Halloween in Las Vegas 2026: The Complete Guide to Haunted Houses, Parties, Pumpkin Patches and Family Fun

Back home in the Midwest, Halloween was pretty simple.

You carved a pumpkin. You bought way too much candy. You tried to figure out how to fit a winter coat under a costume. Then everybody went outside for a few hours and called it Halloween.

Las Vegas looked at that idea and apparently decided one night wasn't enough.

Halloween here basically takes over October.

You've got haunted houses, pumpkin patches, costume parties, trick-or-treat events, parades, late-night blowouts, family festivals, horror attractions and enough fake blood to make a pharmacy nervous.

Some of it is very Vegas. Some of it feels surprisingly small-town. And some of it is the kind of thing you probably couldn't pull off anywhere else.

So whether you're a local trying to figure out what to do with the kids, a couple looking for a Halloween date, a horror fan who actually wants to get scared or a visitor planning one ridiculous weekend, here's where to start.

Halloween in Las Vegas Is Bigger Than Halloween Night

The first thing to understand is that Las Vegas doesn't wait until Oct. 31.

Several major Halloween attractions are already running, and the calendar gets heavier as the month goes on.

That's good news because trying to cram pumpkin patches, haunted houses, family events and a giant costume party into one Saturday would be a terrible idea.

Vegas gives you the whole month.

Use it.

For Serious Scares: Universal Horror Unleashed

If your version of Halloween requires actual monsters, dark hallways and questioning why you voluntarily paid somebody to chase you through a building, Universal Horror Unleashed is an obvious place to start.

The year-round horror attraction is inside AREA15's Zone 2 at 3051 S. Rancho Drive.

Universal built an entire permanent horror experience here, not a temporary tent that disappears in November. There are four cinematic haunted houses along with themed areas, characters, live entertainment, food and drinks.

Regular 2026 operating hours are Thursday through Sunday from 4 to 10:30 p.m., although hours and availability can change. Tickets are date-specific and currently range from $29 to $129 depending on the date and ticket type.

That's one of those sentences that still sounds slightly ridiculous when you grew up somewhere that considered the neighborhood fire station's haunted basement a major Halloween attraction.

Vegas has a permanent Universal horror complex.

Of course it does.

For Families: HallOVeen at the Magical Forest

For something much less likely to produce nightmares, HallOVeen at the Magical Forest is back at Opportunity Village.

The annual event runs Oct. 2-4 and Oct. 9-31 at the Magical Forest, 6300 W. Oakey Blvd.

HallOVeen turns the 2.5-acre attraction into a family-friendly Halloween world with decorated trees, jack-o'-lanterns, trick-or-treating, rides, mini golf, carnival games, entertainment and a slightly spooky funhouse.

There's also the 50-foot Avalanche Slide, Cheyenne's Enchanted Carousel, the Forest Express train and Wizard's Wondrous Whirlpool.

Hours are 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. General admission is $24, and children 3 and younger get in free.

One important change for 2026: tickets are date-specific. If you know when you want to go, don't assume you'll be able to wander up on a busy Saturday night and figure it out at the gate.

And the money supports Opportunity Village's work serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which makes eating carnival food in front of twenty glowing pumpkins feel pretty productive.

For a Free Halloween Tradition: Parade of Mischief

Downtown Summerlin's Parade of Mischief is back for its eighth year.

The family-friendly Halloween parade runs along Park Centre Drive at 6 p.m. on select Friday and Saturday nights.

After the opening weekend, the remaining 2026 dates are Oct. 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24.

Best part?

It's free.

More than 60 local youth take part, with Halloween performances and floats inspired by everything from witches and classic spooky characters to movie and pop-culture favorites.

This is one of the better examples of the side of Las Vegas visitors don't always see.

No casino required. No velvet rope. No $27 cocktail.

Just families lining the street for a Halloween parade.

For Actual Pumpkins: Gilcrease Orchard

Yes, you can go to a real orchard in Las Vegas.

I know.

Gilcrease Orchard at 7800 N. Tenaya Way is holding its Fall Harvest through Oct. 31.

The orchard has a pumpkin patch, corn maze and scenic wagon rides. During Fall Harvest, it is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tickets are required for entry during the Fall Harvest season.

If you're a transplant, this might be the closest you'll get to that classic fall feeling without getting on a plane.

You'll still be in the Mojave Desert, obviously. Nobody has figured out how to manufacture Vermont around here yet.

But pumpkins, cider, a corn maze and an actual working orchard get us pretty close.

For a Full Carnival Night: Vegas Pumpkin Patch

If you want pumpkins with a little more neon attached, Vegas Pumpkin Patch is open daily through Oct. 31 in the Cowabunga Bay parking lot at 900 Galleria Drive in Henderson.

Regular hours are 5 to 10 p.m.

Entry and parking are free. The attraction also offers a free hay maze, kids activity area and photo spots.

