2018 Halloween Happenings in (and around) Billings
New or updated information denoted with **It’s a sweet experience this year in The Maize at Grandpa’s Farm. Celebrating its 21st season with a most delicious design: the Albanese Gummi Bear, which will bring fresh fun, free samples, giveaways, and photo ops that are not to be missed!
Located at 58th Street West and Grand Avenue, the Maize is open Wednesdays 6-9pm; Fridays & Saturdays 10am-10pm, Sept 3-Oct 27. Costs: $10/general admission, $13/haunted maze, add $3 for 25 paintballs, $5 for 50 paintballs, $8 for 100 paintballs.
Get a $2 off coupon at: www.themaizeatgrandpasfarm.com.
Laurel’s pumpkin patch survived retirement! Formerly known as J&K Farms, T&C Farms has taken over and is ready for families this harvest season! Located just outside of Laurel at 1927 Holstein Ln, T&C Farms offers a large Pumpkin Patch for picking, Hayrides, a Corn Maze, Pumpkin Chuck’n, Farm Produce, Country Store, Barrel Train, and more!
October Schedule: Friday/Saturdays (and Oct 26-31) 9am-6pm; Sundays 1-6pm. Groups may schedule for Wednesdays/Thursdays. To get information regarding group rates call 406.272.2280
HarvestFest – October 13 @ 9am-4pm | Downtown Billings, under Skypoint
This annual fall festival, in its 15th season, offers fun for the whole family! Look for the arts and crafts tents, farmers’ market produce, food trucks, and a children’s area brimming with crafts and activities! Expect live entertainment, the Harvestfest Basket Raffle, and a beer garden hosted by title sponsor, The Montana Brewing Company. As always, the public is invited to participate in the Pumpkin Pie Baking Contest (applications at www.downtownbillings.com).
Chalk on the Walk is once again part of the HarvestFest festivities celebrating the fall season, as details were still being finalized, be sure to check back throughout October for up-to-date information!
KidsKlub: Pumpkin Painting @ Scheels – October 15 @ 6-7pm | 1121 Shiloh Crossing
Kiddos ages 4-12, you are invited to join in the fun of Scheels’ KidsKlub with this Pumpkin Painting event! Make your way up to the 2nd-floor training rooms where you’ll get to unleash your inner artist on a pumpkin of your very own!
Trick-or-Treat Events & Activities
Boo at the Zoo @ ZooMontana – October 27 @ 10am-4pm | 2100 S. Shiloh Rd
Bring your costumed cuties to ZooMontana’s annual “merry, not scary” event where you’ll encounter games and activities, food vendors, lively entertainment (local dance groups, sprinkled with Haunted Magic Shows at 1pm & 3pm), and lots of candy! And you won’t want to miss the Mad Scientist Shows at the amphitheater at 12pm/2pm/3:15pm.
Regular Zoo admission day, free for Zoo members.
** Halloween Hijinks @ Huntley Project Museum - October 27 @ 11am-3pm | 770 Railroad Highway, Huntley, MT
This spooktacular delight is primarily aimed at elementary aged children, but you can expect happenings for all ages, such at Trick-or-Treating through the historic town of Osborn, bringing your pet along for a special Halloween Photo Shoot ($12 to have your photo printed and ready to be taken home with you that day). Look for an Apple Cider-making Demonstration and a campfire complete with scary stories, told by the palm reader (who will also have her crystal ball on hand for fortune telling). Baked goods available for sale!
Aquatic Pumpkin Patch @ Billings YMCA – October 27 @ 1pm (Must Register Beforehand!) 248.1685, www.billingsymca.org) | 402 N 32nd St
This Aquatic Pumpkin Patch at the YMCA takes your kiddo’s pumpkin-picking to a whole ‘nother level! Your child will have a chance to get in the pool to choose their perfect pumpkin! Participants need a swimsuit (littles not yet potty-trained need to wear a swim diaper), and any child that could be considered a “non-swimmer” must be accompanied by an adult in the pool.
Cost: $5/member; $10/non-member. Ages 2-5 @ 1-1:30pm | Ages 6-12 @ 1:30-2pm | Ages 13-16 @ 2-2:30pm
Halloween Fun & Activities @ HRDC – October 31 @ 9am-1pm | 7 N 31st St
Get some extra wear out of those Halloween costumes when you get the festivities started early at HRDC’s free event that includes a variety of play stations and activities. It’s fun, games, and goodies galore!
