The Best Halloween Events & Activities Around Grand Rapids
What used to be a holiday for trick-or-treaters has grown in a mega fall celebration.
Today you can find trunk or treats, dazzling decorated homes, chilling haunted mazes and much more.
Your one-stop-shop to Grand Rapids Halloween events & fun is here!
Spooktacular Halloween Events
People love to celebrate Halloween in West Michigan.
How do we know? Just a glance at the number of pop-up Halloween events happening in greater Grand Rapids is a dead giveaway.
In addition to a trick-or-treat trail at John Ball Zoo, there are many options for Halloween fun in West Michigan, especially on the weekends.
Families can check out a corn maze, go on a spooky hike, trunk-or-treat to your heart’s content, paint pumpkins, visit with nighttime animals and so much more!
Halloween Events on Repeat
These Halloween events are happening more than one time during the month of October 2021.
We will be updating this list throughout the month, so check back often for new Halloween events.
Halloween Light Spooktacular
» Every Friday & Saturday Oct 1-31, 2021 (special Oct 31 session)
New Salem Corn Maze
4516 24TH STREET, DORR, MI 49323
Jump on a wagon and take a 20 min. ride through the trail with lights synchronized to Halloween songs. Suitable for all ages. $10/person, under age 3- Free. Dusk-11pm.
New Salem Corn Maze Haunted Halloween Activities
» Various Dates Oct 2-31, 2021
New Salem Corn Maze
4516 24TH STREET, DORR, MI 49323
SCARY. The New Salem Corn Maze “Witches of New Salem” haunted woods is a frightening Halloween event experience with over 20 attractions and dozens of actors and props. Also enjoy the haunted corn maze and zombie attack. Face masks and social distancing required.
HallowGlow Glow Nights
» Every Friday, Saturday, & Sunday Oct 1-31, 2021
Tree Runner Adventure Park
2121 Celebration Dr NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
A Halloween event and glow night! Glow climb tickets: $44, ages 7+. Costumes encouraged!
The Haunted Forest
» Every Friday & Saturday, Oct 2 – 21, 6-10 PM, 2021
Cannonsburg Ski Area – 6800 Cannonsburg Rd, Belmont, MI 49306
SCARY. The Haunted Forest is a spooky outdoor experience at Cannonsburg Ski Area. The woods are filled with hungry zombies, scary witches, ghosts and other monsters that exist only in your worst nightmares. Be prepared to encounter all of them, as you try to make your way through the woods. The walk is roughly 1/2 mile long, and takes place on a lit dirt path that winds through the trees.
Ghoul Golf @ Great Lakes Glow Golf
» Oct 1 – 31, 2021
3494 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Play 18 holes of miniature golf under black light. Everyone who dresses up in costume for the weekly theme with get $2 off.
Great Lakes Glow Golf is your place for fun!
Not So Spooky Trail!
» Every Saturday & Sunday, Oct 2-31, 3-6 pm, 2021
Fellinlove Farm
6364 144th Ave, Holland, MI 49423
Walk 3/4 mile Heartwood Forest’s not-so-scary nature trail! $5/person suggested donation.
Haunted Sunflower Maze
» Every Friday and Saturday in October, 9-11pm, 2021
Rasch Orchards – 17647 40th Ave, Conklin, MI
Come out to get CREEPED OUT in the Haunted Sunflower Maze. Pay for admission in the market where you will also find HOT Apple Turnovers, fresh fall donuts, HOT Cider and Cocoa and so much more!! It will be a GHOULISH good time!! Best for ages 10+
Kids Spooky Forest
» Every Saturday, Oct 10-31, 3-5pm, 2021
Cannonsburg Ski Area – 6800 Cannonsburg Rd., Belmont, MI 49306
The Spooky Forest is an interactive, outdoor Halloween experience for kids. It’s designed for a younger crowd, who have the ability to walk (or be carried) 1/2 mile. There will be some spooky props in the forest, but they will be balanced out by fun, kid friendly halloween attractions. The best part of The Spooky Forest is that you and your family can enjoy being active outdoors, while having fun with Halloween characters.
