Trick-or-treating in the Village of the Arts, trunk-or-treats from Anna Maria to Palmetto, and pumpkin farms out east. Here's how Manatee County does Halloween this year.
Spooky season is easy to pull off here. The weather finally cools, the pumpkin farms out east are already open, and the Halloween events stack up steadily through October. Best of all, Halloween lands on a Saturday in 2026, which turns the big night into a full weekend instead of a school-night scramble. For everything else on the calendar this month, see our October things to do roundup.
Halloween's best, up top
Goblin Gathering, Oct. 16: Hayrides, a petting zoo, and a costume contest at G.T. Bray Park, all free.
Bradenton Alive Halloween Celebration, Oct. 31: A downtown street party on Old Main Street with live music from City Loud Band, food, and vendors.
Boo Bash at Fiorelli Winery, Oct. 31: A free, pet-friendly afternoon with pumpkin carving, trunk-or-treat, costume contests, and live music.
Manatee Sheriff's Spooktactical Night, Oct. 22: Trick-or-treat from one sheriff's unit to the next.
Trunk or Treat at The Great Pumpkin Patch of Palmetto, Oct. 25: Decorated trunks, then pick a pumpkin.
Haunted walk and boat ride at Jiggs Landing, Oct. 28-31: A free after-dark walk and a $10 ride on the Braden River.
Island Trunk or Treat, Oct. 30: Anna Maria's early trick-or-treat night, with Palm Avenue closed to cars.
De Soto’s Haunted Trail Walk, Oct. 30: A guided, family-friendly ghost tour along the Manatee River, plus a Spooktackular Party. Just $1.
BooFest on Main Street, Oct. 30: Lakewood Ranch's candy crawl, with totes for the first 2,500 kids.
Trick-or-Treat in the Village, Oct. 31: The Village of the Arts' 12th annual, and the one families plan around.
Bridge Street Halloween Spooktacular, Oct. 31: A family afternoon of candy, costumes, and games in Bradenton Beach
Halloween night: Saturday, Oct 31
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and the Village of the Arts is where most families end up.
Trick-or-Treat in the Village takes over the Village of the Arts on Halloween itself, Saturday, Oct. 31, 6-8 p.m. It's the area's biggest community trick-or-treat, a walkable evening through the cottage district, and it's free. It hits its 12th year in 2026.
Bradenton Alive Halloween Celebration takes over Old Main Street, between Manatee Avenue and 3rd Avenue W., on Saturday, Oct. 31, 7-11 p.m. Come in costume for live music from the City Loud Band, plus food vendors and merchandise vendors. It’s a good late-night pick once the trick-or-treating wraps up.
Bridge Street Halloween Spooktacular fills Historic Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2-8 p.m. It’s built for families and kids: AMI South End brings costumes, candy, games, trick-or-treating, entertainment, and local vendors, and it’s free.
Boo Bash at Fiorelli Winery is a free, family- and pet-friendly Halloween afternoon on Saturday, Oct. 31, 12-3 p.m. Pumpkin carving and decorating start at noon (bring your own pumpkin and supplies), trunk-or-treat runs 1-2:30 p.m., and costume, best-dressed trunk, and best pumpkin awards are handed out at 2:30. Live music and food are on all afternoon, along with the winery’s wines and homemade apple cider sangria (4250 Co Rd 675 E, Bradenton).
Trunk-or-treats in Manatee County
Four nights of decorated trunks and doorstep candy, from Bradenton to the island.
Pumpkin Lights & Candy Nights opens the trunks on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. at 3412 53rd Ave. E, Bradenton. Expect decorated trunks, games, glowing pumpkins, hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy.
Trunk or Treat at The Great Pumpkin Patch of Palmetto (209 7th St. W, Palmetto) lands on Sunday, Oct. 25, 5-8 p.m., hosted with Forward Community Church. Kids come in costume and work their way through creative, family-friendly trunks, and the patch stays open for family photos and picking out a pumpkin to take home.
Trail of Treats starts at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce (5313 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach) on Friday, Oct. 30, 4-6:30 p.m. Costume judging for every age group begins at 4:30 with trophies, snacks, and prizes, and then kids trick-or-treat at participating island businesses. The Chamber hands out the list of stops.
Island Trunk or Treat sets up at The Center of Anna Maria Island (407 Magnolia Ave.) on Friday, Oct. 30, 6-8 p.m. Palm Avenue behind The Center closes to cars, so island families can skip the neighborhood driving the night before Halloween.
Family Halloween events
Goblin Gathering kicks things off at G.T. Bray Park (5502 33rd Ave. Dr. W) on Friday, Oct. 16, 4-7 p.m. Manatee County hosts costume contests, trick-or-treating, bounce houses, spooky photo ops, hayrides, and a petting zoo, with food trucks on site. Entry and parking are free.
Gothic Book Fair and Night Market returns for its second year at Bat City Comic Professionals (915 Manatee Ave. E) on Friday, Oct. 16, 5-9 p.m. Expect horror and gothic artists, tarot readings, and a deep shelf of spine-chilling books for every age, from picture books to classic literature to comics. Purchases at the shop help fund Bat City’s nonprofit reading programs.
Manatee Sheriff's Spooktactical Night rolls into the MCSO Operations Center (600 301 Blvd. W) on Thursday, Oct. 22, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Deputies, special teams, and community partners show off their vehicles and run demonstrations, and trick-or-treating happens at each unit's station. It's free, with free hot dogs, chips, and water while supplies last and food trucks for anything extra. Park free at the former DeSoto Square Mall across the street; handicapped parking is on site.
