Your Guide to Outer Banks Halloween Fun

October on the Outer Banks means cooler days, pumpkin patches, costumes, haunted happenings and plenty of reasons to get out and enjoy fall.

Around here, Halloween definitely isn’t limited to one night. The festivities start early in October and build throughout the month, with everything from pumpkin painting and pony rides to haunted woods, horror films, costumed 5Ks, trick-or-treating on boats and entire towns getting into the spooky spirit.

Whether you’re looking for family-friendly fall fun or a Halloween party for the grownups, there’s something happening all month long. Here are some of the Outer Banks fall and Halloween events to put on your calendar.

Pubkin Patch Kids Event

Sunday, October 4, 12 to 3 p.m. | Outer Banks Brewing Station, Kill Devil Hills

Bring the kids to the Brewing Station backyard for an afternoon of fall fun benefiting The Wave Function Project. Pubkin Patch will feature free pony rides and a petting zoo, pumpkin painting, a bounce house, face painting and seasonal food and drink specials, including cocktails and mocktails. Island Snowball Co. will be serving treats, and the Under the Seam Hat Bar will be on hand for an additional cost.

Halloween Island

Throughout October | Manteo

Spooky season takes over Roanoke Island when Manteo transforms into Halloween Island for the month of October. Now in its third year, the month-long celebration brings Halloween-themed pop-ups to more than a dozen Manteo restaurants and watering holes, with this year’s theme, Rise of the Moondog. The 21-and-older crowd can make its way through Manteo’s walkable downtown and social district or catch the Haunted Ghoul Bus to participating spots outside downtown. Look for special Halloween Island happenings throughout the month and a Halloween Night Street Party on October 31.

Island Farm Pumpkin Patch Saturdays

October 3, 10, 17 and 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Island Farm, Manteo

Island Farm celebrates its 15th Annual Pumpkin Patch Saturdays of old-fashioned fall fun. Along with purchasing pumpkins, visitors can try historic games, doll crafting and candle making, a nail-driving contest, jumbo bubbles, a corn tunnel and more. Enjoy open-fire popcorn and fresh apple cider, watch the blacksmith at work and browse local art and food vendors. And yes, the popular apple cider donuts will be back.

Wicked Woods Haunted Attraction

October 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31, 7:30 to 11 p.m. | 18766 U.S. Highway 64, East Lake

Ready for something a little scarier? Head west to East Lake for Wicked Woods, a nighttime haunted attraction offering six nights of scares leading up to Halloween. Make your way through the woods after dark and see what — or who — might be waiting around the next corner.

Halloween International Film Festival

October 23 and 24 | Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo

The Halloween International Film Festival returns for its seventh year with two days and nights devoted to independent horror and Halloween-themed films from around the world. Screenings in Roanoke Island Festival Park’s indoor theater are joined by filmmaker Q&As, meet and greets, Orange Carpet photo ops and more. Presented by Halloween Daily News and OBX Entertainment, the festival is part of Manteo’s month-long Halloween Island celebration.

Dare to Scare 5K & Sweet Treat Fun Run

October 24, 8 to 10 a.m. | Roanoke Island

Start Halloween weekend on the run at the Dare to Scare 5K & Sweet Treat Fun Run. Beginning at the Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese and finishing at the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center in Manteo, the course offers plenty of Roanoke Island scenery along the way. Costumes are encouraged, with prizes for top finishers and creative looks. Proceeds benefit the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center’s annual Toy Drive. Pre-registration is required, and all ages are welcome.

Harborween

October 24, 3 to 7 p.m. | Wanchese Marina

Halloween goes dockside at Wanchese Marina for the 6th Annual Harborween. Trick-or-treat around the boats, grab something to eat at The Landing Grill and enjoy live music along the waterfront. Costume contests, carnival rides, face painting and plenty of candy make this a fun community celebration for the whole family.

