Here’s your Mom’s Guide to Spooky Season around Louisville, inclusive of our annual roundup of Halloween events happening! Dress up, have some fun, eat lots of treats, and stay safe – whether trick-or-treating or trunk-or-treating this year! (Find more activity ideas for your little ghouls and goblins HERE.)
Trick-Or-Treat Tips
If you’re setting up for trick-or-treat this Halloween at your own home, remember these Allergy Aware signals – display teal pumpkins and have separate tables/bowls for candies and non-candies for the littles who can’t have candy – like stickers, play-doh cups, glow sticks, etc. (You can get these easily at Wal-Mart or Dollar Tree.)
For the candy, buy as early as possible and look out for any sales in your favorite grocery stores. The good stuff disappears quickly! Make sure to get both chocolate and non-chocolate options, as not all kids like chocolate. Besides Twizzlers, Dum-Dums, etc., I’ve seen popcorn balls that kids love, along with families that grill hot dogs to pass out. My favorite houses are the ones where they pass out treats to the parents (aka beer and wine coolers)!
According to the YMCA, here are 5 trick or treating safety tips to make this Halloween extra sweet –
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- Plan your route in advance.
- Stay bright and well-lit.
- NEVER trick-or-treat alone.
- Use face paint; avoid masks.
- Check your child’s candy.
Budget-Friendly Halloween Costume Ideas
Contributor, Olivia Jarrell, always buys secondhand for her kids’ costumes (she always has the best thrifting around Louisville tips for us!) and says that $12 is the most she’s ever paid for a costume so far!!! Her go-to places are Fall kid consignment sales, Once Upon a Child (yes!), Facebook Marketplace, and mom-specific Facebook groups.
As far as homemade costumes, some moms think those are a bunch of Hocus Pocus, while others relish the idea of making their kids costumes each year. Contributor, Jerusha Caple, is amazing at the homemade costume game and considers making her boys’ Halloween costumes as just part of being mommy.
Check out this amazing homemade costume!!! What an incredible and incredibly cute way to keep them together in a crowd AND have their costumes coordinate!
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Halloween Events
FREE EVENTS
*FREE* Halloween on Hillcrest
Hillcrest & Frankfort
Louisville, KY
FREE community neighborhood event. Most homeowners start decorating early October and are fully decorated mid-month. It’s typically more crowded on the weekends. Trick-or-treat is Halloween night only from 5-9pm. Get more details on all the tips from the neighborhood HERE.
*FREE* Hillview Holiday Display
831 Hillview Boulevard
Louisville, KY
The Halloween display is up, so drive by and check it out! This year is also their 2nd Annual Scareforth Drive Haunt, happening on Saturday, October 28, 2023, and Tuesday, October 31, 2023, from 5-9:30pm. The walk-thru is also free, but please bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Dare to Care Food Bank.
*FREE* Goatman Festival
Friday, October 13, 2023
7pm
Pope Lick Park
FREE outdoor Movie Night and Cryptid Festival!
*FREE* Hayride on the Hill
October 15, 2023
2:30-5pm
Shawnee Park
Enjoy a spin around the Olmsted Parks under the autumn leaves! Hayride on the Hill features lawn games, Free Play and food trucks. The event is free to attend, and refreshments are available for purchase.
*FREE* Halloween Bash
October 21, 2023
5-7pm
Beechmont Community Center
A FREE, family-friendly event with costume contest, a haunted hallway, candy giveaways, and more!
*FREE* Tailgate Treats
October 22, 2023
5-7pm
Middletown Christian Church
*FREE* Fright Fair on Spring Street
Saturday, October 28, 2023
12-6pm
Jeffersonville, IN
*FREE* Jeffersontown Pumpkinfest 2023
Friday, October 27, 2023
6-8pm
Jeffersontown Veterans Memorial Park
10617 Taylorsville Road
Jeffersontown, KY
Join us for trick or treating, a pumpkin stroll, music, and more! Stay after the festivities for a Halloween movie night inside the Jeffersonian for a showing of Hotel Transylvania starting at 8 pm!
