39 Freaky Fun Halloween Activities for All Ages in 2024

If you are looking for Halloween activities for all ages, we’ve got a list of 39 different ideas that are sure to be a hit. According to the University of Colorado, Halloween, which originated in Ireland, is celebrated in many different ways around the world, from Day of the Dead celebrations on November 2 in Mexico to street party celebrations in Japan.

Halloween a little closer to home might look more like trick-or-treating in the neighborhood or attending a local fall festival with your kids. No matter how you celebrate, there are plenty of fun Halloween activities to choose from during the spookiest season of the year.

Instead of spending time googling “Halloween activities near me,” we’ve divided our list up into ideas for adults, kids and everyone in between to help you find the best Halloween activities this year with the least amount of effort.

We hope this list helps you find the perfect Halloween activity, no matter what age you are or how you want to celebrate this fun holiday.

Jump to Section

• Creative Halloween Activities for Adults
• Fun Foodie Halloween Activities
• Best Halloween Party Games for All Ages
• At-Home Halloween Activities
• Halloween Activities for Kids

Creative Halloween Activities for Adults

1. Paint and Sip

If you are looking for cute Halloween date ideas, try a spooky paint and sip class. With locations for paint and sip in NYC, paint and sip in Atlanta and paint and sip in Chicago, you’re sure to find a class that offers a seasonal paint and sip class.

Maybe you’ll get to paint a cute picture of ghosts together, or a portrait of a wolf howling at the full moon. Whatever spooky theme you settle on, there is sure to be a paint and sip near you to help you plan the perfect Halloween date. 

2. Art Classes

Another great Halloween activity is art class. There are art classes near you that can teach you all of the skills you need to paint a fall landscape or a still life of pumpkins and other gourds.

With plenty of Halloween painting ideas to choose from, try art classes in Boston, art classes in Dallas or art classes in Los Angeles if you are based on the West Coast. 

3. Go to a Haunted House

If you are looking for things to do on Halloween that are truly scary, find a haunted house near you and go check it out. Be sure to bring a friend or significant other to hold on to when things get really spooky!

4. Go Apple Picking

Another great fall date idea is to go to an apple orchard and pick apples. Combine this with a hay ride and plenty of photographs for a sweet Halloween date idea. 

5. Enter a Costume Contest

What better way to get into the spirit of Halloween than by participating in one of the best Halloween activities this year? Costume contests are a fun way to show your creativity and win a prize.

What can couples do for Halloween? Enter the costume together as a couple. Pick a famous couple from history or pop culture and win the prize together.

6. Have a Halloween Pub Crawl

It's like the adult version of trick-or-treating! Dress up with your friends and hit your favorite spots in town, always being sure to enjoy responsibly. 

7. Host a Halloween Party

Gather up all of your favorite ghouls and goblins and host your very own Halloween party. It can be as wild or as tame as you choose, and it will become a tradition to remember.

8. Go on a Ghost Tour

Many cities offer hauntingly fun ghost tours of old houses and cemeteries. Whether you are traveling or staying local for Halloween, taking a ghost tour is a great Halloween activity for couples or a friend group. 

Fun Foodie Halloween Activities

9. Cooking Classes

If you are still searching for Halloween activities near me, try taking a cooking class to level up your kitchen skills. You’ll be able to learn how to make seasonal favorites or spooky snacks wherever you are, from cooking classes in New Orleans, cooking classes in San Diego or cooking classes in Washington, D.C.

There are plenty of options for cooking classes near you or even online cooking classes for anyone who doesn’t feel like getting out of the house to learn new skills.

10. Create a Candy Display

Make a fun candy wreath or display for your front porch on Halloween. Then settle in and pass out candy to your local trick-or-treaters. 

11. Make Halloween Treats for Your Neighbors

Looking for Halloween gifts fit for the whole neighborhood? Why not start a boo-basket trend? Make a basket full of spooky goodies and leave it anonymously on your neighbor’s doorstep with a note to share the wealth and “boo” someone else.

You’ll spread Halloween cheer and help satisfy your neighbors’ chocolate cravings.

12. Make a Haunted Gingerbread House

Who says gingerbread houses are only for Christmas? You can make a Halloween version complete with orange and black candy, icing cobwebs and more.

For this sweet Halloween activity, you can buy a pre-made kit to help jump-start the process or go old school with graham crackers and frosting.

13. Make Spooky Snacks

You can find plenty of Halloween food ideas to make your next Halloween party a smash. Try making witch’s finger Halloween cookies, a pumpkin-shaped veggie tray out of sliced carrots or even hot dogs wrapped in strips of crescent rolls to look like mummies. 

14. Make Apple Cider

If your Halloween night is a chilly one, making warm apple cider is a great Halloween activity. You can even mix it up in the crock pot for large batches or to transfer to a local Halloween festival or party. 

15. Make Pumpkin Pie 

Another fun thing to do on Halloween is baking a seasonal classic, pumpkin pie. Use your own family recipe or try making mini pies in muffin cups.

You can also buy yourself a pre-made pie from the store and enjoy on Halloween night — your secret is safe with us!

16. Host a Halloween Cocktail Party

This Halloween activity for adults is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Serve season-appropriate cocktails or clever themed drinks for some grown-up fun. 

Best Halloween Party Games for All Ages

17. Solve a Murder Mystery

Halloween activities for young adults can be hard to find. After all, what do 19-year-olds do on Halloween and other teens? Playing murder mystery games is one fun way to get teenagers involved.

