Kids can trick or treat with the animals at Brookfield Zoo at this not-so-scary event during the three weeks leading up to Halloween. Other weekend activities include giant pumpkin carving, a Halloween craft, cupcake and cookie decorating, a haunted hayride, a creepy cowboy carousel, a corn maze, a pumpkin smasher, a costume parade, and a costume contest. Read More

St. Ben's Parish Oktoberfest includes live entertainment, traditional German food, a carnival, and games. Proceeds will benefit local outreach programs and church operations. Read More

Visit Highwood for all the pumpkin-based fun you could wish for. This three-day festival includes all-you-can-carve pumpkin stations, a carnival, live entertainment, a 5k, craft and food vendors, and pet and kid costume contests. Read More

The 37th annual Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest offers activities for apple lovers of all ages. Food vendors and farm vendors will be on hand for families to buy fall-themed foods! Kids can enjoy apple themed activities like an apple sensory bin and an apple slime kit, as well as activities from Wiggleworms, musicians, jugglers, sing-a-longs, and so much more! Read More

The Lombard Historical Society leads families through the oldest cemetery in Lombard. Historians tell tales of bizarre, admirable, and ridiculous things that the people buried there did, from more than a century ago through today. Read More

Families can enjoy nature's contributions to Halloween by painting pumpkins, playing gourd ring toss, making leaf rubbings, and running through a fall-themed obstacle course. Read More

Kids can kick off the Halloween season at Lombard's annual fall event. Kids can enjoy games, dancing, face painting, and a candy hunt. The Lombard Community Building will host Boo Bingo from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Read More

Families can support kids with developmental delays at this 5K and kids dash that benefits Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley. The post-race party includes fresh grilled foods, face painting, live music, a photo booth, and kid-friendly games and entertainment. Read More

This annual bicycle show and swap will take place at a new location in Algonquin for its 20th anniversary. Kids can enjoy watching motorized mini bikes, go karts, and pedal cars, or look for a new bike in the Bike Corral. Read More

Zombies have hidden candy in Sedgwick Park and kids must dress up in costumes to come find it! Bring your own flashlight and bag or bucket to fill with goodies. Read More

The Lemont Park District presents the Disney film Hotel Transylvania to celebrate Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Read More

While other mice are gathering food for the winter, Frederick daydreams the summer away. But when fall weather comes, it is Frederick who has stored up something special for the long cold winter in a celebration of the idea that there is a place for all of us in this world. Originally a world premiere in CCT’s 10th birthday season, this charming musical based on Leo Lionni’s classic, much-loved Caldecott Award-winning book features a book by Suzanne Maynard Miller and a spirited folk and rock blues music score by Sarah Durkee and Paul Jacobs, performed live, on-stage by a talented cast of... Read More

More than 100 handmade and mechanical scarecrows will be on display in downtown St. Charles for this 35th annual fall tradition. Families can make their own scarecrow, enjoy live entertainment, shop at the arts and crafts show, or ride carnival rides while enjoying the fall weather. Read More

Chicagoans of all ages can enjoy watching 150 groups, including bands, floats, and marchers, march down State Street for the 73rd annual Columbus Day Parade.  Read More

The Chicago Architecture Center hosts Open House Chicago, a free public festival that offers behind-the-scenes access to more than 20 buildings throughout Chicago. Guests can enjoy access to Chicago's architectural gems, including skyscrapers, repurposed mansions, opulent theaters, exclusive private clubs, private offices, and breathtaking sacred spaces. Read More

North suburban families can enjoy live music and a pumpkin carving contest to celebrate fall along the Main-Dempster Mile. Trick-or-treat at local businesses and participate in a kid or pet costume parade. Music from SCarolers will add to the fun. Read More

West suburban families can visit Burlington Park to paint pumpkins, enjoy giveaways from local businesses, visit food trucks, and trick-or-treat at downtown businesses. Inflatables and roaming entertainment will also be on hand. Read More

Arts in the Dark is an evening parade that celebrates Halloween as the "artist's holiday," bringing together Chicago institutions and organizations dedicated to art and education. Audience members will be delighted by unique floats, spectacle puppets, and creative performances set against the backdrop of Chicago’s majestic skyline. Read More

Families can help raise money for the Wicker Park "Gardens We Design" at this family-friendly Halloween event featuring kids' musicians, a costume parade, and a pumpkin patch and decorating area. Play games including pin-the-tail on various popular cartoons, find the "needle" in the haystack, or work your way through a straw maze. Read More

Take a walk along the spook trail to enjoy Halloween-themed games. Refreshments will be available from local vendors. From 4-6pm., the trail will be non-scary and geared toward younger children. From 6-8pm, it will be spookier for kids 11 and up. Read More

Enjoy a cozy fire, s'mores, a spooky story trail, and pumpkin painting in Thatcher Woods. Kids can also stargaze in their Halloween costumes at this Forest Preserve District event. Read More

Kids can play games to win candy at this annual event. Kids receive an extra treat for coming in costume. Inflatables, crafts, and games round out the fun. Parents must accompany their children at this event. Read More

Kids can celebrate the season by coming in costume to the DuPage Children's Museum for STEAM-themed, non-scary activities. Build your own Franken buddy from recycled toys, create wearable art, brew your own slime, and mix and mash pumpkin guts! Read More

Trick-or-treat at select businesses along Lincoln Avenue between Wrightwood and Webster on Saturday or Clark Street on Sunday for the week before Halloween. Magicians, stilt walkers, and jugglers will meet and greet trick or treaters along the way. Read More

Lincoln Square and Ravenswood transform into Lincoln Scared and Ravenswooooooood for early trick-or-treating. Businesses hand out candy and other treats, and a pumpkin decorating station sets up on Damen Avenue. Read More

Follow Peter Pan and Tinkerbell to Neverland! The adventures are endless in a world of pirates and mayhem. Let your imagination fly to a place that allows you to NEVER GROW UP! Read More

Families can avoid the rain (or snow) by trick-or-treating indoors at the Downers Grove Museum. The Victorian themed Blodgett House will be decorated for the occasion and will host a scavenger hunt. Read More

Jack's is one of Chicago's largest fall themed festivals. With 10,000 pumpkins, fortune tellers, a corn maze with a secret bar, gem mining, photo opportunities, carnival games, and food trucks, Jack's provides to unique experience for each guest that comes through the doors. It is also kid friendly! Read More

Downtown LaGrange celebrates Skeletober, a display of unique life-size decorated skeletons on the sidewalks of local businesses. Families can take pictures with the skeletons and participate in a skeleton scavenger hunt. Families can also enjoy live music at Milk Money Brewing. Read More

Families can enjoy a walk through the pumpkin patch, a pumpkin-carving demonstration, and pumpkin-themed treats like a caramel apple station and a s'more station at Lincoln Park Zoo throughout October. Read More