From haunted hotel tours and family-friendly Halloween parties to drive-in movies, costume contests and Día de los Muertos celebrations, there’s plenty to keep Grand Rapidians busy this Halloween weekend. Here’s what to add to your calendar, from Thursday through Sunday.
Thursday, Oct. 29
Get spooked at the Amway Grand Plaza. Ghosts of the Grand: A Paranormal Indoor Walking Tour explores the historic hotel’s ghostly legends, reportedly haunted rooms and hidden corners. The $65 ticket includes tax, gratuity, a welcome cocktail, small bites and a one-hour guided tour, plus an opportunity to connect with a seer, medium or tarot reader before setting off. Guests must be 21 or older and should arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled tour.
- When: 5:30, 6, 6:45, 7:15, 8 and 8:30 p.m.
- Where: Amway Grand Plaza, check-in at the Pantlind Ballroom
Trick-or-treat at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. Costumed kids can enjoy a glow dance party, museum-wide trick-or-treating, treat bag decorating, a spooky slime lab, monster crafts, a prize game and more. Admission is $12 per person, with reduced rates for seniors, teachers, health care and frontline workers, and active military members. EBT and WIC cardholders pay $1.75 per person for up to 12 people per card, while museum members and children younger than 1 get in free.
- When: 5-8 p.m.
- Where: Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
Friday, Oct. 30
Watch The Nightmare Before Christmas with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Disney’s Tim Burton classic comes to DeVos Performance Hall in a live-to-film concert, with the movie screened while Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman’s score is performed live.
- When: 7:30 p.m.
- Where: DeVos Performance Hall
- Also playing: Saturday, Oct. 31, at 2 p.m. at DeVos Performance Hall and Sunday, Nov. 1, at 4 p.m. at Hastings Performing Arts Center.
Catch the final Halloween weekend at the Getty Drive-In. The Muskegon drive-in wraps up its 83rd season with its 10th annual Halloween celebration, featuring trunk-or-treating, free candy, costume prizes and awards for the best-decorated car. Dress up, decorate your vehicle and settle in for a movie under the stars. Single-feature tickets are $6.
- When: Gates open at 5 p.m.; trunk-or-treating runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by prize announcements from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Movies begin at dark.
- Where: Getty Drive-In, Muskegon
- Movie options: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Twilight, Resident Evil and Clayface
- Also happening: Saturday, Oct. 31, with the same schedule.
Get dressed up for Just Wicked: ’Til Death Do Us Part. The JW Marriott Grand Rapids hosts a gothic-romance-themed Halloween party with signature cocktails, music by DJ RIINK, live entertainment and its annual costume contest. The event is for guests 21 and older, with tickets priced at $20 in advance or $25 on the day of, plus Eventbrite fees.
- When: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- Where: JW Marriott Grand Rapids, International Ballroom
Saturday, Oct. 31
Make a day of pumpkin picking. Head to Post Family Farm in Hudsonville for a fall outing, or visit Bremer Produce, which ranked fifth in the country in a recent pumpkin-patch ranking based on Google reviews. Michigan had 25 patches in the ranking, more than any state except California.
- Where: Post Family Farm, 5081 Bauer Road, Hudsonville
- Post Family Farm hours: 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
- Admission at Post Family Farm: $12 online or $15 at the gate for ages 2 and older.
Take the kids to Boo Bash at RiverTown Crossings. The mall’s Halloween celebration features mall-wide trick-or-treating, a DJ and more seasonal festivities for families looking to get in some extra candy collecting.
- When: 5-7 p.m.
- Where: RiverTown Crossings
Sunday, Nov. 1
Celebrate Día de los Muertos in Grand Rapids. Honor loved ones through art, culture and community at local celebrations and exhibitions.
- City Built Brewing: Attend a free, family-friendly celebration from noon to 7 p.m. featuring music, food, an outfit and face-painting contest, sugar skull face painting and a community ofrenda. Bring a photo of a loved one to add to the altar.
- Grand Rapids Art Museum: Visit Reyna Garcia: Día de los Muertos, featuring a community ofrenda where visitors can leave a photograph, small object or handwritten note in memory of a loved one.
- DeVos Place: Explore Between Worlds: Where Memory Lives, a free art exhibition featuring painting, photography, mixed media, installations and two community ofrendas. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Grand Rapids Downtown Market: See La Catrina, a nine-foot mosaic made from Indigenous seeds, beans and grains, along with El Altor, a 10-foot Aztec calendar, and a traditional altar inviting visitors to leave offerings for lost loved ones.
Catch the final performance of The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert. The Grand Rapids Symphony presents the film with Danny Elfman’s score performed live at Hastings Performing Arts Center.
- When: 4 p.m.
- Where: Hastings Performing Arts Center
