Fun and frights on the First Coast

The weather is cooling, store shelves are filled with candy and plastic skeletons, and horror movies make up about half of what’s on TV at any given moment. Yes, my fellow Jacksonvillians, Halloween is officially upon us! Next to Christmas, this is the biggest holiday of the year, and Jacksonville knows how to celebrate it. If you find yourself bored at any point this month, well, that’s on you, because in addition to the hundreds of events and happenings that usually take place in our fair city, this month is loaded with fall fun for every member of the family. Below is a list of just a few of the First Coast’s Halloween offerings along with our pick for the must-attend event in each category. Let’s get spooky, y’all!  

Family Fun

Our pick: 3RD ANNUAL MURRAY HILL-O-WEEN (Oct 26) Beginning at 4pm on October 26th, the 900 block of Edgewood Avenue will play host to the biggest Halloween party in town. Murray Hill-O-Ween is now in its 3rd year and is a local favorite for good reason. The event includes live music, a massive parade, a food truck alley, costume contests, and a craft beer garden featuring five breweries. Best of all, admission is free! Visit murrayhilloween.com for all the details.

Through Oct 26 CONNER’S A-MAIZE-ING ACRES CORN MAZE Conner’s A-Maize-Ing Acres, Hilliard
Oct 4-26 AMAZING GRACE FARMS FALL FESTIVAL Amazing Grace Farms, Green Cove Springs
Oct 5-27 SYKES FAMILY FARMS CROP MAZE Sykes Family Farms, Elkton
Oct 11-27 HAUNTED FOREST Catty Shack Ranch

Oct 11-31 SPOOKTACULAR Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens
Oct 19 HALLOWEEN DOORS & MORE Expo Center, Jacksonville Fairgrounds
Oct 19 BEACHES TOWN CENTER FALL FESTIVAL & COSTUME PARTY Beaches Town Center
Oct 19 CARTOBERFEST 2019 Trinity Baptist Church
Oct 19-20 37TH ANNUAL ORANGE PARK FALL FESTIVAL Orange Park Town Hall
Oct 19 & 26 FARM OF FANTASY Celestial Farms
Oct 19 & 26 HALLOWEEN EXPRESS TRAIN RIDE St. Marys Railroad, Georgia
Oct 25 BOLD CITY MAGIC SHOW Main Event
Oct 26 RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT HALLOWEEN PET PARADE Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, St. Augustine
Oct 26-27 NOCTOBERFEST Nocatee
Oct 27 RIVERSIDE’S AMAZING KIDS SCAVENGER HUNT Memorial Park
Oct 29 TALES FROM THE CLINK: A CANDLELIT TOUR THROUGH CLAY COUNTY’S HISTORY Green Cove Springs Historic Triangle
Oct 30 AVENUES MALL-O-WEEN The Avenues
Oct 31 MINI MONSTER MASH Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens
Oct 31 HALLOWEEN IN HEMMING PARK Hemming Park
Oct 31 SAFE TRICK-OR-TREATING St. Johns Town Center
Oct 31 TRICK-OR-TREATING Moosehaven
Oct 31 FAMILY HALLOWEEN SKATE PARTY Sk8 City

Adults Only

Our pick: TEAM HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST (Oct 26) Team Halloween is an adult costume contest and charity fundraiser benefiting at-risk youth through poetry lessons focused on confidence, self-esteem, choice, and change. Held at 927 Events, the party features music from DJ Kamren, complimentary beer and prizes for the Best Individual Costume and Best Group Costume. Tickets are $30, with all proceeds benefiting Hope at Hand, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Get more info at www.HopeAtHand.org.

Oct 19 NIGHTMARE ON 1ST STREET BAR CRAWL The Ritz, Jacksonville Beach
Oct 24 OKAPITOBERFEST Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens
Oct 25-26 HALLOWEEN WEEKEND CELEBRATION Eclipse Riverside
Oct 26 GROOVY HALLOWEEN MASQUERADE SOIREE The Justice Pub
Oct 26 PANDEMONIUM 9 COSTUME CONTEST XO Lounge
Oct 27 BOOS & BREW HALLOWEEN SCAVENGER HUNT & BAR CRAWL Birdies
Oct 31 HALLOWEEN PREFEST PARTY raindogs.

Haunts

Our pick: 13TH FLOOR (select nights through Nov 9) 13th Floor Jacksonville is the area’s largest haunted house with 26,000 square feet of terrifying attractions, a mini escape room, axe throwing, concessions, and adult beverages. Three haunts are found within otherwise unassuming Regency Court Shopping Center (9230 Arlington Expy): La Llorona, The Weeping Woman; Necronomicon; and Clown. A general admission ticket gets you access to all three! Tickets range from $19 to $29 depending upon the date you choose, and you can shorten your stay in line by adding a fast pass for an additional $10 or pony up $20 for a “Skip the Line Ticket” and walk right in. Get tix and info at www.13thfloorjacksonville.com.

Oct 4-Nov 2 HAUNT NIGHTS Adventure Landing, Jacksonville Beach
Oct 25-26 TRAIL OF DOOM 171 Canal Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach
Oct 25-26 HAUNTED TRAIL & CORNFIELD Conner’s A-Maize-Ing Acres, Hilliard
Oct 26 HAUNTED HIKE Mike Roees Gold Head Branch State Park, Keystone Heights

Spooky Stage Shows

Our pick: JACKSONVILLE SYMPHONY: SPOOKTACULAR (Oct 20) Spooktacular is back and spookier than ever! This family Halloween concert by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra will be held on October 20th at the Times-Union Center’s Jacoby Hall and includes pre-show activities like a costume contest, trick-or-treating, spooky crafts, and the Instrument Zoo–an interactive, hands-on experience with all the instruments of the orchestra. Pre-concert activities begin at 2pm, and the concert begins at 3pm. Tickets start at $10 and can be found at www.jaxsymphony.org.

Oct 18-26 TOOTHLESS-A VAMPIRE COMEDY APEX Theatre Studio Lab, Ponte Vedra Beach
Oct 18-Nov 3 BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE Orange Park Community Theatre
Oct 18-Nov 3 THE VANDAL ABET
Oct 23-Nov 24 JEKYLL & HYDE Alhambra Theater & Dining
Oct 25-Nov 10 THE TOXIC AVENGER Players by the Sea