Frighteningly Good Halloween Events in Phoenix: 2016 Edition

Every October, there is no shortage of Halloween-themed events in the greater Phoenix area. From haunted houses to family friendly festivities, the Valley of the Sun has got it all.

Here at Eminent SEO, we thought we’d help point those of you in Arizona to some can’t-miss events taking place this month. Activities are going on all over the Valley and, in some cases, all month long.

The following list will let you know a little more about more than a dozen Halloween events worthy of your attendance this October.

2016 Halloween Events in Phoenix and Beyond

The following events are listed in chronological order:

Harkins Presents Harry Potter – 10/13 – 10/20

Every Harry Potter Movie Coming Back to Theaters for IMAX Event https://t.co/IkS40vv4FK pic.twitter.com/QXFrNMBSwD

— GameSpot (@gamespot) October 3, 2016

Harkins at Arizona Mills shopping center has already begun showing the “Harry Potter” films once again. All eight installments of the franchise are in rotation at Harkins’ 6-story IMAX theater. Each showing will offer a sneak peek of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” as well. Times vary, so check the website before you head on over. The “Potter” event runs until Thursday, Oct. 20.

Tickets are $10 per person.

Arizona Mills 25 w/ IMAX – 5000 Arizona Mills Cir., Tempe, AZ 85282

Harkins Showtimes

Haunted Harbor at Lake UN-Pleasant – 10/21-22 and 10/28-29

Kick your Halloween off early at Lake Pleasant in the Northwest Valley. This family friendly event features trick-or-treating, food trucks, hay rides, hot air balloon rides and zombie cornhole. The nightcap will be a movie shown on the lake, as well as a Halloween bonfire. The event runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. each night.

Admission is $10, but kids 10 and under are free.

Lake Pleasant Harbor Marina – 40202 N. 87th Ave., Peoria, AZ 85383

Haunted Harbor at Lake UN-Pleasant

Queen Creek Trunk or Treat – 10/22

Kids can dress up and collect some candy a little earlier this year by heading to the Southeast Valley for Queen Creek’s  annual Trunk or Treat Event. Ellsworth Road between Ocotillo and Rittenhouse will transform into “Trunk or Treat Street,” where children will move from car trunk to car trunk for candy.

The city provides all the candy, and groups are encouraged to sign up and decorate a car trunk for the trick-or-treating. Other fun activities will be on site, such as a bubble zone and various carnival games. The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m.

Admission to Trunk or Treat is free. There is a small fee for some of the other activities at the venue.

Queen Creek Town Center – 21802 S. Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85142

Trunk or Treat

Chandler Halloween Spooktacular – 10/28

Downtown Chandler is always a hotbed of activities anytime a major holiday is approaching. Halloween is no exception this year, as the Chandler Halloween Spooktacular takes over the downtown plaza on Friday, Oct. 28. Visitors can traverse through a haunted house, pumpkin cemetery and inflatable corn maze and then compete in pumpkin bowling, witches broom races and costume contests. The event runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Admission is free, but face painting and souvenir photos come with a nominal fee.

Chandler Downtown Library Plaza – 22 S. Delaware St., Chandler, AZ 85225

Chandler Halloween Spooktacular

Pumpkins at the Peak – 10/28

Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak will host its 20th annual Halloween celebration on Friday, Oct. 28. Visitors can play ring toss and bowling games, make Halloween crafts, get their face painted or fortune told, and much more. The event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. in the resort’s Hole-in-the-Wall’s River Ranch water park.

Admission is $5 per person or 3 cans of food that will be donated to St. Mary’s Food Bank.

Hole-in-the-Wall’s River Ranch – 7677 N. 16th St., Phoenix, AZ 85020

Pumpkins at the Peak

Halloween Kayak in Tempe – 10/28

Tempe Town Lake encourages you to wear your Halloween costume and come down to the lake for water paddling and spine-tingling tales told by a professional storyteller. Children must be at least 10 years or older to participate. The event lasts from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m.

Admission is $35 for adults and $20 for those between the ages of 10 and 17.

Tempe Town Lake – 550 E. Tempe Town Lake, Tempe, AZ 85281

Tempe Town Lake Kayaking

Salt River Fields Spooktacular – 10/28-29

Head on over to where the Arizona Diamondbacks play spring training games in order to rack up candy being passed out from more than 20 hot air balloons. The venue will also have a haunted trail, and visitors can take a ride in a tethered balloon. Live music will adorn the festivities, which will culminate in a fireworks display each night. The event runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children between 3 and 12 years old. Balloon rides are $25 for grown-ups and $15 for children 10 years and younger.

