Halloween 2025 in Ohio

Halloween is one of the best times to visit Ohio. Harvest festivals are held everywhere, nature is beautiful due to changing colors, and all the towns are showing off their best to celebrate the scariest holiday of the year.

Barnesville Pumpkin Festival (September 21–24, 2023)

Barnesville Pumpkin Festival that takes place during the last full week in September in Barnesville, Ohio, is one of the largest in the Midwest. Visitors will learn a lot about the growing and harvesting of pumpkins and other fall products. Held since 1964, the 4-day event attracts over 100,000 attendees. Festival grounds include Chestnut Street, Main Street, Gardner Street, W. Church Street, and South and North Broadway Street. The main highlight of the festival is the annual weigh-in for the largest pumpkin competition. Weighing over 1400 lbs (650 kg), some of the pumpkins are truly impressive. Games and rides include G-Force, The Pumpkin Ride, The Umbrellas, and the Monkey Cages.

Chillicothe Halloween Festival (October 13–15, 2023)

The annual Chillicothe Halloween Festival is held every October in Yoctangee Park in historic downtown Chillicothe, Ohio. This three-day event features a wide variety of vendors, food trucks, live entertainment, and attractions like Haunted Houses and inflatables. There are plenty of contests and competitions for all ages.

Ghoul Brothers House Of Horrors, Akron (September 29–November 4, 2023, on selected dates)

Ghoul Brothers House Of Horrors is a seasonal haunted house attraction taking place in Akron, Ohio. The brain-child of Hollywood director David Barton, Ghoul Brothers, brings you face-to-face with creepy creatures such as monsters, ghouls, and ghosts. Every scene in the house is a work of art and technology to make your hair raise. Get ready to find yourself in the dark, twisting halls, polluted laboratories, among crypts and mind-chilling creatures.

Fairborn Halloween Festival and Zombie Walk (October 20–22, 2023)

One of the most famous seasonal events is Fairborn Halloween Festival and Zombie Walk taking place in the downtown of Fairborn. This is the largest Halloween celebration in the Miami Valley and lasts for three days. The festival features many food trucks, a carnival midway, a beer garden, shopping stalls, and much more. The Spooktacular Parade is the main highlight of the celebration where locals get their fantasy and creativity loose. The Parade marches on Central Avenue and Main Street, ending by the main stage. Costume contests, live music, and performances follow the parade.

The Zombie Walk is a favorite tradition of Fairborn. Anyone can try to walk down the street dressed up as a living dead. Professional make-up artists will be working to help you transform. The last music line-ups included Mark Gearo, Stranger, and other Dayton musicians.

Athens Halloween Block Party (October 28, 2023)

Full of students, the city of Athens, Ohio, holds the largest Halloween Block Party in the state. Athens Halloween Block Party spans several blocks in Uptown Athens on the Saturday before Halloween. The epicenter of the festival is Court Street, which is closed to traffic. Food trucks and stages are set up there to entertain up to 30,000 attendees dressed in their wildest costumes. The party is so popular that Ohio University allows each student to have no more than one guest staying for the weekend. The annual Halloween Block Party in Athens goes back to 1974.

For the tickets and latest updates, please check with the official websites (see External Resources below.) Also, take a look at the map suggesting the best accommodations nearby.