Fill your Halloween nights with fireworks and glowing pumpkins that make the season feel alive beyond your front door. In many cities, Halloween has evolved from haunted houses to massive parades and folklore-themed festivals, offering unique and memorable experiences that everyone can enjoy.
From Wisconsin to Mexico City, Halloween’s changing traditions reveal celebrations rich in color and community. These events highlight how the season is about connection, shared history and the thrill of seeing old customs take new life.
Halloween Legends & Lore
A series of six spooky evenings lights up the historic Crossroads Village at Old World Wisconsin on Oct. 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25. This annual Halloween Legends & Lore event invites families to uncover folklore passed down through generations and enjoy eerie adventures after dark.
Lantern-lit paths lead guests to encounters with the bull-horned Hodag, the Beast of Bray Road and the Goat Men of Kettle Moraine. Immigrant myths and Victorian superstitions deepen the atmosphere, from the Slavic story of Baba Yaga to the tale of the Austrian Nachtkrapp.
The festivities continue inside Wittnebel’s Tavern, where a themed costume party and signature cocktails add a playful twist. Visitors can also gather by bonfires for ghost stories, meet the Laundress of the Dead and admire towering pumpkin displays.
As Dan Hess, general manager of events and experiences, explains, “Halloween Legends & Lore is where history and mystery intertwine in a truly authentic setting.” He adds, “On six special Friday and Saturday evenings, Wisconsin’s favorite legends and folktales, passed down through decades of storytelling, will come alive like never before,” tying the past to the present in the heart of the celebration.
Village Halloween Parade
New York’s 52nd Annual Village Halloween Parade steps off Friday, Oct. 31. Inspired by the city’s cultural and imaginative life, the parade celebrates artistic expression and community spirit. Organizers believe large-scale participatory events like this help renew New York’s energy and give people the freedom to reclaim public spaces for play and performance.
Each year, the parade fills the streets with color, sound and movement, leaving lasting impressions on spectators and participants alike. It also fosters continuity and community, strengthening the city’s identity and keeping its Halloween traditions alive.
Muertos Fest
San Antonio, Texas, hosts the 13th Muertos Fest on Oct. 25-26. This two‑day event turns Hemisfair into a vibrant showcase of altars, art installations and processions that honor departed loved ones. Visitors can enjoy live music across multiple stages, interactive workshops and a massive community altar that celebrates both tradition and creativity.
The festival also features lively parades, cultural performances and local food vendors that highlight the flavors of San Antonio. With its mix of remembrance and festivity, Muertos Fest brings together families, artists and spectators in a spirited celebration that connects the living with the legacy of the past.
Derry Halloween
For four nights from Oct. 28 to 31, Derry’s ancient Walled City becomes the headquarters of Halloween. Within its 400‑year‑old walls, Derry Halloween invites guests to explore centuries of history woven into modern sight.
Thousands of costumed revelers fill the streets as ghosts, banshees and Celtic creatures march alongside circus acts and dazzling light shows. The carnival spirit merges with Samhain traditions, creating an experience where folklore and festivity blend seamlessly.
More than a spectacle, Derry Halloween is a grassroots celebration that binds locals and travelers through freedom, fun and folklore. With its grand parade winding through the city and fireworks lighting up the skies, the festival strengthens community spirit and secures Derry’s place as Europe’s largest Halloween festival.
Púca Halloween Festival
When dusk falls and the veil between the living and the dead grows thin, the creatures of Samhain awaken in Athboy and Trim, County Meath. From Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, the Púca Halloween Festival marks Ireland’s ancient Halloween tradition with roaming performers, firelit performances and folklore brought vividly to life.
At the heart of the festival is Púca herself, a shape‑shifting spirit who leads a mischievous band of otherworldly characters. For four nights across two historic towns, visitors experience music, myth, food and spectacular fire shows that illuminate the night sky and connect today’s audiences to rituals born centuries ago.
Day of the Dead Parade
Mexico City’s Day of the Dead Grand Parade fills Reforma with life, color and memory on Sunday, Nov. 2. Beginning at the Puerta de los Leones in Chapultepec, the four‑hour procession winds down Paseo de la Reforma and through Avenida Juárez and 5 de Mayo before culminating in the Zocalo.
The parade is a vibrant expression of Día de los Muertos, complete with monumental Catrinas, floats, traditional music and dance that showcase Mexico’s soul. More than a tribute to ancestors, it is a display of intangible cultural heritage recognized worldwide, where marigolds, drums and celebration unite generations in remembrance and joy.
A season to scream about
Pumpkin-lined villages, firelit parades and marigold-strewn avenues show that Halloween celebrations are anything but ordinary this year. Each city and festival brings its own signature, from folklore emerging out of the shadows to ancestors honored in vivid bursts of color. And with so much waiting after dark, the only real fright is missing out.
Zuzana Paar, a co-founder of Food Drink Life, is a seasoned traveler and writer who has explored 62 countries and lived in St. Lucia, Dubai, Vienna, Doha and Slovakia. Her work has been featured on Fox News, New York Daily News, MSN and more; she has also appeared live on Chicago’s WGN Bob Sirott Radio Show. When she’s not discovering new destinations, she shares travel tips and insider insights to help others experience the world in a unique and unforgettable way.