Glow Gardens, Enchanted Hollows and Boo at the Zoo!
October 24, 2019
We’ve compiled the most comprehensive listing of All Things Halloween in the Aurora and Denver area! From the most terrifying haunted houses in the city (only if you dare!) to magical family outings with pumpkin sculptures to fun activities at the zoo to Halloween-themed theatre and concert events—and of course, the best trick-or-treating options in the area!
Thursday-Friday, October 24-25
GLOW AT THE GARDENS
The Halloween event where pumpkins aren’t just pumpkins—they’re works of art! Denver Botanic Gardens presents Glow at the Gardens, featuring real pumpkins harvested from local farms turned into larger-than-life sculptures by local artists! These ornately-detailed showpiece pumpkins flicker eerily in the creepy nighttime atmosphere of the gardens, making for a spooky and special Halloween outing!
Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St., Denver
5:30-9:30 p.m. (last entry at 9:00 p.m.)
Tickets: $15-$21
Phone: 720-865-3500
Thursday-Saturday, October 24-26
GHOSTS IN THE THEATRE
Part ghost tour in a century-old theater, part theatrical event that blurs the boundary between art and audience, The Cutting Room Floor is an immersive performance and ghost tour of the Aurora Fox Theater. You’ll experience unsettling real-life stories of the hopes and disappointments that occurred in this very theater over the last hundred years.
While the haunt-inspired performance is spooky and thrilling, it’s not a gore fest. And no jump scares here. Instead, through live dance and theatre, films clips, and an escape-room design, the performers’ interactions invite you to better understand the ghosts of the past.
Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave, Aurora
Thurs./Fri./Sat./Sun., 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.; Sun., 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Tickets: $24-$32
Phone: 303-947-2827
THE ADDAMS FAMILY ON STAGE
“They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky…” If you can sing along to their theme song (and snap your fingers at all the right times), you know you’ve got to see The Addams Family live on stage! Different from the 60s TV show, this is an all-new story that features a plot with a grown-up Wednesday bringing home her “normal” boyfriend to meet her family, you know there will be plenty of outrageous laughs to come!
Vintage Theatre Productions, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $38
Phone: 303-856-7830
Thursday-Sunday, October 24-27
HISTORICAL WALKING GHOST TOUR
This tour gives you a glimpse of the spookier side of Denver’s colorful history through a guided stroll downtown. You’ll learn all about the seedy side of the city’s past as you visit the haunted Tivoli Brewery, haunted bars, hotels, Union Station, and more!
Appropriate for all ages, the walking tour covers about 1.7 miles and lasts about two hours. Your costumed guide will provide you with real ghost-hunting equipment upon checking-in!
Tivoli Brewing Company, 900 Auraria Pkwy., Ste. 240, Denver
6:30 p.m.
Reservations: Starting at $15 per person
THE 13TH FLOOR HAUNTED HOUSE
There’s a reason buildings don’t put the 13th floor button in their elevators…it’s the same reason why it’s the scariest place to be at Halloween time. Voted one of the best haunted houses in the country, this event may be too intense for children under 12. For everyone else—enter only if you dare!
Three different and equally terrifying stories invite you in. If you’ve seen the recent movies It and Joker, you won’t want to miss Clown—every thirteen years he returns to feast on the fears of children. Tales of the Unknown takes you on an eerie journey that blurs the line between fact and fiction, and The Other Side is a not-so-carefree bike ride, in the woods, at night…
13th Floor Haunted House, 3400 E. 52nd Ave., Denver
Thurs., 7:30 – 10:00 p.m.; Fri., 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.; Sat., 6:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.; Sun., 6:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Tickets: Starting at $29.99
Friday-Saturday, October 25-26
ENCHANTED HOLLOWS AT THE ZOO
What could be more spooky than the nocturnal cries of animals as darkness envelops territory so familiar and friendly by day? The Denver Zoo prepares for Halloween with Enchanted Hollows, two unique exhibits that come to life after dark!
Woodland Hollow is the immersive art walk with activities for the entire family, including axe-throwing, cornhole, elaborate pumpkin carvings, animal specialist talks, and even a “Scary-oke” sing-along! A second exhibit is perfect for tweens and parents—the Harmony Hill Bigfoot Festival with Sasquatch-themed food and drink, educational talks from animal care specialists—and maybe even a photo with Sasquatch himself!
Denver Zoo, 2900 E. 23rd Ave., Denver
6:00 – 10:00 p.m
Tickets: $9 – $20
Phone: 720-337-1400
Friday-Sunday, October 25-27
FRIGHT BY NIGHT
Fright by Night is Elitch Gardens’ bone-chilling Halloween experience recommended only for ages 12 and older. Once the sun goes down on the amusement park, be on guard for strange creatures lurking around every corner, blood-curdling screams, and three haunted attractions that will give you nightmares for weeks to come.
No Vacancy is a hotel you might never check-out of, Big Top Freaks is a carnival graveyard filled with flesh-eating clowns, and Séance invites you to take part in live performances of bringing the dead back to life.
