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Where to go in the Capital Region for Halloween Weekend 2026 👻 🎃

October 20, 2026

Hey, 518 readers! We have an absolutely packed newsletter today, starting off with our roundup of the best and baddest events for Halloween weekend.

👋 A huge welcome to the nearly 1,000 new subscribers who have joined us just in the last month! We’re now reaching 31K+ people across the Capital Region—and growing every day! Doesn’t this make you want to advertise with us? 😂 

👻 The 518 Haunted Mansion Tour & Afterparty is officially SOLD OUT! Get on the waitlist in case someone drops out.

🎟️ Bookings for The 518 Dinner Club, taking place on Wednesday, Oct. 28 along Lark Street (sponsored by The Loft @ 205) are closing soon!

🍸️ Our very first 518 Dinner Club in Saratoga (sponsored by Gaffney’s & The Parlor) meets on Thursday, Nov. 12. Save your spot now!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

🎃 Halloween Weekend 2026: The best events in the Capital Region

Halloween is one of our all-time favorite holidays, but it’s especially thrilling when it falls on a Saturday like it does this year.

We’ve rounded up some of the best events happening across the CR:

Fri, Oct. 30 | 3–10p | EMPAC, Troy | Free

EMPAC transforms into a supernatural playground inspired by Troy’s maritime past, complete with an immersive haunted ship experience set aboard a mysterious vessel lost beneath the Hudson River. This free, building-wide Halloween celebration features trick-or-treating, mask-making, costume contests and a screening of Muppet Treasure Island for families from 3–7p. After dark, the party gets stranger with DJs, a cash bar, roaming crows from Troy’s FlagSSSDay Collective and a screening of the cult horror-comedy Lake Placid.

Sat, Oct. 31 | 4–7p | Albany

The historic Palace Theatre transforms into a free (and safe) Halloween spectacle with candy, music, balloon twisters, decorations and family activities. This is an excellent downtown Albany option for the kiddos.

Fri, Oct. 30 | 5p | Troy

Put on your best costume (or not) and stroll around the lively downtown core for a low-key way to get into the Halloween spirit. Typhoid Mary is putting on a spooky drag show and the Hart Cluett Museum has a Murder & Mayhem walking tour.

Fri, Oct. 30 | 9p–1a | Takk House, Troy | $5 cover | 21+

After 12 years of unforgettable celebrations, Troy's beloved Takk House is closing its doors—but not before one final Halloween bash! They’re throwing a farewell party during Troy Night Out, inviting revelers to fill the historic space with costumes, dancing and good vibes one last time.

Halloween Weekend | Brunswick/Troy

One of the region's signature Halloween destinations, featuring multiple haunted attractions, theatrical scares and elaborate sets. A must for thrill-seekers looking for a good fright.

Fri–Sat, Oct. 30–31 | Ballston Spa

This longtime Halloween institution combines a tractor-drawn haunted hayride through dark woods with walk-through haunted attractions. General admission starts at $44.95 before taxes and fees, and reservations are a must.

Sat, Oct. 31 | 10a| Albany

A family-friendly, daytime Halloween celebration featuring creepy art projects, ghoulish games, spooky science specimens and dancing. Costumes encouraged, of course!

Sat, Oct. 31 | 11a–2p | Guilderland

Crossgates hosts its annual indoor Halloween celebration, including trick-or-treating for children. A convenient alternative to neighborhood festivities, especially if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Sat, Oct. 31 | 8p | Putnam Place, Saratoga

Our friends, The NolaNauts and Tops of Trees, headline this fun Halloween party at Putnam Place, featuring tarot card readings and a costume contest.

Sat, Oct. 31 | 4p | Albany

Costumes, cocktails and Halloween revelry take over Albany's bar scene, with the crawl kicking off at Washington Tavern. For $25 (presale), you get 3 drink tickets for 10 bars, plus an afterparty. That’s a deal!

Sat, Oct. 31 | Albany

Lost & Found Bar and Kitchen gets freaky with an immersive Halloween party featuring a haunted house, DJs and plenty of spooky surprises. They always put on great events!

Fri–Sat, Oct. 30–31 | Schenectady

Take your Halloween adventure into the trees with nighttime ziplining and a haunted trail through the woods. For 2026, they have completely rebuilt and expanded the terror portion of the experience, creating a much more immersive journey before you ever reach the first zipline.

Fri–Sat, Oct. 30–31 | Saratoga

Explore an illuminated forest trail with both family-friendly and scarier experiences, offering something for Halloween fans of different ages.

Fri, Oct. 30 | 4–7p | Schuylerville

Celebrate Halloween with pumpkin carving, broom-making and a glowing jack-o'-lantern trail.

Fri, Oct. 30 | 4–6p | Clifton Park

A family-friendly Halloween celebration with candy, pony rides, a bounce house and festive activities.

Friday, Oct. 30 | The Egg, Albany

Enjoy an atmospheric concert of Halloween classics performed by candlelight inside one of Albany's most iconic venues.

🔥 🎻 🤘 The Rock Orchestra brings metal, strings and fire to Albany for the first time

You’ve never seen classical music performed quite like this.

Think huge rock anthems, reimagined with a full orchestra and choir, then add fire, pyrotechnics, dramatic lighting, large-scale visuals and performers.

Get ready for The Rock Orchestra: Arena of Fire, coming to Albany's MVP Arena on Thursday, Nov. 12.

This two-hour production remixes songs from Metallica, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Linkin Park and others, trading traditional rock arrangements for sweeping strings, powerful vocals and a cinematic stage show.

The production also features fire performers The Fuel Girls, dramatic visuals and 20 flame units that add incredible drama to the music.