Park Before Dark
» Oct 16 from 10am-6pm & Oct 17 from noon-6pm, 2021
Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park
8313 Pratt Lake Ave SE, Alto, MI
Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park will be fully decorated for Halloween. Trick-or-treat around the zoo at various vender booth for candy, coupons, swag and more. Come on out dressed up and ready for a great Fall adventure at the zoo!
Zoo Goes Boo at John Ball Zoo!
» Oct 15-17 & 22-24, 10am-5pm, 2021
John Ball Zoo
1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Zoo Goes Boo returns to John Ball Zoo! Transforming into the ultimate Halloween destination with decorations, costumes, candy, and the Zoo’s amazing animals. Strolling entertainment is returning. Plus, there are rumors that some villains stop by to mix up some trouble.
The Famous Pumpkin Train
» Oct 17 & 24, 2021
306 Main St, Coopersville, MI 49404
This is a Fall tradition that is not to be missed! A cast of wacky characters love to sing and dance for you. Each paid child’s ticket includes a free, locally grown, good-sized Pumpkin that the kids can pick from the Pumpkin Patch at the end of the ride. Children under 2 ride free and also get a small size Pumpkin at this Halloween event.
Speedy Wash Tunnel of Terror
» Oct 22 & 23, 2021
2200 28th St. SW, Wyoming, Mi 49519
Speedy Wash’s haunted car wash will be filled with horrific surprises and spooky encounters as you ride through the Tunnel of Terror. Your vehicle will receive the platinum wash as you ride through the family-friendly thrills. Goody bag at the end. 50% of proceeds donated to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. City of Wyoming/ Grand Rapids area first haunted car wash!
Pumpkin Walk 2021
» Oct 28-30, 2021
6950 Lake Michigan Dr, Allendale, MI 49401
The Pumpkin Walk is a special fall event held at Second Church in Allendale, Michigan. It is a 1/10 mile path with over 600 carved and lit pumpkins. Pumpkin Walk 2021 will be held on October 28, 29 & 30 from 6pm-9pm each night.
StoryWalk: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
» Oct 26-Nov 1, 9am-5pm, 2021
Duncan Park
1113 Sheldon Road, Grand Haven , MI 49417
As you stroll in the woods, enjoy “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything” by Linda Williams and illustrated by Megan Lloyd. Pages from this silly and spooky picture book will be posted on signs along the path for your family to read together – along with ideas for things to look for and do as you stroll!
One-Time-Only Halloween Events
Halloween events happening just once in October 2021 are listed chronologically below.
Movies in the Park - Halloween Special!
Come to the bandshell for a free, fun-filled night. We are showing the movie "Casper!"
A fun, festive, family event connecting local businesses with the community! Bring the whole family out for free candy, games, face painting, bounce houses, a DJ, and tons of fun!
FREE family multi-location event. Activities include pumpkin decorating, brushing horses/ponies, CANDY, and more! Costumes encouraged!!
A spooky outdoor experience! The woods are filled with hungry zombies, scary witches, ghosts, and other monsters that exist only in your worst nightmares. $20 online, $25 at the door
Friday Family Fun Night: Smashing Pumpkins
Join Museum staff in painting a pumpkin, pumpkin-themed activities, and flinging pumpkins at the Museum using a trebuchet to maximize the smashing!
Trick or treating at nearly 20 locations between 2nd Street and Jefferson, hundreds of pumpkins to decorate, princesses and superheroes to hangout with, and fun critters to pet!
Trunk or Treating at Faith Community
Enjoy some good music, hot chocolate and fellowship while the kids Trunk or Treat. Costumes are encouraged but not required!
This pawty will include a BEER TENT, pet costume contest, and a dog photo booth.
A fun spooktacular time of crafts, games, and a snack. Recommended for ages 5-10yrs.
Tri-Cities Historical Museum Haunted Halloween
Explore our museum’s spooky exhibit decorations, make crafts, play games, enjoy indoor trick or treating, and more!
