Searching for what to do in Chicago for Halloween? Here are the top things to do for Halloween in Chicago for all ages.
These are many Halloween events and activities taking place in Chicago and the suburbs the entire month October leading up to Halloween weekend. From costume parties and scary activities for adults to family friendly parades and events for young kids, you will find something for any age.
For out of town visitors, please note that the weather in Chicago during Halloween weekend is very unpredictable and temperatures can vary greatly. Be prepared for fall, winter, or summer like temperatures (sometimes all in one day!) as well as rain. Make sure to pack a travel umbrella, layers and check the weather right before your visit to know what to expect.
I suggest bookmarking this blog post as I will be updating it regularly with new events and activities.
Halloween in Chicago
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Best Things to Do for Halloween in Chicago
Take a Ghost Tour
Explore Chicago while learning about its haunted past. Visit the sites of some of the most gruesome disasters and murders in Chicago’s history while hearing stories of death, disaster, murder, ghosts, and infamous gangsters from your local guide.
This haunted segway tour and Halloween bike tour are only offered a few weeks before Halloween.
Lincoln Park Zoo is also offering haunted history tours on Tuesdays and Wednesday evenings in October that dig into the zoo’s cemetery roots and locations throughout its allegedly haunted history.
This ghosts and gangsters tour is available year round and also covers Chicago’s history of organized crime.
Medieval Torture Museum
Are you ready for an extra portion of fear this Halloween? Medieval Torture Museum is the largest interactive historical museum in the U.S., occupying more than 6,000 square feet, with over 100 unique implements and devices on display. Enter the minds of fanatics, madmen, and murderers, and discover the world’s most detailed collection of confinement and torture devices. They believe that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, and have amassed an unprecedented collection of cruelty, based on historical documents and engravings, offering a chilling look into the darkest parts of human history.
Drunk Dracula
Step into a darkly enchanting adult-only adventure at Drunk Dracula where laughter, tipsy thrills, and the legend of Dracula collide. Each 90-minute session invites you to sip, shiver, and revel in the mischievous antics of a vampire gone delightfully rogue. Mingle with fellow thrill-seekers in a mysterious, adult-only setting. Must be 21+ with valid ID.
When: September 17-November 7, 2026
Where: 182 North Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60601
Cost: Prices start at $29 per person. Click here to purchase tickets.
Attend a Halloween Themed Candlelight Concert
Candlelight Concerts is a series of special classical music concerts that take place in beautiful venues bathed in candlelight in the city and the suburbs. Enjoy these Halloween inspired candlelight concerts in Chicago:
Candlelight: Halloween Classics
You can find the full list of candlelight concerts in Chicago here.
Join a Halloween Bar Crawl
Wear a costume and and have fun bar-hopping across town. Here are some Halloween bar crawls taking place in Chicago:
– Official Halloween Bar Crawl
– Wrigleyville Halloween Crawl
– The Boos & Booze Halloween Crawl (River North)
– The Boos & Booze Halloween Bar Crawl (West Loop)
– The Boos & Booze Halloween Bar Crawl: Lincoln Park
Take Photos at Jack’s Pumpkin Patch Pop-Up
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Jack’s Pumpkin Patch Pop-Up is an outdoor fall experience located on over 2 acres in Goose Island. You will find the largest corn maze in downtown Chicago, hidden boozy bar, axe throwing, carnival games, music, fortune telling, three full-service bars and several picture back drops to take instagrammable fall photos. Pre-purchased access is required.
When: September 10-November 2, 2026
Where: 1465 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Cost: Prices vary by date.
Visit a Pumpkin Patch
There are many pumpkin patches and farms you can visit in Chicago and the suburbs in October. Here is a list of the best pumpkin patches in and near Chicago.
Watch Halloween Themed Movies on a Rooftop
During the entire month of October, Rooftop Cinema Club will be showing classic horror movies as well as other Halloween themed movies. Rooftop Cinema Club is an outdoor screening series on a rooftop located on the fifth floor terrace of The Emily Hotel in Fulton Market. The high end movie experience has state-of-the-art LED screens, individual wireless headphones and a range of seating options including lounge chairs and loveseats. Guests can also order drinks and snacks.
Address: The Emily Hotel (311 N Morgan St)
Dates: Select dates all of October.
Cost: Prices vary. You can see prices and purchase tickets in advance here.
Watch 24 Hours of Horror Movies at the Music Box
Watch 24 hours of horror movies at the Music Box Theatre in Lakeview starting at noon on Saturday, October 24, 2026. In addition to 24 hours of movie madness, The Music Box of Horrors will feature special guests, giveaways, vendors, and more. Passes gain entry for you to come-and-go throughout the entire 24 hours or you can purchase half-marathon passes.
When: October 24-25, 2026.
Where: Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
Visit a Haunted House
The best haunted houses are in the suburbs but there are some haunted houses in the city:
• Nightmare On Clark St Haunted House (3505 N Clark Street)
• St. Pascal’s Catacombs (6143 W Irving Park Rd)
• The Catacombs (3656 N Central Avenue)
Chicago Halloween Events
Arts in the Dark Parade
Arts in the Dark is a popular evening family-friendly parade that celebrates Halloween as the “artist’s holiday” with unique floats, spectacle puppets, music, dance and more. The parade has been recognized as one of the top 6 Halloween events in the world.
