On Monday, October 31, millions of little ghosts, ghouls, and zombies (and some not so little) will revel in the moonlight as they scurry door to door for a tasty treat. Nowadays, however, the Halloween holiday has turned into more than a month of celebrations that help to exorcise the demons within.
This weekend is arguably the biggest party weekend of the year, with events big and small all across the Palm Beaches to help lift your spirits and let your devil out to play.
Below, you will find a listing of many of the events taking place this weekend, from haunted houses to bar crawls, costume contests to pumpkin patches, and everything in between!
HAUNTED HOUSES (Palm Beaches):
FRIGHT NIGHTS AT THE SOUTH FLORIDA FAIRGROUNDS – (9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach) Often mentioned in the same breath as some of the major attractions in Central Florida, and their unique layout, large staff, and creative designers make it one of the top attractions in the county, the state, and perhaps even the country. For the creative team behind Fright Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds, led by the immortal, insane clown known simply as Eggman, every day is Halloween. They begin thinking of new ways to scare people out of their wits as soon as the previous year’s event is underway, and only slow down enough to perfect the art of the scare.
This year, they are going all out with four new haunted houses (Sunnyville Schoolhouse, Doll Factory, The Void and Pestilence.) In addition to the haunts, this year they will have 2 Escape Rooms: The Smiths Freak Show and Outbreak, as well as the crazy midway scarezones that will keep you on your toes all night long!
The attraction opens on Friday, October 7. For more information, call 561-790-5225, or visit myfrightnights.com.
X-SCREAM HALLOWEEN AT G-STAR – (2030 South Congress Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33406) This house proves that you don’t have to travel to a theme park owned by a movie studio for Hollywood quality effects. X-Scream Halloween at G-Star Studios offers up more thrills per square foot than any other haunted house in South Florida. Celebrating their 11th year, the event features 2 all new haunted houses; “Dr. Bascomb’s Institute for the Criminally Insane” and “The ISland”! Also added for the 2016 season – Carnival of Carnage Scare Zone and Midway Games.
Fear, food, fun and fabulous entertainment await you at South Florida’s largest Haunted House Event! Open October 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, and 29. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. til the last body is dragged out!
For more information, visit XScreamHalloween.com.ENIGMA HAUNT – (1751 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL 33486) Deep Florida swamplands, where night never ends, creatures are restless, anxiously counting down the days for fresh human prey to come through…Saturday, October 1st at 7p.m., Enigma Haunt opens to its most intense and thrilling season, featuring new attractions, creating three separate haunts under one roof.
Celebrating its 5th year, Enigma Haunt, 1751 N. Military Trail, was just ranked #1 in Top Haunts in Florida and voted as #2 nationally in The Scare Factor’s 31 Must See Haunt List, the only other Florida haunt making that national list came in at #17. Enigma Haunt is also currently ranked in the top 10 haunted attractions by USA Today’s “10 Best” feature.
Open for 15 days in October, including Halloween night, Enigma Haunt features three attractions under one roof – Pandemic, Into Oblivion and Realms of Terror. Visit http://www.enigmahaunt.com for more details.
HAUNTED HOUSES (Road Trip Edition):
We all know that Palm Beach County doesn’t have the market cornered on scary places. In fact, only a few hours up the road are some of the most intense Halloween attractions ever created.
Are you afraid of clowns? If so, the Circus of Superstition might not be for you!
Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa (10165 N Malcolm McKinley Dr, Tampa, FL 33612) Howl-O-Scream®, Florida’s premier Halloween event, is back select nights from Sept. 20 through Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. with tormenting surprises around every corner and unexpected terrors. The streets will be swarmed with hundreds of roaming creatures, making escape nearly impossible. Chilling live shows and the chance to challenge Florida’s top thrill rides in the dark will keep the screams coming all night.
Howl-O-Scream starts at 7:30 p.m. each event night, but your ticket allows access to the park starting at 5 p.m. Arrive early to challenge thrills rides, including North America’s tallest freestanding drop tower Falcon’s Fury™ and Florida’s first triple-launch coaster Cheetah Hunt®, and have time to dine before being one of the first to experience the horror of Howl-O-Scream. Visit http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-tampa/howloscream for more details.