Kids Pumpkin Decorating Extravaganza
Buy your favorite pumpkin then bring it into the Bloomstudio and decorate to your heart’s content! Have fun and leave the mess here!
Fall Fest TRUNK EDITION is an outdoor family event packed with fun! Admission is FREE!
Boo Stew Storytelling Event with Author Donna Washington at GRCM
October 21, 2021
GRCM will host professional storyteller and author Donna Washington for a fun reading of her picture book, Boo Stew, streamed live.
Participate in a costume parade, then celebrate with your wee ones as you listen to Halloween-themed stories and go on a Halloween Hunt.
Looking for some fall family fun outside? Bring the whole family to Camp Newaygo! $7/person, $25/family of 4
John Ball Area Neighbors TRUNK or TREAT
Neighborhood trunk or treat. Prizes for best decorated vehicle and best costume!
Kids can dress up in their favorite costume and collect treats from a number of decorated trunks.
Fright Night - Deep Roots Haunted Maze!
Come find your way through our haunted maze...if you dare! Enjoy a night of spooky scares with your friends and family!
A safe and fun walk along the trails with wildlife encounters, games and candy. Children are encouraged to wear their costumes. All the nature trails are wheelchair, stroller and wagon-friendly. $10/family
Looking for some fall family fun outside? Bring the whole family to Camp Newaygo! $7/person, $25/family of 4
Muskegon County Fairgrounds Fall Festival
Flea Market, Arts & Crafts, Outdoor Games, Costume Contest, Trick-or-Treating, Carnival Rides, Pumpkin Decorating & more!
Come trunk or treat at Trinity for spooky treats and fun, all ages are welcome.
Parents Night Out: Monster Mash Minute to Win it
A fun night that is jammed-packed with games, activities, crafts, open gym, and pizza! Ages 4-11, $20/child.
HOWL-O-WEEN with Harbor Humane!
Trunk-or-Treating, live music, pet costume contest, hay rides, games for all, and a trunk decorating contest, and...even adult beverages (while you enjoy live music & the kids play!).
Free trick or treating! Kids who come in costumes (safe for climbing) can stay and climb for free in the company of an adult (admission fees apply to adults).
Second annual Trunk-or-Treat and Spooky Trail
Trunk-or-Treating begins at 6 PM... Spooky Trail a short while later!
Looking for some fall family fun outside? Bring the whole family to Camp Newaygo! $7/person, $25/family of 4
Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church and Preschool Trunk or Treat
Dress up your little ones and stop by for treats, crafts, games, and more.
Children are invited to walk from car to car in the parking lot, receiving candy, playing carnival games, winning prizes and more. Hot dogs, and beverages will be available for purchase.
It's Trunk or Treat... but with cool and classic cars! Trick or treating, balloon twisters, giant pumpkin displays, a costume contest, and more.
Outdoor Trailing Pumpkins Walk, Family Friendly!
October 25, 2021
Enter a pumpkin OR just enjoy the trail of jack-o-lanterns!
Trailing Pumpkins Carving Contest!
Cash prizes! Public judging! Cider and donuts! Now go get creative.
"Spooktacular Mini World" - Art Workshop
In this art workshop for ages 4-10, kids will craft their own miniature Halloween world. $35
Gillis Family Chiropractic Trunk or Treat
Trunk or Treat! Everyone welcome for a completely FREE event!
Nature Buds: Trick-or-Treat with Wildlife
For this special Halloween edition of Nature Buds, we’ll be doing pumpkin crafts in the Schoolyard (weather permitting) and visiting Blandford’s wildlife with special treats! Halloween costumes encouraged!
St. John's Lutheran Church & School Trunk or Treat
Trunk or Treat is a fun, safe way for children to go trick-or-treating. No scary trunks or costumes!
Trunk or Treat - Wednesday Evening
Free Trunk or Treat Event - Costumes Encouraged! Held in the back parking lot.
Drive-Thru "Movie Greats" Trunk or Treat
A drive-thru experience! See cars and people dressed up in some of the great movie Classics and Epic Blockbusters of our time, right from the comfort of your own vehicle.
