Halloween week in Boston runs from a pair of lantern-lit Freedom Trail tours on Wednesday, Oct. 28, to a free concert on City Hall Plaza on Saturday night, Oct. 31, 2026. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so the biggest family events, trick-or-treating and nighttime parties all land on the same day. This guide lists events in Boston and nearby cities that organizers or city governments have posted, each with a date, place and link, as checked on Oct. 27.
Haunted and historic tours: Freedom Trail and Granary Burying Ground
The Freedom Trail Foundation’s Lantern Tour covers what the foundation calls the “grim, macabre history” of the trail: sword duels, a pirate’s grave, murders and the hangings of people convicted of witchcraft. The 90-minute walk covers about a mile and leaves from the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, 139 Tremont St. The foundation recommends it for ages 12 and up.
Its ticketing page lists the final 2026 tours at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, Thursday, Oct. 29, and Friday, Oct. 30. Online tickets for Friday were listed as sold out, with in-person sales at the visitor center until 4:30 p.m. that day.
For a free option, a National Park Service ranger leads a “Memento Mori” sunset walk through the Granary Burying Ground, 120 Tremont St., on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. The quarter-mile route looks at how Puritan and colonial gravestone imagery changed over time and stops at the graves of Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and the victims of the Boston Massacre. The ground is uneven. The foundation’s visitor page says Boston’s historic burying grounds are open daily from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., so visitors on their own should go in daylight.
Family Halloween events in Boston on Saturday, Oct. 31
- Trick-or-Treat the Athenaeum, 11 to 11:30 a.m. The Boston Athenaeum, 10 1/2 Beacon St., holds a costume story time followed by trick-or-treating for non-candy treats on its first floor. Tickets are free for members and $10 for visitors 14 and older, $5 for children 13 and under. Adults must come with a child.
- Family Halloween Party and Pumpkin Stroll, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., lists free pumpkin painting, cupcake decorating and face painting while supplies last, plus a pumpkin stroll along the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Children in costume get a free Greenway Carousel ride.
- Trick or Treat Market, noon to 5 p.m. The free Boston Open Market fills Boylston Street between Arlington and Charles streets with more than 50 vendors in costume. Children can trick-or-treat at booths showing a pumpkin sign. The market runs rain or shine, and it’s the last outdoor market of its season. The nearest MBTA stop is Arlington on the Green Line.
- Nocturnal animals at Jamaica Pond, 2 to 3 p.m. The Boston Park Rangers hold a free open house at the Jamaica Pond Nature Center, 345 Jamaicaway, on owls, bats and other night animals, with a visit from a ranger horse.
Saturday night: BLAIR on City Hall Plaza
The largest free event on the city calendar is BLAIR 2026: Halloween Edition, from 6 to 11:30 p.m. at Boston City Hall Plaza. The city’s listing describes a concert and marketplace with an all-women lineup of performers and DJs, women-owned pop-up businesses, food trucks and a heated tent. It’s part of a plaza series supported by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, and organizers ask people to RSVP.
Neighboring cities: Somerville and Malden
In Somerville, the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, offers free drop-in trick-or-treating and a costume selfie station from noon to 5 p.m. on Oct. 31. The Somerville Public Library holds a costume parade and dance party from 3 to 4 p.m. at its Central Library, 79 Highland Ave., with an earlier parade at its West branch at 10 a.m. No registration is needed.
The City of Malden has set citywide trick-or-treating for Oct. 31 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and asks drivers to take extra care from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Its 22nd annual Trick or Treat on the Plaza runs Friday, Oct. 30, from 3 to 5 p.m. at City Hall Plaza, 215 Pleasant St. Our Malden Halloween guide lists every event there.
Trick-or-treat hours and getting around
As of Oct. 27, the City of Boston had not posted official trick-or-treat hours for its neighborhoods. Families should check their own town’s website before Saturday. Anyone heading north should read our guide to Salem on Halloween, with road closures, trains and parking. For subway changes, including Green Line work, see our roundup of MBTA service changes, and confirm on the MBTA’s site before you ride.
Halloween safety tips from state and federal agencies
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services’ Halloween safety sheet advises:
- Use bright costumes or reflective tape, and give children a flashlight.
- Choose costumes labeled flame retardant and without long trailing material.
- Make sure mask eye holes are wide enough to see through.
- Put a flashlight or battery candle in pumpkins instead of an open flame.
- Remember that fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts.
The sheet also notes that clocks fall back on Sunday, Nov. 1, a good time to check smoke alarms.
The state’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation recommends avoiding overloaded extension cords on decorations. It also suggests keeping pets inside, parking in a well-lit area and planning walking routes that skip alleys and parking lots.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated an average of 3,200 Halloween-related emergency room injuries a year, with 55% tied to pumpkin carving. The commission advises leaving the carving to adults.
Sources
- City of Boston: The Blair Project
- City of Boston: Nature Center: Nocturnal Animals and Horse-of-Course
- City of Malden: Halloween in Malden
- Mass.gov: The Real Halloween Haunts
- Massachusetts Department of Fire Services: Halloween Safety Tips (via City of Beverly)
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Halloween safety tips
- National Park Service tour listing via The Liberty Trail
Additional sources
- Freedom Trail Foundation: Lantern Tour
- Freedom Trail Foundation: Lantern Tour tickets
- Freedom Trail Foundation: visitor resource
- Boston Athenaeum: Trick-or-Treat the Athenaeum
- Explore Boston: Family Halloween Party & Pumpkin Stroll
- New England Open Markets: Trick or Treat Market
- Somerville Museum: Trick or Treat
- Somerville Public Library: Halloween Costume Parade
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