BooFest on Main Street fills Lakewood Ranch Main Street on Friday, Oct. 30, 6-9 p.m. Kids collect candy from vendor booths and shops along the street, and there's a Kids' Zone with face painting, balloon twisting, and inflatables, plus live music on the main stage. It's free, and the first 2,500 attendees get a trick-or-treat pumpkin tote.
Jiggs Landing Outpost (6106 63rd St. E) turns spooky Oct. 28, 29, 30, and 31 with a haunted walk and a haunted boat ride. The walk is free and after dark, and the haunted boat ride is $10 a person.
De Soto’s Haunted Trail Walk takes over the historic Manatee River on Friday, Oct. 30, with tours at 6, 6:30, 7, and 7:30 p.m. A ghostly guide leads families through local legends, eerie encounters, and the haunting history of Bradenton. Your ticket also covers the Spooktackular Party, with pumpkin painting, lighthearted frights, and costumes encouraged. The combined tour and party runs about an hour. Tours are capped at 15 people and may sell out, so register in advance. Tickets are $1.
Pumpkin patches and fall festivals
The farm festivals have two weekends left, so don't wait. Our festivals guide has the rest of the year.
Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival opens its last two weekends, Oct. 17-18 and 24-25, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at 5500 County Road 675, Bradenton. Admission is $15 for ages 10 and up, $5 for kids 5-9, and free under 5, plus $5 parking, cash only.
Dakin Dairy Farms Fall Harvest Festival returns Oct. 17, 18, 24, and 25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., in Myakka City. Admission $20, kids 5 and under free, with free parking. Real farm chores double as attractions: cow-milking demos, a hayride out to the pasture, the Moo Train, and a corn maze. The pumpkin patch and sunflower U-pick cost extra.
Country Critters Fall Festival wraps up Saturdays Oct. 17 and 24 in Parrish, a farm day with a pumpkin patch, pony rides, face painting, and hands-on animal fun. Admission is $15 (ages 2 and up).
Pumpkin Patch Express at the Florida Railroad Museum (12210 83rd St. E, Parrish) takes families on a train ride to the museum's own pumpkin patch. The trip lasts about 2.5 hours, including a 30-minute ride out and back. Your ticket covers hayrides, arts and crafts, Lincoln Log building, and games, and every child can pick a pumpkin to take home (one per child). Food and drinks are sold on the train and at the patch. Tickets are sold online or at (941) 776-0906.
Dog Days at Flamingo Bay: Howl-O-Ween Edition throws a free, pet-friendly costume party on Sunday, Oct. 25, at noon. Bring the dog, bring a costume.
Adult Halloweening
Clancy's Sports Bar and Grill kicks off its 26th annual Halloween Bash on Friday, Oct. 30, with Westbound and Down keeping the dance floor packed from 6 to 10 p.m. Costume judging starts at 10:30 p.m.
Halloween at Waypoint Bar & Grill (11000 US Hwy. 41 N, Palmetto) is on Saturday, Oct. 31, 5-8 p.m. Have Gun, Will Travel plays live as Waypoint celebrates its fifth anniversary, with locally made craft beer and fresh food on the Tamiami Trail.
Sundown Get Down on Bridge Street keeps Halloween going after the kids’ Spooktacular on Saturday, Oct. 31. Bradenton Beach’s monthly street party closes Historic Bridge Street to traffic for live music, local vendors, food, and drinks, stretching from beach to bay as the sun goes down. Free to walk in.
What Halloween events are in Bradenton in 2026?
Bradenton Alive Halloween Celebration on Old Main Street (Oct. 31), Goblin Gathering at G.T. Bray Park (Oct. 16), Manatee Sheriff's Spooktactical Night (Oct. 22), Pumpkin Lights & Candy Nights (Oct. 24), Trunk or Treat at The Great Pumpkin Patch of Palmetto (Oct. 25), Jiggs Landing's haunted walk (Oct. 28-31), BooFest in Lakewood Ranch (Oct. 30), and Trick-or-Treat in the Village of the Arts (Oct. 31), and Boo Bash at Fiorelli Winery (Oct. 31).. The pumpkin farms run weekends through Oct. 25.
Where is the best trick-or-treating in Bradenton?
The Village of the Arts hosts the area's biggest community trick-or-treat, its 12th annual, on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. It's a free, walkable evening through the cottage district. Earlier that day, the Bridge Street Halloween Spooktacular brings trick-or-treating to Bradenton Beach from 2 to 8 p.m.
Where can I find a pumpkin patch in Bradenton?
Hunsader Farms, Dakin Dairy Farms, and Country Critters all run fall festivals with pumpkin patches through Oct. 24 and 25. The Great Pumpkin Patch of Palmetto is open too, and hosts a trunk-or-treat Oct. 25. The Florida Railroad Museum's Pumpkin Patch Express in Parrish takes a train to the museum's own patch, where every child picks a pumpkin.
Are there trunk-or-treats in Manatee County?
Yes. Pumpkin Lights & Candy Nights is Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. at 3412 53rd Ave. E, Bradenton. The Great Pumpkin Patch of Palmetto hosts one Oct. 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. On Oct. 30, Anna Maria Island has a Trail of Treats at the Chamber (4-6:30 p.m.) and the Island Trunk or Treat at The Center (6-8 p.m.). All Four trunk-or-treats are free.
What can I do for Halloween on Anna Maria Island?
The Island Trunk or Treat at The Center of Anna Maria Island is the island's family pick, on Friday, Oct 30 at 6 p.m. and free to attend. It's a safe, walkable evening, so you can leave the car and let the kids roam between trunks. On Halloween, the free, family-friendly Spooktacular fills Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach from 2 to 8 p.m.
