Halloween on the South Shore 2026: Trunk or Treats, Haunted Walks, and a Boat Parade, Close to Home and a Short Drive Away

Halloween on the South Shore runs a lot longer than one night of knocking on doors. A library turns its teen room into a haunted house, the village shops hand out candy on a Sunday afternoon, and the Connetquot River gets a boat parade with fireworks, all inside the last three weeks of October. So here is the plan, close to home first.

We split it the way we always do. Close to home is our own stretch of the South Shore, from Babylon to Patchogue, the trick-or-treat walks and trunk or treats you can reach in a few minutes. A short drive away is for the bigger productions: a lake full of floating jack-o'-lanterns, a theater turned haunted house, a pumpkin trail you book by the time slot. A few of our local regulars have not posted this year's date yet, so every stop links back to the organizer's own page. Read it before you go.

If you only go once

Let who is coming with you make the call.

For the little ones, the Creepy Crawl in Babylon Village on Sunday, October 25 is the easy yes: trick-or-treat the village shops, then finish at the library for story time and a dance party. For the whole family after dark, the Snapper Inn's Halloween boat parade on the Connetquot River in Oakdale starts at 5:30 PM on October 24, with Grucci fireworks at 7:30 PM. And for the kid who wants a real scare, Sayville Library's Haunted Teen Central runs a scary version with live performers every night from October 14 to 17.

Close to home

Creepy Crawl, Babylon Village

The Babylon Village Chamber of Commerce's trick-or-treat walk through the village shops, presented with Northwell's South Shore University Hospital.

• Dates: Sunday, October 25, 2026
• Hours: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
• Price: free
• Good to know: register at La La Land, 158 East Main Street, where the first 300 trick-or-treaters get a tote bag and everyone picks up the map of the shops taking part; the walk ends at the Babylon Public Library, 24 South Carll Avenue, with story time and a dance party; kids come with an adult, and the Chamber suggests leaving the dog at home because the streets get crowded and loud.

Halloween Family Festival and Trunk or Treat, Bay Shore

The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Bay Shore's Halloween evening for families.

• Dates: Saturday, October 24, 2026
• Hours: 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM
• Price: not posted by the Chamber yet
• Good to know: the Chamber's own listing gives the date and hours but not yet the spot or the schedule, so check its events page before you head out; this page updates when it posts.

Connetquot River Halloween Boat Parade and Grucci Fireworks, Oakdale

The Snapper Inn's annual Halloween night on the river: a boat parade on the Connetquot, then a fireworks show by Grucci.

• Dates: Saturday, October 24, 2026
• Hours: the boat parade starts at 5:30 PM; fireworks at 7:30 PM
• Price: watching from the Snapper Inn takes a prepaid car pass, $100 per car, which covers a $25 parking pass and a $75 food and drink voucher; a window table is $1,500
• Good to know: the restaurant calls it a community event that brings Oakdale and Great River together; the car pass gets you onto its waterfront at 500 Shore Drive, where there are no reservations and seating is first come, first served; questions go to the Snapper Inn at (631) 589-0248.

Haunted Teen Central, Sayville Library

The library's teens turn Teen Central into a haunted house for four nights, one scary version and one that goes easier on you.

• Dates: Wednesday, October 14 to Saturday, October 17, 2026
• Hours: the not scary walk-through runs 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM each night, plus 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Saturday; the scary version runs 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM each night
• Price: free
• Good to know: expect ghosts, aliens, and zombies; the not scary version is a walk-through with no live performers, the scary one has them; open to all ages with no registration needed; Sayville Library, 88 Greene Avenue.

Country Village Halloween Parade, East Islip

The Country Village Beautification Society's neighborhood costume parade, with an afternoon of activities around it.

• Dates: Sunday, October 25, 2026
• Hours: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
• Price: free to attend; the society asks families to register ahead on Eventbrite and welcomes donations
• Good to know: the parade steps off from Marilynn Circle and heads down Manistee Street, with crafts, a costume contest, raffles, face painting, food, and drinks.

Halloween Costumes and Craft, Islip Arts Council, Bay Shore

A costume and craft night at the arts council's gallery, for every age.