When: Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 6-8pm
Where: Columbus moving north from Balbo to Jackson (new location)
Cost: FREE
Upside Down Parade
The annual “reverse” Halloween event, Upside Down Parade, lets children and their families become the parade when they don their costumes as march past dance teams, musicians, acrobats, sports mascots, and other spectacles. For those who don’t have a costume, they also will be giving away 2,000 costumes at the opening gates.
When: Saturday, October 31, 2026 from 12–2pm
Where: Washington Park, 5531 S. King Dr. Chicago, IL 60615
Cost: FREE
Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade & Costume Contest
The annual Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade & Costume Contest in Chicago’s landmark LGBTQ Northalsted neighborhood is ranked one of the top ten in the US by Fodor’s Travel, has a spectacular Costume Contest with hundreds of entrants featuring $4,000 in cash prizes and concludes with an awards presentation.
When: October 31, 2026, Halloween Night, 6:30-10pm
Where: Parade starts at Halsted & Belmont and ends at Halsted & Brompton. There is an awards show & After Party at the Parking Lot at 3514 N. Halsted.
Halloween in the Parks
Looking for fun Halloween fun themed events for children? The Chicago Park District’s Halloween in the Parks holds various kid-friendly events at parks throughout the city the entire month of October including pumpkin patches, Halloween parties, haunted houses and fall festivals.
Halloween Chicago Events for Families
Looking for fun Halloween activities for kids? There are many Halloween events in Chicago for families including: Boo-Palooza (TBD) and Slightly Spooky Saturday (at Navy Pier) (October 31, 2026).
Chicago Halloween Parties for Adults Only
These Halloween parties and events are for adults only:
Zoo Brews: Howls & Growls
Zoo Brews: Howls & Growls is an adults-only Halloween party with unlimited samples of craft beers and ciders at themed “trick or treat” stations.
Where: Lincoln Park Zoo, 2400 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
When: October 23 & 24, 2026, 6:30—10pm
Cost: General Admission is $55+ for nonmembers.
Haunted Halloween Ball Chicago at Congress Plaza Hotel
Haunted Halloween Ball, Chicago’s biggest Halloween costume party, takes place at the Congress Plaza Hotel, which is said to be one of the most haunted hotels in the world by USA Today. The Ball will combine elements of a lavish VIP nightclub and lounge experience, with the exclusiveness of a luxury hotel gala, and the terror and chills of a haunted house. The massive 20,000 square foot ballrooms of the 122-year-old hotel has been transformed into an abandoned hotel run by zombies. Other entertainment includes encounters with the Haunted Halloween Ball vampire bellmen, zombie cocktail servers dressed as French maids and theatrical performances by costumed go-go dancers. This event is 21+.
Where: Congress Plaza Hotel Chicago, 520 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
When: Friday, October 31, 9pm–2am
More Halloween Chicago Events
In addition to the activities mentioned above, more Halloween events in Chicago include: Rosehill Cemetery ‘Crypt’ 5K Run/Walk (October 17, 2026), Roscoe Village Halloween Block Party (October 18, 2026) and MEMENTO MORI: Annual Halloween Gala at the International Museum of Surgical Science (October 30, 2026).
Best Things to Do for Halloween Chicago Suburbs
Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns at Chicago Botanic Garden
The popular Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns (October 7–11, 14–18, & 21–25, 2026) takes place every October at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Monstrous vibes meet crisp fall evenings at Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns, where artist-carved pumpkins light your way through the Garden after dark. You’ll find costumed entertainers and live carving demos along their paved path, as well as seasonal light fare and drinks for purchase.
Hours: 6:30 – 10:30pm (last entry at 10pm)
Where: 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022
Get Lost in a Corn Maze
There are many corn mazes in the Chicago area – from large intricate mazes perfect for adults and older children to small kid-friendly corn mazes.
Richardson Adventure Farm located in Spring Grove, Illinois (about an hour north of the city) claims to be world’s largest most intricate corn maze.
In addition to their daytime corn maze, Jonamac Orchard has a haunted corn maze on Friday & Saturday nights.
Here are more corn mazes near Chicago.
Visit a Haunted House
There are several haunted houses in the Chicago suburbs but these are the scariest:
• HellsGate Haunted House (in Lockport) is a multi-level mansion hidden deep in the woods (visitors take a 5 minute shuttle from the parking lot to the house) and filled with secret passages, giant slides, ghastly secrets, undead abominations, really nervous groundskeepers and a darkness that the gate can no longer contain.
• 13th Floor Haunted House Chicago (5050 River Road in Schiller Park), rated as one of the Top 5 Haunted Houses in the U.S.A. by USA Today.
• Old Joliet Haunted Prison (401 Woodruff Rd., Joliet, IL) is Chicagoland’s only haunted house inside a real abandoned prison.
As you can see there are many things to do in and near Chicago for Halloween. For more events on Halloween weekend check out my post on the best Chicago weekend events which is updated every week.
Planning a trip to Chicago? Check out my Chicago guides and itineraries:
- 3 Days in Chicago: The Perfect Weekend Itinerary
- 24 Hours in Chicago: A Perfect One Day Itinerary From a Local
- Most Instagrammable Places in Chicago
- Best Free Things to Do in Chicago
