Halloween in Asheville 2026: Haunted Houses, Trick-or-Treating & Family Events

Halloween in Asheville doesn't need much encouragement. This is a town where people dress up on an ordinary Tuesday, so when October comes around the costumes get better, the ghost tours fill up, and every rec center, brewery and small-town Main Street nearby finds a reason to hand out candy. You can keep it gentle with a sunset wolf tour at the nature center, or drive down to Hendersonville and let a haunted farm chase you through the woods.

We checked every date, time and price below against the organizer's own 2026 page, most recently on October 24. Events are split into two groups: the ones built for kids and families, and the ones that are not. A few of this year's events have already happened, and we've marked those so you can skip to what's left.

Halloween 2026 in Asheville at a Glance

• Select nights through November 7: The Haunted Farm in Hendersonville
• Weekends through November 1: Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze
• October 9-10, 16-17, 22-25 and 29-30: The Haunted Trail at the Adventure Center of Asheville
• October 14 to November 1: Misery at North Carolina Stage Company
• Saturday, October 24: Halloweenfest in Brevard, Día de Muertos at the Stephens-Lee Center, Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics
• Wednesday, October 28: Kooky Spooky Toddler Fun, Horror Movie Trivia
• Thursday, October 29: Halloween Creepy Climb, the Pink Lady Party, AMOS After Hours
• Saturday, October 31: Wicked Spooky 5K, Treat Street in Hendersonville, Drive Thru Candy Grab, Trunk or Treat Fest, Halloween Bingo, the Halloween Bar Crawl, Wednesday at The Orange Peel (sold out)
• Already happened: Barktoberfest at Riverbend Park (October 4), Little Shop of Horrors at Asheville Community Theatre (closed October 11), the Hotel Transylvania Halloween Party in Waynesville (October 16), the Costume Swap at the Stephens-Lee Center and Rocky Horror at The Mule (October 17), and Wolf Howl-O-Ween at the WNC Nature Center (October 23)

Halloween Events for Kids and Families

The Haunted Trail at the Adventure Center

The Haunted Trail bills itself as Asheville's family-friendly haunt, and it's the closest thing the city has to a kid-sized haunted house. Asheville Plays runs it at the Adventure Center of Asheville on Expo Drive on October 9-10, 16-17, 22-25 and 29-30, from 6 to 9 p.m. The centerpiece is a 20-scene live-action trail with more than 50 actors. Around it you'll find pirates, an escape room, a glow zone, monster-sized games and a Lil' Ghouls area for younger kids, plus an aerial glow trail for ages 4 and up.

Online ticket sales stop at 6 p.m. each night, but you can still buy at the door until 8:45 p.m.

Wolf Howl-O-Ween at the WNC Nature Center

Wolf Howl-O-Ween at the WNC Nature Center has already happened for 2026: it was Friday, October 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. Families got a guided tour of the red and gray wolf habitats as the sun went down, wolf-themed games and crafts, and a kids' costume contest at 7 p.m. It's designed for ages 5 to 12, so keep it in mind for next October.

Trick-or-Treating on Halloween Night

Halloween lands on a Saturday in 2026, and Asheville Parks & Recreation has three free options that day as part of its Festival of Frights:

• Drive Thru Candy Grab, 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Stephens-Lee Center. Kids stay in the car while costumed ghosts and ghouls hand out candy, which makes it a good call for toddlers or a rainy evening.
• Trunk or Treat Fest, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Linwood Crump Shiloh Center, with music and plenty of candy. It's for kids 12 and under with an adult.
• Halloween Bingo, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Burton Street Center in West Asheville, with prizes and snacks. Wear the costume.

For a classic Main Street trick-or-treat, head south to Hendersonville for the Treat Street Carnival from 2 to 5 p.m. Main Street becomes the trick-or-treat route from Allen Street to Sixth Avenue, with a costume contest at the Courthouse Square (registration opens at 2 p.m. and judging starts at 3 p.m.), music and games, and a kids' fun zone sponsored by Biltmore Church. It wraps up early enough to get back to Asheville for an evening event.

Little-Kid Halloween at City Rec Centers

The Festival of Frights runs all month, and its smaller events are some of the best deals in town. Most need advance registration through Asheville Parks & Recreation, and kids under 14 need an adult with them.

