Discover 23 verified other halloween activities in Portsmouth and nearby areas.
Portsmouth's Halloween calendar is headlined by the spectacular Festival of the Dead in Salem. For local thrills closer to home, the Haunted Portsmouth Ghost Tour offers an exploration of our own historic streets.
Beyond these, numerous other events dot the region. Consider the scale of a major parade or the intimacy of a guided ghost walk when choosing your perfect Halloween adventure.
Discover the best family-friendly fall activities in Portsmouth and nearby areas.
38 eventsDiscover the best halloween food, drink, and parties in Portsmouth and nearby areas.
11 eventsDiscover the best haunted experiences in Portsmouth and nearby areas.
25 eventsDiscover the best halloween movies, theater, and entertainment in Portsmouth and nearby areas.
3 eventsSee all additional Halloween activities and events in one place.
Community events run on volunteers, and signing up transforms the season: host a trunk at a trunk-or-treat, judge a costume contest, staff a festival craft table, or join a parade group. Sign-ups post in September through schools, libraries, and neighborhood groups, and shifts are usually two or three hours, leaving time to enjoy the event. Volunteering is also the best free ticket in town.
Ghost tours are night walking tours, so dress for 60-90 minutes outdoors in October: real walking shoes for cobblestones and uneven sidewalks, a warm layer you'd want an hour after sunset, and rain gear when the sky is ambiguous, since most tours run in drizzle. Skip the flip-flops and the costume; hands-free is best for the dark stretches between stops.
Stack by energy curve: daytime farm or market while everyone's fresh, a late-afternoon rest and food stop, then the evening event, tour, show, or haunt, as the finale. Keep drive legs under 30 minutes between stops, book only the evening portion as a timed ticket so the day can flex, and end the night close to home, not across town.