Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday. In Charleston, the South Carolina Aquarium runs Halloween at the A-Scary-um from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Charleston County Parks hosts Trick, Treat and Trail at Wannamaker County Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. that weekend.
Most of what is dated for Halloween weekend is family-friendly and runs in daylight. Boone Hall announced in May 2026 that its Fright Nights haunted attraction would not return, so check the year on any Halloween list you use. Below are the 2026 events, what each costs, and what to plan around downtown.
What is happening in Charleston on Halloween weekend 2026?
Four organizer-dated events run on Saturday, October 31, two more start on Friday, October 30, and the Charleston Museum holds its Halloween night a week earlier. Dates, times and prices below come from each organizer's 2026 page, checked October 19, 2026, so confirm availability before you go.
Event | Date and time | Where | Cost | Good for |
Nighttime at the Museum: Halloween Edition | Fri Oct 23, 5:30 to 7 p.m. | The Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting St. | Non-member adults: $15; non-member children ages 2–12: $10. Museum members: adults free; children $5. Reservations required. | Kids in costume |
Halloween at the A-Scary-um | Sat Oct 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; underwater pumpkin carving at 1:30 p.m. | South Carolina Aquarium, downtown | General admission tickets on the aquarium site | Families, couples, costumes |
Trick, Treat and Trail Fun Run and Festival | Sat Oct 31, course 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; costume contest at noon | Wannamaker County Park, North Charleston | $25 per vehicle through Oct 30; $30 on the day | Kids, families, leashed dogs |
Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch | Fri Oct 30 to Sun Nov 1, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 2434 N. Hwy. 17, Mount Pleasant | $15 ages 3 and up; 2 and under free | Families |
Preservation Society Fall Tours | Fri Oct 30 house and garden tour; Sat Oct 31 cemetery challenge and headstone cleaning demonstration | Downtown, varies by tour | House and garden tour $100, $75 members; Oct 30 tour sold out, waitlist open | History fans |
Halloween Night Climb | Fri Oct 30, 7 to 9 p.m. | Palmetto Peaks Climbing, James Island County Park | $20, ages 5 and up | Families with older kids |
Coastal Carolina Fair | Oct 29 to Nov 8 | Exchange Park, Ladson | Tickets on the fair site | Rides and food, all ages |
FRIGHT NIGHTS IS NOT RUNNING IN 2026
Boone Hall announced in May 2026 that it would end Fright Nights, as reported by Live 5 News and The Post and Courier. The Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch is still on, through November 1.
What can families do for Halloween in Charleston?
Saturday, October 31 gives families the most choice: the aquarium from 9 a.m., the trick-or-treat fun run until 1 p.m., and the pumpkin patch until 7 p.m. The aquarium and the fun run both encourage costumes.
The aquarium event is downtown. The fun run is in North Charleston and the pumpkin patch is in Mount Pleasant, so plan a drive for both. Fun run registration covers one vehicle of up to 15 people, and everyone has to arrive together in that vehicle. Details are on the Charleston County Parks event page.
Arriving a week early? The Charleston Museum's Halloween night on Friday, October 23 has trick-or-treating through the galleries, with reservations required and limited space. Use the pumpkin patch entrance on Highway 17, not the plantation entrance on Long Point Road, and leave pets at home. For more family ideas, see our guide to Charleston with kids.
ONE BOONE HALL TICKET DOES NOT COVER BOTH
Boone Hall sells admission to the Pumpkin Patch and to Boone Hall Plantation separately. A ticket for one does not get you into the other.
What is there for adults on Halloween in Charleston?
The dated options for adults are history tours. The Preservation Society's Fall Tours, in their 50th year, run through October 31, and ghost tours and bar crawls are offered by private companies with their own schedules.
On Friday, October 30, a house and garden tour covers 18th century downtown residences; it is sold out, with a waitlist. On Halloween itself the program closes with a cemetery discovery challenge and a headstone cleaning demonstration. Tickets are sold online or by phone only, with no walk-ins, on the Preservation Society Fall Tours page.
For ghost tours and Halloween bar crawls, confirm the start point, end time and any minimum age with the company before you book. Schedules change from year to year.
THE CLOCKS GO BACK ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, according to NIST. Clocks move back one hour overnight, so set your alarm with that in mind before an 11 a.m. check-out.
Where should you stay for Halloween in Charleston?
Stay downtown if the aquarium, the museum and the Fall Tours are your plan, and drive out for the fun run, the pumpkin patch and the fair. Every CHC home that sleeps eight or more is listed in the Cannonborough-Elliottborough neighborhood of downtown Charleston.
Those listings give check-in at 4 p.m. and check-out at 11 a.m. Each also states that parties are not allowed and that breaking the rule means immediate eviction, so plan to celebrate at the events and use the home as your base.
Cancellation windows depend on the unit type and count back from check-in, not from the day you book. Read the full booking and cancellation policies before you reserve.
Unit type | Includes | Full refund if you cancel | Inside the window |
Small units | Pool House, 2 Charles, 179 St. Philip D and others | More than 7 full days before check-in | No refund |
Large units | 118 President A and B, 179 St. Philip E, 33 B Cannon, 3 Tully | More than 30 full days before check-in | No refund |
118 President entire home | The whole building | 50 percent refund more than 30 full days before check-in | No refund |
A LATE HALLOWEEN BOOKING CANNOT BE REFUNDED
A large home booked within 30 days of arrival, or a small unit within 7 days, falls inside the no-refund window from the start. Refunds that do apply carry a 6.2 percent card processing fee, and the policy states exceptions will not be made.
What should you know about parking on Halloween weekend?
Plan ahead for Saturday night. The City of Charleston prohibits street parking on King Street between Spring and John streets from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and Halloween 2026 is a Saturday.
The city names the garages at Midtown, 558 King Street, and Marion Square, 399 King Street, as alternatives for that stretch. Meters are enforced 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, so read the signage where you park. Our downtown Charleston parking guide covers rates and garages.
FAQs
No. Boone Hall announced in May 2026 that it would end Fright Nights after more than 20 years, as reported by Live 5 News and The Post and Courier. The Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch is still running, with Halloween weekend hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through November 1.
Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026. In Charleston that puts the aquarium's Halloween at the A-Scary-um, the county's Trick, Treat and Trail fun run and the final Preservation Society Fall Tours events on one day, and daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. that night.
For some of them. The South Carolina Aquarium event is downtown, but the Trick, Treat and Trail fun run is in North Charleston, the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch is in Mount Pleasant and the Coastal Carolina Fair is in Ladson. Fun run registration is priced per vehicle.
Not the homes that sleep eight or more. Each of those CHC listings states that parties are not allowed and that breaking the rule results in immediate eviction. If you are bringing a group for Halloween, plan the celebrating at the events and use the home as your base.
How do you book a Halloween stay with CHC Vacation Rentals?
Check open dates across CHC homes on the availability page, or call 843.329.2040 or email bookings@chcvacationrentals.com. If you are coming for more of the season, our fall events guide covers the rest of October and November.
Planning past Halloween weekend? The fall events guide lists what else is on this fall.