This Week in Delaware · Oct 23–31
Spooky Season in the First State
Pumpkins, parades, haunted lantern walks and one very famous Sea Witch. Here’s my cute (and only a little creepy) guide to the spookiest week of the year, all the way through Halloween night.
Grab your coziest sweater and your best costume. From Friday, October 23 through Halloween night on Saturday, October 31, Delaware is serving up trick-or-treat trails, parades and fall fun in every county.
New Castle County
Wilmington · Newark · New Castle
- Fridays & Saturdays · Oct 23, 24, 30 & 31Ghostly Walking Tours of Old New Castle
Cobblestones, candlelight and the town’s spookiest stories. The perfect cozy-creepy date night.
- Sat, Oct 24 · 11 a.m.–3 p.m.Halloween at Hagley, Wilmington
Little ones trick-or-treat at treat stations around Hagley’s powder yard along the Brandywine. Costumes encouraged!
- Sun, Oct 25 · 3 p.m.Newark Halloween Parade & Trick or Treat Main Street
Marching bands, floats and costumed characters roll down Main Street, followed by trick-or-treating on Main Street from 4 to 5 p.m.
- Fri, Oct 30 · 6 p.m.A Haunting We Will Go at Winterthur
A guided evening tour of Winterthur built around ghost stories. A grown-up way to get into the spirit.
- Sat, Oct 31 · 6 p.m.Halloween Haunt Party at Simmer Down, Wilmington
A free Halloween night party, with a complimentary cocktail or mocktail for guests in costume.
Kent County
Dover · Smyrna
- Fri, Oct 23 · 7 & 8:30 p.m.Haunted Dover Lantern Tour
First State Heritage Park interpreters share ghost stories and hauntings around the Dover Green by lantern light.
- Fri, Oct 23 · 5 p.m.Dover YMCA Fall Festival
A free family Halloween evening with a trick-or-treat trail through the building, games, crafts and photo stops.
- Sat, Oct 24 · 3 p.m.Halloween Trunk or Treat, Legislative Mall, Dover
The Dover Police Department and community partners fill Legislative Mall with decorated trunks full of candy.
- Saturdays · 8 a.m.Downtown Dover Farmers Market
Pick up the last of the season’s produce, handmade goods and something warm to sip. The market runs through November 7.
- Fri, Oct 30 · 5:30–8 p.m.Bat movie night, Duck Creek Regional Library, Smyrna
A screening of The Invisible Mammal from Delaware Bat Rehabilitation and Conservation. Honestly, bats are the cutest Halloween mascots.
Sussex County
Rehoboth · Lewes · Milton · Bethany · Georgetown
- Fri–Sun, Oct 23–25Sea Witch Festival, Rehoboth Beach
Delaware’s biggest Halloween weekend! The costume parade rolls down Rehoboth Avenue at 11 a.m. Saturday, the costumed dog parade is Sunday at 1 p.m., and the Sea Witch 5K starts Sunday at 9 a.m. Rehoboth Avenue closes to traffic Saturday, so plan to park and stroll.
- Fri, Oct 23Boos & Brews, Lewes Historical Society
A 21+ Halloween party with live music, food trucks and spooky storytelling.
- Sat, Oct 24Wags, Witches & Warlocks, Bethany Beach
A costumed parade through downtown Bethany. Bring your best-dressed pup.
- Sat, Oct 24Pumpkin Festival on the Broadkill, Milton
Vendors, pumpkin treats and a petting zoo at the Milton Fire Department. Peak fall coziness.
- Thu, Oct 29 · 6–8 p.m.Georgetown Trunk or Treat
The annual trunk or treat at the Georgetown DMV.
- Fri & Sat, Oct 30–31Lightship Overfalls Haunted Ship, Lewes
The Overfalls Foundation decks out its 1938 lightship at Lewes Canalfront Park for Halloween tours above and below deck.
- Fri, Oct 30 · 7–9 p.m.Halloween in the Woods, Fenwick Island
A not-too-scary evening at the Faucett Okie Family Nature Preserve.
- Sat, Oct 31All Hallow’s Eve, Lewes Historical Complex
A Halloween night celebration on the Lewes Historical Society’s grounds.
- Sat, Oct 31Wicked Weekend, Milton Memorial Park
A family-friendly Halloween evening in the park.
- Sat, Oct 31 · 6–8 p.m.Trick-or-treating in Lewes and Milton
Both towns have set Halloween night trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 8 p.m. Check your own town’s website for local hours. Happy candy hunting!
Boo-tiful Bites: New Places to Eat
Fresh openings to try this fall
- Sussex · Rehoboth Beach · Now openSeaGlass Bistro
Now serving on Baltimore Avenue in the former Eden building, connected to Atlantic Sands and open to everyone. Think surf and turf, plus a chef’s table that seats up to 10.
- New Castle · Pike Creek · Now openBubbakoo’s Burritos
The Mexican-fusion spot opened its third Delaware location at Pike Creek Shopping Center on Limestone Road in early October.
Save the date: the Rehoboth Beach Film Festival, Nov 1–8
Once the candy wrappers are cleared, the 28th annual festival brings premieres and red-carpet nights to Lewes and Rehoboth. And on Thursday, November 5, Georgetown celebrates Return Day.
Happy haunting, friends! If you’re dreaming of a front porch to decorate next October, check out my Postcards from Delaware to find your town, or reach out to me. I’d love to help you find your place here.
Event details come from organizers and community calendars and can change. Please confirm times, tickets and opening hours before you go.