Story County’s Halloween 2026 Guide.

🎃 Ames Play Yard Trunk-or-Treat

2175 232nd Ln, Ames. Local businesses decorate trunks and hand out candy in the parking lot. Trunk-or-treating is free for everyone, costumes are encouraged, and families who sign in can get $5 off one day pass.

Downtown Ames Trick-or-Treat

Dozens of participating downtown businesses. Costumes encouraged for babies, kids and grown-ups.

Ames High Football Trunk-or-Treat

Ames High School. Community-posted trunk-or-treat from the Ames High football team, with plenty of candy after the canceled parade.

CrossRoad Baptist Church Trunk-or-Treat

3721 Turing St, Ames. Trunk-or-treat, a free supper and fall fun hosted by CrossRoad Baptist Church.

That’s Fun: Trick-or-Treat Puzzle Competition

Ames Public Library, Farwell T. Brown Auditorium. Free adult Halloween puzzle competition; registration required.

Wings & Treats 2026

2520 Airport Drive. Ames Flyers at Iowa State University + Central Iowa Air Service host free candy, games, prizes and costumes.

Trick-or-Treat at the Library

Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave. Come in costume for a Halloween treat during library hours.

Malloween

North Grand Mall, 2801 Grand Ave. Warm indoor trick-or-treating plus activities and community tables.

Halloween Fun House

First United Methodist Church, 516 Kellogg Ave. Indoor trick-or-treat, games, funhouse rooms and spooky pipe-organ music. All ages and abilities.

Bagger Treat @ Zylstra Harley-Davidson

1930 E 13th St. Kids collect treats straight from decorated motorcycles. Free food, costume fun and 10% off orange/black MotorClothes.

Spirits in the Gardens

Reiman Gardens. 1,000+ carved jack-o’-lanterns, candy, chemistry shows, cosplay and a Trick-or-Treat Trail.

Halloween Hides & Creepy Caches

McFarland Park. Halloween geocaching adventure from Story County Conservation.

The Howling @ Alluvial

Halloween music festival with live music, carnival games, costume contests, artists, vintage clothing, food trucks and beer.

AniAmes 2026

Gateway Hotel. One-day anime convention with cosplay, gaming, artists, panels and late-night programming. AniAmes welcomes fans of all ages.

ISU Planetarium: Deadliest Places in the Universe

Physics Hall. Free 30–35 minute interactive shows; reserve ahead.

Halloween Family Storytime

Ames Public Library. Halloween-themed stories, music, movement and rhymes.

ISU Football vs. Oklahoma State

Jack Trice Stadium. Halloween home game. Kickoff time was still TBA on the Oct. 7 research pass.

Katie & The Honky Tonks @ Alluvial

Halloween-eve country show. $12 advance / $15 door; all ages.

Wiitch Tiit Halloween @ Alluvial

Costume contest, psychedelic rock and an after-party at Reliable Street included with admission. $10; all ages.

🧙 Witches Walk

Downtown Ames businesses stay open late with themed drinks, samples, shopping specials, photo booths and Halloween activities. The event is geared toward adults, but all are welcome and costumes are encouraged.

Costume contest check-in is at Della Viti by 7:30 PM, with winners decided at 7:45. Witches Walk is also an approved Sip & Stroll Social District event for legal-age guests. Eggroll Ladies will be on Kellogg between Main and 5th.

🐕 Rovers at Reiman: Howl-O-Ween Costume Walk

Bring your pup to Reiman Gardens for a Halloween costume walk and canine costume contest, with photos taken during the event and prizes for the Top 3 costumes.

Free for Reiman Gardens members and ISU students with ID; general admission applies for other visitors. $5 per dog.

🧪 Storybook S.T.E.M. Halloween Special

A Halloween-themed Storybook STEM session in the Farwell T. Brown Auditorium: a short family storytime followed by a hands-on related STEM activity for all ages.

📖 Dog-Eared Presents: Iowa Weird Vol. 2

A spooky-local book night with Hayseed Press and several Iowa Weird authors, featuring a moderated discussion, weird Iowa stories and a book signing.

Center Grove Orchard: Pumpkin Nights

32835 610th Ave. Select Friday and Saturday dates, with fireworks on each Saturday night. See the session list for dates and hours.

Cambridge Trick-or-Treat

No reliable 2026 citywide time located as of Oct. 7. Older times are intentionally not being recycled.

Center Grove Orchard Costume Weekend

Costume weekend at Center Grove Orchard. Check the organizer’s listing for activities and admission details.

