It’s that time of year when kids get to gorge on candy and indulge in all of their dress-up dreams.
Here are some trunk-or-treats and other ghoulish events that are perfect for the whole family.
For adults who want to pack their month to the brim with spooky events, see here. Some of the events in the guide for adults — like the Lawrence Community Orchestra Halloween Carnival this Sunday, Garrett’s Haunted House and Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch’s 50th Anniversary celebrations — are family-friendly, as well.
Free trunk-or-treat events ahead of Halloween night
• Heartland Community Health Center and Panda Pediatrics’ Trunk or Treat will be from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Heartland Community Health Center, 1312 W. Sixth St. The event will feature music, games, raffles and the opportunity to get flu shots.
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• The Saturday, Oct. 25 Lawrence Farmers Market is transforming into a Trick or Eat extravaganza. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes and bring a trick-or-treat bag.
• Trick or treating at Hy-Vee will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the store at 3504 Clinton Parkway.
• The Nothing Unique Organization will host a Table or Treat from 12:45 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Cordley Elementary, 204 W. 19th St. Anyone interested in decorating a table or donating candy can reach out to events4NUO@gmail.com.
• Premier Martial Arts’ Wakarusa Marketplace Trunk or Treat will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1540 Wakarusa Drive. Costumes are encouraged and all children should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• Monterey Village, a retirement assisted living facility, will host a trunk or treat from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 3901 Peterson Road. Costumes are encouraged and the facility is accepting candy donations.
• Prime Martial Arts will have a Trunk or Treat with a haunted house and costume contest at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1310 Research Park Drive, Suite B.
• St. John’s Catholic School is running a trunk-or-treat from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1208 Kentucky St.
• Dillons, Noller Ford and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical will have a trunk-or-treat from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26 at the new Dillons location, 2205 Iowa St. Donations will be collected to benefit Just Food.
• With kids’ movies and sweet goodies, The Bridge of Lawrence’s Lunch Buddies program is hosting a trunk-or-treat from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26 at Woodlawn Elementary School, 508 Elm St.
• A Trunk or Treat at Trinity Lutheran Church will run from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1245 New Hampshire St., just southeast of South Park. There will be cocoa, music, games and other treats. Costumes are encouraged.
• River City Church will host a trunk-or-treat from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3001 Lawrence Ave. Folks can vote on the best trunk.
• KU Center for Community Outreach’s annual trunk-or-treat will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive. Alongside candy, there will be games and activities. Costumes are encouraged.
• Highpointe Apartments is hosting a trunk-or-treat that is open to the public starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The event will have food and snacks, movies and crafts.
• Noller Hyundai’s trunk-or-treat event is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, featuring candy and Halloween photo ops. Costumes are encouraged.
More free, family-friendly events for little ghosts and goblins
• First United Methodist Church will have a Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at their West Campus location, 867 Highway 40. The event will feature spooky trail train rides, a petting and reptile zoo, crafts, trunk-or-treating and goodies. Attendees can bring canned soup donations for a Ballard Center drive.
• The Boo-Seum Bash at the Watkins Museum will run from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the museum, 1047 Massachusetts St. The bash is open to kids of all ages with trick-or-treating, spooky arts and crafts and a jack-‘o-lantern scavenger hunt.
• Perfect for the kids who insist on dressing up as a dinosaur year after year, the Kansas Geological Survey’s Fossil Fright Night is a paleontology-themed event for the family from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, 1930 Constant Ave. Attendees are encouraged to wear prehistoric costumes to win a “fossiliferous” prize.
• The Spooky Science event hosted by KU’s Natural History Museum and the Kansas Postdoctoral Outreach Project will illuminate science for kids from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26 at the Natural History Museum, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Blvd., on the third floor in the Fossil Hall Gallery. Folks of all ages can “Conduct hair-raising experiments with static electricity, discover how scientists unravel the mysteries of the unknown using the scientific method, and use chemistry to bring gummy worms to life by creating your own Frankenworms,” according to the event page.
• Not-So-Scary Stories with storyteller Priscilla Howe will bring some favorite funny-scary stories to life with some “ridiculous handpuppets,” according to the Facebook event. People can can bring blankets, chairs, snacks or drinks. The event is free, but there will be opportunities to tip with cash or via app. Storytelling will start at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 415 Elm St. in Lawrence.
Paid family-friendly Halloween events
• Up & Away’s annual Halloween Party will have crafts, slime making, a scavenger hunt and a costume contest. The party is set for from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2525 Iowa St., Suite F, and their usual weekend pricing will be in effect.
• People can explore the Prairie Park Nature Center in the dark with a flashlight during a Spooktacular Night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2730 Harper St. There will be trick-or-treating on the prairie, the chance to meet nocturnal animals, balloon animals, Halloween games and music and a caramel apple bar. Tickets can be for the first hour or second hour slot, and cost $10 each. Children younger than 2 can get in for free with a registered adult.
On Halloween
• The New York Elementary PTA is creating a a trick-or-treat Halloween map of homes handing out candy to help create safe routes for kids in East Lawrence on Halloween night. Register your home or find the map here.
• Freddy’s will host a trick-or-treat where children 12 and under can swing by in costume to get a free cone or dish from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. at 2030 W. 23rd St.
• The Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., will give out candy to kids and teens ages 0 to 18 from 4 to 6 p.m.
• Perhaps the best time to explore rumors of haunted dolls and ghosts roaming downtown is the trick-or-teat, where folks of all ages can get free treats at participating businesses. Downtown Lawrence’s Trick Or Treat runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31.
• The First Southern Baptist Church will host a trunk-or-treat on Halloween night from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 4300 W. Sixth St. In addition to decorated trunks with candy, there will be games, bounce houses, food and prizes.
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