Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday, which turns it into a full weekend of parades, costume parties, concerts and big games. The best places to celebrate in the US are New York City, New Orleans, Salem, Los Angeles (West Hollywood), Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando, Austin and Nashville. The smartest plan pairs each city's free street celebrations with one or two ticketed events, and TicketWhiz lets you compare those tickets across major marketplaces in one search.
Most Halloween travel guides stop at the parade route. This one goes a step further: for each city, we cover the free, only-on-Halloween traditions and the ticketed shows, games and concerts that make the trip worth booking. Because October 31 lands on a Saturday this year, demand for hotels, haunted attractions and live events will peak Friday through Sunday, so the earlier you lock in plans, the better your options.
Quick note on how we built this list: we prioritized cities with a signature Halloween event, a strong live-entertainment calendar, and enough to do across a full weekend. Event details below were checked in mid-October 2026, but schedules can change, so always confirm with the organizer before you go.
1. New York City: the world's biggest Halloween parade
New York is the top pick for Halloween 2026 because it combines the largest Halloween parade on the planet with the deepest live-event calendar in the country.
The free main event: The 53rd annual Village Halloween Parade steps off at 7 PM on Saturday, October 31, heading north on Sixth Avenue from Canal Street to 15th Street. This year's theme is Body & Soul, and the procession will be led by a new giant Firehorse puppet created by master puppeteer Basil Twist. Expect hundreds of giant puppets, more than 50 bands and thousands of costumed New Yorkers. Anyone in costume can march; spectators line up early, so claim a spot along Sixth Avenue well before 7.
What to book: With Halloween on a Saturday, New York's nightlife runs Thursday through Sunday. Build the rest of the weekend around a ticketed show:
- A Broadway matinee on Saturday before the parade, or an evening show on Friday. Compare seats on Broadway tickets — matinees leave you free for the parade at night.
- A game or concert at Madison Square Garden. The NBA and NHL seasons are in full swing by Halloween, so check the New York Knicks schedule for the weekend.
- Comedy on Halloween night if parades aren't your thing. Browse comedy shows for themed late sets.
See everything happening that weekend on our New York City events page.
Insider tip: Subways near the parade route get packed after 6 PM. Book a show in Midtown or Brooklyn for Friday or Sunday and keep Saturday night free for the Village.
2. New Orleans: Mardi Gras energy, Halloween edition
New Orleans is the best pick if you want two weekends of celebration instead of one, because its official parade rolls the Saturday before Halloween.
The free main event: Krewe of BOO!, the city's official Halloween parade, rolls on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 6:30 PM. It starts on Elysian Fields Avenue in the Marigny and winds through the French Quarter, with 14 floats built by Kern Studios (the team behind many Mardi Gras floats) and more than 500 costumed riders tossing candy, beads and collectible throws. It's free and family-friendly.
What to book: The following weekend, the Halloween New Orleans benefit festival runs October 30 to November 1, with costume balls and parties across the city. Fill the gaps with:
- A ghost or cemetery tour in the French Quarter, often called the most haunted neighborhood in America. Tours sell out on Halloween weekend, so reserve early.
- Live music on Frenchmen Street and ticketed shows at the city's music halls. Browse concert tickets for who's playing that week.
- A Saints or Pelicans game if your dates line up — check the NFL and NBA schedules.
Insider tip: Stay in or near the French Quarter so you can walk to the parade route and back. Hotels fill fast for both weekends.
3. Salem, Massachusetts (with a Boston base)
Salem is the most iconic Halloween town in America, and 2026 is a landmark year: the city celebrates its 400th anniversary alongside the 44th year of Haunted Happenings.
The free main event: Haunted Happenings runs all of October, with a weekend marketplace on Salem Common and Derby Square, street performers, psychic fairs and witch-trial history at every turn. The finale is Halloween night itself, and with October 31 on a Saturday, expect record crowds.
What to book: Salem is small, so the smart move is to stay in Boston and take the commuter rail in. The MBTA adds extra trains in October and sells a $10 unlimited weekend pass. That gives you a big-city base for:
- Pre-booked Salem attractions like the Salem Witch Museum and the top haunted houses, which sell out on peak dates.
- A game at TD Garden or a show in Boston on Friday or Sunday night. Check the NBA and NHL schedules via NBA tickets and NHL tickets, including the Boston Celtics.
- A New England Patriots home game if one lands on Halloween weekend — browse NFL tickets.
Insider tip: Don't drive into Salem on Halloween. Take the train, arrive early, and plan to leave before the evening rush.