The paid side gets considerably bigger, with more than 30 carnival rides, more than 30 games and a lineup of food vendors.

On Halloween night, the patch plans free trick-or-treating and a Halloween party for all ages.

It's basically what happens when a pumpkin patch gets introduced to Las Vegas lighting and decides it needs carnival rides.

For Halloween With Some Local History: Trick or Treat Fest

Clark County Museum is getting into Halloween too.

Trick or Treat Fest Las Vegas is scheduled for Oct. 16 and 17 from 6 to 10 p.m.

Admission is $15.

Families can trick-or-treat around the museum's historic homes while checking out entertainment, themed games and costume contests.

I like this one because Las Vegas history already has enough strange stories that putting everybody in costumes around old buildings doesn't feel like much of a stretch.

For a Bigger Family Halloween Event: Haunted Harvest

Haunted Harvest returns to Springs Preserve from Oct. 22 through 25.

The event runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m., with earlier access available to some Springs Preserve members.

Expect trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and the wonderfully named "Bootanical" Garden, where spooky characters take over part of the preserve.

Non-member admission is $14 for guests ages 3 and older. Children 2 and younger are free.

Reservations are required, tickets must be purchased online in advance and the event is expected to sell out.

This is not the night to tell the kids, "We'll just see what happens when we get there."

What happens may be you turn the car around.

Las Vegas Has Plenty of Cheap and Free Halloween Events Too

Halloween in Vegas does not require nightclub money.

The city of Las Vegas, Clark County and surrounding communities have a long list of public events throughout October.

Upcoming city events include a Ward 2 Trunk or Treat and Halloween Movie in the Park on Oct. 16, Spooky Splash on Oct. 17, a Fall Festival on Oct. 29, Halloween Safe Night on Oct. 31 and the Stupak Trunk or Treat on Halloween night.

Several are free. Others cost only a few dollars.

Henderson has its own packed Halloween schedule, including a Zombie Run, pet trick-or-treat walk, Trunk or Treat, Haunted at the Ranch and even a Zombie Archery Shoot.

That last one sounds like somebody had extra arrows and a meeting ran long.

I'm glad it happened.

Then There Is Halloween Weekend in Las Vegas

This is where the personality changes.

The pumpkins are still around. The kids still have candy.

But Vegas starts getting very Vegas.

Thriller Halloween Party

The 18th Annual Thriller Halloween Party lands at 24 Oxford inside Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Friday, Oct. 30.

The 21-and-over party starts at 8 p.m. and features Digital Underground along with DJs, costumes and themed entertainment.

It's the kind of event built for people who believe Halloween should involve considerably more dancing than trick-or-treating.

Sin City Halloween Ball

Then comes Halloween night.

The Sin City Halloween Ball returns to The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Oct. 31.

Doors open at 8:30 p.m.

The event is celebrating its 30th year in 2026 with a "Lost Vegas Wasteland" theme.

If you came to Las Vegas specifically because you wanted Halloween to become a giant late-night production instead of a neighborhood holiday, there you go.

So What Should You Actually Pick?

There's enough happening that you don't need to do everything.

If you've got young kids, start with HallOVeen, Parade of Mischief, Haunted Harvest or one of the city and county events.

If you want the classic fall experience, go to Gilcrease Orchard.

If you want rides, lights and carnival food, Vegas Pumpkin Patch makes sense.

If you want to be scared, Universal Horror Unleashed is the heavyweight option.

If you're looking for nightlife, save your energy for the final weekend.

And if you're visiting Las Vegas, mix them.

Do something local during the day. Hit a horror attraction after dark. Then decide whether you're still awake enough to see what Vegas does with Halloween after midnight.

Don't Wait Until Halloween Weekend to Make Plans

This is probably the most useful advice in this entire guide.

Don't wait.

Several attractions use date-specific admission. Haunted Harvest requires advance reservations. Big Halloween weekend events sell tickets in advance. The most popular nights are naturally going to get busier as Oct. 31 approaches.

Pick your must-do events first.

Then build the rest of the month around them.

Halloween Works Weirdly Well in Las Vegas

I didn't expect this when I first moved here.

Vegas doesn't have the classic fall backdrop. We aren't surrounded by orange forests. Nobody is raking piles of leaves off Las Vegas Boulevard.

But Halloween fits this city anyway.

Las Vegas already loves costumes, characters, theater, darkness, neon, late nights and people becoming somebody else for a few hours.

That's basically Halloween's entire business model.

And the city somehow manages to give you both versions of the holiday.

You can take the kids through a pumpkin patch at sunset.

You can watch a neighborhood parade for free.

You can walk through an orchard in the morning.

You can get chased through a multimillion-dollar horror attraction after dark.

Then, if you've still got anything left in the tank, you can put on a ridiculous costume and stay out until an hour your parents would've strongly objected to.

That's Halloween in Las Vegas.

One night would've been way too normal.