Collins Library Trunk-or-Treat

Community event in front of Collins Public Library, 212 Main St. City meeting records note the event and food trucks.

Collins Citywide Trick-or-Treat

2026 time recorded in city meeting materials. The public city calendar itself is sparse, so verify if the city posts a later change.

Breezy Bay Campground Trick-or-Treat

Hickory Grove Park. Story County Conservation campground trick-or-treat night.

Colo Citywide Trick-or-Treat

No separate 2026 citywide hours located on the City of Colo site as of Oct. 7.

Huxley Trick-or-Treat

Huxley adopted the listed annual schedule by city resolution. No newer 2026 change was located as of Oct. 7.

Huxley Spooktacular

Railroad Park community Halloween gathering with trick-or-treat activities, games, food/drinks and live music.

Current host/community listings agree on a 4 PM start. Published end times vary between 9 and 9:30 PM, so check the current listing before making the late-night part of your plan.

🎃 Downtown Trick-or-Treat | The Spooky Stroll

Main Street Nevada District.

🧙 Bricktown's Witches Wander

Bricktown's Witches Wander in downtown Nevada, running Halloween Eve from 5–8 PM.

👻 Spooky Historic Tour | Featuring Henry Corbin

Walk downtown Nevada with Henry Corbin for spooky local history and mysterious stories. Organizers recommend leaving the littlest family members at home.

Camelot Movie: Halloween II

Camelot Theater. Horror movie option after the porch-light circuit.

🚗 Nevada Ace Hardware Trunk or Treat

Nevada Ace Hardware is hosting a Halloween-night trunk-or-treat from 5:30–7:30 PM. Dress up, decorate a vehicle or simply bring candy and join in.

Trick-or-treaters can vote for best decorated vehicle and best costumes. Trunk hosts should sign up inside Ace so the store can plan enough spaces.

🚒 Touch-A-Truck / Trunk-or-Treat

Touch-A-Truck / trunk-or-treat activities on the north block of Main Street before citywide trick-or-treating.

👾 Roland Library Annual Monster Mash

The library’s annual Monster Mash with games, activities and a free hot dog dinner.

🎃 Roland Legion Auxiliary Halloween Party

Roland Legion Auxiliary Halloween party at the fire station with cookies, games and prizes.

Roland Citywide Beggar’s Night

City of Roland Beggar’s Night / citywide trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

Downtown Trick-or-Treat + Touch a Truck

Downtown Story City / Broad Street. Annual chamber event.

Halloween Party @ River Bend Golf Course

720 Forest Ave. Public event listing surfaced for Halloween eve. Verify with the host before heading out.

Halloween Party • 301 Washington St

Story City community event listing for Halloween night. Verify host details before attending.

Trick-or-Treat @ Dakins Lake Campground

70613 130th St. Free and open to the public, including non-campers.

Zearing Citywide Trick-or-Treat

No separate verified 2026 citywide hours located as of Oct. 7.

Best Costume Scene

AniAmes on Sat, Oct 24 • 10 AM–11 PM if you want people who actually committed to the assignment.

Best Free Weird Science

ISU Planetarium’s “Deadliest Places in the Universe” on Fri, Oct 30. Four free showtimes.

Best Halloween Night Combo

ISU vs. Oklahoma State during the day, then Wiitch Tiit at Alluvial + Reliable Street after-party at night.

Cheapest Costume Route

Goodwill or Overflow first. Use Spirit only for the unmistakable finishing piece.

AniAmes 2026

Gateway Hotel. One-day anime convention with cosplay, gaming, artists, panels and late-night programming. AniAmes welcomes fans of all ages.

ISU Planetarium: Deadliest Places in the Universe

Physics Hall. Free 30–35 minute interactive shows; reserve ahead.

Wiitch Tiit Halloween @ Alluvial

Costume contest, psychedelic rock and an after-party at Reliable Street included with admission. $10; all ages.

Farrar Elementary Paranormal Investigation

A real guided paranormal investigation, not a staged haunted house. Farrar recommends guests be 12+, so it works for the older teen / young-adult crowd and stays right here in Story County.

Veteran investigators provide EMF meters, spirit boxes, REM pods and access to the school’s active areas.

🎮 Moonlight Mixer @ Dave & Buster’s

One of the rare Halloween-night events that explicitly says Adults Only (18+). At Dave & Buster’s West Des Moines, with tickets starting at $24.99, arcade play, food and a costume contest.

🌿 Eerie Evenings @ BOOtanical Garden

After-dark immersive Halloween décor, dramatic lighting and wonderfully weird plants. Adult tickets are $14, youth tickets are also sold, and the separate Boos & Brews event is the 21+ one.

