15 Best Halloween Events in Detroit

Metro Detroit goes all out for Halloween – from delicious cider mills and ghoulish hay rides, to haunted house attractions, to spooky costume contests just for adults and harvest festivals that are fun for the whole family. Whether you’re looking for wholesome fall vibes or the scariest thrills you can find, chilling parties or daytime, kid-friendly festivities, tricks OR treats, Halloween in the Detroit area is a party the entire month of October.

Check out some of these popular Detroit-area Halloween attractions – if you dare.

Detroit Harvest Fest

Detroit’s annual harvest fest returns to Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park during the first weekend of October, and is a great opportunity for adults, young people and families in the area to celebrate Halloween.

The fest is home to all sorts of seasonal fun. There’s no shortage of food and local vendors, trick-or-treating, live entertainment and other fall-themed activities, right along the Detroit Riverfront.

Tickets are $5 in advance or $8 on-site. The event is free for guests under age 3 and over 65, as well as active military.

Erebus

The Erebus haunted house in Pontiac might be best for the real thrill seekers this Halloween. It has been scaring Metro Detroit since it opened in 2000 and has won many awards for just how terrifying it is!

Expect all sorts of scary creatures and characters throughout the exhibit, including some that might bite, grab or fall on top of you – it’s a truly immersive experience that’s not for the weak. The attraction offers a half-mile walk across 4 stories of frights. Erebus changes every year, so even if you’ve gone before, there are new scares in store for your next visit.

The Erebus website does not recommend the attraction for children under 13 years old, but everyone has a different fear threshold. Enter if you dare.

Tickets start at $28 for general admission.

Spooktacular in Royal Oak

Face-painting, trick-or-treating, magicians, characters and other Halloween festivities await visitors of the annual Spooktacular in downtown Royal Oak the afternoon of Sunday, October 18.

All are welcome – but if you come, make sure to enter the costume contests. Categories include Best Overall, Most Creative, Best Group/Family costume, and more!

Canterbury Village Halloween Stroll

Held in Lake Orion, the Canterbury Village is an immersive experience filled with all sorts of Halloween sights and sounds that make for a great family outing all month long. It’s about as close to Halloweentown as Detroiters can get.

Here, you’ll find festive lights, seasonal displays, spooky characters, haunting music and more. Don’t be surprised if you run into Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc., or members of the Addams Family, the Singing Witches and other beloved characters while you’re out!

For those who want a treat while they visit, be sure to grab some cider and donuts from the mill on-site. Other options are located close by.

The Halloween stroll is open weekends throughout the month. Tickets for kids 2-12 start at $14; ages 13 and over at $18; 65+ at $16.

Cider in the City

On Saturdays and Sundays in October, Beacon Park’s fall festival offers Halloween-themed entertainment and food trucks, alongside cider, pumpkins, caramel apples and much more from Blake’s Farms.

Some of the best family-friendly activities include free seasonal crafts for kids, horse-drawn hayrides around the park, face painting and pumpkin decorating. Sports fans, don’t be afraid that you’ll miss watching your favorite teams while you’re at the park – football games will be played on a large outdoor screen for all to enjoy.

The website recommends attendees pre-order items for pickup, including donuts by the dozens, pumpkins, pies and apples.

Area Cider Mills

If you want to get a taste of fall outside of the city, the Detroit area is home to plenty of delicious cider mills. Fresh apple cider is flowing, warm, sugar-coated donuts are served by the bagful, and hayrides, petting zoos and other autumn-themed activities await.

This Visit Detroit guide to fall in metro Detroit is a great place to start when planning your next cider mill visit. Whether you go to Franklin Cider Mill in Bloomfield Hills, Yates Cider Mill in Rochester or Lake Orion, Parmenter’s Northville Cider Mill, Stony Creek Orchard and Cider or others, you’re sure to leave with a gallon of sweet cider, one dozen donuts, and feelings of all the fall vibes.

Haunted Garage Productions

In case one haunted house this season isn’t enough, be sure to check out the Haunted Garage in nearby Grosse Pointe Farms, another award-winning, spooky attraction that’s sure to get you feeling the Halloween spirit.

Open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the month of October, the Haunted Garage is advertised as a family Halloween attraction for all ages.

In addition to the thrills and chills the Haunted Garage has to offer, you’ll find donuts and cider – a nice ‘treat’ after all those ‘tricks.’

And in case you want a little less of a scare, you can give the actors a heads-up by showing a ‘no scare’ glow stick as you go through the attraction. That way, everyone can enjoy themselves!

General admission starts at $16.

Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village

Don’t miss the historic village’s 46th annual Halloween takeover where you’ll find treats, live musical performances, lighting and sound experiences and plenty more.

