Things to Do for Kids in Chicago in October 2026
The Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival
Highwood
Friday - Sunday, October 2-4, 2026
Visit Highwood for all the pumpkin-based fun you could wish for. This three-day festival includes all-you-can-carve pumpkin stations, a carnival, live entertainment, a 5k, craft and food vendors, and pet and kid costume contests. Website
South Side Science Festival
Hyde Park - FREE
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Calling all science enthusiasts: The University of Chicago's South Side Science Festival is back for its 5th year! Explore the world of science at this FREE, fun-for-all-ages event featuring hands-on demonstrations led by UChicago scientists, brain-bending challenges, and a sub-zero science show. Website
Caldwell Woods Pumpkin Palooza
Niles - FREE
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Paint pumpkins and bowl, dye buckthorn, play ring toss, maneuver through a fall-themed obstacle course, and more! Website
Run for the Kids: Superhero Hustle
Villa Park
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Families can support kids with developmental delays at this 5K and kids dash that benefits Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley. The post-race party includes fresh grilled foods, face painting, live music, a photo booth, and kid-friendly games and entertainment. Website
Brookfield Zoo Chicago Boo at the Zoo
Brookfield
Daily, October 3-25, 2026
Kids can trick-or-treat with the animals at Brookfield Zoo at this not-so-scary event during the three weeks leading up to Halloween. Other weekend activities include giant pumpkin carving, a Halloween craft, cupcake and cookie decorating, a haunted hayride, a creepy cowboy carousel, a corn maze, a pumpkin smasher, a costume parade, and a costume contest. Website
Family Fun On the Patio! Mr. Dave Plays Dead (at FitzGerald's)
Berwyn
Sunday, October 4, 2026
This 75-minute psychedelic adventure features the music of the Grateful Dead, for kids! Join Mr. Dave and a full band featuring Janis Wallin, Jordan Wilkow, Mikey Schroeder, and Charley Bredrup as they take you on a colorful trip through soundscapes of classic dead tunes and groovy vibes. Website
Chicago Kids Company Presents The Tortoise and The Hare
Beverly
Opens Friday, October 9, 2026
Chicago Kids' Company presents its one-hour stage play of the classic Aesop's Fable The Tortoise and The Hare. The Hare is ready to win the race at all costs when an unlikely challenger comes to town. Will slow and steady or fast and furious win the race? Find out in this play full of silly animals and an exciting photo finish. Website
St. Charles Scarecrow Festival
St. Charles
Friday - Sunday, October 9-11, 2026
More than 100 handmade and mechanical scarecrows will be on display in downtown St. Charles for this 35th annual fall tradition. Families can make their own scarecrow, enjoy live entertainment, shop at the arts and crafts show, or ride carnival rides while enjoying the fall weather. Website
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Presents Halloween Creepy Crawlies
Andersonville
Sunday, October 11, 2026
Halloween Creepy Crawlies is a family-friendly dance production produced by Darvin Dances that explores the mysteries of Halloween through a lost ghost’s search for her haunted home. On her way, she is helped by Ballerina Witches, Jazzy Vampires, Modern-Dancing Mummies, a Tap-Dancing Skeleton, and a Jack O’ Lantern named Jake. Kids will even have a chance to participate in a 15-minute Halloween Dance Experience before the show begins! Website
Columbus Day Parade
Downtown - FREE
Monday, October 12, 2026
Chicagoans of all ages can enjoy watching 150 groups, including bands, floats, and marchers, march down State Street for the 73rd annual Columbus Day Parade. This year’s grand marshals are: Lou Gramm, the original coice of “Foreigner”, actor & television personality Tony Danza, and Cristiana Dell’Anna, the star of the film “Cabrini”! Website
Zombie Candy Hunt
LaGrange
Friday, October 16, 2026
Zombies have hidden candy in Sedgwick Park and kids must dress up in costumes to come find it! Bring your own flashlight and bag or bucket to fill with goodies. Website
Boo Bash (at the ARC Center)
West Chicago
Friday, October 16, 2026
Boo Bash is back and here's what’s in store at this annual event in West Chicago: a haunted hayride through Reed-Keppler Park, a pumpkin patch, a Madd Science Lab, a Candy Corn Quest scavenger hunt through the ARC Center, the Boo Crew Play Zone, the Ghost Blasters Nerf room, open play in the Treetop Escape, and lots more spooky surprises! Website
Wicker Park Boo-palooza and Bark-palooza
Wicker Park
Saturday, October 17, 2026