👣 Deadly Dirge of Des Moines Ghost Tour

One-hour nighttime walking tour around the Capitol district. Haunted-history energy without turning the night into a bar crawl.

Haunted Hall of Tortured, Twisted Terrors

Timberline West RV Campground. $10, recommended for ages 10+, and the first hour is a softer scare. Ten 2026 nights, with full scare mode after 7.

Downtown Boone Haunted Building Tour

The second annual tour is on the 2026 calendar and Boone Theater is closing that evening for it. Full public ticket/tour details are still surfacing, so this stays on the watch list instead of pretending we know more than we do.

Linn’s Haunted House

A 42-year Des Moines tradition in the basement of Linn’s Supermarket. Huge indoor haunt, roughly 20 minutes inside, $25 at the door.

Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park

Sleepy Hollow lists the Haunted Scream Park as an all-ages event every weekend in October, including Halloween night. Good fit when the 18–20 crew wants a bigger multi-attraction haunt without a 21+ restriction.

County Line Road Haunted Woods: The Mare Witch 5

Outdoor haunted trail through the woods south of Des Moines. A different flavor from the indoor haunts when you want darkness, trees and immediate regret.

Witches Walk

6–8 PM in Downtown Ames. Adult-geared but all are welcome. Costumes encouraged, shopping specials, themed drinks, photo booths, food truck, Sip & Stroll and a costume contest at Della Viti.

🧙 Witches Walk After Show @ Studio 13 Ames

After-show featuring Shay, Thee Adriatic Sea, Fantasia, Terra and Venus. The submitted flyer lists an 8:15 PM start.

Community-submitted flyer. Studio 13's official venue site confirms the Ames location at 398 Main Street (400 Main Street basement) and says the Ames venue is 21+ nightly.

Nevada Witches Wander + Spooky Historic Tour

Two Halloween-eve downtown Nevada events that stack cleanly into one night.

🟢 Shrek Halloween @ Studio 13 Ames

Shrek-themed Halloween night featuring Aanya, Shay, Matte and Terra. The submitted flyer lists a 10:30 PM start.

Community-submitted flyer. Studio 13's official venue site confirms the Ames location at 398 Main Street (400 Main Street basement) and says the Ames venue is 21+ nightly.

Alluvial + Reliable Street

Wiitch Tiit Halloween, costume contest, then after-party included with admission.

🍺 Organized Ames Pub Crawl

No verified Ames/Story County organized Halloween pub crawl surfaced in the Oct. 7 research pass. We are leaving this blank rather than importing a Des Moines crawl and pretending it is local.

🍷 Witches & Wine @ Bottled Bliss

706 Keeler St, Boone. Boone County Chamber’s first Witches & Wine includes a specialty sangria, build-your-own adult trick-or-treat bag, witchy wine-glass charm kit and complimentary card reading. Tickets are $25 online or $30 at the door.

The date and time are from the Boone County Chamber Facebook event and event description. Wine service requires legal drinking age; check the host event for final admission rules.

🚎 Charters on Vine Haunted Trolley Tour

Departs Whiskey River in Ankeny for a 21+ only trolley night through The Slaughterhouse, Monsterama PubCade and County Line Road Haunted Woods. The $80 ticket includes trolley transportation and VIP entry to all attractions.

BYOB is allowed on the trolley, but no glass. Food and drinks at venues are not included. Departure is 6:30 PM sharp; the organizer says return is around 11:30 PM.

📚 Halloween Boozy Book Fair @ Prairie Moon

Halloween book fair at Prairie Moon with tons of books, a live DJ, wine, brick-oven pizza and a costume contest. Best costume wins a $35 Dog-Eared gift card.

The event is free and open to the public. Alcohol service still requires legal drinking age. The organizer lists a 6 PM start but no end time.

🩸 History Happy Hour: Jack the Ripper

A 21+ evening at Ames History Museum with Laurie Law's talk on the Jack the Ripper case, two themed drinks and after-hours exhibit viewing.

Two reservation windows: 5:30–7 PM and 7–8:30 PM. Tickets are $28 for members and $33 for non-members; advance reservations required.

👻 Nightmare on Main Street @ Studio 13 Ames

Halloween-night party featuring Shay, Terra, Muuvi, Romeo and Xander. The submitted flyer lists a 10:30 PM start.

Community-submitted flyer. Studio 13's official venue site confirms the Ames location at 398 Main Street (400 Main Street basement) and says the Ames venue is 21+ nightly.