estate of The Good Earth author — offers modern-day entertainment including live oompah music, arts and crafts vendors, pumpkin painting, kids games, food, beer and free tours of the Pulitzer Prize winner’s National Landmark homestead. All proceeds benefit the cross-cultural humanitarian mission of the foundation.

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