2023 Guide: Top 21 Halloween Happenings Around Atlanta
It’s officially the season for spooking and bewitching! We couldn’t be more excited to get into the Halloween spirit with Your 2023 Guide to the Top 21 OurHalloween Happenings Around Atlanta.
With so many beloved events making the their return from previous years, there are plenty of ways to get festive all month long. From family-friendly activities to virtual events and everything in between, we have you covered with all the highlights!
Check out our list below to ensure you get more treats than tricks all throughout the month:
- Halloween on The Roof at Ponce City Market
Saturday | October 28th
Something wicked this way comes to Ponce City Market this Halloween! From cocktails to costumes – and everything in between – The Roof at PCM is pulling out all the stops this Halloween. Whether you’re looking to get the kids out for a day of festive fun or enjoy a spooky night out after all the family festivities, Halloween on The Roof will have you feeling the Halloween spirit all day long! - Monster Mash at Center for Puppetry Arts
Saturday | October 28th
Put on your silliest, scariest costumes to celebrate the 5th annual Monster Mash! It’s a puppetry smash as the Ce
nter’s atrium is transformed into a Halloween dance party complete with trick-or-treating in the Worlds of Puppetry Museum. - Scarecrows in the Garden
Through October 30th
It’s time for Fall Fun at the Atlanta Botanical Garden! Back for another season of family fun, Scarecrows in the Garden showcases over 100 creative scarecrows throughout the gardens. Handcrafted by individuals, schools, organizations, and even Garden Members, these scarecrows are spooky, fun, and everything in between! These whimsical and wild scarecrows now compete for prizes in two divisions: professional and nonprofessional. Be sure to discover your own personal favorite at one of the Botanical Garden’s seasonal events! - Atlanta Botanical Gardens Fest-of-Ale
Thursday – Saturday Evenings Through October
With live music and a selection of seasonal beers, you can experience the Atlanta Botanical Gardens after-hours unlike ever before. As you explore your way through the outdoor exhibits, sip on a seasonal pumpkin ale to perfectly match the displays and festivities at the gardens. While strolling through the gardens, guests will enjoy crisp Autumn evenings among walkways lined with romantically decorated trees adorned with white lights. Cornucopia displays of glass pumpkins will dazzle as attendees meander through trees dotted with glass apples. - Halloween in the Highlands
Saturday | October 28th
Saturday’s largest block party is one party you won’t want to miss with FREE admission to 10 Virginia Highland establishments! Tickets include complimentary shots, exclusive food and drink specials, DJs, live music, and a $500 Costume Contest! - Fernbank After Dark: Boos and Booze
Friday | October 13th
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble! Join along for an unforgettable evening with hands-on activities for grownups, craft beer, cocktails, interactive science, and live music. Come celebrate the most fa-BOO-lous time of the year. Fernbank After Dark is brewing up a ghoulishly good time! - L5P Halloween Festival & Parade
Saturday & Sunday | October 21st – 22nd
This year’s wicked two-day festival is the spookiest and biggest Halloween celebration in the Southeast! Join along for a festive weekend featuring the world-famous L5P Halloween Parade, a Monster Sticker Hunt, live music across both days of the festival, an Art and Vintage Market, Ghost Tours, a Skate Park, and all the delicious local food & drink vendors you’ve come to know and expect at the annual Spooktacular!
- Fright Night at Fernbank Museum
Friday | October 27th
Ready for a frighteningly-fun night? Join Fernbank Museum for a screaming good time at Fright Night, the museum’s annual adults-only Halloween party! Guests will enjoy a costume contest, dancing, twilight tours of the outdoor experience Woodland Spirits, and more! Mad scientists will be brewing up delicious potions, so put on your costumes, grab a cocktail, and sip your way through Fernbank’s newest exhibit, JVikings: Warriors of the Sea. - Sips Under the Sea: Halloween
Part 1: Friday | October 27th
Part 2: Tuesday | October 31st
Wear your favorite costume and enjoy the Aquarium in a way that feels like you have it all to yourself! The special event is serving up the boos with specialty cocktails, a live DJ, and ghoulish treats. Guests will also have access to the Aquarium main galleries. Don your favorite costume and prepare for a wicked good time as you dive deep into the unknown to see what lurks at the bottom of the ocean at Georgia Aquarium – If you dare. - Day of the Dead Haints and Saints Halloween Parade
Sunday | October 29th
What started out in 2011 as a small walking parade around the Square has grown into a city-wide Halloween tradition – And this year, the Haints and Saints Halloween Parade has joined forces with Placita Latina for a fresh take on the beloved Halloween parade! This year will include giant Katrina (“skeleton”) puppets and Dias de los Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) elements! Join the fun by registering a float or marching in the colorful parade. - Monster Mash at Fernbank Museum
Saturday | October 28th
Your little ghosts and goblins will enjoy a frighteningly-fun good time this Halloween with games, hands-on activities, special treats for kids, and more! While enjoying this festive event, be sure to explore the outdoor Halloween experience, Woodland Spirits, for some more spooky-not-scary fun. And be sure to bring your own bags or buckets for candy collection! - The Great Trick-or-Treat at Atlanta History Center
Sunday | October 29th
The 2nd annual family fall trick-or-treat event will have Halloween candy for the little ones, decorations, a balloon artist, face painter, and more! Atlanta History Center Members and their guests can also enjoy snacks and a movie in Woodruff Auditorium. Family-friendly costumes are welcome and encouraged! - Goblins in the Garden
Sunday | October 22nd
Atlanta Botanical Gardens presents an afternoon filled with Fall crafts, dance performances, pumpkin decorating, and more. Admission also grants guests access to the annual Fall installation: Scarecrows in the Garden!
