When October hits in the Emerald City, things start to get a little spooky. Seattle isn’t just about rain and coffee—when Halloween rolls around, we take it very seriously. Think haunted houses straight out of your wildest nightmares, Halloween-themed tours, and pumpkins everywhere. Halloween in Seattle is one of the best times to be in the city, and you won’t want to miss any of the fun events going on.
I’ll be honest; I may not be as keen on the scary stuff as I was in my younger days when I would watch horror film after horror film (anyone remember The Ring?). That said, I still absolutely adore Halloween, and you’ll find my house fully decorated starting October 1st. I also love going to pumpkin patches and all the Halloween activities in Seattle, so I made a list of all the best events to share with you.
When you’re looking for the best places to go for Halloween in Seattle in 2023, I have you covered with ten different activities and events. Whether you’re looking to have someone pop out and scare you in a haunted house or want something a bit more chill, look through this list and find the perfect event for you.
Why is Halloween Celebrated?
Halloween is undoubtedly one of the best things to do in Seattle during the fall. The streets are decorated with spooky and playful adornments. Children and their families are out and about enjoying the fun and excitement.
But what is Halloween, and why do we celebrate it?
Halloween, also known as All Hallows Eve, started as the Celtic religious festival of Samhain over a thousand years ago. However, as time went on, the holiday lost more and more of its religious links and associations and became what we know today. It’s now a day where we get to dress up, eat candy, and have a ton of fun.
There is a lot of misinformation that Halloween is a Satanic festival. However, this could not be further from the truth. At its roots, Celtic pagans celebrated Halloween by dressing in costumes and lighting bonfires to ward off spirits.
As the festival spread through different cultures and religions, it slowly became a harvest festival by the 1800s. As you can see, there is not a devil or Satanic ritual in sight. All you need to do is enjoy your stunning scenic drive through Washington State to Seattle, or prep your costume if you are already in the city.
Make sure to check out all the Oktoberfest events near Seattle earlier in the season as well!
Halloween in Seattle Events
Seattle is packed full of spectacular and exciting events during the whole month of October. Some of the events are scary, and some are perfect for families to enjoy together, but all are great ways to discover fun trivia about Seattle.
You can have the pants scared off of you, survive the zombie apocalypse, or just enjoy something fun for the family to do together. Seattle has everything from haunted houses and corn mazes to Ghost tours and mad scientist cocktail/mocktail labs.
There are even some adult-only events if you have a kid-free day. There are some great tours with frightfully delicious food and drinks, as well as some unique Washington souvenirs for yourself or your loved ones.
Seattle Terrors Ghost Tour
Location: Outside the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, 99 Union St., WA
Dates: The event is available year-round but always starts at 8 p.m.
Price: $30 per person
It just wouldn’t be Halloween without a good old-fashioned ghost tour as one of the top Halloween activities in Seattle. US Ghost Adventures’ Terrors Ghost Tour will take you on a chilling journey through Seattle’s tragic past events. You will discover why Seattle is one of the most haunted cities in America.
During the tour, you will visit frightful places, meet lawless charters, and learn about Seattle’s woeful past. Some of the characters you may come across are defiant newspapermen, salty sailors, and even sultry madams who ran brothels-turned-court houses.
Nile Nightmares
Location: 6601 244th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace, WA
Dates: September 30th – October 1st, October 6th – October 8th, October 13th – October 15th, October 20th – October 22nd, October 27th – October 29th, and October 31st.
Price:
- General Admission: $25.00 per person
- VIP FAST PASS: $35.00 per person
- VIP UPGRADE: $10.00 per person.
- 5-Minute Escape Room Games: $5 per person
- Group Rate Admission: $20.00
- FAMILY FUNFEST: Kids $10.00 per person, Adults: Free
If you are looking for Halloween events in Seattle in 2023 that the whole family can do together, then look no further than Nile Nightmares in Mountlake Terrace. They offer over eight skin-crawling attractions for the whole family. The best part is that it’s not only available for Halloween.
Nile Nightmares is open every weekend throughout October. However, the real FAMILY FUNFEST is on Saturday, October 21st, 2023. It starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. If you are brave enough to step foot on their spooky playground, you will be rewarded with Creatures of the Corn Maze, Ballinger Cemetery, the Hillbilly Holler Trail, escape rooms, and concessions.
You’ll probably want a beer after to calm down, so check out these best brewpubs near Seattle.
Seattle City Zombie-Themed Scavenger Hunt
Location: Victor Steinbrueck Park, 2001 Western Ave., Seattle, WA
Dates: This activity is available year-round from 09:00 a.m. until 05:00 p.m. They are closed on Mondays.
Price: $20.00 per group of up to 10 people
This 2023 Halloween activity for adults in Seattle is perfect for anyone looking to get around Seattle with no car but still tour the city and have some Halloween-themed fun. All you will need is your favorite walking shoes, a smartphone, and an hour to spend with your friends and family.
During the scavenger hunt by Zombie Scavengers, you will be challenged to find a list of items while completing some zombie-themed challenges given to you by a remote host on your phone. Can you survive the zombies and claim the most points for bragging rights over your friends and family?
Buying a Seattle CityPASS is a great way to save money on ticket costs, as you’ll be able to see multiple Seattle attractions for one price!
Street of Treats
Location: 302 W. Meeker Street, Kent, WA
Dates: October 28th
Price: Free
Streets of Treats is another family-friendly Halloween event in Seattle during the spooky season. Downtown Kent is filled with kids’ activities, photo opportunities, and so much more. Local participating businesses invite you in to browse and purchase some items if you wish.