*FREE* Middletown’s Annual Trick or Treat
October 28, 2023
10am-12pm
First Baptist Church
*Children 12 and under; no pets
*FREE* Boneyard KY
October 21, 28, and 31, 2023
7pm
5305 Old Herring Place
Crestwood, KY 40014-8850
FREE haunted attraction in Camden Manor Neighborhood, and great for all ages!
FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Ultimate Halloween Parade Festival
October 26-29, 2023
Lynn Family Stadium
Supporting bullying prevention!
LMC Savings Tip :: As always, attending the parade is FREE! Entry to the Festival requires an access pass. Save over 40% with 4-day passes!
The Autumn Express
September 30, 2023
October 3 & 10, 2023
Kentucky Railway Museum
LMC Savings Tip :: Kids under 2 are FREE!
Trick or Treat at the Ballpark
October 21, 2023
5-7:30pm
Louisville Slugger Field
LMC Savings Tip :: Kids 2 and under are FREE!
Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom
Weekends September 30 – October 29, 2023
The glow is growing at Kentucky Kingdom this Fall. More than 1,000 bright orange pumpkins have appeared all over the park, inviting you to play all day on world-class rides and explore Fall-themed fun like games, street performances, and colorful new characters. Stay after sundown to watch the park transform into a whimsical wonderland of glow featuring larger-than-life pumpkin sculptures!
LMC Savings Tip :: Get your 2024 Season Pass for a season full of fun at Kentucky Kingdom PLUS the glow!
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
October 3-31, 2023
Iroquois Park
Family-friendly walking tour. Trail opens at dusk.
LMC Savings Tip :: Save $2 off all tickets Sunday – Thursday for 9:30pm entry!
Louisville Boo at the Zoo
September 30 – October 29 (Thursdays – Sundays)
Party starts at 5 p.m. Route closes at 10 p.m.
LMC Savings Tip :: Special Tickets Required for all guests ages 3+, but Zoo members get almost half off! Children 2 and under are FREE!
Haunted House Tours at Culbertson Mansion
September 29 – October 7, 2023
LMC Savings Tip :: Kids under 3 and members are FREE.
FOR THE BIG KIDS
American Horrorplex Haunted House
Fridays & Saturdays 8pm-1am
September 15 – November 4, 2023
2012 Northwestern Parkway
Louisville, KY 40203
Baxter Avenue Morgue
September 22 – October 31, 2023
Select dates and times
451 Baxter Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky 40204
LMC Pro Mom Tip :: Have a kid that claims they’re fearless, but you’re worried they might get too scared and chicken out? They have Kentucky Frightened Chicken Doors for an immediate end to the terrifying tour!
LMC Savings Tip :: Group discounts usually start at 30 people, but you get $5 off on Sundays when you print out the coupon on their website!
The Haunted Hotel
September 2 – October 31, 2023
Select dates and times
3000 S. 4th Street
Louisville, KY 40208
(2 blocks from Churchill Downs off Central Avenue)
This is an interactive, touch haunt!
Danger Run
Follow clues and solve puzzles in your car to find haunted houses. All-inclusive admission includes the haunted houses you find along the way.
LMC Savings Tip :: Groups of 4 or more save $15 online with code CARLOAD.
The Spirits of LeGrange Ghost Tour
Thursdays – Saturdays
September 28 – October 28, 2023
Welcome Center
208 East Main Street
La Grange, KY 40031
*For the big kids! The tour is not intended for those 12 and under. Proceeds help preserve historic buildings around LeGrange.
Waverly Hills Historical Society Tours
Tours available now through November 1, 2023
The Woman in Black at Kentucky Shakespeare
October 4 – 29, 2023
Louisville is a HUGE Halloween-lovin’ city, and there are so many spooky-themed events happening this year, we couldn’t even list them here! If there are any you know of that you want to share with our Kentuckiana moms, post a comment below!!! There are some other events happening during October, including Fall festivals and more, that you can find in our October guide to Family-Friendly Events.
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