
Saturday, Oct 31, 2026
Happy Halloween weekend! It's one of our favorite nights of the year, and for the first time since 2020 it lands on a Saturday, so the costumes can come out Friday morning and stay on until Sunday (at least, that's what we're doing). We want to make your Halloween special, so we picked options at every time of day for every kind of family: a costume parade around Rittenhouse Square and a movie night at IKEA on Friday, daytime candy crawls on South Street and East Passyunk on Saturday, and Día de los Muertos on 9th Street on Sunday.
It's sunny and in the 70s on Friday, then low 60s on Halloween and into the 40s after dark, so pick a costume that fits over a jacket. Clocks fall back Saturday night.
Join 850+ Philly parents in the Inner Circle and get the next one on Thursday.
Friday 11:15 AM · Rittenhouse Square (Philadelphia City Institute library) · Rittenhouse · Preschool and up
The library on the west side of the square runs its annual Halloween parade on Friday morning. Kids in costume walk a lap around Rittenhouse Square, then everyone ends up at the goat statue for a Halloween storytime. It's a good one for little kids who won't make it to dark on Saturday.
Good to know
Come in costume · It's outside, weather permitting, and Friday looks sunny
Or closer to South Philly
Storytime with Ms. Lindsay, then a costume parade around the library, with trick-or-treating for stickers and prizes. It overlaps with Rittenhouse, so pick the one closer to you.
View detailsFriday evening in the city
We saw them setting up the restaurant for this one and it looks cozy, and the last IKEA event we went to had plenty of crafts and snacks. Check-in starts at 4:30 and the movie starts at 5, with a kids' craft too. It's free, but you need an IKEA Family membership and have to register ahead. Buy an entree and you get a ticket to the Halloween treat stand (frozen yogurt, popcorn, cotton candy).
View detailsOr out in Bucks County
Decorated cars and participating shops hand out candy around the village. Worth the drive if you're already up that way, and it's done by 8.
View detailsSaturday 12 - 5 PM · South Street and Headhouse Plaza · Queen Village · All ages

South Street turns Halloween afternoon into a candy crawl, with trick-or-treating at shops across the district from noon to 5. At 1 there's a costume promenade and vintage car parade starting at 5th & South, and from 1:30 to 4 there's trunk-or-treat at Headhouse Plaza. If you still have energy, the neighborhood's Halloween at Headhouse runs 4 to 8 in the Shambles.
Good to know
Bring a candy bag and a stroller that can handle crowds · Head to 5th & South by 1 for the parade
A stop on the crawl
The gallery's third annual art scavenger hunt, with prizes for all participants. It's just off South Street, so it fits right into the candy crawl.
View detailsSaturday 11 AM - 4 PM · East Passyunk Avenue, Morris to Dickinson · East Passyunk · All ages
East Passyunk's Fall Fest fills the Avenue with 80+ craft vendors, food, pumpkin carving, a costume contest and live music. The kid part is the Creepy Crawl: check business windows for spiders or critters, because those shops are holding candy.
Good to know
Walk the Avenue and look for spiders in shop windows · Starts an hour before South Street, so you can do both
At the top of the Avenue
The South Broad Street Neighborhood Association hands out carving kits (or bring your own tools), and there's a balloon sculptor. Free, while supplies last, and kids under 14 need an adult.
View detailsSunday 11 AM - 9 PM · 9th Street and Fleisher Art Memorial · Bella Vista · All ages

The Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia runs the daytime celebration on 9th Street between Federal and Christian, 11 to 5. From 2 to 4, ColorWheels has free art projects for the whole family on Christian between 8th and 9th. At 4 it moves to Fleisher's parking lot for La Calaca Flaca's evening celebration and community ofrenda, which runs until 9.
Good to know
Aim for 2 to 4 for the kids' art · Bring a layer for the evening part
📌 Community Board
Philadelphia Theatre Company — A reminder that The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System is Dec 4 and 5 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, ages 5 and up. More
That's the weekend. Have a happy Halloween, and tag us on Instagram at @tiny.jawn with all your costumes. We'd love to see them. If you go to something we picked, hit reply and tell us how it went. See you next Thursday.
