Halloween in Chicago is an unforgettable experience. Each year, the city celebrates the spookiest time of year with a packed schedule of scary, spectacular, and supernatural events.
Plan a Halloween weekend in Chicago filled with everything from immersive pop-up experiences to family-friendly Halloween activities. Discover fall festivals, breathtaking nighttime parades, haunted locations and ghost tours, unique urban pumpkin patches, and beyond. Here are a few of the best things to do for Halloween in Chicago.
Halloween 2025 in Chicago
Be mesmerized by Arts in the Dark
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025
A beloved family-friendly event held each October, Arts in the Darkcelebrates the artistic side of Halloween. This enchanted nighttime parade features large-scale puppets, costumed performers, elaborate floats, and luminous lanterns.
The city’s creative community combine forces to create this surreal evening in downtown Chicago, inspired by celebrations like Carnival and Mardi Gras. The Arts in the Dark parade takes over downtown State Street between Lake and Van Buren, rain or shine.
And don’t miss the annual Upside Down Halloween Parade, an all-ages daytime event on on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. Head to Washington Park on to experience this free “parade” that reimagines Halloween with an immersive twist.
Explore more: Dare to explore some of Chicago’s most haunted places.
@choosechicagoIt’s the 10th year of Arts in the Dark! 🧡 This beloved evening Halloween parade illuminates historic State Street with dozens of performances, floats, puppets, and more for 50,000 spectators. 📆 10/19, 6-8pm♬ original sound – Choose Chicago
Party at the Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade
Friday, Oct. 31, 2025
The Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade, ranked among the 10 Best Halloween Celebrations in the U.S. by Fodor’s Travel, is one of the city’s most beloved and spectacular Halloween celebrations.
The free-to-watch parade is held on Halloween night in the heart of the Northalsted neighborhood, the city’s historic LGBTQ+ enclave. The procession includes fire breathers, marching bands, roller skaters, live performances, costumed people and pets, and so much more.
The raucous procession kicks off on Halsted Street at Belmont Avenue with the Chicago Thriller flash mob, when a troupe of ghoulish zombies performs the famous dance routine. Join in the dancing or follow the parade route north, where a panel of drag queens will award prizes for the event’s legendary costume contest.
Take a Halloween ghost tour of Chicago
Multiple dates through October
The Congress Plaza Hotel, Lincoln Park Zoo, the former site of H.H. Holmes’ Murder Castle — these are just a few of most (allegedly) haunted sites in Chicago. Decide for yourself on these haunted and ghost tours of the city.
- Haunted River Tours with Seadog Cruises: Float down the Chicago River as you learn about the most haunted sites along the city’s iconic waterfront.
- Chicago Ghost Tours with Tours by Foot: This walking tour blends history and humor as you explore downtown Chicago at dusk.
- Chicago Booze and Boos Tour with Nightly Spirits: This supernatural pub crawl covers Prohibition-era tales and favorite gangster haunts.
Explore our full guide to haunted Chicago tours. Or create your own DIY walking tour with our list of Chicago’s most haunted places.
Experience Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns
Select dates from Oct. 8 – 26, 2025
This popular Halloween event lights up the night with hundreds of intricately hand-carved pumpkins each October at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
During Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns, visitors can wander the gorgeous grounds at night and admire the impressive jack-o’-lanterns, each handcrafted for hours by expert artists. There will also be plenty of fall snacks and sips, like spiked cider and seasonal beer.
Explore more: Check out the top things to do during fall in Chicago.
Have a fall cocktail at Halloween pop-ups and parties
Multiple dates through October
Halloween time brings a variety of spooky and spectacular pop-up bars and events to Chicago. Enjoy a themed cocktail paired with a tarot reading, sip cider while picking out the perfect pumpkin, or dine surrounded by your favorite horror movie villains. Check out some of the city’s favorite Halloween parties and pop-ups:
- Jack’s Pumpkin Pop Up: The largest outdoor Halloween experience in Chicago, with a corn maze, pumpkin patch, food trucks, photo opps, and more.
- Haunted Halloween Ball at Congress Plaza Hotel: One of the city’s biggest Halloween parties is held at a (supposedly) haunted hotel.
Adults Night Out: Howl-o-ween at Lincoln Park Zoo: This historic zoo turns into an after-hours Halloween extravaganza for an adults-only evening.
@choosechicagoChicago’s largest fall pop-up experience is BACK and better than ever! 🎃 Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up is 2 acres packed with seasonal fun for all ages. Here’s what to expect: 🐂 Mechanical bull riding (New!) 🐖 Pig racing ride (New!) 🌽 The city’s largest corn maze 🔮 Fortune telling and tarot reading 🪓 Axe throwing 🎯 Carnival games 🍎 Fall treats 🍹 Seasonal drinks 📸 100s of photo ops 🎃 Take home a pumpkin! Open now through 11/3 📍 Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up♬ Electro swing with a Halloween atmosphere(1491735) – Putturi
Check our events calendar for even more Halloween events and parties.
Celebrate Day of the Dead
Multiple dates through October
Day of the Dead may coincide with Halloween, but the meaningful Mexican holiday is a one-of-a-kind celebration. The National Museum of Mexican Art is the perfect place to experience it, with an annual exhibit dedicated to Day of the Dead customs and traditions. The Día de Muertos exhibit opens Sept. 19 and runs through December.
The museum will also host their annual Day of the Dead Xicágo event on Oct. 25, when they transform the museum and surrounding grounds into a community-wide cultural celebration. They’ll also host their annual Día de Los Muertos: Love Never Dies Ball on Nov. 8. Enjoy an evening of cocktail-making, live music, face painting, and more.
Explore more: Find the best spots for autumn views with our guide to fall colors in Chicago.
Explore a spooky museum
All month long
This is the perfect time of year to explore the International Museum of Surgical Science. Housed in a historic mansion in the Gold Coast neighborhood, this spine-chilling museum explores the (sometimes unsettling) history of surgery through art, books, medical instruments, and artifacts.
Billed as the largest interactive historical museum in the country, the Medieval Torture Museum in the Loop houses more than 100 macabre devices and tools that represent some of the darkest days of humanity. Halloween is the perfect time to explore the museum’s eerie exhibits — if you dare.
Celebrate Halloween at the theatre
Multiple dates through October
Chicago’s many stages host awe-inspiring theatrical productions all throughout the year, and Halloween time is no exception. Check out some of the spookiest shows you can catch in Chicago this October.
- Dial M For Murder at Drury lane Theatre (Sept. 3 – Oct. 26, 2025)
- The Seance at Stars & Garters Theater (Oct. 4 – Nov. 1, 2025)
- Paranormal Activity at Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Oct. 8 – Nov. 2, 2025)
Check out more exciting shows happening in Chicago this fall.
Catch a scary movie
Multiple dates through October
You can expect plenty of spooky screenings this season, with film festivals, outdoor movie screenings, and drive-in movies popping up all around Chicago. Check out the top spots to catch Halloween movies this October.
- Music Box of Horrors: The historic Music Box Theatre brings a month of horror movie madness. Get your tickets now for horror classics, cult favorites, and so-bad-it’s-good flicks.
- Chi-Town Movies Drive-In: Find a full line-up of spooky movies at this old-school drive-in in Pilsen. Get your tickets for Friday night double features, serial killer Sundays, and more.