• Dates: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
• Hours: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
• Price: $10 donation
• Good to know: come in costume for a chance at a prize; register ahead at isliparts.org, and confirm the night when you do (the council announced it on Instagram in late September); the gallery is at 1701 Sunrise Highway.

Spookley the Square Pumpkin: The Musical, CM Performing Arts Center, Oakdale

CM Performing Arts Center's family musical, based on the Spookley the Square Pumpkin books and the animated special that airs on Disney every year.

• Dates: Saturday, October 10 to Sunday, November 1, 2026
• Hours: performance times are on the ticketing page
• Price: tickets only through the CM Performing Arts Center's own website, where prices are listed
• Good to know: a Theatre For Young Audiences musical, adapted from the bestselling Spookley book series; 931 Montauk Highway, Oakdale.

Library Haunted House, West Islip Public Library

The West Islip Public Library's haunted house, with two walk-throughs on one Saturday afternoon, a milder one and a scarier one.

• Dates: Saturday, October 24, 2026
• Hours: the Just A Little Spooky walk-through runs 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM; the Not For The Timid walk-through runs 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
• Price: not listed on the library's calendar
• Good to know: the first walk-through is billed as just a little spooky and the second as not for the timid; both are for all ages and families; check the library's events calendar before you go.

The regulars, 2026 dates still coming

These are on our list but have not posted a 2026 date yet. We list what we know so you know when to look, and we will update this page when each one confirms.

• Trunk or Treat at Geiger Park, Deer Park, hosted by State Senator Monica Martinez and Assemblymember Kwani O'Pharrow: last year Friday, October 31, 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, with a best trunk and costume contest
• Community Trunk or Treat, Bayport United Methodist Church: the church lists it on its site, with no 2026 date yet

A night out for grown-ups

Rocky Horror Picture Show experience, Side Street Live, Patchogue

A late-night Rocky Horror run at Side Street Live: After Dark, with dinner and the bar built into the ticket.

• Dates: Friday and Saturday nights through Saturday, October 24, 2026
• Hours: 10:00 PM
• Price: $50, with a dinner entree and an open bar for the show
• Good to know: 21 and over; 11 Railroad Avenue.

Rocky Horror Picture Show with Patricia Quinn, Patchogue Theatre

Patricia Quinn, the original Magenta, brings her Spooktacular Tour to Main Street.

• Dates: Thursday, October 29, 2026
• Hours: 7:30 PM
• Price: $52 to $192, fees and a prop bag included
• Good to know: a screening of the film in a new 4K restoration with a live shadow cast, audience participation, and a costume contest; meet and greet packages are sold too; 71 East Main Street.

Halloween parties at Stereo Garden, Patchogue

Two costume nights at the Patchogue club.

• Dates: Saturday, October 17 and Friday, October 30, 2026
• Hours: October 17, doors at 4:00 PM with music until midnight; October 30, 9:00 PM to 3:00 AM
• Price: October 30, $25 general admission; October 17, not listed on the event page
• Good to know: October 17 is Halloween Fest with AMH and Added Color, 18 and over, with a costume contest for cash and prizes; October 30 is Perreoween, a 21-and-over reggaeton and Latin dance night with cash costume prizes; 9 Railroad Avenue.

Halloween show at Eleanor's Lounge, Bohemia

Halloween night itself, with live music at the lounge on Sunrise Highway.

• Dates: Saturday, October 31, 2026
• Hours: 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM
• Price: not posted on the lounge's event page; check before you go
• Good to know: the Lilly Pallili and Cosplay Halloween show featuring Lisa Polizzi; come dressed up for a shot at a prize; 4103 Sunrise Highway.

Puppies, Pints and Spooky Fun, Take Two Brewery, Bay Shore

A Halloween adoption afternoon and fundraiser for Happily Ever After Rescue at the Bay Shore brewery, with adoptable dogs to meet.

• Dates: Sunday, October 18, 2026
• Hours: 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM
• Price: a $25 suggested donation that includes two draft drink tickets; the rescue says the donation is optional
• Good to know: a Halloween-themed adoption event and fundraiser for Happily Ever After Rescue (H.E.A.R.), with adoptable dogs to meet; Take Two Brewery, 1676 Union Blvd, Bay Shore.