Spooky Story Open Mic fundraiser at Pux Poetry
CYC invites you to get up on the mic to share a spooky story
Woodland Mall's Trick-Or-Treat
Get your candy in the Von Maur wing, Macy's wing, JcPenney Wing, and The North Face wing. Look for an orange pumpkin in participating stores' window for some extra candy. While supplies last.
Trunk or Treat at Keller Williams Grand Rapids
Come in costume and trick or treat your way through our trunks.
Grace Fellowship Church Trunk or Treat
Grace Fellowship is hosting its annual Trunk or Treat on October 28th 4:30-6pm.
Slightly Spooky Cemetery Tours
A slightly spooky, completely historical, and totally family friendly walking tour through Pilgrim Home Cemetery.
Downtown Trick or Treat on Main Street
Enjoy cider and donuts, trick or treat at participating businesses, and photo stations to snap a picture.
Come enjoy an evening of spooky skating at Walker Ice and Fitness Center! Costume contest, prizes, some tricks but lots of treats and fun!
HALLOWEEN Little Leapers $12.99/kid (walking to age 7). Jump for 120 minutes, craft, temporary tattoo, & more!
Trick-Or-Treat through Ada Village. Enjoy treats for all ages, a photo booth, and a fun Halloween atmosphere.
Join us for a Halloween-themed nature scavenger hunt and earn a sweet treat!
Join our spooktacular night including Halloween inspired crafts, activities, lantern-lit trails, and wildlife encounters! Pre-registration required.
Bring your friends and family for our second annual community Trunk or Treat!
A spooky scavenger Hunt throughout the museum's historic campus, fun photo opps, candy and more!
Witness the live professional carving of a giant 500-pound pumpkin at this FREE event!
A winding trail thru 2 acres of woods with several halloween themed attractions, Spooky clowns, witches, spiders and much more!
Slightly Spooky Cemetery Tours
A slightly spooky, completely historical, and totally family friendly walking tour through Pilgrim Home Cemetery.
Wellspring Preparatory High School Trunk or Treat
Come trunk-or-treat and visit over 20 decorated trunks. Tons of candy!
South Harbor Church Trunk or Treat
Join us for trunk or treating, games, photo booth, cider/donuts and of course...LOTS of candy!
Kid/teen inspired classes for ages 5+, includes supplies & 11X14 gallery wrapped, take-home canvas! $20
Halloween Fun in Sparta Town Square!
Trick or Treat Sparta at the Town Square Businesses. Haunted House Walk- $2/person
Ridge Point Community Church Trunk or Treat
Trunk or Treat is a fun time for the whole family! Candy & Costumes
Drive Thru Costume Contest & Campfire Jam Session
Take a spin through our parking lot and circle drive, do some trick or treating and donate to vote for your favorite costume! Then grab your sweaters and outdoor chairs and listen as some of our musicians jam to their favorite worship songs and musical numbers.
Wheelie Scary Velo Kids Bike Ride
Grab your favorite Halloween costume, your bike & helmet and join us for a Velo Kids Wheelie Scary (ok...not wheelie so scary) Halloween Bike Ride.
Covenant Community Truck or Treat
Come join us for some family friendly safe outdoor Trunk or Treating!
St. Paul's UMC Presents: Trunk or Treat
Join us for a daytime Trunk or Treat. Great for young and special needs children.
Fellowship Reformed Church Trunk or Treat
A safe and fun Halloween event! Enter our parking lot off Port Sheldon. Trunk or Treating will take place in our East Parking Lot.
Lumberjacks Home Game: Comic Con Night
This spooky night will include trick or treating on the concourse and your favorite characters! Grand Rapids Comic Con will be on the concourse.
Rockford Springs Community Church Trunk-or-Treat
Please come for free family fun and, of course, CANDY!
Spooky hayride & barn, bottle feed calves, food trucks, craft vendors, kids crafts, & more.
