This story originally ran on VeloCityOKC.com.
Oklahoma City offers a variety of events throughout October designed for Halloween enthusiasts and those eager to celebrate the fall season. From family-friendly events to attractions tailored to older audiences, Oklahoma City provides something for everyone.
Frontier City Fright Fest
Beginning in mid-September, Fontier City’s Fright Fest provides family-friendly shows and attractions, an abundance of food, games and rides during the day, while spooky rides and haunted houses open at night.
For those looking for an event for the whole family, Kids Boo Fest will take place during the day and will feature trick-or-treating, fall festivities and fun character photo opportunities.
Fright Fest 2024 events and shows are Cowboys vs. Zombies, Dead Man’s Party, Proctor’s Revenge, Crackaxle Canyon Demo Stunt Show, Magic of the Night and Freak Show Deluxe.
Thrillseekers can attend Fright Fest at night and experience several different haunted houses. This year’s haunted houses include Auto Despair Service, Midnight Mausoleum, Forgotten Freaks, Devil’s Hollow and Cadaver Castle. Scare Zones, which are areas of the park designated for actors to scare guests, include Clown Town, Killer Cabin, Medusa’s Garden and Festival of Fright Parade.
An additional fee is required for the haunted houses. Fright Fest will conclude October 27.
Haunt the Zoo
Oklahoma City Zoo will host its 41st annual Haunt the Zoo event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays of the month of October.
Attendees can dress up in their Halloween costumes, then follow a trick-or-treat trail through the zoo, stopping at 14 candy locations and 16 Halloween-themed booths. To trick-or-treat, guests must purchase an official Haunt the Zoo bag.
Availability is limited, so it is encouraged to pre-purchase tickets.
Orr Family Farm
Orr Family Farm opened its fall attractions September 21 and will remain open until November 9.
The farm offers over 25 family-friendly attractions, including a pumpkin patch, a fall maze, train rides, pony rides, cornhole, a singing chicken show and much more. This year, the farm added three new carnival rides for families to enjoy, as well as the new piggy racers attraction.
During the regular fall season, from October 4-31, the farm will be open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. and Sunday until 6 p.m. On Halloween, hours will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The farm will also be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 2 and 9. Orr Family Farm is closed on Tuesdays.
Myriad Gardens’ Pumpkinville
Myriad Gardens’ annual Pumpkinville festival will take place October 4-20. This year’s theme is Mythical Creatures, and the park will have displays of pumpkins, gourds, haystacks and mums that adhere to the theme across the site.
Some creature features will include sights of giants, ogres, trolls, bigfoot, gnomes, fairies, unicorns and dragons conquering the landscape. Guests can view Pegasus, a Phoenix and gargoyles in the sky, while the Loch Ness Monster and mermaids take over the water.
Games, pumpkin painting, face painting, local vendors, special treats and unlimited rides on Mo’s Carousel will be available on the grounds for guests to enjoy.
Pumpkinville special events include Sensory Night on October 10 from 5:30-7 p.m., as well as Orange Monday and Spooky Pooch Parade on October 20 from 3-4 p.m.
Pumpkinville will also include fun programming for all ages, including:
Paint-a-Pumpkin – $5 per pumpkin
Storytime with the Metropolitan Library beginning at 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and with Character Connections Fairy Princess on Sundays
A Vendor Market on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pumpkinville educational classes will take place on weekdays (excluding Mondays) from October 4-18 at 11 a.m. Registration is required, and the cost is $12 per child. Pumpkinville classes include:
Tuesdays: Unicorn Pumpkin Planters Transform your own pumpkin into a magical unicorn with flower hair.
Wednesdays: Flower Fairy Crowns and Wands Make a live flower crown and ribbon wand to become a fairy for the day.
Thursdays: Aquatic Mermaid Gardens Create an underwater garden with an aquatic plant and your own mermaid.
Fridays: Teatime with Dragons Join the Tea Dragon Society to learn about tea, its plant origins, and sample different types.
Admission to Pumpkinville is $9 per person, but free for ages 2 and under and free for Myriad Garden members. The gardens will be open Sunday through Thursday (excluding Monday) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
If your family has a sweet tooth, come down to Bricktown on Oct. 28 from 4-7 p.m. for the district’s 10th annual Brick-or-Treat, where children under the age of 14 are invited to wear their costumes and celebrate with music, candy, pictures and all the other Halloween classics.
Visit the Oklahoma Railway Museum for a Halloween train ride. On Oct. 26 and 27, the whole family is invited to explore the museum grounds for a scavenger hunt, receive a candy gift bag and ride the Halloween Train.
The Museum of Osteology is hosting three Forensic Nights in the month of October. Sign up with your friends to explore what forensic anthropologists, law enforcement and investigators can learn by examining human skeletal remains. This event is only available to participants ages 16 and up. Tickets are $45 per person, and the dates in October include Oct. 18, 26 and 30.
Oklahoma River Cruises will briefly transform its classic ambiance to a Halloween-themed boat featuring decorations, food, Halloween music and a cash bar. Haunt the River lasts an hour and a half and is open to those 21 and older. Haunt the River rides are available Oct. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26.
On Saturdays from Sept. 28 through Nov. 23, solve the murder mystery at The Dinner Detective Comedy Mystery Dinner Show. Each ticket includes a signature award-winning mystery dinner theatre show, along with a full plated dinner, waitstaff gratuity and plenty of surprises during the show.