Spider Craft @ Wise Wonders Children’s Museum – October 30 & October 31 @ 10am-5pm | 110 N 29th St
In addition to participating in the Downtown Trick-or-Treating on Halloween, Wise Wonders will also be creating creepy crawlers in the Museum on Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s regular admission (free for members) to participate in this spider-making craft.
Downtown Trick-or-Treat – October 31 @ 12-5pm | Participating Downtown Billings businesses
Get your trick-or-treating started early with Downtown Billings Alliance-hosted annual adaptation. Look for balloons to point you to participating businesses. You could start just about anywhere, but it’s recommended that you begin your adventure at the Downtown Info Center (2815 2nd Avenue North) for a participant map (make note, they close at 4pm)!
**Mall-O-Ween Trick-or-Treat @ Rimrock Mall - October 31 @ 4-8pm | 300 South 24th Street West
The festivities begin at 4pm in Center Court where your costumed cuties will find fun games and crafts. (Free photos available until 8pm). Then from 6-7pm, the Trick-or-Treating adventures begin! Make your way through the mall and stop at participating Rimrock Mall retailers.
Halloween Carnival @ Laurel Middle School – October 31 @ 4:30-7pm | Free | 725 Washington Avenue
Families with kids of ALL ages are welcome to join in the fun at the Laurel Chamber’s Halloween Carnival! Expect booths with candy and a variety of activities (perfect for your littles), as well as the spooktacular new addition of a Haunted Hallway (good times for your middles)! Costume Contest at 5:30pm!
Trunk or Treat @ Shiloh United Methodist Church – October 31 @ 5-7pm | 1810 Shiloh Rd
Join in the costumed fun at Shiloh UMC’s annual Trunk or Treat, where you’ll find activities inside and out, and candy of course!
Sugar Rush @ Elevation Church – October 31 @ 5:30-7:30pm* | 711 4th Ave N. (Located across Main Street from MetraPark on 4th Ave, accessible from 4th or 6th Avenues)
You knew it as “Candy Jam” in year’s past, but now it’s a Sugar Rush at Elevation Church! This year, families will go on an easy-flowing, magical trick-or-treating journey through five fun zones: Enchanted Forest, Under the Sea, Superhero City, Outer Space, and Fairytale Castle.
There is parking available at the Metra, with a free shuttle to and from, and food trucks are expected on site for families to share a meal together, if they’d like, on this busy Halloween night.
*Families with children who have special needs are invited to come early at 5-5:30pm
Trick-or-Treat at Scheels – October 31 @ 6-8pm | 1121 Shiloh Crossing Blvd
No matter what kind of Montana weather we’re experiencing outside, you can bring your trick-or-treaters indoors with Scheels’ annual Trick-or-Treat festivities that includes prizes, candy, and more! Your costumed kiddos will follow a new Scavenger Hunt, leading them through the store, completing various activities, while receiving a little something for their goody bag (or bucket)! Pop in any time between 6 and 8!
Putting the Scream in Your Halloween
Halloween’s not just for the kids, check out these Halloween happenings, some that are fun for the whole family, and others perfect for mom and dad.
Sleepy Hollow Wagon Rides @ ZooMontana –October 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27 @ 6-10pm and October 29-30 @ 6-10pm and | 2100 S. Shiloh Rd
With a tale made for Halloween, you'll have the opportunity to experience the Zoo differently with these family-fun wagon rides through the back of ZooMontana. Make sure you dress for the weather (you might want to bring a blanket along for the ride, but no flash photography). As the wagon winds its way through scenery and spooky sites, you’ll listen to an animated story narration of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman.
Tickets: $15/person; Free/Children ages 3 and younger
Montana Spirits at the Moss @ Moss Mansion – October 6 & October 11 @ 6:30pm | Reservations $30/adult (must be ages 21+)
It’s an adults-only evening at the Moss with this special storytelling event that is partnered with five Montana-made brews and liquors. Each spirited sample is paired with a ghost story from its locale of origin with plenty of Moss tales carrying you through your tour as well. There are six tours throughout the evening, with 12-15 guests per tour. ID required at check-in.
