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Haunted Happenings at Shelburne Museum

Halloween falls on a Friday night this year, which, as any parent who’s tried to wake up their child on a November 1st school morning knows, is good news. The bulk of Halloween-related events happen this weekend. There are so many pumpkin lightings, trick-or-treat sessions, parades and other spooky celebrations that we compiled them into a master list.

Here’s to a sweet Halloween filled with lots of fun!

  • Get your chills and thrills at the Haunted Forest at Catamount Outdoor Family Center, with multiple shows Thursday through Saturday night. Three matinees on Saturday are geared to kids 8 and under.
  • Carve and embellish your gourds with provided decorations, then warm up with a bonfire at Bombardier Park in Milton Friday night. 
  • Hoof it around Maple Street Park in Essex Junction at this costumed 5K and kids fun run Saturday morning. On Saturday evening, there’s a pumpkin fest at the park with crafts, storytelling, food and a Great Pumpkin Walk. Don’t forget your carved pumpkin to display.
  • Show your carving prowess and purchase a pie baked by a community member or local restaurant at this seasonal celebration in downtown Montpelier on Saturday.
  • Embellish a Halloween cookie at South End Kitchen in Burlington on Saturday afternoon.
  • Free tours, pumpkin bowling, donuts on a string and spooky photo ops make for a sweet celebration at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury on Saturday.
  • Transform a canning container into Frankenstein at this crafting session at Creative Habitat in South Burlington on Saturday afternoon.
  • Parents drop off costumed kids ages 4-11 at Evolution Yoga in Burlington for spooky black cat and broomstick poses on Saturday night.
  • Families bring pumpkins to carve, then end the evening with a lighting of the spooky creations at Tuttle Middle School in South Burlington on Saturday night. A Halloween Spooktacular with carnival games, crafts and a pumpkin walk follows on Sunday afternoon.
  • Floats and marching bands fill the streets of Rutland during a frightful parade on Saturday night.
  • Pumpkin carving, doughnuts-on-a-string, wagon rides, animal programs and costumed parades make for an all-ages Halloween celebration at Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock on Sunday.
  • Kids don fantasy-themed costumes for trick-or-treating on the grounds of Shelburne Museum on Sunday.
  • An eery afternoon of arts and crafts, fall treats and a live bird show awaits costumed kids at Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington on Sunday.
  • A small-town costume parade is followed by music, trick-or-treating and a costume contest in the town gym in Shelburne on Sunday afternoon.


Still not Halloween-ed out after the weekend?

UVM Horse Barn

Pony pals don costumes during a non-spooky trick-or-treating session at the UVM Horse Barn in South Burlington on Monday evening.

  • A Halloween Celebration with games, crafts and a spooky maze at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction on Tuesday evening provides entertainment for preschoolers through fourth graders.
  • A Night Before Halloween Party at the University Mall in South Burlington with Halloween bingo, a bounce house and store-to-store trick-or-treating gives kids ages 2-12 a safe, indoor environment to celebrate.

    • This article was originally published in Seven Days’ monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.

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    Alison Novak is a staff writer at Seven Days, with a focus on K-12 education. A former elementary school teacher in the Bronx and Burlington, Vt., Novak previously served as managing editor of Kids VT, Seven Days' parenting publication. She won a first-place...