Ways to Celebrate Halloween in Greater Fort Lauderdale

With tricks and treats for your entire brood, The City of Fort Lauderdale is curating the ultimate family-friendly spooktacular on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. LauderBOO will summon ghosts, goblins, princesses, pirates, and superheroes to the streets for this one-night-only folklore carnival. 

Try your hand at Halloween-themed arts and crafts, enter contests to win prizes, dance to thrilling tunes, jump around in a bounce house, visit with furry friends at the Native Village animal exhibition, and of course, leave room for plenty of sweets. 

Thrill seekers, come one, come all — at your own risk (ages 13 and older recommended). Starting Friday, Oct. 3, and running through Saturday, Nov. 1, Nightmare Village will transform Xtreme Action Park into a playground of horrors.

Inside the Ravenswood Haunted Theater, guests can experience not one, but three terrifying immersive haunted houses. “The Final Stitch” features a doll and puppet maker gone mad, whose victims become haunting dolls; “The Cellar,” which lies beneath a remote farmhouse, transforms into an underground post-storm echo chamber of darkness; and “Dead and Breakfast” lures weary travelers to a vampire lair posing as an innocent motel. 

Hollyweird Halloween is back on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., on Hollywood Boulevard between 19th Ave. and 20th Ave. Admission is free, and so are the supernatural sounds of the witchin’ live music lineup, plus there are drink specials. If you’re feeling festive, enter one of the best adult costume contests in South Florida—we’re talking all-out, over-the-top, mind-bending entries—to scoop your share of the $10,000 prize pot. 

The show kicks off at 11:15 p.m. with five categories (group, couples, scary, weird/unique, and best overall) and ends at 1:30 a.m. If you’re not up for cosplay, spooktating is just as fun.

On Friday, Oct. 31, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., step into Eden after dark to discover a sinful paradise where desire awaits. The 18-year-old Wicked Manors block party is an annual Halloween tradition on Wilton Drive with entertainment on two stages, from N.E. 21st Court and N. Dixie Highway at Five Points. Last year’s event brought guests from an impressive 18 countries. 

Tickets run from $12 to $15 (pre-sale and at the gate); for general admission; $36 (pre-sale only) for premium general admission, which includes five free drink tickets; and $125 to $150, (pre-sale and at the gate), which offers access to a spacious open-air canopy, luxury portable restrooms, and a hosted open bar. 

If fall is your favorite season, the Fifth Annual Pumpkins & Palm Trees at The LOOP (Las Olas Oceanside Park) is your vibe. On Sunday, Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., celebrate autumn in the air South Florida style: a festive, jam-packed day of family-friendly fun. Kids can express themselves at the make-and-take craft stations, play ticketed carnival games, and enter the balloon blaster race sponsored by Free Ride with prizes up for grabs (including scooters). Then, head out on the Trick or Treat Trail with Broward Center Spotlights and visit local vendors for food, art, and fashion at The MKT. 

Make sure to stop and strike a pose at the fall and Halloween-themed photo stations and don’t miss the fifth edition of the Student Pie Baking Competition presented by FRLA Broward at 9:30 a.m., where young bakers will go head-to-head vying for a slice of sweet victory. 

A touch of hocus pocus will transform the Coral Springs Gymnasium into a Halloween-themed carnival with something for everyone. Costume-friendly Thrills & Chills kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with festive games, a bounce house, a maze, a giant slide, a spooky walk (ages 5 and up recommended), a sensory-friendly area, and of course, candy bags on the way out. Plus, a concession stand will be open for food and drink options. Pre-sale online tickets (age 2 and up) cost $5 and $8 the day of the event online or at the door.

Go trick-or-treating early at Boo! By-The-Sea, where kids can get their hands on extra goodies at the west business plazas in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. On Saturday, Oct. 25, it’s a dress rehearsal for the big day. Get costumed (and rewarded) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The City of Dania Beach invites the entire clan out for Fall Festival on Friday, Oct. 24 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Get into the spirit with a pumpkin patch, arts and crafts, face painting, and bounce house action, along with the iconic car-friendly trunk-or-treat extravaganza. The grand finale is a costume contest (groups include ages 0 to 2; 3 to 5; 6 to 8; 9 to 12; 13 to 17; adult; and family) with plenty of prizes to sweeten the deal. 

Get lost along the eerie Halloween Trail of Treats in Hallandale at OB Johnson Park among 1,000 ghouls and goblins on Friday, Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Play games, enjoy music, snap pics at the photo station, find your way through two haunted mazes, and indulge in endless (for sale) food truck treats.

Go incognito (in costume, and then enter the contest) and have no fear on the carnival rides, get your fortune told, pose with a superhero, go on a hay ride, and more at Boo Bash – Fall Edition 2025. Fun for all ages, the festivities kick into high gear on Saturday, Oct. 25 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Community Park in Pompano Beach. 

Music and Halloween lovers, rejoice. Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics is the ghostly concert you’ve been waiting for. On Friday, Oct. 24 from 9 p.m. to 10:15 p.m., Halloween at The Sanctuary Church FTL will illuminate by candlelight with a spooky soundtrack courtesy of Collins Quartet featuring classic scores (think: “Funeral March of a Marionette” by Charles Gounod); pop hits (like “Thriller” by Michael Jackson); and various scary movie tracks and themes (enter: “Halloween” by John Carpenter; “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr.; and “Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show by Richard O’Brien and Richard Hartley). Tickets cost $29.96. 

Thirsty for more Halloween antics? You have two opportunities to whet your whistle in Fort Lauderdale during the 5th Annual Ghouls Gone Wild bar crawl by Downtown Crawlers. On Saturday, Oct. 25 and Friday, Oct. 31, for $19.10 per ticket, embark on a five-hour crawl (costumes encouraged) beginning at 7 p.m. You’ll make five stops on a choose-your-own-adventure-style crawl, and each includes one welcome shot per venue. Professional photographers are lurking to capture memorable (or not-so-memorable) moments, and there’s a digital costume contest. Find signature drink specials at each outpost, waived cover fees, Halloween treats, and after-party access: granted. Sounds batty, right? 

The Horse & Hound Costume Event 2025 at Sand & Spurs Equestrian Park in Pompano Beach is slated for Sunday, Oct. 26, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.This unique costume contest is for horses and dogs, with plenty of family festivities mixed in. 

Dress to impress with furry friends of all sizes. The Hound Costume Contest is from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the Horse Costume Contest takes place from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a horse show from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Plus, the kids can enjoy hayrides, a bounce house, the 360 photo booth, and snacks from local food trucks.

On Friday, Oct. 31, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Emma Lou Olson Civic Center in Pompano Beach is hosting the Monster Mash Dance 2025 for kids 13 and up with developmental disabilities. There’s a monster-themed costume contest, plus plenty of games and dancing. 

Note: Those with disabilities who require accommodations to participate should get in touch with the Therapeutic Recreation Specialist at 954-786-7841 at least five business days before the event.