Chance is looking for a new friend; will it be you?
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando – (6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819) With the legendary Jack the Clown away, Chance has taken over the 26th annual celebration. The nation’s premier Halloween event puts you right into some of the most pulse-pounding moments in horror history. Visit their website for all the gory details.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom – (1180 Seven Seas Dr, Orlando, FL 32830) Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a special event featuring trick-or-treating, Disney Characters, live entertainment and more in Magic Kingdom park. As the name suggests, it focuses less on the fear and more on the fun associated with the holiday. It is the only time of the year when everyone is encouraged to dress up, so dig out your Halloween finery and enjoy the Magic Kingdom at night. For more information, visit https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/.
Brick-Or-Treat at LEGOLAND Florida – (1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884) This October, LEGOLAND Florida Resort is hosting its fourth annual Brick-or-Treat celebration, which features the Brick-or-Treat trail, costume contest, scavenger hunt, LEGO® building contests, LEGO characters and a new LEGO Hearse photo opportunity. The event is included with park admission and is filled with Halloween festivities, including photo opportunities with the largest LEGO pumpkin in the world, a giant LEGO ghost build, Scavenger Hunt in Miniland USA, meet and greet with new LEGO Halloween characters and new nightly fireworks over Lake Eloise. Also, guests can explore Vladmir’s Castle takeover in LEGO Kingdoms, take photos with the new 13-foot long LEGO brick hearse and giant LEGO Vampire, and collect a new exclusive commemorative LEGO Brick each weekend! For more information, visit http://florida.legoland.com.
SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular – (7007 Sea World Drive, Orlando, FL 32821) – It’s an ocean of Halloween fun for the whole family at SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular®. During this daytime event, families are immersed in an underwater “fantasea” including trick-or-treating, whimsical pumpkin fish, sea-themed arts and crafts and up-close animal encounters in a family-friendly event that could only come from SeaWorld. SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular® is included with park admission and runs weekends in October. For more information, please visit SeaWorldOrlando.com.
A Nightmare on Franklin Street – (711 North Franklin Street, Tampa, FL 33602) Tampa’s most historic, and most haunted grand movie palace will present 9 nights of petrifying programming, with enough variety to haunt everyone from the average Halloween enthusiast to the hard-core horror fan. For more details, visit TampaTheatre.org.
FREAKS AND FESTS:
Spooktacular Savings at Eau Spa – Who said mummies and deadies don’t like Halloween, too? Adults can get in on the Halloween fun this season at Eau Spa in Manalapan. With spooky specials lasting the full month, now is the best time to raise up from the dead and prepare for the holidays. Start working on your health and beauty regime now, so you can be scary hot this Halloween and drop dead gorgeous by New Years Eve. Visit their website for all the gory details!
WPB Zombie Crawl – Join us Friday October 28th for the biggest WPB Zombie Crawl to date! We are celebrating five years of DEAD! Crawl starts at 7PM and resistration starts at 530PM at Bar Louie on Clematis Street where you will receive a map, cup and bracelet. Get your tickets NOW at a discounted price before they go up at www.wantickets.com/
wpbzombiecrawl2016. Each ticket receieves entrance to all venues, collector cup with one free drink, bracelet for $4 choice cocktails at all venues, photo with Savana Jade Wehunt, who played “The Govenors Daughter” and was a stunt double for Carl (Chandler Riggs) on AMCs The Walking Dead and more! We will have a Zombie Scare Zone and the after party at Roxys Rooftop with costume contest and music by WiLD 95.5s DJ JayR! Check out the facebook.com/
wpbzombiecrawl for a chance at FREE TICKETS and VIP giveaway!
Fright Night at the Addison – (2 E Camino Real, Boca Raton, FL 33432) – Five Star Diamond Award winning event venue and historical landmark the Addison is opening its doors to the public on Halloween night for a unique event experience to benefit Slow Burn Theatre Company at the Broward Center. The Addison’s first annual Halloween bash will feature foodie-approved fare, specialty cocktails, live music, and theatrical event productions. Festivities begin after sundown on Monday, October 31 at 7:30 PM. General admission and VIP tickets are available at http://addisonhalloween.com.
