Free and Fun Halloween Festivities in NJ
Halloween is almost here! Read this to find out about free Halloween events that are happening throughout New Jersey. I have also included our experiences for events which we have already attended. Always remember to confirm details on official event websites before attending. 
Trunk or Treat
Map of Locations
North Jersey
Fort Lee Fall-o-ween Spooktacular
Location: 183 Main Street at Hudson Lights Park in Fort Lee, NJ
Date: October 26, 2024
Time: noon to 3 pm
Facebook page: Fall-O-Ween Spooktacular Event
Information: This fun event will have a DJ, magician, face painting, temporary tattoos, balloon artist and a photo booth!
Halloween Downtown and Parade in Hackettstown
Location: 219 Main Street Hackettstown, NJ 07840
Date: October 26, 2024
Time: 3 to 5 pm
Website: Hackettstown Halloween
Information: The parade will start at Centenary University and head to the gazebo at Main Street via Moore Street. Afterwards kids can trick or treat on Main Street from 4 to 6 pm. Places with orange pumpkins are giving away candy and teal pumpkins are giving away non-food items.
Gardens Aglow
Location: Essex County Presby Memorial Gardens in Montclair, NJ
Date: October 18th (Raindate of October 19th)
Time: 6 to 9 pm
Website: Gardens Aglow Event
Information: This event has free admission. Kids in high school have carved pumpkins that will be near the flower beds. See their magical glow while enjoying a Mad Science show, activities and refreshments.
Edison Chamber of Commerce Trunk or Treat
Location: 926 Amboy Avenue, Edison, NJ
Date: October 27, 2024 (Rain or Shine)
Time: Noon to 4 pm
Website: Edison Trunk or Treat Site
Information: This is a Trunk or Treat as well as a costume contest! Use your ingenuity to create a cool costume for this event.
Central Jersey
The Lambertville Family Holiday Parade
Location: Start at Mary Sheridan Park and End at Ely Park Gazebo
Date: October 26, 2024
Time: 2:45 pm Gather Time and 3 pm Start Time
Website: Lambertville Halloween
Facebook Page: Lambertville Halloween Parade
Information: Kids and adults are all welcome to wear costumes. There will be music from the Lambertville Brass as well as cider, donuts and gluten-free treats.
Boo at the Boardwalk
Location: Jenkinson’s Boardwalk at Point Pleasant, NJ
Dates: October 19th, 20th, 26th & 27th
Time: Noon to 4 pm
Website: Jenkinson’s Boo at the Boardwalk
Facebook page: Boo at the Boardwalk Facebook Event Page
Information: This year the free activities will include things such as trick or treating, magic shows and face painting. There are packages available to purchase if you are interested in visiting the aquarium for Halloween activities or going on some of the limited rides that will be open.
Our Experience: I have taken the kids here twice in the past and they had a blast. It is great since all the stores for trick or treating are within a small area. It is a great place to go trick or treating with young children. Mine enjoyed a lot of their inflatable decor and seeing some entertainers. One year they even got to do a mini maze on the beach. It is easy to park right next to the boardwalk since it is the off season.
Boo Bash
Location: Quakerbridge Mall
Date: October 26, 2024
Time: 11 am to 1 pm
Website: Quakerbridge Mall Boo Bash
Facebook page: Quakerbridge Mall
Information: Trick-or-treating will be during this time period. At noon there will also be a costume contest. There will also be Halloween crafts, a selfie station and a DJ dance party.
Our Experience: When my daughter was young we loved taking her around to this mall for trick-or-treating. She loved holding out her basket for different store employees to put candy into. It was also nice since the year we went the weather was very rainy and cold. We liked that this was an indoor event.
Hometown Halloween Parade
Location: Palmer Square Green
Date: October 25, 2024
Time: 5:15 pm
Website: Palmer Square Hometown Halloween Parade
Information: This is a popular annual event for families with kids. The parade will start at 5:45 pm at the Palmer Square Green. After the parade there will be continuing festivities at the YMCA in Princeton.
Light Up the Lake
Location: Memorial Park in Hightstown, NJ
Date: October 20, 2024
Time: 4 to 7 pm
Website: Light Up the Lake Hightstown
Information: Participants will bring their own pumpkins. They will then paint or carve them and line them up near the lake. There will also be a DJ and crafts for kids. Be sure to wear your costumes!
East Windsor Recreation Presents Halloween Trick or Treat Trail
Location: Etra Lake Park
Date: October 13, 2024
Time: 1 to 3 pm
Facebook Event Page: Trick or Treat Trail
Information: Register ahead of time here for this free event by October 10th, 2024. It will include pumpkins, face painting, a trick or treat trail and more!
Our Experience: We just attended this event. The kids loved it. We received a pumpkin for our family to decorate. Afterwards the kids decorated these bird crafts that were similar to planes that they could fly. There was a great DJ that got everyone dancing. The recreation director, Mike Fenlon, kept everything running smoothly. A small trick or treat trail with ten stations was opened that all the kids were able to go through. Afterwards we liked walking through Etra Lake Park to admire the fall foliage and have some fun on the playground.
This is a really cool DJ booth!
South Jersey
Crosswicks Community Association’s Annual Halloween Parade
Location: Chesterfield Township Historical Society at 2 Front Street and Crosswicks Community House
Date: October 27, 2024
Time: 4 pm
Website: Crosswicks Halloween Parade
Information: The parade will start at the Historical Society. After the parade there will be games and lots of family fun at the Community House.