Outer Banks Halloween Parade of Costumes

October 25, beginning at 2 p.m. | Aviation Park, Kill Devil Hills

One of the Outer Banks’ biggest family Halloween traditions returns to Aviation Park for the 13th Annual Outer Banks Halloween Parade of Costumes. The free festivities begin at 2 p.m. with trick-or-treating around the frog pond, followed by the parade at 3 p.m. Kids, adults, groups and even pets are encouraged to dress up and join the fun. Prizes will be awarded for Best in Show in three categories: ages 12 and younger, ages 13 and older, and groups. Registration is free online or onsite.

Ships & Sweets

October 25, 5:30 p.m. | Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, south of Nags Head

Keep the Halloween fun going dockside at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center with Ships & Sweets. Costumed kids can trick-or-treat along the boats as captains hand out candy, while everyone enjoys music, refreshments and a fall sunset over the water. It’s a distinctly Outer Banks way to celebrate Halloween — costumes, candy and boats included.

Pumpkin Carving at The Elizabethan Gardens

October 28 and 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | The Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo

Help create the magic for A Night of 1587 Pumpkins by stopping by The Elizabethan Gardens to carve a jack-o’-lantern. The finished pumpkins will become part of the glowing pumpkin path for the October 30 celebration. Come back on event night to find your creation and take it home afterward.

A Night of 1587 Pumpkins

October 30, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. | The Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo

The Elizabethan Gardens will glow with the light of up to 1,587 jack-o’-lanterns during A Night of 1587 Pumpkins. The number commemorates the year English colonists arrived on Roanoke Island, while the evening itself is all about Halloween fun. Walk the pumpkin-lined paths, trick-or-treat from 5:30 to 7 p.m., enter contests beginning at 7 p.m. and enjoy glow sticks, hot chocolate, apple cider and marshmallows around the bonfire. You can even bring your own carved pumpkin to add to the display.

Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree

October 30 and 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Ocracoke Island

Pirates take over Ocracoke Island for the annual Blackbeard's Pirate Jambroree. Headquartered on the Berkley Manor grounds, the weekend features living history, a historically accurate pirate encampment, the dramatic reenactment of Blackbeard’s final battle, sea shanties, a vendor fair,  and hands-on exhibits.   

Halloween Night Spooktacular Street Party on Halloween Island

October 31, beginning at 8 to 11 p.m. | Downtown Manteo

Halloween Island saves one of its biggest celebrations for Halloween night. Head to Downtown Manteo for costumes, Halloween fun and a street party that brings the month-long celebration to its grand finale. Come early for the family-friendly festivities, then stick around as Halloween night takes over the waterfront.

Saints & Sinners Halloween Party

October 30, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. | Old Tom’s Beer, Wine & Provisions, Manteo

Dress as your favorite saint or sinner to this Halloween Island party at Old Tom’s (Old Phantoms for the month of October). There will be drinks, food, music with Jeremy Russell, a costume contest and more. Kids are welcome until 8 p.m. After that, it’s a 21+ dance party.

Exotic Erotic Halloween Ball XXVI

October 31, 10 p.m. | Outer Banks Brewing Station, Kill Devil Hills

For the grownups, Halloween ends with one of the Outer Banks’ longest-running Halloween parties. The Outer Banks Brewing Station’s 26th Annual Exotic Erotic Halloween Ball brings DJ Bruce, a packed dance floor and some seriously elaborate costumes. The late-night party includes the Brewing Station’s legendary costume contest and cash prizes, so this is definitely the night to go all-out with your Halloween look.

Halloween Throwdown: DJ Charming Rat

October 31, 10 p.m. | Goombays Grille & Raw Bar, Kill Devil Hills

Definitely dress up for the adult-style Halloween fun at Goombays. There will be dancing to 80s and 90s music, a costume contest, a tap takeover from Swells'a Brewing, drink specials and surprises.

And that’s just the start of the Halloween fun. More events are sure to pop up as October rolls along, so stay tuned to Outer Banks This Week for even more ways to celebrate fall and Halloween on the Outer Banks.