4. Los Angeles: West Hollywood's mile-long street party
Los Angeles is the pick for costume lovers, thanks to the biggest Halloween street party on the West Coast and a stacked weekend of concerts and games.
The free main event: The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval takes over Santa Monica Boulevard on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 6 to 11 PM, between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard. It's free, no tickets required, and draws well over 100,000 people for stages, DJs and some of the most ambitious costumes in the country. The city runs a free WeHo Halloween Ride shuttle from 6 PM to 3 AM.
What to book:
- A concert at an iconic LA venue. Late-October shows at the Hollywood Bowl and other LA stages sell quickly on Halloween weekend. Compare them on our Los Angeles events page.
- Postseason baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the NLCS as of mid-October. If they advance, World Series tickets around Halloween weekend would be the hottest ticket in town.
- Football and basketball. Check SoFi Stadium for NFL games and the Los Angeles Lakers schedule for early-season NBA.
- Haunted theme-park nights at Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott's Berry Farm, which sell separate Halloween-event tickets directly.
Insider tip: Don't drive to the Carnaval. Street closures and parking restrictions are heavy, so use the free shuttle, public transit or rideshare.
5. Las Vegas: Metallica at the Sphere on Halloween night
Las Vegas is the best pick for a ticket-first Halloween, headlined by one of the most in-demand shows of the year.
The headline event: Metallica closes the October leg of its Life Burns Faster residency at the Sphere with shows on Thursday, October 29 and Saturday, October 31. The band uses a "No Repeat Weekend" format, so the two shows have completely different setlists — fans who catch both get two distinct concerts. Primary tickets sold out early, so resale is the only route in, and prices for the Halloween pair run high. This is exactly where comparing listings across marketplaces pays off.
What else to book:
- The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, Halloween edition. Showings from October 30 to November 1 include themed concessions, trick-or-treat stations and a 3D haunted-forest photo spot in the Sphere atrium. A limited child-admission offer applies to select shows that weekend.
- Halloween nightclub parties on the Strip, which run Thursday through Saturday with big-name DJs.
- A game at Allegiant Stadium if the Raiders are home that weekend.
See every show in town on our Las Vegas events page.
Insider tip: Costumes are welcome at the Sphere, but masks are not allowed under venue policy. Check rules before you dress up for a show.
6. Chicago: two parades, two weekends
Chicago is the best Midwest pick, with an art-driven parade the weekend before Halloween and a costume blowout on the night itself.
The free main events:
- Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade — Saturday, October 24, 2026, 6 to 8 PM. The 12th annual edition moves back to Columbus Drive, stepping off at Balbo and marching north to Jackson, with spectacle puppets, floats and performers from cultural groups across the city. Organizers expect more than 100,000 spectators, plus food trucks along the route.
- Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade — Saturday, October 31, 2026, in the Northalsted neighborhood. It's a long-running nighttime spectacle with a famously competitive costume contest.
What to book:
- A game or concert at the United Center. Late October is early-season NBA and NHL, so check the Chicago Bulls schedule for Halloween weekend.
- Theater and comedy. Chicago's improv scene and Loop theaters run Halloween-themed shows; browse comedy tickets.
- A Bears home game at Soldier Field if one falls on November 1 — see NFL tickets.
See everything in town on our Chicago events page.
Insider tip: By late October it's dark and cold soon after dinner. Pack layers that fit under (or over) your costume.
7. Orlando: the haunted theme-park capital
Orlando is the best pick for horror fans who want professionally built scares over street parties.
The headline event: Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights celebrates its 35th year in 2026, running select nights from August 28 through November 1 at Universal Studios Florida. This year's lineup features 10 all-new haunted houses, including Stranger Things and Sinners, plus scare zones and live shows. It's a separate, hard-ticket event — regular park admission doesn't include it — and Halloween weekend nights are the busiest of the season.
What else to book:
- SeaWorld Orlando's Howl-O-Scream, which runs select dates through November 1 with five haunted houses.
- An Orlando Magic game at Kia Center if the team is home that weekend — check NBA tickets.
- A side trip to South Florida for nightlife and concerts. See what's on via our Miami events page.
Insider tip: Theme-park Halloween tickets are sold directly by the parks, not on resale marketplaces. Buy them from the official site, then use TicketWhiz for the concerts and games that round out your trip.
8. Austin and Nashville: Halloween in America's music cities
Austin and Nashville are the best picks if live music is your idea of a Halloween party.
Austin
The free main event: On Halloween night, East Sixth Street closes to traffic and becomes a massive pedestrian-only costume party, with Rainey Street bars running themed crawls all weekend.
What to book:
- Texas Longhorns vs. Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 31 — a rare chance to tailgate in costume. Compare seats on NCAA football tickets.