Our experience: When my daughter was very young we went to the celebration at the Community House and enjoyed some cider and donuts. When my kids were older we had a great time in the parade. Our whole family dressed up and had fun walking in the parade. The route was not too long so it was not too hard for younger kids. There were spectators on the street that were waving. Afterwards the kids had fun playing some Halloween themed lawn games outside of the Community House. They also enjoyed munching on some treats.
Delanco Recreation Commission presents Trunk or Treat & Movie Night
Location: Field of Dreams Event Lawn
Date: Saturday, October 26
Time: 6 to 8 pm for Trunk or Treat and 8:15 for the Movie
Website: Delanco Trunk or Treat & Movie Night
Information: This is free to attend and no pets are allowed. Refreshments will be available for a fee. The movie shown will be Beetlejuice.
Westampton Recreation’s 4th Annual Walk-Thru Trunk or Treat
Location: Westampton Middle School
Date: October 26, 2024 (Rain Date: October 27 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm)
Time: 3 to 5 pm
Website: Westampton Recreation Trunk or Treat Site
Information: This trunk or treat will have trunks handing out candy, music and pumpkins.
Our Experience: We have attended this event twice. We first went during the height of the pandemic. It was great since they made the event a drive through event that year. The kids had fun and we felt safe attending. The kids also had fun attending this past year. They walked through the different trunks, danced to some music and decorated pumpkins with stickers that were provided.
Halloween Magic Show with Matt Cadabra! & Westmont Lion’s Halloween Parade
Location: 51 Haddon Avenue Haddon Township, NJ - Haddon Square
Date: October 30, 2024
Time: 5:30 pm (Gates open at 5 pm)
Website: Haddon Square Halloween Magic Show and Westmont Lion’s Halloween Parade
Information: This event will have a free magic show, hot chocolate and temporary tattoos. After this event ends at 7:30 watch the Westmont Lion’s Parade on Haddon Avenue between Planet Fitness and Maple Avenue.
Halloween and Fall Festival
Location: 2400 Voorhees Town Center in Voorhees, NJ
Date: October 28, 2024
Time: 1 to 4 pm
Website: Halloween Fall Festival Voorhees
Information: This event has hayrides, a pumpkin patch, pumpkin decorating and more. There is free admission and free parking.
HalloWheaton and the Multiverse of African Cultural Heritage
Location: Wheaton Arts
Date: October 26, 2024
Time: 1 to 4 pm
Website: HalloWheaton
Information: Wheaton Arts will have free admission for this day due to PNC Arts Alive. Participants can trick-or-treat through the campus, visit community partner booths, watch glassmaking demonstrations, do a witch’s spell activity sheet, make friendly ghost pom pom poppers and more. The Down Jersey Folklife Center will have drumming, traditional crafts, dances in ritual masks and more from noon to 4 pm.
Boo at the Zoo
Location: Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton, NJ
Date: October 26, 2024
Time: 11 am to 2 pm
Website: Boo at the Zoo Cohanzick
Information: Everyone can enter for free. Kids under twelve get a free craft, treats and can enter a costume contest. Some things at the event will have a fee.
Our Experience: We have not attended this event yet but we have visited the zoo multiple times. It is an easy one to walk through with kids and they love the animals from jaguars to an Asiatic Black Bear. There are picnic tables outside of the zoo and an easy walking trail outside the zoo as well.
Sea Isle City Recreation Halloween Parade & Dance Party
Location: 45th to 40th streets along Landis Avenue and Excursion Park
Date: October 18, 2024
Time: 7 pm for Start of the Parade
Website: Sea Isle City Halloween Parade & Dance Party Information
There will be a DJ dance party that will follow this fun parade at Excursion Park.
Boo at the Zoo!
Location: Cape May Zoo
Date: October 26, 2024
Time: 10 am to 2 pm
Website: Boo at the Zoo at the Cape May Zoo
Information: Wear costumes and enjoy games, a pirate ship, an inflatable obstacle course and more. Registration is at 10 am for the costume contest which starts at 11 am.
Our Experience: We have not attended this event yet but we have visited the zoo in the summer. There are a multitude of fun animals to see and carousel rides can also be purchased at the entrance of the zoo. Be sure to arrive there early enough to get parking.
More Free Halloween Festivities
If you do not see an event listed above that is close enough to you be sure to check with your local recreation department. If you have younger kids it is also often great to check out library events. We have attended fun Halloween parades at the Mount Laurel Library and the Evesham Library in the past.
Lawrenceville Library Halloween Decor
Evesham Library Halloween Craft
Houses Decorated for Halloween
During the height of the pandemic I had joined the Facebook group called The Lights & Sights of New Jersey. It was a boon during the Halloween and Christmas seasons since we could drive around and look at different displays at the houses listed. You can view the map at their website to find houses with cool decorations that are located near you.
Another great place to check out Halloween decorations is in Merchantville. Each October it transforms to Monsterville and there are a multitude of decorations around town. There are also many towns in New Jersey that have House Decorating Contests. Some of these include Moorestown and Lawrenceville.
Monsterville House
Lawrenceville House Contest House
Are you wondering what to do after Halloween?
Check out the nineteen trolls in the Burlington County Troll Trek!
