Halloween Events Near Oak Park (Updated 2025)
From Boos & Brews and bone-chilling stories told in a dark cemetery to delightfully spooky family-friendly activities like Scary Skate, trunk-or-treats, and canines in costumes, thrills and laughter fill the air in the western suburbs this October. It’s the season of ghost stories and goosebumps, so gather your little ones and jump right into a world filled with tricks, treats, and yes, casket races in Oak Park and beyond.
Oak Park
Fright at Night | Oak Park Conservatory | Friday, October 17, 2025
Get ready for a wicked good time at Oak Park’s annual Fright at Night, when the Oak Park Conservatory at 615 Garfield Street transforms into the spooktacular "Boo-Tanical" Conservatory. Wander through shadowy paths and explore the spine-tingling world of poisonous plants lurking in the conservatory’s eerie dark walkways. Costumes are encouraged, so come dressed to impress (or terrify) for this family-friendly event open to all ages. Remember to register early—tickets sell out fast. Also featuring carnival games, the hauntingly fun event takes place on October 17 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with entry every half-hour.
Park District of Oak Park Events | Multiple Dates
The Park District of Oak Park offers a range of spooky events sure to put the whole family into the Halloween spirit. Explore all of this season’s creepy crawly events, including these, at pdop.org.
Trunk or Treat | Friday, October 24, 2025
This annual event featuring candy, costumes, and food vendors is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween in a fun and safe environment. Trunk or Treat takes place at the Ridgeland Commons parking lot (415 Lake Street), where local groups and organizations will be stationed by their decorated cars, ready to distribute candy to trick-or-treaters of all ages on October 24, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Fright on Ice | Friday, October 24, 2025
Skate with ghosts, goblins, pirates, and princesses from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on October 24. Dress in your Halloween best for the festive event that includes spooky-themed music, fun off-ice games, crafts, and plenty of candy. Head to the Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex Ice Arena, located at 415 Lake Street, for a night filled with chill, thrills, and probably a few spills.
Sensory Sensitive Boo Bash! | Saturday, October 25, 2025
The Park District of Oak Park and the West Suburban Special Recreation Association invite families seeking sensory-friendly Halloween events to Cheney Mansion, located at 220 North Euclid Avenue in Oak Park, on October 25 for an inclusive party. Get in costume and bring your camera for photos with the Great Pumpkin. Each attendee (ages 4-12) must be registered and be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Harvest on Harrison | Oak Park Arts District | Saturday, October 25, 2025
Come celebrate fall along Harrison Street in Oak Park. You’ll be spooked and thrilled as the restaurants and vendors in the Oak Park Arts District gear up for Halloween at this neighborhood event on October 25. Have a ghoulishly good time with a DJ dance party from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm; a costume contest for kids, adults, and pets at noon; pumpkin painting at the galleries; a bingo scavenger hunt; and other frightfully fun activities all day long.
Brookfield
Brookfield Zoo Chicago | October 4-31, 2025
This month Brookfield Zoo Chicago transforms into a haunted habitat filled with tricks, treats, and ghostly good fun. The annual fang-tastic family-friendly Halloween celebration, BOO! at the Zoo, is packed with not-so-scary thrills for all ages, festive decorations, costume parades, trick-or-treating stations on the East Mall, magic shows, and a haunted tram ride every weekend throughout October. Zoo After Dark: BOOs & Brews, an adults-only event on October 25, takes a spookier turn with a wicked good DJ dance party, an outrageous costume contest, and specially brewed beverages. Purchase tickets in advance at BrookfieldZoo.org.
Learn about all the events and activities at Brookfield Zoo Chicago during the spookiest season at OakParkandBeyond.org.
Haunted Halloween Ride | Friday, October 24, 2025
Join CycleBrookfield’s Haunted Halloween Ride on October 24. Bring a friend or two, wear your best costume, and decorate your bike with spooky lights for a festive ride past some of Brookfield’s spookiest decorated houses, then join your fellow cyclists for treats and a cozy bonfire at the end. This 6.2-mile slow ride starts and ends at The Compassion Factory at 9210 Broadway in Brookfield.