The Village invites all to come experience the “bewitching” lore that the Halloween season has to offer, “From lantern-lit streets and glowing jack-o'-lantern paths to shadowy historic homes and spellbinding tales.”

Don’t be afraid if you see the Headless Horseman, Grim Reaper and other characters in costume, and be sure to check out experience add-ons like the ghostly Hallowe’en Express train ride.

Tickets start at $28. The event is available in the evenings, Thursdays through Sundays, until the weekend before Halloween.

Local Ghost Tours

For those looking for a taste of the paranormal this Halloween, tap into Detroit’s historic roots with a ghost tour. Motor City Ghosts, for example, takes nighttime excursions to the city’s many haunted buildings, from the Majestic Theater to the Whitney.

Learn the mysterious circumstances behind these sites as you walk about a mile around the city’s Midtown neighborhood.

Tours start at $17 for children ages 7 to 17 and $26 for adults.

Maybury Farm’s Great Fall Festival

Maybury Farm’s annual fall fest will be held October 10 this year. The event will bring so many seasonal favorites to Northville residents and visitors, including a pumpkin patch, live music, crafts, face-painting and much more.

Games are a must at the Fall Festival; have fun with the giant pumpkin ring toss, the spider web climb, the hidden pumpkin game and other beloved options perfect for kids.

Some of your food options include cider and donuts, of course, but also food trucks like Funk It Up Fries, Kona Ice, Keaiks and others.

Admission is $12 in advance or $14 at the door, with optional add-ons for the corn maze and wagon ride.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra Halloween

Enjoy some ghostly tunes at the DSO’s two concerts the morning of Halloween. Attendees are sure to hear “spooky sounds, magical music, and symphonic surprises,” the DSO says, with a concert bringing some of the classical genre’s eeriest moments to life.

This year, choose from Miss Paula & The Candy Bandits, or Spooky Spectacular!

Free activities available before the concerts – be sure to come in costume, too.

Tickets start at $21.

Zoo Boo at the Detroit Zoo

The Zoo’s popular Halloween attraction is now expanded and open for fun from day to dusk. Start your day exploring all of the animals that the Detroit Zoo has to offer until 6 p.m. – then stick around after sunset to experience the spooktacular.

Find trick-or-treat stations throughout the front of the Zoo, live entertainment, lit-up Halloween decor, themed photo stops and much more. Don’t forget your face painting and keep your eyes out for character meet-and-greets! The Zoo’s all-new Erb Discovery Trails will be open, too.

Open during October weekends, admission starts at $21.

CarnEvil 2

Picture this: You’re weaving through the woods on an interactive, illuminated walk in the dark of night. You might come across some spooky tricks like creatures and other surprises – but you’ll also find some sweet treats from food trucks and other on-site concessions.

That’s what visitors will find at Glenlore Trails in Commerce Township on Thursdays through Sundays this Halloween season. Along the 1-mile long CarnEvil 2 trail, lights, sounds and interactive magic await for couples, groups of friends and families alike.

Tickets for children ages 4 to 12 start at $15; 13+ cost $25, and 65+ cost $20.

Adult Halloween Parties

Be sure to check Eventbrite, your favorite bars and venues, and other local listings for some of the best and biggest Halloween bashes all throughout the metro area, both leading up to the big holiday and the night of.

Monster’s Ball Detroit is one of the city’s most well-known yearly Halloween celebrations. Held at the Russell Events Center, you’re sure to see unique costumes, watch excellent entertainers and indulge in some great food trucks.

The Garden Theater in Detroit is hosting the Garden of Horror: Nightmare Edition party this year, complete with a $500 prize for best costume.

Detroit has plenty of Halloween bar crawls; Nightmare in the D, for instance, is the perfect opportunity to show off your costume, enjoy spooky drink specials and dance to Halloween music at a number of participating bars. Keep an eye out for giveaways as you hop from spot to spot along the route.

Consider Royal Oak’s Boos and Bites Halloween stroll event, complete with signature drinks and spooky local treats, or Hamtramck’s Halloween TakeOver, for haunting costumes and music.

More Kid-Friendly Tricks-and-Treats

The Campbell branch of the Detroit Public Library is hosting a free, family-centric event full of spooky stories, games, crafts and treats. Costumes encouraged for more fun!

Belle Isle’s Nature Center hosts Boo at the Nature Center, a free event where families can connect with animals and enjoy some indoor and outdoor trick-or-treating.

Downtown Northville’s annual Street of Treats is the perfect opportunity to take your little ones to test out their costume for some early trick-or-treating fun.

Check out Little Goblins at the Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, where little costume-wearers can follow the historic estate’s Trick-or-Treat trail and find festive surprises that aren’t too spooky for young kids. Lawn games, a small straw maze and a hay ride await.

Check out the Ford House After Dark 21+ event this October, too.