However, the real draw is that the participating businesses will give Spooktacular treats to all masked visitors at this Seattle Halloween event. Just remember to bring a weatherproof bag for all your treats. You won’t want sudden weather changes to claim all your hard-earned snacks. There’s even the opportunity to donate some non-perishable food to the Kent Food Bank.
Looking for something to do before? Check out the best things to do in Tacoma.
Seattle Terrors Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl
Location: Blarney Stone Pub, 1416 1st Ave, Seattle, WA
Dates: Available throughout the year. Starting time is 5:30 p.m.
Price: $37.00 per person (Drinks not included)
If you have been thinking these ghost tours sound fantastic, but you might need some liquid courage to take part, then I have the perfect Seattle Halloween adult-friendly tour for you. The Seattle terrors, boos, and booze haunted pub crawl is another spine-tingling experience offered by US Ghost Adventures.
You will be sipping on your favorite spirit while learning all about the spiritual hauntings of the local bars, pubs, and Seattle’s other most infamous paranormal and tipsy hotspots.
The Georgetown Morgue
Image credit: Georgetown Morgue
Location: Georgetown Morgue, 5000 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA
Dates: The morgue is annually available as a haunted house in Seattle during Halloween. However, they have not officially announced any dates for 2023 just yet.
Price: Prices and dates have yet to be announced, but you can contact them at info@seattlehaunts.com for more information.
The Georgetown Morgue is one of Seattle’s most popular haunted houses. The morgue was in use from 1928-1983, but in 1999 it made the Historic Morgue Society’s “Most Intriguing Historic Urban Morgues” list. The morgue is considered one of the most haunted buildings in Seattle, maybe even America, so perfect for things to do on Halloween in Seattle.
The morgue has a long and fascinating history, from famous jazz musicians going missing from the embalming table just to end up on their widow’s lawn the following morning to owners and employees being forced into the crematorium chamber. This remains one of Seattle’s most harrowing and unsolved crimes to this day.
Seattle Chocolate Tour
Location: Cupcake Royale, 106 Pine St., Seattle, WA
Dates: Available year-round, Starting time: 10:30 a.m.
Price: Adults aged 13+: $80.00 per person, children aged 3-12: $67.00 per person, and infants aged 0-2 are free
The next activity is perfect for those who wish they could still go trick-or-treating but have become too old for it to be socially acceptable. If adults want to go around collecting delicious candy and chocolates, more power to them.
Enter the Seattle Chocolate Tour, where you will get to collect and, more importantly, taste 12 different chocolate treats as you explore eight of downtown Seattle’s most iconic food stops. During the tour, you will experience all kinds of chocolate flavors. Flavors range from the purest of the pure to exotic ones, such as spicy or drinking flavors.
This is also an ideal thing to do when it rains in Seattle, which tends to start in October.
Pike Place Market Haunted Happy Hour Tour
Location: 106 Pine St., Seattle, WA
Dates: October 5th – October 7th, October 12th – October 14th, October 19th – October 21st, October 26th – October 28th. Starting time: 5:00 p.m.
Price: $74.00 (ages 21 and over only)
If you visited Seattle and didn’t go to Pike Place Market, were you even in Seattle? Technically, yes, but you definitely missed some of the best experiences the city has to offer. Let’s fix that right now by booking one of your Halloween week outings with the Pike Place Market haunted happy hour tour.
During this tipsy tour, you will explore places such as the underground market and an Irish Pub housed in an old mortuary and learn all about the beloved landmark’s history and haunting lore.
Note: This ghostly tour is more expensive than the others on the list. However, it does include a beverage package, making it well worth the frightfully reasonable pricing.
Mad Scientist Cocktail and Mocktail Lab
Location: 1531 Melrose Ave., Seattle, WA
Dates:
- October 5th – October 9th
- October 12th – October 16th
- October 19th – October 23rd
- October 26th – October 30th
- Starting Times: 5:30 p.m.
Price: Persons aged 13+: $68.00 per person
What would Halloween in Seattle be without a good old-fashioned mad scientist? We would have no Frankenstein’s monsters or accidental undead wandering around. Sure, ghosts and ghouls would still be around, with the occasional vampire. However, it would still be a much duller affair without the crazed science guys around.
The mad scientist cocktail and mocktail lab is a workshop where you can learn the art of the mad sciences. Learn how to brew your own intoxicating elixirs and serums. The craft can even be taught to those under age 21 but needs prior arrangements to achieve “mocktoxicating” effects. It’s also a great romantic date night idea in Seattle next time you want to go out.
The workshop can even be held off-site for groups of 20 and more. You will have to contact the Lab to make arrangements, as they cover the greater Seattle area and beyond. This is perfect if you plan to keep your Halloween week exploits in a particular neighborhood.
Seattle Pumpkin Patches
I’ll be honest – I used to love being scared as a teenager, but now the thought of being scared scares me. Halloween activities near Seattle don’t have to be about being frightened, and going to a pumpkin patch near Seattle is a fun, family-friendly way to celebrate the holiday. (However, if you do want to be scared, many of these turn into haunted corn mazes near Seattle at night!)
Here are some of my favorite pumpkin patches by Seattle:
- Bob’s Corn and Pumpkin Farm (Snohomish)
- Stocker Farms (Snohomish)
- Carpinito Brothers (Kent)
- Craven Farm (Snohomish)
No matter how you celebrate Halloween in Seattle, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from!