• Barktoberfest: a free dog costume party at the Riverbend Park dog park, Sunday, October 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (already happened)
• Costume Swap & Creative Reuse Workshop: take a costume, leave a costume, or build a creature craft from recycled materials. Free, Saturday, October 17, noon to 4 p.m. at the Stephens-Lee Center (already happened).
• Día de Muertos: traditional crafts, food, music, face painting and an ofrenda. Free, Saturday, October 24, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Stephens-Lee Center.
• Kooky Spooky Toddler Fun: a costume parade and indoor trick-or-treat in the gym for ages 2 to 5. $5, Wednesday, October 28, 10 a.m. to noon at the Stephens-Lee Center.
• Halloween Creepy Climb: kids ages 6 to 12 climb the indoor rock wall for candy, then play Halloween games. $7, Thursday, October 29, 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Tempie Avery Montford Center.

The Montford Center also runs Toddler Spooky Crafting every Wednesday in October from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. ($5, ages 2 to 5 with an adult).

Small-Town Halloween Festivals

Two nearby mountain towns throw free Halloween parties that are worth the drive. On Friday, October 16, Waynesville Parks & Recreation hosted a Hotel Transylvania Halloween Party in the Waynesville Recreation Center parking lot from 5 to 8 p.m., with hayrides, face painting, bounce houses, a Halloween egg hunt and a costume contest. That one has already happened.

On Saturday, October 24, Heart of Brevard's Halloweenfest takes over downtown Brevard from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free, with a Spooky Stroll Open House and trick-or-treating at participating businesses. Brevard sits right next to Pisgah National Forest, so it pairs well with a fall hike in the morning.

The Corn Maze at Eliada

The Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze runs on weekends through November 1 at 49 Compton Drive in Asheville. It's more harvest than horror, which makes it an easy pick for younger kids. For more farms, see our list of pumpkin patches and corn mazes near Asheville.

Haunted Houses, Parties and Shows for Grown-Ups

The Haunted Farm

The Haunted Farm is the big walkthrough haunt in this part of the mountains, on farmland at 624 Townsend Road in Hendersonville, and 2026 is its 16th season. Its remaining nights are October 24, 25, 29, 30 and 31, plus November 7. Gates open at 7 p.m., and closing time runs from 10:30 p.m. to midnight depending on the night.

General admission is $40 to $45, kids 10 and under are $35 to $40, and a Fast Pass is $65 to $70. Prices vary by date, and taxes and fees are extra. Bring cash: parking is $10 per car, cash only, and so are tickets bought on site. The farm has no age limit, but it's built to frighten, and there are no refunds if someone taps out halfway through.

Ghost Tours

Asheville's ghost tours run year-round, but October is when they make the most sense. Haunted Asheville's classic walking tour meets in the alley behind the Asheville Masonic Temple at 80 Broadway, lasts about two hours, and costs $26.95 for adults and $14.95 for kids 14 and under, who must stay with an adult. For something rowdier, LaZoom's Ghosted tour is an hour of ghost stories and comedy for ages 17 and up, leaving from 76 Biltmore Avenue, with tickets from $44. Haunted Asheville says its tours sell out quickly, so book ahead for October weekends.

The Pink Lady Party at The Omni Grove Park Inn

The Grove Park Inn's best-known ghost story is the Pink Lady, and the hotel throws her a party. The Pink Lady Party is Thursday, October 29, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Elaine's Dueling Piano Bar, with private tarot readings, themed cocktails, small plates, a costume contest and live dueling pianos. Tickets are $103.22 on Eventbrite and include select drinks and food. It's 21 and up, and parking costs extra.

The party opens the inn's Halloween weekend. The Great Hall has face painting on Friday, October 30, and a balloon twister on Saturday, October 31, both from 4 to 6 p.m., with live music from 7 to 10 p.m. both nights.

AMOS After Hours: Conspiracies, Urban Legends, Local Lore

The Asheville Museum of Science goes 21-and-up for its Halloween After Hours on Thursday, October 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. The theme is conspiracy theories and local legends, with a lineup of 13 presenters covering things like the Brown Mountain Lights, quartz and the "Asheville vortex," and the work of restoring Riverside Cemetery's gravesites after Helene. There's also a tin foil hat contest, a broom-making workshop, food from Nibbly Onigiri and themed cocktails.

Tickets are $25 online and include one drink, and the museum holds a limited number of $15 income-based tickets. Costumes are encouraged, but skip full-face masks and prop weapons.

Rocky Horror at The Mule

Unexpected Pleasures has been Asheville's Rocky Horror shadowcast since 2008. This year they performed The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadowcast at The Mule at Devil's Foot Beverage Co. on Sweeten Creek Road on Saturday, October 17, so this show has already happened. It was a tribute to Tim Curry, and tickets were $12 plus a fee.

Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics

For a night out that's more eerie than scary, Candlelight's Halloween concert puts the Opal String Quartet in the candlelit Asheville Masonic Temple on Saturday, October 24, at 8:45 p.m. The tentative program runs from Thriller and the theme from The Exorcist to the Time Warp and a Nightmare Before Christmas medley. It's about an hour long, tickets run $47.50 to $72 plus a booking fee, and it's for ages 8 and up. Late arrivals aren't let in.

Scary Stage Shows

Two local theaters lean into the season. Little Shop of Horrors at Asheville Community Theatre closed October 11, so that run is over. North Carolina Stage Company follows with Misery, the stage version of the Stephen King novel, from October 14 to November 1. It runs about 95 minutes with no intermission and is recommended for ages 16 and up.

Grown-Up Rec Center Nights

The city's Festival of Frights has adult programs too: Your Final Word: Horror Movie Trivia on Wednesday, October 28, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Tempie Avery Montford Center ($5, ages 18 and up, costumes encouraged), and A Small Town Murder Mystery on Wednesday, October 21, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Harvest House Center ($5, ages 18 and up; already happened).

Wicked Spooky 5K

Start Halloween morning at Wicked Weed's Funkatorium on the South Slope with the Wicked Spooky 5K. Kids run the quarter-mile Creepy Crawly Climb at 8:45 a.m., and the 5K starts at 9. Costumes are encouraged (there are prizes), registration includes a medal, a long-sleeve shirt and a donation to MountainTrue, and runners 21 and up with ID get a Wicked Weed beer. The last-call rate is $60.83 for the 5K, and the kids' climb is $12.69.

Halloween Night: Bar Crawl and The Orange Peel

Crawl With US runs the Asheville Halloween Bar Crawl on the South Slope from 4 to 10 p.m. Check in at Hi-Wire Brewing or The Tiki Easy Bar between 4 and 6 p.m., then work through seven bars in any order before the after party at Banks Ave. Advance tickets are now $25 ($20 each in groups of four or more), and it's $40 at the door.

If you'd rather see a show, Wednesday plays The Orange Peel on Halloween night with Snail Mail (solo) and Harvester, hosted by Whitmer Thomas. Doors are at 7 p.m., the show starts at 8, and it's 18 and up. The Orange Peel lists the show as sold out.

How to Plan Halloween Weekend

With Halloween on a Saturday in 2026, the long weekend really starts Thursday.

• Thursday, October 29: The Halloween Creepy Climb for kids from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For adults, AMOS After Hours from 6 to 9 p.m. or the Pink Lady Party from 7 to 10 p.m. The Haunted Farm is open too.
• Friday, October 30: The last night of the Haunted Trail, from 6 to 9 p.m., or The Haunted Farm after dark.
• Saturday, October 31: The Wicked Spooky 5K at 9 a.m. and Treat Street in Hendersonville from 2 to 5 p.m. Back in Asheville, the Drive Thru Candy Grab runs 4 to 5:30 p.m., then Trunk or Treat Fest and Halloween Bingo from 6 to 8 p.m. Adults have the bar crawl, Wednesday at The Orange Peel (sold out), or The Haunted Farm's Halloween night.
• Sunday, November 1: The last day for the Eliada Corn Maze and for Misery at NC Stage.

A Few Tips Before You Go

• Register early for the city events. Most Festival of Frights programs need advance registration, and Asheville Parks & Recreation says its programs fill up fast.
• Bring cash for The Haunted Farm. Parking and on-site tickets are cash only.
• Bring a layer. Mountain evenings cool off quickly in late October, especially on a wooded trail or a hayride.
• Match the event to the kid. Everything in the first section is built to be friendly. The Haunted Farm and Misery are not.
• Check the day of. Outdoor events can shift for weather, so look at the organizer's page before you head out.

More to Do in Asheville This October

Halloween isn't the only thing on the calendar. Asheville Oktoberfest filled the South Slope on October 3, the Lovely Asheville Annual Fall Festival was October 10 and 11 at Pack Square Park, and the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands ran October 15 to 18, so those are done for the year. The Beaverdam Studio Tour opens two dozen artists' studios this weekend, October 24 and 25. Our list of family-friendly things to do in Asheville covers the rest of the year, and the events calendar has everything else coming up.

For leaf season, Blue Ridge Parkway drives and the rest of the autumn calendar, see our fall in Asheville guide.