Horror Theater and Haunted Maze @ Moss Mansion – October 19-20, 26-27 & 31 @ 6:30pm (theater), 7pm (maze, weather permitting) | Tickets only available at the door: Maze Tickets: $10, Theater Tickets: $18, Combo: $25
Get on board with #HauntedMoss as this year’s haunted house theme, Asylum, welcomes the community to tour the “facility,” under the premise of seeing if it’s a “good place of treatment for a loved one.” Not a tour for the faint of heart, the plot unfolds as you move from room to room with one of the Asylum’s staff.
The Haunted Maze, going by the name of Labyrinth, is a true maze that features a more difficult path, with some halls leading to dead ends (or early exits). You never know what you might encounter there – spooky sounds, bright lights and darkness, and a hair-raising variety of scary creatures and ghouls!
Adults must accompany their children and teens on the grounds at night. Themes might not be appropriate for ages 8 and younger.
Midnight Edition of Horror Theater @ Moss Mansion – October 20 & 27 @ 11:30pm | Tickets $25/person, reservations required, limited availability
This tour features bonus scenes that includes the 3rd floor, and is for adults only (ages 18+). Reservations are a must, as tours are limited to 12 individuals. Get your tickets at the front desk during regular hours or call 256.5100.
**Haunted House @ MSUB Student Union Building - Thursday, October 25 @ 7-9pm | 1500 University Drive, #113
Come for a chilling evening of thrills and terror! If you like spooky things, then you'll want to get ready for one of the most ooky spooky events ever, hosted at MSUB!! The Student Activities Board is hosting MSUB's BEST Haunted House to date!! So clear your calendar and put on your big kid pants because they aren't here to play games!!!
21st Annual MSUB Athletics Scholarship Dinner, Auction, & Halloween Party @ Red Lion Hotel – Friday, October 26 @ 6pm | Tickets: $75/single; $150/couple; $595/party of 8 | 5500 Midland Road
This Halloween dress-up-themed evening (encouraged, though not required) is the primary fundraiser for MSUB’s athletics department. So, as you purchase your tickets and participate in the live and silent auctions (while donning a creative costume – prizes will be awarded for most outstanding costumes), you’ll be supporting Yellowjacket student-athletes! Expect live music by John Roberts Y Pan Blanco; the evening will also include a social hour (complete with hors-d'oeuvres), dinner, beer, and wine (a premium cash liquor bar is also provided). Some highlights of this year's auction packages:
- Vacation to Mexico Package
- Black Hills Trip and tickets to reptile gardens
- Fairmont Hot Spring Get Away Package
- Tickets to MSUB Men's Basketball against UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada
Billings Zombie Walk 2018 starting @ Courthouse Lawn – Saturday, October 27 @ 4pm
Create your most unfortunate zombie look for the Billings Zombie Walk 2018, where prizes will be awarded for Most Original, Child, Couple, and Scariest. The walk will take roughly an hour, and rules for the walk are printed on the backside of the map that you’ll receive upon arrival.
Haunted Hallows @ Two Moon Park – October 26, 27, 30 @ 7pm | Tickets $10/person, $20 to skip the line (Event recommended for ages 14+)
Whether you put on a brave face, or plan to scream your way through the 1-mile walk that is Haunted Hallows, be assured that there are new twists and turns, filled with scares at every corner. Plan ahead, and be sure to arrive by 9pm, as the last group is sent by 10:30pm - you don’t want to miss the cut-off!
And for one night only, with purchase of advance tickets…
Haunted Hallows Deluxe Night – October 29 @ 6:30-9:30pm | Tickets: $45/adult
GoUnite and Billings Jaycees have teamed up to offer this one deluxe night of Haunted Hallows, complete with food trucks and adult beverages. Upon purchase of your ticket, you’ll be assigned a specific time to walk the 1-mile haunted trek with a group of 4-8 people (no waiting in lines for you!), you’ll receive a meal ticket to any of the food trucks, along with two drink tickets for beer/wine; tickets also include unlimited pop/water. Costumes are most definitely encouraged!
Have kids? Bring them to Big Sky Imaginarium (2922 2nd Ave N) during the event for an activity-packed playdate filled with crafts, dinner, and games, before settling in to watch a movie. Kids can be dropped off any time after 6pm. Cost: 1 child=$20; 2 children=$15/child; 3 children=$13.33/child; 4 kids=$12.50/child; 5 children=$11.40/child; 6 children=$10.33/child.
Originally printed in the pages of Simply Family Magazine’s October 2018 issue.
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