The Addison will be completely transformed for the Halloween event, and each room will showcase music and décor following a different theme including: a haunted mansion, zombie banquet hall, 80’s horror movie homage, spooky graveyard, and a VIP room.
Proceeds will benefit Slow Burn Theatre Company whose mission is to provide South Florida’s diverse population with opportunities to experience high quality, daring, contemporary and intelligent works of musical theatre through attendance, employment, and/or educational and community outreach programs. Slow Burn Theatre opens this season with Hunchback of Notre Dame on October 20, 2016 and will also produce Avenue Q, Titanic, Xanadu, Big River, and Aida all playing at the Broward Center for Performing Arts. Past productions have included The Rocky Horror Show, Sweeney Todd, Bonnie & Clyde, and Heathers.
$50 General Admission / $100 VIP Admission
VIP includes access to Club Room, open bar, champagne service, and special treats.
Tickets on sale by phone at 561-372-0568 or at http://addisonhalloween.com
Bedner’s Fall Festival – Weekends from October 1 to November 5 – Enjoy a traditional pumpkin patch open every day but Tuesday, hayrides around their beautiful 80 acres of working farm, a bigger and better corn maze, petting zoo, pony rides, bounce house, slides, rides & games, as well as fun foods such as homemade ice cream and roasted fresh corn on the cob, award winning BBQ, cider doughnuts, pizza, french fries, popcorn, a hot dog cart, and fresh lemonade. The event will also feature face painting, balloon artists, air cannons, as well as local handmade craft vendors. For more information, visit www.bedners.com or call (561) 733-5490.
FOR THE LITTLE ZOMBIES:
Halloween at the GreenMarket – The West Palm Beach GreenMarket is celebrating Halloween with a kids costume contest for ages five and under. Prizes will be awarded to the children with the funniest, scariest and most creative costumes.
Boo at the Palm Beach Zoo – Grab your ghosts and ghoulies and head to the wildest Halloween celebration in Palm Beach County! Now in its 18th year, Boo at the Zoo offers a safe and fun environment for children of all ages to trick-or-treat. Additional activities include: costume contests, dance parties, games, crafts, pumpkin patch, bounce house, hay stack hunt, face painting, character meet ‘n’ greets, local vendors, giveaways, wildlife shows and presentations, roaming animal encounters, and much more! More information available at palmbeachzoo.org/boo-at-the-zoo-2016.
Spookyville – Halloween is a favorite time of year for many children and to ensure they’re safe, the South Florida Fair will continue its annual tradition of presenting Spookyville. The event is slated for two weekends, Oct. 21-23, and Oct. 28-31, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and from 5 to 8 p.m. on Halloween, Mon., Oct. 31, in Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach.
The cost is $10 per person, which includes rides and games, and kids 2 and younger are free. Tickets may be purchased online at www.southfloridafair.com or at the gate. Parking also is free.
12th ANNUAL SHRIEK WEEK – Sugar Sand Park Community Center’s Shriek Week celebrates its 12th year of sharing scares with two weekends of hair raising Halloween family fun. Attractions include our themed haunted house (Florida’s Terrifying Tourist Traps), trackless train rides, an LED Giant Robot show, a second haunted attraction, magic acts, and food vendors. Shriek Week “Lite Nite” is geared for kids ages 5-12 and will be a less intense version of the haunted house. Reserve your space early…time slots do sell out. Reservations can be booked in person, online, or by calling the Box Office at 561-347-3948.
Please visit our website (www.sugarsandpark.org) for details.
Date: October 21, 22, 27, 28, 29
Last but not least – don’t forget to enter our PUMPKIN CONTEST! Entry deadline is at midnight on November 5th!
Remember that Halloween is a time for fun and frivolity. It is a time to come out of your shell, and to acknowledge the mischievous spirit that resides within all of us. Be sure to keep following Palm Beach Happening for news on other spooky events in the Palm Beaches. If you know of another local event that would appreciate the undead light shone upon it, please let us know!
From PALM BEACH HAPPENING – HAVE A SAFE AND SPOOKY HALLOWEEN!