This family-friendly Halloween event features kids' musicians, a costume parade, and a pumpkin patch and decorating area. Play games including pin-the-tail on various popular cartoons, find the "needle" in the haystack, or work your way through a straw maze. Website
Open House Chicago
Citywide - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, October 17 & 18, 2026
The Chicago Architecture Center hosts Open House Chicago, a free public festival that offers behind-the-scenes access to more than 20 buildings throughout Chicago. Guests can enjoy access to Chicago's architectural gems, including skyscrapers, repurposed mansions, opulent theaters, exclusive private clubs, private offices, and breathtaking sacred spaces. Website
Ackerman Haunted Trail
Glen Ellyn
Thursday & Friday, October 22 & 23, 2026
Take a walk along the spook trail to enjoy Halloween-themed games. Refreshments will be available from local vendors. From 4-6pm, the trail will be non-scary and geared toward younger children. From 6-8pm, it will be spookier for kids 11 and up. Website
Addison Park District Candy Carnival
Addison
Friday, October 23, 2026
Kids can play games to win candy at this annual event. Kids receive an extra treat for coming in costume. Inflatables, crafts, and games round out the fun. Parents must accompany their children at this event. Website
Hinsdale Fall Family Fest
Hinsdale - FREE
Saturday, October 24, 2026
West suburban families can visit Burlington Park to paint pumpkins, enjoy giveaways from local businesses, visit food trucks, and trick-or-treat at downtown businesses. Inflatables and roaming entertainment will also be on hand. Website
Spooky Saturday on the Main-Dempster Mile
Evanston - FREE
Saturday, October 24, 2026
North suburban families can enjoy live music and a pumpkin carving contest to celebrate fall along the Main-Dempster Mile. Trick-or-treat at local businesses and participate in a kid or pet costume parade. Music from SCarolers will add to the fun. Website
Arts in the Dark (starting on Columbus Drive)
Downtown - FREE
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Arts in the Dark is an evening parade that celebrates Halloween as the "artist's holiday," bringing together Chicago institutions and organizations dedicated to art and education. Audience members will be delighted by unique floats, spectacle puppets, and creative performances set against the backdrop of Chicago’s majestic skyline. Website
Pumpkin Palooza (at DuPage Children's Museum)
Naperville
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Kids can celebrate the season by coming in costume to the DuPage Children's Museum for STEAM-themed, non-scary activities. Build your own Franken buddy from recycled toys, create wearable art, brew your own slime, and mix and mash pumpkin guts! Website
Lincoln Park Spooktacular 2026
Lincoln Park - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, October 24 & 25, 2026
Trick-or-treat at select businesses along Lincoln Avenue between Wrightwood and Webster on Saturday or Clark Street on Sunday on the weekend before Halloween. Magicians, stilt walkers, and jugglers will meet and greet trick-or-treaters along the way. Website
Carmela Full of Wishes at Chicago Children's Theatre
West Loop
Opens Sunday, October 25, 2026
It’s Carmela’s birthday, and her wish has already come true–she’s finally old enough to join her big brother as he does the family errands. On their way to the laundromat, past fields of what Mamí calls “flores de cempazuchitl,” Carmela finds a lone dandelion growing in the pavement. Before she can even blow its puffy white fluff away, her brother asks, “did you even make a wish?” Should she wish for Mami, who works long hours in a downtown hotel trying to make ends meet? Or Papi, a migrant worker who is currently…absent. Website
Lincoln Scared and Ravenswoooooood
Lincoln Square and Ravenswood - FREE
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Lincoln Square and Ravenswood transform into Lincoln Scared and Ravenswooooooood for early trick-or-treating. Businesses hand out candy and other treats, and a pumpkin decorating station sets up on Damen Avenue. Website
Blodgett House Boo Fest
Downers Grove - FREE
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Families can avoid the rain (or snow) by trick-or-treating indoors at the Downers Grove Museum. The Victorian-themed Blodgett House will be decorated for the occasion and will host a scavenger hunt. Website
Slightly Spooky Saturday: Family Halloween (at Navy Pier)
Streeterville - FREE
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Halloween takes over Navy Pier! Families can enjoy circus acts, mad scientist demos, axe throwing, a costume contest, face-painting demos, and more at shops and restaurants around the Pier. Website