For as long as anyone can remember, Manteo has been Halloween central for the kids, with family-friendly trick-or-treating, costumes, candy and games in Downtown Manteo on Halloween night. And while that tradition is still in place, the times have certainly changed.
Halloween in Manteo is now a month-long extravaganza as the town is transformed into Halloween Island, the epicenter of the spooky season on the Outer Banks. With 13 eerie inns, 13 spooky shops and 13 seasonal events and experiences, it's still got the family-friendly vibe. But with 13 Halloween pop-up bars, it's also a place where the 21-and-olders can have their own adult-style trick-or-treating fun. And with the inns and hotels participating, it is entirely possible to get to Manteo, park your car and have an entire weekend of fun without ever once getting back in your car until it's time to go home.
Halloween Island is the brainchild of Geno Seay, owner of Lost Colony Tavern in Downtown Manteo. Four Halloweens ago, as the new owner of Lost Colony Tavern, he rebranded his restaurant into the Ghost Colony Tavern pop-up. By encouraging his fellow Manteo businesses to join in the fun, in 2024 he helped launch Halloween Island, a month-long, town-wide festival that combines themed bars, inns and businesses with family-friendly fun and a strong commitment to giving back.
“From the beginning, my vision was to make Halloween Island a benefit for our community,” Seay says. “It would’ve been easy to just run it through my tavern, but Manteo is such a special town. We have this walkable social district, and I wanted to create something that lets adults be adults among other adults and also be family-friendly while supporting local causes.”
Safe & Social
One of the most unique aspects of Halloween Island is that 85 percent of it takes place inside Manteo’s walkable, state-sanctioned social district. Adults can stroll from one themed bar to the next without ever getting behind the wheel. For venues outside the zone, Outer Banks Adventures provides the Haunted Ghoul Bus service, and they'll also be offering shuttle services to and from the beach communities.
Every Friday, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) volunteers will be on site in Downtown Manteo, reminding visitors to be safe after a fun night on the town.
"They're not out to stop the fun — just to remind everyone to have fun safely," Seay says.
Lost Colony Tavern is releasing its Blonde Frankenstein beer just in time for Halloween Island.
The Halloween Island Pop-Up Bars
Restaurants and bars in Downtown Manteo and beyond have been busy rebranding into their Halloween alter-egos. Here's a list of where you'll want to go, and you can find more information about each place here.
Ghost Colony Tavern (Lost Colony Tavern)
Goretega'z Zombie Apocolypse Bar (Oretega'z Southwestern Grill and Bar)
Dead Sailors Society Ghost Ship Bar (Outer Banks Distilling)
NouVeins Vampire Bar (NouVines Wine Bar)
Pioneer Monster Cinema Bar (The Pioneer Theater)
Poor Witchard's (Poor Richard's Sandwich Shop and After Hours Bar)
Madame Olive's Haunted Mansion Bar (Olives a Greek Kitchen)
Phantom's Haunted Opera Bar (Old Tom's Beer Wine & Provisions)
Vicki B's - A Pop Up Beetlejuice Bar (VB's Manteo)
Witches on the Scuppernong (Vineyards on the Scuppernong)
Platform 1587 Harry Potter Bar (1587 Restaurant)
Frankentender Mad Scientist Bar (Firetender Stone Oven Cooking + Bar)
Mimi's Murder Hut (Mimi's Tiki Hut at Bluewater Grill)
Kiiind Cocktails' Kiiiller Cocktails Haunted House, Costume Party and Cocktail Class happens October 18.
13 Nights of Halloween Fun
Halloween Island officially kicks off at Downtown Manteo's First Friday monthly street party on October 3. Making a dramatic return is Halloween Island’s mischievous mascot, Halloween Jack, who rises from the marshes of Shallowbag Bay each year to haunt the town. A sneak peek to Halloween Island happens on October 2 at the premiere of the Halloween International Film Festival. Held at The Pioneer Theater, the Film Festival event will be offering 2025 Halloween Island t-shirts and passports for sale early.
From there, the party rolls on every Thursday through Saturday in October, offering 13 nights of bar-hopping fun.
You never know who you'll run into in Downtown Manteo during Halloween Island.
Beyond the Bars
Halloween Island is not just about bar crawling and restaurant hopping. From fun runs to pumpkin patches to a blood drive and a monster's ball, here is what else you can do on Roanoke Island in October. For more about any of these events, click here.
Outer Banks Halloween Film Festival - October 2 to 4 at The Pioneer Theater
First Friday: Halloween Island Kickoff Edition, 6 to 8 p.m. in Downtown Manteo
Autumn Ale Faire - October 4, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at The Elizabethan Gardens
OBX Ghost Tour - Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights (except First Friday and Halloween), 7 p.m. in Downtown Manteo
Pumpkin Patch Saturdays - October 4, 11, 18 and 25, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Island Farm
Bluegrass Island Music Festival, October 16 to 18 at Roanoke Island Festival Park
Kiiiller Cocktails Haunted House, Costume Party and Cocktail Class (Kiiind Cocktails), October 18, 5 to 8 p.m.
Frankentender's Monster Ball, October 18, 10 p.m. to Midnight, The Embers Room at Firetender
Dare to Scare 5K and Sweet Treat Fun Run - October 25, 8 to 10 a.m. Coastal Studies Institute and Virginia S. Tillett Community Center
NouVeins Vampire Blood Drive, October 25 at noon, NouVines Wine Bar
Harborween, October 25, 4 to 7 p.m., Wanchese Marina
Night of 1587 Pumpkins, October 25, 5 to 8 p.m. at The Elizabethan Gardens
Halloween Night on Halloween Island, October 31, 5 p.m. until...
Island Farm's kid-friendly Pumpkin Patch event is held every Saturday in October.
Other events to look out for – details TBA, stay tuned to Outer Banks This Week
Crystal Dawn Haunted Harbor Cruise
Kill Devil Rum Pumpkin Carving Contest
Stripers Horror Carnival Trunk-or-Treat
Waterfront Trellis Masquerade Ball
Moondog Funeral Home Art Exhibit
Mt. Olivet Methodist Church Trunk-or-Treat
Haunted Hayride to Roanoke Island Festival Park
Downtown Merchants Trick or Treat
Giving Back with Every Sip & Stamp
Halloween Island isn’t just about fun — it’s about raising money for local causes. Working in partnership with the Outer Banks Community Foundation, Halloween Island is a fundraising event. Thanks to a $13,000 grant from Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, Halloween Island channels 100 percent of proceeds from t-shirt sales ($30), souvenir cups ($3) and passports ($5) directly into the Halloween Island Fund, and all proceeds benefit 13 local nonprofit organizations.
Last year, even with no initial funding, Halloween Island raised several thousand dollars. Last year organizers decided to share the money with Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Halloween Island's Passport Challenge encourages passport holders to collect stamps from all 13 bars (or all 13 shops for kids) and earn exclusive rewards, magnets and entries into weekly prize raffles.
Get Ready
Whether you’re sipping a witchy potion with friends, trick-or-treating through the shops with your kids or just soaking up the Stars Hollow–meets–spooky vibe of Downtown Manteo, Halloween Island promises to be one of the Outer Banks’ most memorable events of the season.
Mark your calendars: Halloween Island runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from October 3 through 31.
Get your costume together, buy a passport and get ready for a month of spooky fun – all for a good cause. Be sure to book your Haunted Ghoul Bus Crawl with Outer Banks Adventures early. You can do that here.
For more information about Halloween Island, click here and be sure to follow our Daytime and Nightlife listings for more fun fall events.
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
