Unlock the mysteries of Columbus's darkest corners this Halloween season with our comprehensive guide, showcasing the most frightful events and paranormal hotspots. Unearth the flavors of Columbus's Halloween feast with our guide, a menu for both local ghouls and gastro-tourists.
Popular Events: One of the highlights is the Fear Columbus Haunted House, where visitors navigate through spine-chilling rooms filled with terrifying creatures and eerie designs. Another intriguing experience is Columbus Oktoberfest, featuring festive food, drinks, and live entertainment that captures the spirit of the season. And the Trick or Treat events are something you definitely don’t want to miss, offering a delightful way for families to enjoy spooky festivities. See more details on these and other fun events and activities below!
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Top Halloween Events In and Around Columbus
- Fear Columbus Haunted House
- Trick or Treat (Various)
- Columbus Oktoberfest
- Boo at the Zoo (Powell)
- Columbus Coffee Festival
- The Rocky Horror Show at Short North Stage
- COSI After Dark: Unmasked
- Halloween Spooktacular with the Columbus Symphony
- Kidslinked Treat Fests (Various)
- Fernando's Funeral: A Haunted Tour at The Kelton House
See these and even more events listed below!
Columbus Area Haunted Experiences
Fernando's Funeral: A Haunted Tour at The Kelton House
What to Expect:
A unique blend of Victorian-era history and ghostly encounters in one of Ohio's most haunted places.
Description:
Join us for a Victorian ghost tour at one of Ohio's most haunted places. This guided tour focuses on Victorian mourning traditions and the ghosts that linger on Town Street. Enjoy savory treats and exquisite teas while learning about evolving burial practices during the Victorian Era. The tour will take place on Sunday, October 20th, from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Fernando's Funeral: A Haunted Tour at The Kelton House
Columbus Ghost Tours
What to Expect:
Interactive storytelling that connects historical events to paranormal experiences.
Description:
Explore Columbus's dark past with guided tours that delve into the city's 200-plus years of history, featuring tales of ghosts, ghouls, murder, and horror. These tours are led by paranormal historians who connect modern-day hauntings to the city's rich history, offering a unique and unforgettable experience.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Columbus Ghost Tours
Uptown Westerville Ghost Story Tours
What to Expect:
A theatrical, historical walking tour that combines community stories with entertainment.
Description:
Uptown Westerville Ghost Story Tours is a theatrical, largely historical, and highly entertaining walking tour. The tour begins at the Otterbein Cemetery and concludes at the Old Bag of Nails Pub in Westerville's historic Weyant Building. It presents stories collected from the Uptown community, making it a unique blend of history and entertainment.
Where: Westerville | More Info: Uptown Westerville Ghost Story Tours
Escape from Blood Prison
What to Expect:
A chilling haunted house experience within the historic Ohio State Reformatory.
Description:
Escape from Blood Prison is a harrowing haunted house experience nestled within the eerie walls of the Ohio State Reformatory. This terrifying attraction presents a chilling encounter with the supernatural, featuring soul-piercing cries of the warden's widow and ghastly apparitions of twisted inmates and malformed guards. Brave visitors must confront the dark, crushing despair of "The Hole," where unspeakable horrors await. Prepare yourself for an unparalleled scare experience at Ohio's most notorious haunted house.
Where: Mansfield | More Info: Escape from Blood Prison
Halloween Haunt Kings Island
What to Expect:
Immersive ghost pirate-themed scare zone, "Hooked," adds a new level of terror to the event.
Description:
Halloween Haunt at Kings Island transforms the park into a playground of terror with six haunted mazes, six outdoor scare zones, and five sinister shows. The event features hundreds of clowns, ghouls, vampires, werewolves, and ghost pirates, creating an immersive and frightful experience. The park is open every Friday and Saturday night, with select Sundays, from September 20 to November 2, 2024.
Where: Mason | More Info: Halloween Haunt Kings Island
Fear Columbus Haunted House
What to Expect:
Immersive haunted house experience with unique themes and attractions.
Description:
Fear Columbus Haunted House is Ohio's ultimate Halloween event, featuring multiple immersive attractions, including "Oddballs: Feast of Freaks," a twisted carnival where freaks are on the hunt, and "Dearly Departed," a haunted journey through the underworld. The event also includes themed desserts, a retail store, and photo ops. It is locally owned and operated, offering an intense, immersive experience with highly trained actors, elaborate costumes, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Fear Columbus Haunted House
Family-Friendly Fall Activities Near Columbus
Columbus Oktoberfest
What to Expect:
A weatherproof event with 100,000 square feet of covered space.
Description:
Columbus Oktoberfest 2024 is a festive celebration at the Ohio Expo Center and Ohio State Fair Grounds, featuring traditional German flair with live music, great food, and beer. The event includes various activities for all ages, such as Gemütlichkeit games and a strongman competition. Admission is free, with parking available for $15.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Columbus Oktoberfest
Columbus Coffee Festival
What to Expect:
Attendees will receive a commemorative mug to enjoy coffee samples from various roasters and coffee shops.
Description:
The Columbus Coffee Festival is a two-day celebration of all things coffee, featuring samples from roasters and coffee shops around Ohio and beyond. Attendees will receive a commemorative mug and enjoy a variety of coffee samples, along with other festival experiences like local musicians, poets, and craft vendors.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Columbus Coffee Festival
Boo at the Zoo
What to Expect:
A Halloween celebration in a zoo setting with various themed activities and attractions.
