Free Halloween Fun in Philadelphia: Car-Free Trick-or-Treating, Festivals and Trunk-or-Treats Oct. 25–31
Halloween week does not have to cost anything. Philadelphia has free trick-or-treating, festivals, and trunk-or-treats running from today through Halloween night — most of them in the daytime, several of them car-free, all of them built for families. Here is the week, in order.
Today only: Tacony Halloween Fall Festival (Sat, Oct. 24)
The Tacony Halloween Fall Festival takes over the 6800–6900 blocks of Torresdale Avenue today, Saturday, October 24, from noon to 6 p.m. — the street is closed to traffic. It is free: kids’ and pet costume contests, carnival games, live music, prizes, and neighborhood resource tables. (Rain date: Saturday, November 7.) If you are reading this Saturday afternoon, this is the one to head to now.
Sunday, Oct. 25: Open Streets Halloween Finale, Center City
The biggest free Halloween event of the weekend is Open Streets: West Walnut Halloween Finale, Sunday, October 25, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Walnut Street is closed to cars from Broad to 19th, plus 18th Street from Chestnut to Locust — so kids trick-or-treat on foot, no traffic. Admission is free. Shops along the route run a Trick-or-Treat Trail (hours vary by shop), there is free pumpkin painting from noon while supplies last, monster-making from noon–2 p.m., the Rittenhouse Farmers Market extension runs 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and there is live music. It is organized by Center City District — full details at centercityphila.org.
Sunday, Oct. 25: Fairmount Halloween Festival + Parade
Also Sunday: the 20th annual Fairmount Halloween Festival at Philly Art Center, 2333 Fairmount Avenue, 2–4 p.m. Free family fun — Make + Take art stations and a Baby Music + Activity Zone — and the festival parade steps off at 4 p.m. with the Positive Movement Drumline. RSVP on the center’s page at phillyartcenter.com.
Sunday, Oct. 25: Eastern State Penitentiary Fall Festival
Eastern State Penitentiary’s Fall Festival runs Sunday, October 25, 3–5 p.m., listed as free for kids in costume and their adult — trick-or-treating and a scavenger hunt for ages 8–13. Confirm the details before you go at easternstate.org.
Tuesday, Oct. 27: Pacifico Ford Trunk or Treat
On Tuesday, October 27, 4–6 p.m., Pacifico Ford hosts its 8th Annual Trunk or Treat at 6701 Essington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153. It is free and open to the community: decorated trunks handing out candy, pumpkin painting, magic, music, and snacks. Kids should come in costume and bring a candy bag.
Halloween Day, Oct. 31: a free kids’ meal at Friendly’s
On Saturday, October 31, kids in costume get a free kids’ meal at Friendly’s — with the purchase of an adult entrée. Read that condition plainly: it is a deal with a purchase, not a no-strings free meal. It runs at all Friendly’s locations; Philadelphia-region spots include Bensalem and Langhorne, plus South Jersey.
Costumes without the costume budget
A costume does not need a store run: a sheet ghost, dollar-store face paint, a sports jersey and a painted eye-black stripe, or last year’s costume swapped with a neighbor all cost nothing or close to it. The events above welcome all of them.
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