FFTC’s Family Guide to Twin Cities Halloween Events – 2023

Candy corn background: Text: "Twin Cities Halloween Guide"

We are just “dying” to share our roundup of Halloween Activities For Kids in this frightfully full list of family friendly Halloween events and October fun in the Twin Cities! Check back often as we’re always adding in new events.

crowd of people in costume at Tricks and Treats at Valleyfair

Valleyfair Tricks and Treats

Halloween for Everyone! Valleyfair's Tricks and Treats is a gotta-be-there Halloween event packed with fun and family-friendly eeriness.
From little goblins to grown-up ghouls, everyone will find ghastly great things to do for Halloween. Plus, we’ve got skeleTONS of delicious seasonal treats, drinks and, of course, candy! If that’s not fang-tastic enough, our most popular rides are open during the Halloween event to deliver the amazing thrills and chills found only at Valleyfair. The event runs on Saturdays and Sundays, September 23 - October 29.
Save on tickets at Valleyfair.com.

Children sharing a bowl of Halloween Candy

Halloween excitements includes festival fun, live music, some dance events, costume contests, haunted attractions. Follow the links on the banners below to find events.

Twin Cities Trick-Or-Treat Times

Looking for Twin Cities Trick or Treat Times? We don’t have official times in the Twin Cities area.

In 2023, Halloween falls on a Tuesday and MEA (Minnesota’s traditional long weekend for seeking out fall fun) lands on October 19th and 20th. 

The Great Big List of Halloween Activities For Kids

Free Halloween Activities

Among our free Halloween fun favorite attractions is the BareBones Puppet Extravaganza, Halloween ComicFest, movie nights in parks, and Anoka’s Grand Day Parade. Get our huge list of free events with general admission:

Free Halloween Activities For Kids
Go here for Free Halloween Fun

Paid Halloween Events

Some of the best spend-worthy Halloween fun includes the Pumpkin Express, the Minnesota Zoo, a road trip to Harvest Howl, and Valleyfair’s Tricks and Treats. Find our big list of favorites where we share links to tickets or directions on how to purchase admission:

Paid Halloween Activities For Kids
Go here for Paid Halloween Fun

Halloween Lights & Scarecrows

Each year, some of our favorite homes with Holiday Light Displays start out the season in October with a Halloween Theme. We listed those homes here, along with some of the best community decoration events.

Grab some apple cider, jump in the station wagon and check out these fun haunts.

Halloween Decorations in the Twin Cities - Jack-o-lanterns against a night sky.
Go here to Plan a Family Drive

Events for Teens & Tweens

We know that Halloween for tweens and teens can be a tricky holiday to navigate. What kind of options do they have for traditional Halloween fun in the Twin Cities? Whether your teen wants a haunted house or ghost tour or they prefer a family event, we’ve got options to go out as a family (with special scare zones for the bigger kids) as well as events done independently.

Pumpkin Patch List

Looking for a family-friendly Halloween event for every age? Our list of Twin Cities pumpkin patches includes farms around the Twin Cities area with pumpkins for carving jack-o-lanterns or making pie and additional activities for kids and families.

Corn Mazes

Bring the Whole Family to these Twin Cities corn mazes. Entertainment for the whole family, including festivals, food trucks and of course corn trails.

Most open in September and run through October with activities for the whole family.

Three girls standing by a corn maze with talk bubble that says "Top 10 Twin Cities Corn Mazes for Families"
A-Maze-ing Fun for a Spooky Season

Crafts

Gianna has rounded up year-round craft ideas for families.  Her October suggestions include Tin Can Pumpkins and Pumpkins made out of books. Both make cute and easy crafts to make with children.

Scavenger Hunts

We collect community Scavenger Hunt and Quest Ideas throughout the year.

Get your tiny pirates, ghouls and goblins exploring outdoors with these ideas for Twin Cities Quests, Scavenger Hunts and Treasure Hunts for Families.

Twin Cities Quests and Treasure Hunts for Families
Find permanent and seasonal ideas here.

Halloween Activities for Kids at Home

Halloween at Home
Want to make Halloween fun at home?  You can find simple DIY, festive family activities here.

More Halloween Fun

Halloween Costumes

Are you still  putting together your family’s costume?  You can find great-looking DIY ideas here.

Treats

If you need treats to share at school within your school’s treat guidelines – candy-free, nut-free, etc. — check out 40+ Ideas for School Halloween Treats.

Some links in this post are affiliate links that pay us a small commission from the sale at no extra cost to you. You can learn more here. 

8 thoughts on “FFTC’s Family Guide to Twin Cities Halloween Events – 2023”

  1. Hi. Check out Nowhere in Inver Grove Heights, it’s just opened and is all indoors. It offers the following amusement activities:
    Nowhere Mini Golf – 13 artist designed custom holes
    Nowhere Arcade – full redemption arcade
    Nowhere Escape Rooms
    Nowhere Haunted House – 17,000 square foot seasonal haunts (Halloween, Yule Screen, Cupid’s Revenge, and more)

    1. Haha. Thanks for catching that Emily. No one has written that article yet. I’ve removed it from the list until someone does.

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