Monsters on Mainstreet | Saturday, October 25, 2025
Join your neighbors for trick-or-treating along the streets of the Grand/Prairie and Broadway Avenue business districts in Brookfield on October 25. Keep an eye out for signs in the windows at participating businesses from noon to 3:00 p.m. A family-friendly costume contest will be held at the historic Grossdale Station (8820 ½ Brookfield Avenue) at 3:00 p.m. The first 500 trick-or-treaters arriving at the station beginning at 2:30 p.m. will receive free pumpkins, taffy apples, and apple cider—a perfect treat for festive fun!
Boos & Brews in Brookfield | Saturday, October 25, 2025
Join the Boos & Brews bus on October 25 for the local brewery Halloween event of the year. The adventure kicks off at 2:00 p.m. at each participating brewery: Imperial Oak Brookfield, BuckleDown, Milk Money, and new participant Hop District. Two buses will run continuously among the four breweries until 6:00 p.m.
Feel free to hang out at each brewery and enjoy live music, delicious food, and a variety of house-crafted beers. Pickup and drop-off will occur approximately every 15 minutes. You can come as you are or dress up in costume—and the best costume will win a $50 gift card valid at multiple breweries. There will also be other prizes throughout the day to keep the fun going!
Forest Park
Spooky Stories and Poetry | Friday, October 17, 2025
The Historical Society of Forest Park and the Forest Park Arts Alliance are excited to team up with the library for an hour of spooky stories at the Lehmann Mausoleum in Forest Home Cemetery from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on October 17. This event is intended for adults aged 18 and over only. Arrive early and park behind the cemetery office at 836 Des Plaines Avenue, and friendly volunteers will guide you to the mausoleum. Don't forget to bring a flashlight and a cozy blanket. By the way, the ground is gravel, so you might also want to pack a lawn chair.
Casket Races | Saturday, October 18, 2025
Delightfully creepy and decidedly quirky, the Forest Park Casket Races on October 18 is an event you have to experience to truly believe! This annual spectacle has become a local favorite for all the right reasons. Teams push "caskets”—wildly decorated coffin-shaped carts on wheels—that they created themselves down a 585-foot course. While speed and agility definitely matter, the Casket Races honor creativity and camaraderie rather than athletic skill. Prizes are awarded for the fastest racers, the most creatively themed caskets, and the final finisher who takes home the coveted "Dead Last" award.
Invasion of the Scarecrows Bicycle Ride | Sunday, October 26, 2025
This ride will have you pedaling through Forest Park to track down nearly 300 scarecrows that have invaded the village. Meet your fellow bike riders in the Roos Center Parking Lot at 7329 Harrison Street in Forest Park on October 26 at 10:00 a.m. Bring your own bike, soak in the autumn air, and enjoy a morning hunting scarecrows.
Franklin Park
Trick or Treat at the Park | Saturday, October 25, 2025
Dress up in your Halloween best and prepare for a ghoulishly good time at Franklin Park’s Trick or Treat at the Park in North Park (10040 Addison Avenue) on October 25, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. This outdoor trick-or-treat event, featuring a walking path lined with tables set up and decorated by local families and businesses, welcomes friends and neighbors. Feeling creative? Set up your own decorated table and add some extra fright and fun to the festivities. Register with the Park District of Franklin Park by Friday, October 17.
Scary Skate | Saturday, October 25, 2025
Grab your skates and glide into the Halloween spirit at the Franklin Park Ice Arena (9711 Waveland Avenue) on October 25 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Wear your scariest or most creative costume, have a spooky good time on the ice, and enjoy half-off admission to Public Session. Prizes will be awarded for the best costume in a variety of categories. For everyone’s safety, masks are discouraged.
Walk the Park – Halloween Edition| Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Join a Halloween-themed walking competition at North Park, located at 10040 Addison Avenue in Franklin Park, on October 28 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. For every lap around the walking path you complete, you’ll earn a raffle entry. Come in costume and get ready to win!