Work together to solve a crime and take on a different persona for the evening. Check out this Masters of Mystery review to learn more about how it works.

18. Hold a Scavenger Hunt

Looking for more Halloween activities for young adults? Invite them to wear their Halloween costumes and go on a digital scavenger hunt around the city. 

19. Go Bowling

Host your next Halloween party at the local bowling alley. You won’t have to worry about serving food or cleaning up, plus you can all wear your costumes for extra fun. 

20. Mummy Relay Race

Split into teams and see who can turn one team member into a toilet paper “mummy” fastest. You’ll be dizzy trying to wrap your teammate up before the other teams can.

21. Bob for Apples

No list of Halloween party ideas is complete without this old-fashioned Halloween game. It is a classic for a reason! Fill a large tub of water with water and apples and invite your guests to try and catch one with their teeth.

22. Pumpkin Chuck

Host your own Halloween-themed strong-man competition by seeing who can throw a heavy pumpkin farthest. Just be sure you have plenty of open space before you try out this Halloween game!

23. Pin the Hat on the Witch

Another great Halloween game for all ages is this fun take on “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” Blindfold each participant and spin them around before letting them try to pin a witch’s hat on a picture or poster of a witch.

24. Host a Board Game Night

If you’re looking for a more low-key way to spend Halloween, board game night can be a great option. Dress up and play your favorites like Clue, Twister or Monopoly for a simple Halloween to remember.

At-Home Halloween Activities

25. Decorate the House

One great at-home Halloween activity is staying in and putting up all of your fall decorations. Whether you opt for traditional fall décor ideas like pumpkins and leaves, or you go full Halloween with spooky inflatables and Jack-o-lanterns, your house or apartment will be the envy of the neighborhood.

26. Host a Neighborhood Game Night

Offer to babysit for your neighbors and play fun kids Halloween party games together. Create a fun Halloween relay race or pumpkin painting party while the neighbors enjoy a date night. Then trade evenings and take your own sweetheart out on a date. 

27. Decorate Cookies

If you are looking for fun Halloween activities at home, have a fall cookie decorating night. You can either make the cookies from scratch or simply purchase them from a local bakery.

Pumpkins, ghosts and witch hats are great options for simple cookie shapes to decorate as a family.

28. Have a Halloween Spa Night

Indulge your senses in a fall-scented evening of pampering. Light your favorite pumpkin candle and treat yourself to self-care practices like face masks or a bubble bath. 

29. Halloween Movie Marathon

If you and your family are wondering, “What activities can we do on Halloween?”, why not host a Halloween movie marathon? Make themed snacks and popcorn and choose what level of scary movie works best for you. 

30. Make S’mores

Enjoy the crisp weather by gathering around the fire pit and making delicious s’mores. You can also find table-top s’more kits and stoves that are perfect if you don’t have a large outdoor living space. 

31. Host a Halloween Wine Tasting

Gather your closest friends and match up delicious Halloween candies to their perfect beverage pairing. This is a fun, low-key way to enjoy the holiday if you don’t feel like going out. 

32. Cozy Up With a Good Book

Still looking for Halloween activities at home? Find a new favorite spooky book series or revisit a Harry Potter book. Create a delightful fall atmosphere with books, snacks and candles, and enjoy your book for a calm night in. 

Halloween Activities for Kids

33. Visit a Pumpkin Patch

This classic fall field trip is great for all ages, but it makes a really great option for young kids, too. Not only is a trip to the pumpkin patch a must-do on your bucket list of fun fall activities, but there are almost endless pumpkin carving ideas that your kids will be able to enjoy all October long. 

34. Paint a Pumpkin

After your trip to the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins might be a great activity for older kids and teens, but if you’re looking for Halloween activities for toddlers, pumpkin painting ideas can be a great alternative to sharp knives and carving tools.

Be sure to take a picture of your toddler in their costume showing off their beautiful pumpkin!

35. Make a Q-Tip Skeleton 

If you are looking for fun Halloween activities for school projects, having kids fashion a skeleton out of Q-Tips is a fun option. All you need is construction paper, cotton swabs, and glue for this spooky skeleton creation. 

36. Read A Spooky-ish Story

If you have small kids, there can be lots of potentially scary things about Halloween. Try spending time together reading a fun, light-hearted book.

There are plenty of creative children’s books about Halloween-themed creatures, making this a great option for Halloween activities for toddlers or Halloween activities for school.

37. Go to a Trunk-or-Treat Event

Many communities have local Halloween festivals or Trunk-or-Treat events that are suitable for kids of all ages. You could even create a themed family costume and make your car fit, too!

These local festivals often have plenty of kids' Halloween party games available for free or for minimal cost.

38. DIY a Fun Costume

Get your kids involved in the Halloween fun by DIY-ing their costumes together. Halloween craft ideas can range from simple to complex, but spending time together working on their costume for trick-or-treating will be a memory you will both cherish.

39. Go Trick-or-Treating

No list of Halloween activities would be complete without the classic hallmark of Halloween: Trick-or-Treating. What do kids do on Halloween Day? They dress up in their best costumes and rake in enough candy to last them until next October!

We hope this guide of 39 freaky and fun Halloween activities for all ages helps you enjoy the spookiest season of the year even more.

For even more fun Halloween ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!