Malden MA Trick or Treat 2026 Times

Featured image: The Pine Banks Park sign in Malden, site of the Haunted Woods event. Photo: John Phelan via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

Malden, Massachusetts trick-or-treating runs Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., the City of Malden says. Before that, families can pick from a short list of free neighborhood events, from a bike-path Trunk or Treat to the Haunted Woods at Pine Banks Park. This guide lists the dates, times and places the city has posted, as checked on Oct. 22, 2026.

Malden trick-or-treat hours on Halloween night

The city’s Halloween in Malden page sets citywide trick-or-treating for Oct. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so the hours overlap with a full day of weekend events. The city asks drivers to slow down and stay alert from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., which it calls prime trick-or-treating hours, and to watch for children crossing between parked cars.

Malden Halloween 2026 events by date

Saturday, Oct. 24: Haunted Woods at Pine Banks Park

Haunted Woods runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pine Banks Park, 1087 Main St. The city describes guided group tours through decorated park grounds with cobwebs and costumed creatures. It is aimed at older kids, adults and anyone who wants a scare, so parents of young children may want to choose a daytime event instead.

Sunday, Oct. 25: Ward 1 Trunk or Treat and a bat film night

The Ward 1 Trunk or Treat is set for 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on the Canal Street bike path, entered from Medford Street, with treats, games and family activities. That evening, from 6 to 8 p.m., The Urban Biodiversity Alliance screens “The Invisible Mammal” at Creative CNTRL Studio, 41 Lebanon St. in Maplewood Square, as part of its “Bats in the City!” series for International Bat Week. The screening is free, sign-up is requested, snacks are provided and costumes are welcome. The series is partly funded by Malden’s Community Connections Grant.

Friday, Oct. 30: Trick or Treat on the Plaza

The Malden Chamber of Commerce holds its 22nd annual Halloween Trick or Treat on the Plaza from 3 to 5 p.m. at City Hall Plaza, 215 Pleasant St., and along Pleasant Street. Children 12 and under can pick up a Trick or Treat Treasure Map at the plaza that guides them to downtown businesses handing out candy.

Saturday, Oct. 31: Clean-up, Maplewood festival and trick-or-treating

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Neat Streets Community Clean-Up, Halloween Edition, around the GMAACC community center at 381 Pearl St., with Friends of the Malden River. Organizers list prizes, pizza, candy and a costume contest.
Noon to 3 p.m.: Maplewood Halloween Festival at Trafton Park, Jacob and Granite streets, hosted by the Maplewood Association. The listing includes a costume contest, crafts, face painting, games and raffles, with pizza for sale. The rain date is Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Salemwood School Fieldhouse.
5:30 to 8 p.m.: citywide trick-or-treating.

Halloween safety tips from the City of Malden

The city’s safety list is short and practical:

Plan a route through familiar, well-lit neighborhoods.
Choose bright or reflective costumes, and add reflective tape to costumes and treat bags.
Use non-toxic face paint instead of masks that block vision.
Young children should go with an adult. Older kids should travel in groups and have a set time to be home.
Check all candy before eating it, and skip homemade treats from strangers.
Use sidewalks and crosswalks. Where there are none, walk facing traffic on the far left.
Only visit homes that are well lit and decorated or have porch lights on.
Carry flashlights or glow sticks.

Plan the rest of your fall in Malden

Halloween weekend is also near the end of the city’s street sweeping season, so check our Malden trash, yard waste and street sweeping guide before parking near your house. For winter, see our Malden snow emergency and winter parking guide, and for city news, our roundup of Malden development projects. Heading into the city? Our Boston Halloween 2026 events guide covers events across the river.

Additional details

Ward 5’s Forestdale Halloween was held Oct. 18 in the Forestdale School cafeteria, so it has already passed.
The city says it will add more activities to its Halloween page as they are confirmed, so check it again before Halloween weekend.
Downtown’s Malden Gaming District lists a “Vampire Blood Hunt,” a vampire-themed bar crawl for adults, on Oct. 31, as part of a fall lineup run with MassDevelopment and Creative Malden.
City Hall Plaza is a short walk from the MBTA’s Malden Center station on the Orange Line.

Sources

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Malden Halloween 2026: Trick-or-Treat Hours, Haunted Woods and Every Event by Date