A short drive away

The Great Jack-o'-Lantern Sail, Belmont Lake State Park, North Babylon

State Parks' 13th annual sail, where carved jack-o'-lanterns drift across the lake at dusk, about 15 minutes from Bay Shore.

• Dates: Saturday, October 24, 2026
• Hours: 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM; the jack-o'-lanterns set sail at about 6:15 PM
• Price: free; food and drinks for sale
• Good to know: a kid-friendly spooky house, a magic show, a petting zoo, character meet and greets, and children's games, plus a trick-or-treat street of local businesses, so bring a bag; costumes are optional; to sail your own carved pumpkin, register at bookwhen.com (the first 50 only, between a soccer ball and a basketball in size) and drop it at the boat dock between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM that day; the park's Recreation Department is at (631) 321-3510.

Halloween Family Fun Day, Lindenhurst

The Village of Lindenhurst's afternoon for families, about 15 minutes west of Babylon.

• Dates: Saturday, October 17, 2026
• Hours: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
• Price: not listed by the village
• Good to know: it runs at Village Park; the village has not posted the activities yet.

RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns, Wheatley Heights

The walk-through trail of lit jack-o'-lanterns at the Usdan campus, about 25 minutes from Bay Shore.

• Dates: 21 select nights between Friday, October 2 and Sunday, November 1, 2026
• Hours: timed entry; you choose a time slot when you buy
• Price: timed tickets online only, none sold at the door; kids 2 and under free
• Good to know: most visitors spend 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes on the trail; the organizer says the early time slots sell out first, often weeks ahead; 185 Colonial Springs Road.

Gateway's Haunted Playhouse, Bellport

The Gateway's haunted attraction, about 10 minutes east of Patchogue.

• Dates: October 11, 14 to 18, 21 to 25, and 28 to 31, and November 1, 2026
• Hours: 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM most nights; until 10:30 PM on October 11 and October 29 to 31; until 11:30 PM on October 16, 17, 23, and 24
• Price: $44 online, $54 at the door; the Mr. Tickles 3-D Funhouse is $10 online, $13 at the door
• Good to know: Gateway does not recommend it for anyone under 12, and kids under 12 need an adult with them; for younger kids, see the daytime walk-through below; 215 South Country Road.

Not So Scary Adventure, Gateway, Bellport

The Gateway's daytime walk-through for kids, with goofy creatures and a treat at the end.

• Dates: October 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31, 2026
• Hours: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
• Price: $25 per person
• Good to know: recommended for ages 3 and up; same address as the haunted playhouse, 215 South Country Road.

Halloween Parade, Bellport Village

The Bellport Chamber of Commerce's parade through the village on Halloween itself, about 10 minutes east of Patchogue.

• Dates: Saturday, October 31, 2026
• Hours: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
• Price: not listed by the Chamber
• Good to know: the Chamber's listing gives the date, the time, and Bellport Village as the place, but not yet the route or the lineup spot, so check its event page before you go; this page updates when it posts.

1880s Halloween, Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Halloween weekend in the 19th-century village, about 35 minutes from Bay Shore.

• Dates: Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2026
• Hours: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, last entry 2:15 PM
• Price: adults $17.33; seniors 60 and over and kids 5 to 12, $14.22; 4 and under free
• Good to know: trick-or-treating, a children's costume parade and contest with prizes, music, and dancing; buying at the box office in cash skips the online fees; 1303 Round Swamp Road.

Before you go

• Plan Saturday, October 24 by the clock. The Belmont Lake sail opens at 3:00 PM, the Bay Shore festival at 4:00 PM, and the boats leave the dock on the Connetquot at 5:30 PM, so start early if you want more than one.
• Match the scare to the kid. Sayville's not scary walk-through has no live performers, and Gateway does not recommend its haunted playhouse for kids under 12 while running a daytime walk-through for ages 3 and up.
• Book ahead where it asks. RISE sells only timed tickets online, and the East Islip parade and the Islip Arts Council's costume night both ask you to sign up first.
• Watch the regulars. Deer Park and Bayport have not posted their dates yet, and this page updates when they do.
• Check the organizer's page before you drive. Details can change close to the date, and every stop here links to its own page at the end of this guide.