La Grange
Trunk-or-Treat | Saturday, October 18, 2025
Head to Sedgwick Park, located at 536 East Avenue in La Grange, for a spook-tacular Trunk-or-Treat in the Sedgwick parking lot on October 18 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Enjoy face painting, balloon artistry, and of course, candy! This frightful festive event is free for all ages.
La Grange Park
Trunk or Treat | Saturday, October 18, 2025
Put on your best Halloween costume and head to Memorial Park (132 West Oak Avenue) for music, activities, and plenty of tricks and treats at the 5th annual La Grange Park Trunk or Treat on October 18.
Stick around for a family-friendly Halloween-themed movie showing in the park afterward, presented by the Community Park District of La Grange Park.
Maywood
No Tricks Only Treats Fall Fest | Friday, October 17, 2025
Don that costume and meet fellow trick-or-treaters walking the 1100 block of 1st Avenue to 18th Avenue, through Winfield Scott Park. Costumed kiddos will be “treated” as they visit tables decorated by neighbors and local organizations.
Halloween Costume Workshop | October 21, 23 & 25, 2025
Let your imagination soar and create your own Halloween costume with help from the staff at the Maywood Library at 121 South 5th Avenue on October 21 at 6:00 p.m., October 23 at 6:00 p.m., or October 25 at 10:00 a.m.
North Riverside
Family Broomstick Bash | Friday, October 24, 2025
Get ready for a night of spooky fun at North Riverside Parks & Recreation! The Family Broomstick Bash kicks off at 6:00 p.m. inside the Village Commons Gymnasium (2401 S. Des Plaines Avenue). Expect a family-friendly dance party complete with music, games, and “potions” for purchase. Tickets are $10 for residents and $12 for non-residents, with activities geared toward ages 4 and up. The party runs until 8:30 p.m.—just enough time to dance off some pre-Halloween energy.
Pumpkin Patch | Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Visit the Village Commons Gymnasium (2401 S. Des Plaines Avenue) between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. for a hands-on pumpkin patch experience. Pick your perfect pumpkin, then paint it, carve it, or even decorate it with lights right on the spot. Prices range from $9 to $11 per pumpkin, making it a fun and affordable way to get festive before Halloween night.
River Forest
Spooky Stories & S'mores | Saturday, October 25, 2025
Among the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s many activities and events to celebrate the season, perhaps the spookiest is an invitation to trick-or-treat through different Halloween-themed activity stations in Thatcher Woods (738 Thatcher Avenue) on October 25 at 2:00 p.m. Enjoy pumpkin painting, making (and eating!) gooey s’mores, and listening to spooky children’s stories.
Riverside
4th Annual Riverside Witches Ride | Saturday, October 18, 2025
Trade your broom for a bike, dress up in your witchiest look, and join a coven at the Riverside Witches Ride on October 18 at 5:00 p.m. Cast spells of joy as you cruise through town, cackling and tossing candy to delighted kids along the way. The four-mile journey begins and ends at Riverside Swim Club (100 Bloomingbank Road), culminating with a celebration that features seasonal adult beverages and bites. New this year: After-party participants will have an opportunity to experience a reading from a female magic clairvoyant.
Westchester
Halloween Party | Saturday, October 25, 2025
Pack your pup and head to the Westchester Park District Community Center Park (10201 Bond Street) from noon to 1:00 p.m. for a howling good time. This annual event includes everything needed for a great fall festival: pony rides, a petting zoo, a mini pumpkin patch, hay rides, and yes, a Howl-O-Ween Canine Costume Contest for your furriest friend.
The park district is also hosting a Smash Bash on Sunday, November 2, at Mayfair Park (Mayfair and Wakefield Streets) from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bring your burnt-out jack-o’-lantern, grab a sledgehammer, and have a blast with your friends and neighbors.
Have a Scary Good Time This October
Oak Park and its neighboring communities are celebrating October with a month of festive fun. From whimsical witchy bike rides to thrilling storytelling, each event provides a unique opportunity for friends and families to celebrate the season together. Discover all the fall events in Oak Park and beyond at OakParkandBeyond.org.