Atlanta Halloween 2026: Boo at the Zoo, Boo Bash, tours

Last checked Oct. 20, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Dates, times and ticket details come from each organizer’s own page, linked below.

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. The Little Five Points festival and parade ran Oct. 17 and 18. What is still to come:

Updated Oct. 20: Little Five Points and the first Oakland weekend are past; the city’s free Boo Bash on Oct. 29 is added; Boo at the Zoo now lists Oct. 24, 25 and 31.

Who to call

• Children’s Museum of Atlanta: 404-659-5437
• Center for Puppetry Arts box office: 404-873-3391
• Fernbank Museum: 404-929-6300
• City services: ATL311, dial 311 or 404-546-0311
• Emergency: 911

Trick-or-treating for kids

Boo at the Zoo, Oct. 24, 25 and 31, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Ave. SE in Grant Park, runs its last three Boo at the Zoo days, Halloween included. Kids follow Trick-or-Treat Lane past treat stations, and there are carnival games, crafts and strolling characters from 10 a.m. It is included with general admission and free for zoo members and children under 3. Rain or shine, though the zoo says some activities may be delayed or canceled in rain. Source: Zoo Atlanta’s event page.

Monster Mash, Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW in Midtown, turns its atrium into a Halloween dance party with trick-or-treating, a kids’ DJ and walk-around puppets. Tickets start at $20 for nonmembers, with museum admission included (Monster Mash page).

Dinosaur Trick-or-Treat, Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fernbank Museum, 767 Clifton Road, sets out themed treat tables, crafts and activities in its Great Hall while supplies last. It is included with general admission and free for members. Parking is limited, and the museum suggests offsite parking or rideshare (Fernbank’s event page).

Trick-or-Treat at the Museum, Saturday, Oct. 24, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW, holds its annual evening trick-or-treat, with a circus performance at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, or $10 for members, and the museum says prices rise the week of the event (museum events page).

DPW’s Pre-Halloween Boo Bash, Thursday, Oct. 29, 3 to 6 p.m. The city’s Department of Public Works holds a free family event at Rodney Cook Sr. Park, 650 Joseph E. Boone Blvd. NW in Vine City, with games, music, costumed characters, face painting, balloon art and candy. The first 200 children get a DPW superhero cape. Costumes are encouraged, not required (city event page).

Oakland Cemetery after dark

Capturing the Spirit of Oakland, Oct. 22-25. The Historic Oakland Foundation’s Halloween tours are in their 20th year, and this is the last weekend. Costumed storytellers play figures who shaped Atlanta along a route of about one mile that takes 75 minutes. Tickets are sold in 15-minute entry blocks and are not refundable; general admission is $45 for ages 13 and up and $30 for ages 3 to 12. In severe weather the foundation emails ticketholders with any changes. King Memorial is the nearest MARTA station, a 7- to 10-minute walk from the main gate. Source: Capturing the Spirit of Oakland 2026.

History, Mystery, and Mayhem, Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. A 75-minute daytime guided tour of the cemetery’s unexplained deaths and local legends. Check in at the Oakland Store in the Visitor Center, 374 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE (tour page).

Día de Muertos, Sunday, Nov. 1, noon to 5 p.m. The free Day of the Dead festival, hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico and the Institute of Mexican Culture, is at Oakland the day after Halloween (event page).

Scarecrows, pumpkins and teens

Scarecrows in the Garden, through Nov. 1. The Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, displays scarecrows made by schools, families, artists and businesses, with supersized scarecrows on the new Great Lawn for the garden’s 50th anniversary (garden page).

Great Pumpkin-Carving Festival, Thursday, Oct. 22, 5 to 9 p.m. Carved pumpkins, live music, roving entertainment and cocktails at the garden, where the scarecrow winners are announced. General admission is $35 for adults and $15 for children 3 to 12, or $30 and $10 for members; the garden recommends buying ahead (event page).

Teen Night: Hallow-Teen, Friday, Oct. 23, 6 to 9 p.m. Fernbank opens for ages 13 to 17 with a costume contest, cookie decorating, slime making and a giant-screen film (event page).

Halloween for adults

Fright Night, Friday, Oct. 30, 7 to 11 p.m. Fernbank’s adults-only costume party, for ages 21 and up, has a live DJ in the Great Hall, cocktails, small plates and costume prizes (event page).

Already past this year

The Little 5 Points Halloween Festival ran Oct. 17 and 18, with the parade on Moreland Avenue on Sunday, Oct. 18 (Little 5 Points Halloween page). The first weekend of the Oakland tours, Oct. 15-18, and the first Boo at the Zoo weekend are also past.

Getting there

Parking is tight at every venue on this list on a Saturday. Our getting around Atlanta page covers MARTA, parking and rideshare, and check road construction and closures before you drive. MARTA rail serves Oakland (King Memorial) and the Children’s Museum (Peachtree Center or GWCC/CNN Center).

Frequently asked questions

What days is Boo at the Zoo in 2026? The remaining days are Oct. 24, 25 and 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is included with general admission and free for members and children under 3.

Does the city of Atlanta hold a Halloween event in 2026? Yes. The Department of Public Works holds a free Pre-Halloween Boo Bash from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at Rodney Cook Sr. Park.

When are the Oakland Cemetery Halloween tours? The last weekend of Capturing the Spirit of Oakland is Oct. 22-25, 2026. Tickets are sold in 15-minute entry blocks.

Are there adult Halloween parties in Atlanta? Fernbank’s Fright Night, for ages 21 and up, is Friday, Oct. 30. The Botanical Garden’s pumpkin-carving evening, with cocktails, is Thursday, Oct. 22.

When was the Little Five Points Halloween parade in 2026? It ran Sunday, Oct. 18, on Moreland Avenue.

What this means for you

• Saturday, Oct. 24, is the big kids’ day: the zoo, Fernbank, the puppetry center and the Children’s Museum all hold trick-or-treat events.
• The city’s Boo Bash on Thursday, Oct. 29, is free.
• Oakland tours and the Children’s Museum event need tickets bought ahead.

Related: trick-or-treat hours, things to do this month, kids’ activities in Atlanta and free things to do.