Halloween 2026 Final Week: The Events Still On in Bloomfield, West Orange & Montclair

Halloween 2026 lands on Saturday, October 31, which means this is the final week to catch the last round of family events across Bloomfield, West Orange, and Montclair. The good news: the calendar is still full, from a Mad Science show at the West Orange Library tonight to a pumpkin-carving night at the Wellmont Plaza and a full Halloween day at the zoo, the library, and downtown Montclair. Here is what is actually on from Monday, October 26 through Halloween night, with dates, addresses, and what each one costs.

I want you to feel informed and comfortable, and that goes for your Halloween plans too. Most of the final-week events below are free, a couple are worth a small ticket, and every one of them is within a short drive of Bloomfield, West Orange, and Montclair.

What Halloween events are still on this final week in Essex County?

The big Saturday anchors were already covered in my Halloween 2026 weekend plan, but the final week adds a fresh round of confirmed events in all three towns, most of them free and most of them perfect for the under-10 crowd. Here is the day-by-day lineup worth planning around, plus the two paid options that are actually worth your money.

What's happening in West Orange before Halloween?

What is Bloomfield doing this final week?

Then on Halloween morning, the town's classic Lions Club parade lines up costumed kids at the elementary school and marches to the Borough building, free and over before lunch, before the evening trick-or-treat crawl through Bloomfield's family-dense streets. My Halloween week in Bloomfield post has the full Center lineup, from costume parties to the Washington Street haunted-maze block party on the 31st.

Where should Montclair families go this week?

Are any grown-up Halloween events worth planning around?

If the kids are handled and you want a night out, there are two solid options. Out Montclair's Halloween Dance Party and Costume Contest at Porta runs Thursday, October 29 from 7:30 to 11:30 PM, with DJ No Requests and costume prizes; tickets are about $15 in advance. And after the family events wind down on Halloween night, Latinos of Montclair's Halloween Party of the Year takes over Porta from 8 PM to 2 AM (21 and over) with two floors of dancing and a $1,000 costume contest. The Bellevue Theatre also screens Night of the Living Dead at 8 PM on Halloween, a spooky, vintage-Montclair way to close the night.

Is there still time for pumpkin patches and corn mazes?

Yes, barely. Essex County's only true pumpkin patch with a corn maze, Fairfield Farms at 177 Big Piece Road in Fairfield, runs daily through October 31, so this is the final weekend to catch the pumpkin picking, hayrides, and family-sized corn maze about 15 to 20 minutes from all three towns. My pumpkin patches and corn mazes guide has the full farm-by-farm rundown with hours and costs.

What does Halloween week tell you about these towns before you buy?

If you are still deciding where to land, treat the final week as free market research. Walkable blocks with heavy trick-or-treat traffic are family-dense and community-minded. A downtown that dresses up for Halloween, like Montclair Center, has an active business district rather than a dying one. Porch culture, like the decorated blocks around Brookdale in Bloomfield and the hills in West Orange, means people actually use their front yards. These are the signals that never show up in a listing photo.

Start with my Bloomfield neighborhood guide, the West Orange neighborhood guide, or the Montclair neighborhood guide, and picture your kids trick-or-treating on those streets a year from now. For everything else about settling in, from car registration to utilities, my first 30 days settling-in guide covers the transition. And once Halloween is over, the season rolls straight into the holidays: the tree lightings and holiday markets are already taking shape in my 2026 holiday season guide.

The bottom line

October 31, 2026 is a Saturday, and the final week before it is packed with free, family-friendly events in all three towns. Pick a library program in West Orange, a market party in Bloomfield, or a plaza celebration and a full Halloween day in Montclair, then let the neighborhood streets do the rest. For families who just moved from NYC, it is the fastest way to feel like you belong. For families still deciding where to land, it is the best free tour of the year.

If you are planning a fall move and want to see neighborhoods while they are at their most beautiful, I will walk you through it. No pressure, just a real look at where your family could call home.