The Rock Orchestra has performed more than 600 shows for over a million fans worldwide, and its debut album topped the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart last year. Catch them in Albany for the first time!

😡 How in the world is this still happening in 2026? Where are the parents? A video is circulating showing several white students at Colonie Central High School repeatedly and proudly saying the n-word at a post-prom party. [Times Union]

🚘️ Get a free car wash at any Hoffman Car Wash this weekend when you donate at least one nonperishable food item. [News10]

🍺 In case you missed it, Tap20 is now open in Delmar. The eatery and entertainment venue occupies the former Real McCoy space on Hallwood Road, and features 12 rotating craft beer taps. [Daily Gazette]

Come be our neighbor in this debonair three-unit Italianate brick home with all the trimmings on Phillip Street, across from the Governor’s Mansion. The main unit features original built-ins, hardwood floors, and vaulted ceilings, while the rental units are cozy and clean. Bonus points for the newer back porches. This supremely walkable neighborhood is a hidden gem, with historic row houses, the fabulous swimming pool at Lincoln Park, ecological events at the Radix urban farm, plus proximity to the downtown core, the Empire State Plaza and the MVP. We love living in this area!

The deets: 4 bd, 3 ba, 2340 sq ft. Days on the market: 7. Asking: $325,000. See the full listing here.

TOP 5 PICKS

⭐️ 🩸 Girls Upstate’s Galloween | Girls Upstate has cultivated an awesome and inclusive community. This Saturday at Troy’s Evermore Hall, they’re throwing a fabulous Dracula’s Masquerade Ball. Come dressed in your best vamp-y outfit and make some new friends! Going solo? No worries; almost everyone does! Sat, 7-10p, $95.99.

⭐️ 🎃 2026 Albany Trick or Trot Pumpkin Run 5K | Albany has a tradition of fun runs where most everyone shows up in costume. Of course, Halloween is no different! Get to Washington Park for this casual, pre-Halloween race, whether you’re running or just watching. Sat, kicks off at 3:45p, $35-40.

⭐️ 🍂 Saratoga Fall Festival | Downtown Saratoga transforms into a fall wonderland with trick-or-treating at local shops, live music, magic shows, face painting, a pumpkin scavenger hunt and plenty of seasonal treats. The highlight is the beloved Pumpkin Roll, where kids can send pumpkins racing down Caroline Street. Sat, 12-3p, free.

⭐️ 🍽️ Colonie Restaurant Week | Colonie probably doesn’t get as much attention for its dining scene as it deserves. Here’s your chance to try out some top-rated Colonie spots. Three-course dinners $25-$45. Now through Sunday.

⭐️ 🎞️ Renaissance Black Film Fest | Get ready for four days of film screenings, panel discussions, parties and awards celebrating Black cinema and storytelling. Events take place at the Spectrum Theatre, Renaissance Albany Hotel and nightlife venues including Wellington’s and Fuze Box, with a music showcase from Big Emotions Studio. Thu-Sun. Get tickets: $25-$150.

This week’s events roundup is brought to you by

Get ready for a high-energy night of music, laughter, and crowd-powered fun as Shake, Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos takes over The Lark Street Tavern this Friday night. These dueling piano pros don’t just play songs—they put on a real show!

On Halloween night, dress up in your best Dolly Parton outfit to win the $100 costume contest at the Dollyween Party 2026! It’s big hair, drink specials, and country karaoke all night long!

Don’t forget—Sunday Music Matinee features the best local bands. Always a good time, always free.

WEDNESDAY

🧄 Fall Herbal Workshop Series: Garlic Planting & Fire Cider-Making at the Sanctuary for Independent Media.

🇮🇹 DeFazio’s at 216 hosts its Italian Table Dinner Series, a family-style dinner made for gathering around the table.

🍏 Nine Pin invites you to their 11th annual Cider & A Pumpkin. If you go, mention “The 518 Crew” to get 10% all cider pours!

THURSDAY

🔮 Mystic Night at June Farms features astrology, tarot, intuitive readings, reiki, herbal and jewelry vendors, and more!

🍡 Get to the Empire State Plaza for Japan Fes, the NYC-based Japanese food festival coming to Albany for the 2nd time (last time, the rain put a big damper on the event).

🇮🇹 Caffe Italia in Guilderland hosts its annual Falling for Flavor event, featuring fall-inspired foods and cocktail specials.

FRIDAY

🖼️ “THE TIME FOR DENIAL IS OVER” opens at Troy’s Context Collective.

🛻 Live large at Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow-N-Fire, Fri & Sat.

🤖 DevFest 2026 at RPI features two days of innovative workshops, inspiring talks, and networking opportunities with fellow developers. Fri & Sat.

🧌 Shannon Tehya & Keegan James invite you to Monster Prom at Lark Hall.

🤣 Get to miSci for Comedy in Retrograde, featuring Cloud City Comedy.

SATURDAY

🦪 Oysterfest at Indian Ladder Farms not only features plenty of bivalves but also TV Doctors on the bill! Sat & Sun.

🌕️ It’s the last Walkway at Night of the season, and a full moon to boot!

🎷 The Van Dyck Music Club presents the sequel to their incredible 'Miles Davis & John Coltrane Centennial Celebration' show with the Art D'echo Trio.

⛷️ The expanded and free 2026 Adirondack Sports & Northeast Ski Expo takes over the Saratoga Springs City Center this weekend.

SUNDAY

🦸‍♂️ Get your cosplay on at Albany Comic Con.

🍺 Join the Guilderland Chamber for its 3rd Annual Brewery & Winery Tour.

UPCOMING

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website.
Click here.

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