Elitch Gardens, 2000 Elitch Circle, Denver
Fri./Sat., 6:00 – 11:00 p.m.; Sun., 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: Park Admission starts at $39.99; additional charge for some attractions
Saturday, October 26
SOUTHLANDS TRICK-OR-TREAT TRAIL
Everyone’s invited to this Halloween fun-fest—kids, parents, even the family pets! Kids can dress up and go trick-or-treating all along Main Street! Check out the YMCA haunted house, geared toward younger kids, and enjoy live entertainment and games. The highlight of the day will be the Pet Costume Parade and Contest! Dress up your furry friends and register them at 10:00 a.m. for a chance to compete for Petco Gift Cards!
Town Square, Southlands, 6155 S. Main St., Aurora
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Registration: FREE
Phone: 303-627-5000
HAUNTINGS AT THE HANGAR
Denver’s Air and Space Museum demonstrates what happens when you cross Halloween with Aerospace! It’s a spooky Saturday in the hangar as kids have the opportunity to dress up and trunk-or-treat in famous movie cars! They can also get photos with their favorite characters, ride in pedal planes, and pose in open cockpits. Not to mention all of the cool aerospace exhibits to check out!
For adults and older kids, there’s a one-woman performance of The Ghost of Bessie Coleman. Bessie Coleman was the first African-American woman to become a licensed pilot in the 1920s, and this play follows her life.
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tickets: $9.95 – $16.95
Phone: 303-360-5360
HALLOWEEN SPOOK-TACULAR SYMPHONY
Nothing makes shivers run down your back like spooky music, but this special Halloween concert by the Aurora Symphony Orchestra is a family-friendly event, so it’s not too spooky.
Let the kids wear their costumes for a costume contest before the show and enjoy Halloween-themed treats. The program includes Anderson’s Phantom Regiment, Selections from The Corpse Bride, Valse Triste by Sibelius, Selections from Phantom of the Opera, Bach’s Toccata and Stravinsky’s Berceuse and Finale.
The People’s Building, 9995 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$30
Phone: 720-819-6680
Saturday-Sunday, October 26-27
BOO AT THE ZOO IS BACK!
Everyone’s favorite place to go trick-or-treating! The Denver Zoo is the ultimate dress-up see-and-be-seen Halloween event for the single-digit-aged crowd! In addition to milling around in costume in the midst of 3,500 wild animals, kids also get to collect treats from trick-or-treat stations, ogle at jugglers and other entertainers, meet and greet all kinds of characters, and get grossed-out by creepy-crawly animal demonstrations. Who could ask for more?
Denver Zoo, 2900 E. 23rd Ave., Denver
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
Tickets: $14 – $20
Phone: 720-337-1400
FAMILY FESTIVITIES BY DAY
Denver’s favorite amusement park, Elitch Gardens, really knows how to do Halloween! In addition to Fright by Night for older kids and adults, the park is full of family-friendly Halloween festivities during the day.
In addition to an assortment of Halloween-themed interactive challenges, little ones will be delighted to collect free candy on the Trick or Treat Trail.
Elitch Gardens, 2000 Elitch Circle, Denver
12:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Tickets: Free with Park Admission, starting at $39.99
GHOSTS IN THE GARDENS
The hundred-year history of the Denver Botanic Gardens includes creepy tales of a place that used to be called The Boneyard. Find out all about these real-life ghost stories on the special Halloween tour, Ghosts in the Gardens! Each tour is unique, with your guide pointing out places where overnight security staff had real ghost encounters. Part of the tour includes access to the Waring House Mansion that is not open to the public. Dare to walk the garden paths at night! This tour is not recommended for children under 12.
Denver Botanical Gardens, 1007 York St., Denver
6:00 and 8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $29 – $34
Phone: 720-865-3500
VERDI’S REQUIEM
While not explicitly themed “Halloween,” a requiem is a musical memorial of someone who has died—and many of the same emotions that are contained in it are also present in the haunting themes of ghost stories. The Colorado Symphony Chorus first performed this classic by Verdi on another Halloween week 35 years ago, so this concert marks the anniversary of this legendary event.
Boettcher Concert Hall/DCPA, Speer Blvd. & Arapahoe St., Denver
Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$89
Phone: 303-623-7876
Sunday, October 27
HALLOWEEN COMEDY
It wouldn’t be Halloween without your favorite Halloween characters roasting each other! This wickedly funny evening of stand-up comedy features the best Denver comedians in the roles of monsters, ghosts and ghouls who verbally slaughter each other on stage for your Halloween amusement.
Come see Dracula tell the Wolf Man what he can do with his unwanted hair or watch as the Mummy gets unraveled by the Witch’s snarky comments. Whatever you do, beware! You may just die laughing. This show is for adults 21 and over!
Comedy Works-Downtown, 1226 15th St., Denver
7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $14
Phone: 303-595-3637
Halloween and More at Southshore!
There’s no shortage of Halloween things to do near the master-planned community of Southshore! You get the tranquility of lakeside living with easy access to your favorite urban activities. Stop by and see for yourself how great Life at the Lake can be! With beautiful model homes from Toll Brothers, Century Communities, and Richmond American Homes, it’s easy to picture yourself in your own new home, priced from the upper $400s to the $700s.