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick – 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Salt River Fields Balloon Spooktacular

Howl-O-Ween at Phoenix Zoo – 10/28-29

The Phoenix Zoo’s annual Howl-O-Ween event features separate activities for children young and old. Grown-ups and children 8 years and older are invited to walk down Urban Legend Lane as well as Walking Dead Way, where they can fight off zombies. They can also visit a clown asylum and take a post-apocalyptic train tour of the park.

Younger children can go on camel rides, walk down a pumpkin pathway, go trick-or-treating, and meet characters from the Arizona Avengers and Arizona Ghostbusters. The event runs from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

General admission is $12 ($10 for members). Free admission for children 2 and younger.

Phoenix Zoo – 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85008

Howl-O-Ween at Phoenix Zoo

Halloween Monster Bash – 10/29

If you’re on the west side, the Peoria Sports Complex might be your destination for weekend Halloween activities ahead of the actual holiday. The Halloween Monster Bash is a family friendly event that will feature inflatable rides and bounce houses, carnival games, trick-or-treating, a rock wall, a scare walk and much more. The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m.

Admission is free if you bring canned goods to donate to St. Mary’s Food Bank, but bring money for food and beverages. Also, some of the activities come with a minimal fee.

Peoria Sports Complex – 16101 N. 83rd Ave. Peoria, AZ 85382

Peoria Sports Complex Event

Trick or Treat Main Street – 10/31

On Halloween day, come to downtown Mesa in your costume to collect candy from some of the local businesses. You can also interact with a balloon artist and purchase kettle corn and other treats during this 5th annual daytime event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Admission is free for everyone.

Mesa Main Street – 1 E. Main St. Mesa, AZ 85201

Trick or Treat Main Street (Click on Oct. 31 on the calendar)

Halloween in the Hills – 10/31

Fountains Hills invites you to bring your children and dogs to the town’s long-running, early evening Halloween event. The town’s entire Avenue of the Fountains will close down for the event, which features carnival-style booths, bounce houses, businesses handing out candy, and costume contests. More than 40 businesses and charities are expected to participate this year. This event takes place from 4 to 8 p.m.

Admission is free, but bring money to buy some treats, beverages, jewelry and much more.

Avenue of the Fountains – Fountain Hills, AZ 85268

Halloween in the Hills

Month-Long Events

Several venues around the Valley are hosting events that run until the end of the month. Here are a few worth your attention:

Brick or Treat – Through 10/30

Arizona Mills’ Legoland Discovery Center is hosting an ongoing, family friendly Halloween event every Saturday and Sunday until Oct. 30. Kids can collect a Brick or Treat factory brink, and then build a Halloween mask and participate in a scavenger hunt and a costume contest. The festivities run from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets start at $17, but Legoland recommends ordering your ticket online in advance.

Legoland Discovery Center – 5000 S. Arizona Mills Cir., Suite 135, Tempe, AZ 85282

Legoland Brick or Treat

Sea Life Halloween Spooktacular – Through 10/30

Watch divers professionally carve a pumpkin underwater on any Saturday or Sunday between now and Oct. 30 at Sea Life Arizona in Arizona Mills shopping center. After watching the pumpkin carvers, head on over to the Bay of Rays and put your kid’s Halloween get-up against others in a costume contest.

Underwater pumpkin carving starts at 1 p.m. every day, while the costume contest takes place at 2 p.m. Spooky Science Workshops are also offered at the top of every hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each weekend.

Tickets start at $10.50. It’s an extra $3 per person to take a Spooky Science Workshop.

Sea Life Arizona – 5000 S. Arizona Mills Cir., Suite 145, Tempe, AZ 85282

Sea Life Spooktacular

Schnepf Farms Pumpkin & Chili Party – Through 10/30

Every Thursday through Sunday this month, Schnepf Farms is featuring hay rides, a petting zoo, corn mazes, dog shows, and gypsy storytellers. Not to mention, guests can also roast marshmallows, climb a rock wall, take a train or pony ride, and then hop on a number of amusement rides. The party runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets are $18 per person, but only $15 if you buy them at Fry’s Food Stores. Extra charges for train and pony rides, food (such as chili), and pumpkins.

Schnepf Farms – 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85142

Pumpkin & Chili Party

Haunted Houses – Through 11/12

And what would Halloween be without getting your socks scared off at a haunted house? You can find these attractions all over the Valley and beyond, and a couple of them are running until the first and second weekend in November. Also, several of the venues feature more than one haunted house to try to shake you to your core.

We’d compile a list of all of the haunted houses in Arizona, but that would take up an entire additional post, and several websites have already done the legwork. So, to learn more about the various haunted house attractions around Arizona for this Halloween season, visit http://www.azhauntedhouses.com/.

Happy Halloween, everybody! Be safe and have fun!