Adult Halloween Weekend Activities

For little kids, Halloween night is enough. One night of dressing up in a costume and trick-or-treating door-to-door in their neighborhood—as long as they score enough candy to last them the rest of the year—seems to scratch their Halloween itch. As we get older, our stomachs and sweet teeth may not be able to handle quite as much processed sugar. Our interest in Halloween, however, doesn’t stop for a second. These days, adults young and old are not only continuing to participate in Halloween activities, they’re dragging them out over multiple days. Halloween night has become Halloween Weekend. Many adults today use Halloween as an opportunity to flex their creative muscles by coming up with a unique costume each night they celebrate. On college campuses in particular, Halloween is fast becoming the most popular holiday of all. Even older adults are filling their late October schedules with multiple Halloween costume parties. As these costume parties enjoy a rise in popularity that makes them the premiere Halloween activity for adults, it can be fun and interesting to look at what other Halloween weekend activities adults are engaging in. Here is a look at a few increasingly popular options.

Murder Mysteries

Murder mystery entertainment is an increasingly popular Halloween weekend option. Murder mysteries are interactive and enjoyed by adults of all ages. The mystery element of this entertainment option, which often features a detective story, fits the Halloween theme already and can easily incorporate the classic elements of Halloween like costumes, monsters and ghosts. Usually these interactive murder mystery shows include dinner, making them an attractive option for couples or groups during a night out in the fall. In keeping with the modern adult desire to extend Halloween over an entire weekend, some murder mystery enthusiasts are even choosing to attend murder mystery weekends. These weekend-long interactive adventures offer cases to crack that are increasingly complex and intricate. Murder mystery weekends also offer more opportunities for adults to use Halloween as an excuse to eat, with many offering catered meals throughout the weekend and as part of the storyline. Perhaps this is a way for adults to remember eating so much candy over Halloween weekend as a kid.

Haunted Houses & Hay Rides

Haunted houses and hay rides are two classic Halloween activities. As adults increasingly carve out time and energy for Halloween festivities, these two activities are reinventing themselves on the cutting edge of entertainment. Many modern haunted houses cater exclusively to adults. Like horror movies that are too graphic for children, these haunted houses can be too.

Hay rides have also evolved from an afternoon or early evening ride to a pumpkin patch hitched to the back of a tractor. Many hay rides now are exclusively for adults, with increasingly interactive aspects. Some even serve alcohol. Both haunted houses and hay rides are offering entire weekend experiences for those seeking an extended Halloween adventure. It is hard to tell now if Halloween is more for children or adults!