- The Austin Film Festival, running October 29 to November 5 at venues downtown.
- Live music on Halloween weekend at Austin's clubs and halls — browse our Austin events page.
If you can arrive a week early, the Formula 1 US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas runs October 23 to 25.
Nashville
The headline event: Country star HARDY plays Halloween shows at The Truth, Nashville's new music venue, on October 29 and 30. It's one of the most Halloween-specific tickets in the city this year.
What else to book:
- A show at the Ryman or Bridgestone Arena. October is stacked with big concerts in Music City; compare them on our Nashville events page or across all concert tickets.
- Halloween on Broadway. The honky-tonks along Lower Broadway run costume parties and bar crawls all weekend.
- Ghost tours and haunted attractions like the Nashville Nightmare haunted house, open through Halloween night.
Insider tip: In both cities, Halloween-weekend concerts sell out well before the 31st. If a show is sold out at face value, resale is often your only option, so compare listings before you pay.
Sports on Halloween weekend 2026
Halloween 2026 could double as the biggest sports night of the fall: if the World Series goes the distance, Game 7 is scheduled for Saturday, October 31.
| Event | Date | Where to compare tickets |
|---|---|---|
| World Series Game 6 (if necessary) | Friday, Oct 30 | World Series tickets |
| World Series Game 7 (if necessary) | Saturday, Oct 31 | World Series tickets |
| College football, incl. Texas vs. Mississippi State in Austin | Saturday, Oct 31 | NCAA football tickets |
| NFL Sunday games | Sunday, Nov 1 | NFL tickets |
| Early-season NBA games | Oct 30 – Nov 1 | NBA tickets |
| Early-season NHL games | Oct 30 – Nov 1 | NHL tickets |
World Series Games 1 and 2 are on October 23 and 24, so the matchup — and which cities host the Halloween-weekend games — will be set by the end of the League Championship Series. Prices for a potential Game 7 on Halloween will swing hard as the series unfolds, which makes side-by-side comparison especially useful. Many fans also go to games in costume, though stadium rules on masks vary.
How to get the best Halloween tickets with TicketWhiz
The best way to save on Halloween-weekend tickets is to compare total prices across marketplaces before you buy, because the same seat is often listed at different prices on different sites.
- Search once, see every marketplace. TicketWhiz pulls listings from Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, Gametime and more into one view, so you can see options side by side.
- Compare the total price, not the headline price. Fees vary by marketplace. TicketWhiz adds no fees of its own, and you'll see the final cost at checkout on the site you choose.
- Check the seat map. Halloween crowds mean costumes, props and taller headwear — a good sightline matters more than usual.
- Book early for Saturday the 31st. With Halloween on a Saturday, the 30th and 31st are the busiest nights for concerts, games and haunted events.
- Watch for price swings on "if necessary" games. Potential World Series dates can rise or fall sharply as the series develops.
- Buy theme-park and parade extras from the official source. Haunted theme-park nights and parade grandstand seats are usually sold directly by the organizer.
Start with our city pages for New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Nashville, Austin and Atlanta, or browse all cities.
Frequently asked questions
What day is Halloween in 2026?
Halloween 2026 falls on Saturday, October 31. That makes October 30 to November 1 a full "Halloweekend," with parades, parties, concerts and games across the US — and the highest demand for hotels and tickets of the season.
What is the best city in the US to celebrate Halloween?
New York City is the top pick for 2026. It hosts the Village Halloween Parade, billed as the world's largest Halloween event, on the night of October 31, plus Broadway, Madison Square Garden and a huge nightlife scene for the rest of the weekend. Salem and New Orleans are the best picks for classic spooky atmosphere.
Where is the biggest Halloween parade in the US?
The biggest is New York's Village Halloween Parade, which draws tens of thousands of costumed marchers and around two million spectators along Sixth Avenue. The 2026 parade starts at 7 PM on October 31 with the theme "Body & Soul."
What are the best Halloween events for adults?
Top adult picks for 2026 include the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval in Los Angeles, Halloween on Sixth Street in Austin, Halloween New Orleans (October 30 to November 1), and Metallica's Halloween-night show at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Is there a World Series game on Halloween 2026?
Possibly. Game 7 of the 2026 World Series, if needed, is scheduled for Saturday, October 31. Game 6, if needed, is on Friday, October 30. Compare listings on World Series tickets.
How can I find cheap tickets for Halloween weekend?
Compare the same event across multiple marketplaces, since sellers list identical seats at different prices. TicketWhiz shows listings from major marketplaces side by side and adds no fees of its own.
