Halloween in Tuscaloosa 2026: Tech or Treat Oct. 22, a free haunted museums night Oct. 27, Boo! in the Park and a church Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address; the dates below are for Halloween 2026. Facts come from each organizer’s own page, linked below, and the Visit Tuscaloosa events calendar.

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. Tuscaloosa’s Halloween season runs on two weekends this year: the city’s Tech or Treat on Thursday, Oct. 22, a free haunted museums night on campus Tuesday, Oct. 27, and two free family events on Halloween morning itself. Neighborhood hours and safety notes are on our separate trick-or-treat hours page.

What this means for you

  • With small children: Tech or Treat (Oct. 22) and Boo! in the Park (Oct. 31, with a sensory-friendly first hour) are free and built for them.
  • With teens and adults: the UA museums night and the Bama Theatre’s horror screening are both Tuesday, Oct. 27.
  • No home football on Halloween: Alabama plays at home Oct. 24, a week earlier.
  • Questions about city events: Tuscaloosa 311, 205-248-5311. Boo! in the Park: PARA, 205-562-3220.

Halloween 2026 at a glance

Date Event Where Cost
Through Wednesday, Oct. 28 Calling the Spirits In exhibit Gorgas House Museum, 810 Capstone Drive $2
Thursday, Oct. 22, 6 to 8 p.m. Tech or Treat The Gateway, 2614 University Blvd. East Free
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 5 to 8 p.m. Haunting at the Museums Alabama Museum of Natural History and Gorgas House Free
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. The Conjuring (2013, rated R) Bama Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave. Ticketed
Friday, Oct. 30, 6 to 8 p.m. Monster Makeover Auction Harrison Galleries, 2315 University Blvd. Auction
Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Boo! in the Park Sokol Park North Free
Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fall Fest Tuscaloosa First Assembly, 3801 Skyland Blvd. East Free

Trunk-or-treats and family events

Tech or Treat, Thursday, Oct. 22. The City of Tuscaloosa’s Tech or Treat runs 6 to 8 p.m. at the Tuscaloosa Gateway Innovation and Discovery Center. Children go table to table for candy while city departments and community groups run hands-on science, technology, arts and math activities. It is free; costumes are encouraged and children must come with an adult.

Boo! in the Park, Saturday, Oct. 31. The Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority’s Boo! in the Park fills Sokol Park North from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with trunk-or-treat hosts, games, inflatables, a touch-a-truck lineup and a costume contest. The first hour, 9 to 10 a.m., is sensory friendly, with no sirens, horns or loud music.

Fall Fest, Saturday, Oct. 31. Tuscaloosa First Assembly’s free Fall Fest runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 3801 Skyland Blvd. East, with inflatables, games, a hayride, food trucks and a pop-up shop. The church’s online form lets families pre-register, though it is not required.

Church trunk-or-treats are added here as each church posts its date, time and place.

Haunted houses and spooky nights

Haunting at the Museums, Tuesday, Oct. 27. The Alabama Museum of Natural History and the Gorgas House Museum open free from 5 to 8 p.m. for Haunting at the Museums: Otherworldly Encounters, an all-ages night on “specters, space, spirits and science.” The natural history museum is in Smith Hall, 427 Sixth Ave.; the Gorgas House is at 810 Capstone Drive. Costumes are welcome but not required. Questions: 205-348-6383.

Calling the Spirits In, through Oct. 28. The Gorgas House Museum’s Halloween exhibit, Calling the Spirits In: Spiritualism in America, looks at the seance craze that followed the Civil War and at the ghost stories told about the Gorgas family. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m., and is closed during Alabama home football games. Admission is $2, free for UA students, faculty and staff. Call 205-348-5906.

The Conjuring at the Bama Theatre, Tuesday, Oct. 27. The 2013 horror film (rated R, 110 minutes) screens at 7 p.m. at the Historic Bama Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave. Tickets are sold online.

Funhouse Haunted House. West Alabama Mountain Biking’s carnival-themed haunted house at the Red Barn in Sokol Park ran Oct. 16-17, 2026, according to Visit Tuscaloosa. We found no other haunted house open to the public in Tuscaloosa for 2026 as of Oct. 17; one that posts dates goes here.

For art lovers

The Monster Makeover Auction runs 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at Harrison Galleries, 2315 University Blvd. Students draw “monsters,” local artists remake them, and both versions hang in the gallery through October before the auction, which benefits the West Alabama Community Foundation’s Arts in Education Fund, according to the event listing.

Fall festivals still to come

Pumpkin patches, the Kentuck Festival of the Arts and other harvest events are on our fall festivals and pumpkin patches page. The Tuscaloosa Farmers Market runs every Saturday, Halloween included, from 7 a.m. to noon at the Tuscaloosa River Market, 1900 Jack Warner Parkway, according to the city and Visit Tuscaloosa.

After Halloween

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. The holiday season starts soon after: see Thanksgiving in Tuscaloosa and the Christmas parade and tree lighting.

More guides: trick-or-treat hours, things to do this month and parks and trails.

Frequently asked questions

What Halloween events are in Tuscaloosa in 2026?

The city’s Tech or Treat is 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Gateway. The UA museums hold a free Halloween night Oct. 27, and Boo! in the Park and Tuscaloosa First Assembly’s Fall Fest are on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Is there a free Halloween event for kids in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 31?

Yes. Boo! in the Park runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sokol Park North, with trunk-or-treat, games and a costume contest, and Tuscaloosa First Assembly’s Fall Fest runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 3801 Skyland Blvd. East. Both are free.

Are there haunted houses in Tuscaloosa?

West Alabama Mountain Biking’s Funhouse Haunted House at the Red Barn in Sokol Park ran Oct. 16-17, 2026. For a milder scare, the Gorgas House Museum’s Halloween exhibit on spiritualism runs through Oct. 28.

What are trick-or-treat hours in Tuscaloosa?

The city had not set official hours as of Oct. 17, 2026. Our trick-or-treat hours page tracks any announcement.