Dancers Go BOO! - An Interactive Children's Ballet
Dancers go BOO! is an interactive children's ballet that plays on the Halloween season.
Halloween at the Getty Drive-In
$7.50 Double Features, Trunk or Treat, & Best Costume & Trunk Contest
HALLOWEEN Little Leapers $12.99/kid (walking to age 7). Jump for 120 minutes, craft, temporary tattoo, & more!
Local Pilots will have airplanes on the Ramp for a Trunk or Treat style event. The airport will provide cider and donuts.
City2Shore Arete Collection's Trunk-or-Treat!
Please join us for an afternoon of Trunk-or-Treating! Candy * Donuts * Cider
Halloween Trunk or Treat Events
FILL YOUR CANDY SACK AT A TRUNK OR TREAT EVENT
A trunk or treat event involves community members decorating vehicle trunks and handing out candy to kids in costume.
Basically, you trick or treat from trunk to trunk, or trunk or treat.
There are so many trunk-or-treat Halloween events in Grand Rapids that it’s impossible to hit them all. If you get lucky, you can find a couple close to each other at the same time and visit more than one in one outing. That’s how you really cash in on the Mom Tax!
Trick-or-Treating Hours
FIND TRICK-OR-TREAT TIME AND THE GET ALL OF THE CANDY
Halloween is on a Sunday this year. Some neighborhoods are opting to move their official trick or treat times to Saturday night.
The official trick-or-treating window for most areas is 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. There are a few exceptions so be sure to check our big list to verify your area’s time.
Indoor Halloween Events
INDOOR HALLOWEEN EVENTS
If it’s Halloween Night in west Michigan, you can be almost guaranteed that the weather will be less than perfect.
Sometimes heading out into a cold rain is not what you want for your family. If that’s the case, check this list for indoor Halloween Events that will keep you warm and dry.
Decorated Halloween Houses
FIND ALL THE BEST-DRESSED HALLOWEEN HOUSES
As October 31 approaches, take an evening to drive around town and look for spooky Halloween houses.
Pro tip: Make a scavenger hunt before you head out.
Include things like tombstones, mummies, cobwebs, and ghosts.
I am definitely putting this on our activity list this year.
Haunted Attractions
HOW MANY SCARES YOU CAN HANDLE?
If you want shivers, head to the list of haunted attractions.
There are haunted attractions popping up all around Grand Rapids just in time for Halloween, from haunted houses to haunted hayrides to haunted mazes.
Read the descriptions and age limits carefully before signing up to be spooked.
These places don’t give refunds for doing their job well!
Pick a Perfect Pumpkin
GRAB A WAGON AND HEAD OUT TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH
Area farmers are growing all sorts of pumpkins these days. Choose a regular jack-o-lantern style, or have fun with nubby pumpkin varieties.
White pumpkins, yellow pumpkins, or orange, they all make for splendid fall decor.
For the best selection, get your pumpkin early in October.
Corn Mazes
MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH A DESIGNER CORN MAZE
Corn mazes come in all shapes and sizes – and some come with prizes!
Choose your maze based on distance, design, and location.
Doing a maze after dark adds a whole new element to the game.
Some mazes may be haunted but most are not.
No matter how many or few festivities you attend, we hope you enjoy making Halloween memories with your kids!
John Ball’s Zoo Goes Boo
WALK THE TREAT TRAIL AT JOHN BALL ZOO GOES BOO
My family’s favorite Halloween tradition is going to John Ball Zoo Goes Boo.
Nowadays, this is the only time other than Halloween Night that my entire family dresses up.
We love walking around the zoo to see the spooky decorations in the animal enclosures. We also get great treats there.
Nowadays, the zoo also hands out many non-food or healthier options. But don’t worry – they still have candy!
I am really excited that this annual event is still happening for 2021. JBZ says that we can expect it to look a little different and with social distancing measures in places.
My nephew has a severe peanut allergy that has caused him to go into anaphylaxis shock at least than 2 years old. Cross contamination from candy in the same container is a concern. Are there any events that are specifically safe for kids with nut allergies?