Halloween 2026 lands on a Saturday, which gives Phoenix families a full three-day run at it. The best kid-friendly plan: Spooky Safari at the Phoenix Zoo on Friday evening, a farm festival and pumpkin picking on Saturday morning, trick-or-treating at dusk, and a slow Sunday or the last day of the state fair.
The trick in late October is energy, not heat. Kids who spent the morning in a corn maze will not last through two hours of trick-or-treating, so this weekend puts the big outing early on Saturday and leaves a long rest before costumes go on.
The plan at a glance: Friday evening to Sunday afternoon · 3 main outings · about $300–340 for a family with two kids between 3 and 12, plus candy · Friday and Sunday are short, Saturday is the big day.
Friday night: trick-or-treat practice at the Zoo
Spooky Safari runs at the Phoenix Zoo from Wednesday, October 28 to Friday, October 30, 2026, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. It is a separate evening ticket of $18 per person, and children aged 2 or younger are admitted at no charge.
Inside, kids walk a route of themed candy stations, join the hourly costume parades and get their faces painted, with a DJ and roaming performers along the way. Think of it as a dress rehearsal: the costume gets tested, the candy bag gets broken in, and any shoe that rubs gets swapped before Saturday.
1. 5:15 pm — Park at the Zoo, 455 N Galvin Parkway. Arrive a little before the gates open so the first parade isn't the one you miss.
2. 5:30 pm — Candy stations while it's still light. Sunset comes around 5:40 pm this weekend, and the lanterns and lit paths look their best right after it.
3. 7:00 pm — Carousel or a camel ride, then home. The Lakeside Carousel is $4 a ride and camel rides are $8 for non-members, both on top of the ticket. Food and drinks are sold inside.
Cost for four: $72 for tickets, plus about $16–24 for rides and $30–40 for a light dinner.
Saturday morning: a farm festival in Queen Creek
The Pumpkin & Chili Party at Schnepf Farms, celebrating its 30th year in 2026, is the Valley's big fall farm festival. It sits at 24810 S Rittenhouse Road in Queen Creek, about an hour's drive from central Phoenix, and opens at 10 am on Saturdays.
General admission is $28.95 per person online, and toddlers 2 and younger don't need a ticket. On-site tickets cost more, so buy before you get in the car. The ticket covers the hay rides, carousel, corn mazes, petting zoo, pig races and shows. Food, the train ride and pumpkins are extra: pumpkins run $4–15 each, and outside food and drinks aren't allowed, except bottled water.
1. 9:00 am — Leave home with water, sunscreen and the camera. There are no stroller rentals, and paths are uneven, so a sturdy stroller or a wagon of your own is the better choice for toddlers.
2. 10:00 am — Corn maze and hay ride first. Mornings are the coolest and least crowded part of the day.
3. 11:30 am — Pig races, petting zoo and one show. Then pick the pumpkins last, so nobody carries them around the farm.
4. 12:30 pm — A farm lunch, then the drive back. You'll be back by mid-afternoon with time for a real nap.
Cost for four: $115.80 for tickets, about $15–30 for pumpkins and about $50–60 for lunch.
Saturday evening: trick-or-treat after sunset
With no daylight saving switch in Arizona, Halloween sunset arrives at about 5:35 pm. That is the natural start time: early enough for younger kids, cool enough for costumes with sleeves.
Pick one neighborhood and stay in it. Twenty or thirty houses within a few blocks give a five-year-old plenty of candy, and short loops back to the car or home let you stop the moment someone gets tired. A flashlight or glow sticks on every costume make kids easy to see on streets with no sidewalks.
Have dinner before you go out rather than after. Something quick at home at 4:30 pm means the candy doesn't become dinner, and it frees the evening for the part kids actually care about.
Cost: candy for your own door, about $15–25.
Sunday: the fair's last day, or a slow morning
Sunday, November 1 is the final day of the Arizona State Fair, and Sunday is one of the two days with unlimited ride wristbands. If your kids still have energy, our family plan for the Arizona State Fair has the hour-by-hour route, tickets and wristband rules.
If they don't, keep Sunday small: a late pancake breakfast, the candy sort on the living room floor, and a park in the afternoon. After two big days, a quiet Sunday is a feature, not a failure.
A week early instead: free BooFest
Can't do the Halloween weekend itself? The city of Phoenix holds BooFest on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 6 to 9 pm at Paseo Highlands Park, 3435 W Pinnacle Peak Road. Admission is free, with costume contests, free candy and treats, inflatables and a children's train ride; food vendors sell meals on site.
Pair it with a morning at the farm festival on the same Saturday and you get the whole Halloween experience a week ahead, with Halloween itself left free for trick-or-treating at home.
What the weekend costs, and how to trim it
Added up for a family of four without the state fair, the weekend looks like this: Friday about $120–135, Saturday about $195–230 with pumpkins, lunch and candy. That is about $300–340 in all.
The simplest saving is the Zoo night: skip the carousel and camel and eat before you go, and Friday drops to $72. If your kids are 2 or under, both Spooky Safari and the farm festival are free for them, which changes the math a lot for families with a baby.
Before you go: event dates, hours and prices were checked on the official Zoo, farm and city pages in October 2026. The farm festival's ticketing page doesn't list its last day, so confirm it is open on October 31 before you buy.
Plan your own Halloween
Want a shorter version, or a budget other than ours? Pick Phoenix, then With kids, in the HollyUp planner and it will lay out three stops that fit. And for a cooler-season family Saturday with the Zoo by day, see our Phoenix day with kids, planned around the sun.
FAQ
What Halloween events are there for kids in Phoenix in 2026?
The biggest are Spooky Safari at the Phoenix Zoo (October 28–30, $18 per person), the Pumpkin & Chili Party at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, and the city's free BooFest at Paseo Highlands Park on October 24. The Arizona State Fair is also open through November 1.
What day of the week is Halloween in 2026?
This year Halloween is a Saturday. That means trick-or-treating doesn't compete with school the next morning, and families can plan a full weekend: an event on Friday night, a farm outing on Saturday morning and trick-or-treating after sunset.
What time should kids start trick-or-treating in Phoenix?
Sunset in Phoenix on Halloween is around 5:35 pm, and since Arizona skips daylight saving, many families head out between 5:30 and 6 pm. Younger kids usually do best with an hour or so in one neighborhood; older kids can go until 8 pm.
How much is Spooky Safari at the Phoenix Zoo?
Spooky Safari costs $18 per person, and children 2 and under are free. It runs from 5:30 to 8:30 pm on October 28–30, 2026. The carousel ($4) and camel rides ($8 for non-members) cost extra, and food is sold inside.
Is Schnepf Farms good for toddlers?
Yes, with a few adjustments. Kids 2 and under get in free, and the petting zoo, hay rides and carousel suit small children. There are no stroller rentals and the paths are uneven, so bring a sturdy stroller or wagon, and go in the morning when it's cooler.