Celebrate Halloween in Chicago with these spooky, spectacular, and supernatural events. The city is packed with haunted happenings each October, from frightening to family friendly. Celebrate the spookiest time of year with haunted houses, spooky movies, ghost tours, pumpkin picking, and beyond.
Here’s a few of the best things to do for Halloween in Chicago.
Take a haunted tour of Chicago
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:
- Chicago Ghost Tour with Free Tours by Foot
- Leopold and Loeb virtual true crime tour by Chicago History Museum
- Chicago Ghost Tour Pub Crawl by Nightly Spirits
- Virtual Haunted History Tours with Lincoln Park Zoo
Explore our full guide to haunted Chicago tours. Or create your own DIY walking tour with our list of Chicago’s most haunted places.
Have some fall fun at the zoo
Don’t miss the festive fun during Lincoln Park Zoo’s Fall at the Zoo. The free zoo will be decked out in pumpkins, hay bales, and corn husks to get visitors in the autumn spirit. Plus, the festivities include the Pumpkin Walk, a path of beautifully carved jack-o’-lanterns, and Patch’s Pumpkin Bar & Grill, a fall-themed pop-up restaurant. Be sure to make your free reservations ahead of time.
Upcoming events at Lincoln Park Zoo:
- Join in the Pumpkin Walk and watch live professional carvers ever Saturday during Fall Fest.
- Explore the zoo after dark (if you dare) during the all-ages Zoo Nights every Saturday through Oct. 31.
- Enjoy an adults-only evening during Adults Night Out: The Great Pumpkin Glow on Oct. 29, which features a haunted trail and seasonal cocktails.
See a spooky movie at the drive-in
Outdoor movie theatres are popping up all around Chicago, and you can expect plenty of spooky screenings this Halloween season. Check out these upcoming drive-in movie events:
- The Music Box of Horrors is back with 31 nights of scary movies at the Chi-Town Movies Drive-in. Get your tickets now for horror classics, cult favorites, and so-bad-it’s-good flicks.
- Asian Pop-Up Cinema will be hosting a special Halloween event at the Davis Drive-in at Lincoln Yards. Catch South Korean horror flicks Train to Busan on Oct. 30 and Peninsula on Oct. 31.
Experience Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns
This popular event lights up the night with hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins. During Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns at the Chicago Botanic Garden, visitors can wander the gorgeous grounds at night and admire the intricately carved 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.
This year, the event will feature limited capacity, timed entry, and a one-way trail to help promote social distancing. Face coverings are required. Get your timed tickets today.
Visit a haunted house
Feeling brave? Get all your thrills and chills at these spine-tingling haunted houses all around Chicagoland. This year’s terrifying attractions include a new drive-through experience where the undead are lurking just outside your windshield.
- Alley of Darkness in Chicago is a spooky drive-through experience from Replay Lincoln Park
- 13th Floor in Melrose Park, where limited tickets mean a private experience for you and your friends
- Basement of the Dead in Aurora, named one of the scariest in the world by Buzzfeed
- Terror in the Timbers in Elgin, a drive-through experience where the scares are just outside your car