- Boo at the Zoo
Saturdays and Sundays
October 21st, 22nd, 28th, 29th
Wear your favorite costume, and come enjoy the sights, characters, and adventures of the whimsical Zoo Boo Town on four magical days with over 1,000 animals from around the world! Sample treats throughout the Zoo, hop along the Boo Train to help find Boo Town’s missing Mayor, meet some of your favorite storybook characters, and enjoy an array of Halloween surprises. - The Ghastly Dreadfuls
Wednesdays – Saturdays
October 11th – 28th
Some shows just can’t stay dead – and this year it all comes alive virtually! Your favorite band of specters has returned and is ready to celebrate Halloween with a cavalcade of creepy stories, frightful songs, and devilish dances from around the world and beyond this mortal plane. This ghostly jamboree is dreadfully fun for the living AND the dead. - Halloween Half Marathon & 5K
Sunday, October 29th
Kick off Halloween with a unique twist to the traditional racing event! While it’s not mandatory to dress up for the race, costumes are encouraged for extra fun. Awards will be given out for standout costumes, and all runners will receive a Halloween-themed medal! - Great Pumpkin-Carving Festival
Thursday, October 276h
The annual Fall celebration evokes nostalgia through the inspiration of small-town, big-heart fall festivals! Full of exciting entertainment, the epic carving contest showcases masterful pumpkin creations from teams of amateur artists. Don’t miss live music, Garden programming for the whole family, Kids Zone with bubbles and crafts, and season food and drinks for purchase! As you watch the carvers chisel away at their creations around the Skyline Garden pond, purchase concessions from the beer garden on the Event Lawn, including local brews, hot apple cider, butter beer, handcrafted “Ghost-a-Rita” and “Smashing Pumpkin” cocktails, specialty popcorn, caramel and candy apples, Vanilla Crepes and other festival fare.
- Woodland Spirits at Fernbank Museum
Through November 5th
Evoke mystery and adventure this Halloween season as you encounter Fernbank’s spookiest outdoor experience, Woodland Spirits. Ghostly visitors will be found throughout the shadows and trees in Fernbank Forest and WildWoods – some waiting in plain sight! The exhibit draws inspiration from literature’s dark forests, inviting Fernbank visitors to dive into the spirit of the season. - Scare on the Square
October 24th & 27th
Colony Square invites ghouls and goblins of all ages don their favorite costumes and participate in the annual Scare On The Square celebrations! A Little Monster’s Bash will take place on October 25th (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) with costume characters, spooky arts + crafts, sweet treats, live DJ tunes, and more! On October 28th, adults are invited to celebrate at the Hallow’s Eve Party from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.. The spooky soirée features live music, BOOzey drinks, and even more scary surprises!
- Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Cemetery Tours
October 19th – 31st
Atlanta’s favorite Autumn tradition is back for its 17th year with two full weekends of tours intended to delight instead of fright! Experience Oakland Cemetery after dark as a costumed docent guides you through the cemetery’s beautifully lit Victorian Gardens. Arrive in costume to set the mood as you meet some of Oakland’s fascinating residents and hear their tales! The evening also includes musical performances, craft beer and cocktails, and an Oakland gift shop. New this year is the unique opportunity to experience Oakland Cemetery on Halloween night! Halloween night VIP ticket holders receive exclusive access to Oakland Cemetery on October 31st. - Rescue Dog Olympics: Atlanta’s Howl-O-Ween Festival
Saturday | October 21st
Atlanta has gone to the dogs! The annual Atlanta Dog Howl-O-Ween Festival is coming to Historic Fourth Ward Park, right off the Atlanta BeltLine. Bring your four-legged companions for an incredible day of festive fun – or even meet your newest family member to bring back to their fur-ever home! With spooky fun, music, games, and food – even a Halloween Dog Costume Contest! – you won’t want to miss it!