19 Free and Family-Friendly Twin Cities Halloween Events

Planning your family outings for Halloween or the weekend before? Look no further!

This guide is not a complete list of every Halloween event happening in the Twin Cities, but I’d like to think that it’s thorough. All of these events are happening in the greater Twin Cities area, free to attend (or have a small fee for a service at the event or a suggested donation but no admission charge), and geared toward children under the age of 12.

Aleksandar Cvetanovic/Pexels

Minneapolis and St. Paul

The 26th Annual BareBones Puppets Halloween Puppet Extravaganza
October 25, 26, and 31 and November 2, gates at 6:30 p.m., show at 7:00 p.m.
Hidden Falls Regional Park, North Gate (St. Paul)

This multimedia presentation that evokes wonder, joy, excitement, and a little bit of spookiness. BareBones uses community storytelling and masterful puppetry for this Twin Cities tradition, which is followed by a reception with free hot food from Sister Camelot. BareBones does ask that you pay what you can and suggests a donation of $10 to $20 to keep the show running. ASL interpretation provided on October 26.

PAW Patrol Trick-or-Treat Event
October 26, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Various Target Stores

Head to Target, where your kids can come in costume and trick-or-treat through the store and watch a featured episode of PAW Patrol. There are also planned giveaways throughout the event.

Thrill Kenwood
October 26, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Kenwood Park (Minneapolis)

The 11th annual Zombies in the Hood Halloween block party is hosted by Kenwood Park and ARTrageous Adventures. Participate in activities such as the zombie makeover, Halloween creation station, and caricatures—or come for the amazing live music, dance performances, strolling performers, treat bags, and more. Make sure to stick around and join the Global Simultaneous Thriller Dance taking place at 5pm.

Halloween Comic Fest
October 26, all day
Various locations

Find your local comic-book store and head over to get free exclusive Halloween comics. Comic packs to hand out to trick-or-treaters will also be available for purchase.

2nd Annual HERO-ween
October 27, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Firefighters Hall and Museum (Minneapolis)

Take part in indoor trick-or-treating throughout the Fire Hall Museum as well as meet and greets with staff from the fire department, police, and paramedics. You can ask questions and take photos with the first responders.

Spooky Story Time
October 31, 10:30 a.m.
Red Balloon Bookshop (St. Paul)

A fun and educational event for families with children 0 and up. Red Balloon’s regular weekly story time is being transformed for the holiday, featuring not-too-scary spooky stories, seasonal songs, rhymes, the pumpkin dance, and a small non-food treat for kids. Costumes are not required but sure are encouraged.

A Very Tiny Boo Bash
October 31, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Tiny Diner (Minneapolis)

At this family-friendly Halloween event in Minneapolis, there will be build-your-own masks and superhero capes with the Mobile Menders, live music, face painting, free cider and snacks, monster-themed games, a bonfire, scary stories in the Play Hive, and more!

Great Pumpkin Halloween Celebration
October 27, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Landmark Center (St. Paul)

Join in the fun at this nonscary costume celebration. There will be music, crafts, face-painting, and other family fun activities. Also, your child can participate in the costume parade and collect free candy as they explore the Landmark Center staff in fun costumes.

Twin Cities Suburbs

Anoka Halloween
October 25–26
City of Anoka

There’s a reason Anoka calls itself the Halloween capital of the world—the city does a ton for Halloween. Here’s a sampling of family-friendly events over Halloween weekend:

• Preschool Costume Contest (October 25, 8:30 to 11:15 a.m.)
  Pre-K children are invited to show off their costumes, get treats, and make new friends.
• Big Parade of Little People (October 25, 1:15 to 3:00 p.m.)
  Come join all the elementary school children as they parade down Mainstreet in their costumes to the tunes of the middle school marching bands.
• Spooktacular Carnival (October 26, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
  Carnival games for kids ranging from 25 cents to $1 a game.
• Grande Day Parade (October 26, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.)
  The biggest and best Halloween parade around. Floats, marching bands, and more, all in costume for the season.

Burwell Spooktacular
October 25, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Burwell House (Minnetonka)

Come in costume and enjoy a spooky and tasty scavenger hunt, tour the Burwell House, do crafts, and make a pirate ship to race down the creek. Also come see storytellers, pumpkin carvers, crafts, and a festive fire to warm up by. Geared for kids 12 and under.

Spooky Family Fun Night
October 25, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Shakopee Community Center

Come in costume to the Shakopee Community Center and Shakopee Ice Arena for costume contests, bounce houses, Cosmic Zumba, ice skating, crafts, games, and a performance by the Big Epic Show. Free limited skate rental available.

Minnesota Bat Festival
October 26, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Bloomington Education and Visitor Center

Now in its third year, this festival is part of International Bat Week. Come learn more about how to preserve the habitats of Minnesota’s smallest mammals. There will be a bat cave to explore, bat trivia, a live bat show, a bat puppet show, bat crafts, a reading corner, bat house building demonstrations, and more.

Pumpkin Fest
October 26, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
50th and France (Edina)

This is the 37th installment of Edina’s family-friendly harvest and Halloween festival, which is a child’s party come true. You can find trick-or-treating, face painting, a petting zoo, pony rides, balloon twisters, various sweets, and more. You’ll also find a Halloween-themed set of live performances by Hearts Performing Arts. And don’t forget to attend the culminating costume contest and parade starting at the fountain on West 50th Street at 12:45 p.m.

Halloween in Hopkins
October 26, 7:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
Mainstreet (Hopkins)

You’ll find a variety of Halloween-themed fun on Hopkins’s Mainstreet. During the main event, you can play kid games with JCI Hopkins, visit the reptile and amphibian meet and greet, or trick-or-treat down Mainstreet. For more fun, you can join the pumpkin decorating contest at the Hopkins Farmers Market (7:30 a.m. to noon) or tour the Haunted Jail (11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).

Afton Trick or Treat Trail
October 26, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
St. Croix Trail (Afton)

Children can collect treats along St. Croix Trail from the Lumberyard Pub to Selma’s. Stop at the Afton House Inn for a special craft project and Afton Museum for face painting and a photo booth.

Boo Bash
October 26, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Bruentrup Heritage Farm (Maplewood)

Head down to the farm for a family-friendly event including a petting zoo, storytelling, wagon rides, crafts, a scavenger hunt, prizes, crafts, and games. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Concessions are available for purchase.

Trick-or-Treat at City Hall
October 31, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Shakopee City Hall

Come show off your costumes and get some treats before you hit the streets for your neighborhood trick-or-treating.

Bloomington Citywide Halloween Party
October 31 6-8pm
Bloomington Ice Garden

This event is for preschoolers through fourth-graders accompanied by an adult. Come get treats at Trick or Treat Alley and enjoy open skating, games, prizes, and more. While admission is free, a donation of nonperishable food for the local food shelf is encouraged.

Vadnais Heights Halloween Party
October 31, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Vadnais Heights Commons

Halloween treats, balloon animals, and refreshments wil be provided, and Circus Manduhai will perform from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m.

Happy Halloween!