Halloween in Columbus 2026: Boo Bash, Witches Ride, Oct. 31

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Dates and times come from each organizer’s own page or its listing on the Visit Columbus events calendar, linked below.

Updated Oct. 16: the Columbus Civic Center added a free Halloween Scream on the Green on Oct. 31; the Oct. 31 paranormal tour is sold out; Uptown has taken down its Halloween party page.

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. The busiest Columbus day is a week earlier: Saturday, Oct. 24, brings Broadway’s Boo Bash, Scream on the Green, the Columbus Museum’s fall festival and Little Garden of Horrors. Columbus Parks and Recreation’s Spooktacular at Lakebottom Park comes first, on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Who to call

• Uptown Columbus (Boo Bash, Scream on the Green, Scarecrow Trail): 706-596-0111
• Columbus Botanical Garden: 706-327-8400
• National Civil War Naval Museum: 706-327-9798
• Historic Westville: 706-940-0057
• City services and nonemergency questions: 311
• Emergency: 911

Spooktacular at Lakebottom Park, Saturday, Oct. 17

Columbus Parks and Recreation’s Spooktacular 2026 runs 4 to 6 p.m. at Lakebottom Park, 1505 Cherokee Ave. The city promises “candy & goodies for the kids,” then a glow party and a spooky family movie night with popcorn. Registration is on the city’s Spooktacular page.

Uptown on Saturday, Oct. 24

Uptown Columbus stacks three free events on the same evening:

• Broadway’s Boo Bash, 5 to 7 p.m.: the street closes for trick-or-treating, with Uptown businesses handing out candy along the 1000, 1100 and 1200 blocks of Broadway. Uptown says the 2026 list of businesses is still to come (Boo Bash page).
• Scream on the Green, 7 p.m.: the Chattahoochee Promenade becomes an outdoor movie theater for Casper, the film voters picked. Food vendors, costumes encouraged, blankets recommended (Scream on the Green page).
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, 900 Broadway: the annual Halloween silent film with The WAVE on the organ (calendar listing).

The Scarecrow Trail lines Broadway through Oct. 31, and People’s Choice winners are named Nov. 2 (Scarecrow Trail page).

Uptown parking decks are free: the RiverCenter Deck at 919 Broadway is open around the clock, and the Bay Avenue Deck at Bay Avenue and 12th Street opens on weekends, according to Uptown Columbus. Street parking has a two-hour limit.

The Columbus Museum and the Botanical Garden

• Fall Festival: Movie Night Edition, 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at The Columbus Museum, 1251 Wynnton Road. Artmaking, games, a scavenger hunt and a Parade of Costumes (come as someone who shaped American history) end indoors at 7 p.m., then National Treasure plays on the front lawn. Bring a chair or blanket (calendar listing).
• Little Garden of Horrors, 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Columbus Botanical Garden, 3603 Weems Road, for ages 13 and up: a Birds of Prey show with Nature’s Echo, a lawn screening of Little Shop of Horrors, a fun house and carnivorous plant dissection.
• BOOtanical Garden: Not So Scary Halloween, 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, for families: carnival games, inflatables, the Birds of Prey show, candy and a sensory zone for ages 4 and under. Tickets for both are on the garden’s Halloween page: Little Garden of Horrors is $25, $15 for members or two for $40; BOOtanical Garden is $12 for adults, $8 for ages 2 to 17 and free under 2, with members’ adults $5 and members’ children free.

The Witches Ride, Sunday, Oct. 25

The Columbus Witches Ride sets off at 5 p.m. from Clubview Elementary School, 2836 Edgewood Road. Women ride bikes and golf carts on a 2-mile loop and throw candy to people watching at the school or along the route. Riders check in from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. MidTown Inc. hosts it as a fundraiser (Witches Ride site).

Halloween day, Saturday, Oct. 31

• Big Dog Howl 5K, 8 a.m., starting from Big Dog Fleet Feet, 12 W. 11th St., with prizes for the best costumes. It opens the Columbus Roadrunners’ Holiday Classic Series (registration).
• Tricks, Treats & Tall Tales, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Historic Westville, 3557 S. Lumpkin Road: trick-or-treating around the village with candy, crafts, games, storytelling, food trucks and improv comedy. Tickets are sold on the day; costumes encouraged, leashed dogs welcome (calendar listing).
• Treats at the Museum, 4 to 6 p.m. at the National Civil War Naval Museum, 1002 Victory Drive: a costumed walk through the galleries collecting treats. Admission is free after 4 p.m., and children must be with an adult (calendar listing).
• Halloween Scream on the Green, Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Columbus Civic Center, 400 4th St.: costume contests, pumpkin carving, hayrides, horse rides, sack races and a candy giveaway from 4 p.m., then a 7 p.m. double feature of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Insidious on the lawn. Admission is free, but guests must RSVP under their legal names. Anyone 17 or younger must be with an adult 21 or older, children cannot be dropped off and the clear bag policy applies. Bring blankets and lawn chairs (Civic Center listing).

The night before, The Campus Academy Fall Festival at 4361 Weems Road runs 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, with a haunted house, trunk-or-treat, bounce houses and games, open to the whole community (calendar listing).

For grown-ups

• Paranormal Tours at Port Columbus: author and investigator Faith Serafin leads one-hour after-hours tours of the National Civil War Naval Museum at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23, 24 and 30; the Halloween night tour on Oct. 31 is sold out. Tickets must be bought ahead and are nonrefundable, and children are not admitted (museum events page).
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Springer Opera House, 103 10th St., with a live shadow cast and audience participation (calendar listing).

Frequently asked questions

When is Spooktacular 2026 in Columbus? Saturday, Oct. 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Lakebottom Park. Columbus Parks and Recreation hands out candy and goodies, then holds a glow party and a family movie night. Registration is on the city’s event page.

Is there trick-or-treating in Uptown Columbus? Yes. Broadway’s Boo Bash closes the 1000 to 1200 blocks of Broadway for free trick-or-treating with Uptown businesses from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.

What is there to do in Columbus on Halloween day 2026? Halloween is a Saturday. The Big Dog Howl 5K starts at 8 a.m. in Uptown, Historic Westville runs Tricks, Treats & Tall Tales from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the National Civil War Naval Museum hosts Treats at the Museum from 4 to 6 p.m., and the Columbus Civic Center holds a free Halloween Scream on the Green from 4 p.m. with an RSVP.

When is the Columbus Witches Ride? Sunday, Oct. 25, at 5 p.m. The 2-mile ride starts and ends at Clubview Elementary School, 2836 Edgewood Road, and spectators can watch from the school or along the route.

Are there Halloween events for adults in Columbus? Little Garden of Horrors at the Columbus Botanical Garden is for ages 13 and up, the Naval Museum’s paranormal tours admit no children, and the Springer shows The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow cast on Oct. 17 and 24.

What this means for you

• Saturday, Oct. 24, is the crowded night: four events in or near Uptown between 4 and 9 p.m. Use the free RiverCenter and Bay Avenue decks.
• Halloween falls on a Saturday this year: Westville and the Naval Museum by day, and the free Civic Center movie night after dark if you RSVP.
• Botanical Garden and Westville events are ticketed; the Uptown events and Spooktacular are free.

Related: things to do this weekend, Thanksgiving in Columbus and kids’ activities in Columbus.