Description:
Boo at the Zoo is a family-friendly Halloween celebration at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The event features various activities such as Tommy C. Turtle's Trick or Treat Trail, Jessie's Jack-o-Lantern Journey, and Character Ambassador Meet-n-Greets. Guests can enjoy festive decorations, seasonal treats, and fun rides like the Zoo Boo Choo Choo train. This merry-not-scary event is perfect for families with little ones and those young at heart.
Where: Powell | More Info: Boo at the Zoo
Kidslinked Treat Fests
What to Expect:
A fun-filled event with a mix of outdoor activities like hay rides and trick-or-treating, along with indoor attractions like a bounce park and carnival games.
Description:
The 2024 KidsLinked Olentangy Fall Festival & Treatfest is a family-friendly event featuring a variety of activities such as bounce parks, mini golf, trick-or-treating, hay rides, and a costume contest. The festival includes free pumpkins, carnival games, a petting zoo, pony rides, and live performances. It is held at Olentangy Orange Middle School on October 19, 2024.
Where: Various | More Info: Kidslinked Treat Fests
Halloween Spooktacular with the Columbus Symphony
What to Expect:
A concert featuring spooky yet kid-friendly music with pre-concert activities.
Description:
The Columbus Symphony's Halloween Spooktacular is a family-friendly event where kids and their families can enjoy a frightfully fun concert of "boo-tiful" music, programmed especially for children aged 5-12. The event includes pre-concert activities such as making crafts, playing instruments, and taking pictures with the lovable mascot, Bee-thoven. Activities begin at 2 PM in the Ohio Theatre lobby.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Halloween Spooktacular with the Columbus Symphony
Boo & Brew at Polaris Fashion Place
What to Expect:
A festive Halloween celebration with live music, food trucks, and family-friendly activities.
Description:
Boo & Brew at Polaris Fashion Place is a festive Halloween event celebrating everything fall and spooky. Enjoy a live band, beer sales, food trucks, kids' pumpkin decorating, inflatables, and more. The event takes place in the outdoor Polaris Lifestyle Center near the Cheesecake Factory and Benihana. It promises to be a fun-filled afternoon with activities for all ages.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Boo & Brew at Polaris Fashion Place
Destination Downtown Lancaster Fall Festival
What to Expect:
Enjoy FREE hayrides and live music while trick-or-treating in downtown Lancaster.
Description:
Destination Downtown Lancaster is hosting a Fall Festival and Downtown Trick-or-Treat on Saturday, October 19th from 12pm-5pm. Join us for an afternoon filled with fall traditions and community. Enjoy FREE hayrides, live music, and local vendors. Participating downtown businesses will be passing out candy to all trick-or-treaters between 1-3 pm, or while supplies last.
Where: Lancaster | More Info: Destination Downtown Lancaster Fall Festival
Books and Boos at Thurber House
What to Expect:
A Halloween celebration with a mix of ghostly stories, creative writing workshops, and family-friendly activities.
Description:
Celebrate Halloween at Thurber House with a variety of spooky and family-friendly activities. Enjoy ghostly stories, fall crafts, tours of the haunted house, a spooky creative writing workshop, sweet treats, and a pumpkin carving/painting contest. The event includes a free family-friendly drop-in session from 1-3 PM and an adult event from 6-8 PM, featuring ghostly stories and seasonal treats.
Where: Columbus | More Info: Books and Boos at Thurber House
Harvest Moon Festival
What to Expect:
A variety of fun and engaging activities for all ages, including food trucks and a farm petting zoo.
Description:
The Harvest Moon Festival is a family-friendly event celebrating the fall season with various activities. Enjoy free entry and participate in food trucks, a farm petting zoo, rock climbing, archery, carriage rides, bounce houses, crafts, face and pumpkin painting, and much more.
Where: Granville | More Info: Harvest Moon Festival
In-Person Halloween Treat Bags and Food Drive
What to Expect:
The event combines Halloween festivities with a meaningful food drive and educational activities about food insecurity.
Description:
Join us for the In-Person Halloween Treat Bags and Food Drive at Broad Street Food Pantry. This family-friendly event aims to educate children about food insecurity while decorating and assembling treat bags. Families are encouraged to collect food donations ahead of time and bring them to the pantry. The event will also include a tour of the pantry and a flyer to help children conduct their own food drive.
Where: Columbus | More Info: In-Person Halloween Treat Bags and Food Drive
Trick or Treat
What to Expect:
Trick-or-Treat is held on a unified date across Central Ohio communities to promote safety and coordination.
Description:
Trick-or-Treat in Central Ohio is a community-wide event where children go from house to house in their neighborhoods to collect candy and other treats. The event is recommended to take place on Thursday, October 31, 2024, unless Halloween falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, in which case it will be held on the Thursday prior. Local communities follow the unified trick-or-treat date set by MORPC to ensure safety and avoid conflicts with other activities.
Where: Various | More Info: Trick or Treat
Halloween Food, Drink, and Parties Near Columbus
COSI After Dark: Unmasked
What to Expect:
A Halloween-themed evening with hands-on science activities and a costume contest.
Description:
COSI After Dark: Unmasked is a thrilling Halloween event designed for adults aged 21+. On October 10, 2024, from 7 PM to 10 PM, guests can enjoy themed science activities, tantalizing food options, and craft beer and cocktails. The event features a Halloween Costume Contest with prizes for both solo and group participants. This spooky-fun evening promises an unforgettable experience at COSI without the kids.