Savannah Tourism Guide

Halloween Events in Savannah

Halloween events in Savannah set the mood: Spanish moss hanging over monuments and paths in Laurel Grove Cemetery
Spanish moss over the monuments of Laurel Grove Cemetery, west of the Historic District.

Halloween events in Savannah run all through October and peak on the final two weekends. In 2026, Trick or Treat on River Street is listed for Saturday, October 24, from 2 to 5pm, with more than 30 waterfront merchants handing out candy; the SCAD Savannah Film Festival runs from October 24 to 31; ghost tours run every night and sell out fast; and Halloween itself falls on a Saturday, so expect costume crowds around River Street, City Market and the Plant Riverside District. The City usually announces its free trunk-or-treats and police-hosted events in mid to late October.

This guide is for families, couples and groups planning a Savannah Halloween, from one spooky night to the whole last week of October. The caveat that matters is crowding: with Halloween on a Saturday and the film festival and Savannah Pride on the same final weekends, hotels, dinners and ghost tours book up early. Event dates, times and prices were checked October 1, 2026 against organizers and official sources, and we note where 2026 details hadn’t yet been announced. For the rest of the year’s calendar, see our guide to Savannah events and festivals.

Halloween 2026 in Savannah at a Glance

WhenEventWhereCost
Nightly through OctoberGhost tours, walking, trolley, carriage and pub crawlHistoric DistrictFrom about $29.99
Saturday, October 24, 2 to 5pmTrick or Treat on River StreetRiver Street, from 1 W. River StreetFree
Saturday, October 24Savannah Pride Festival (as listed by the organizer)Forsyth ParkFree main festival
October 24 to 31SCAD Savannah Film FestivalSCAD venues downtownTicketed; tickets on sale from October 2
Late October (2026 dates to be announced)City and police trunk-or-treatsNeighborhood sitesFree
Saturday, October 31Halloween night: costume crowds, bars and partiesRiver Street, City Market, Plant RiversideVaries

Where Halloween Happens in Savannah

AreaWhat’s thereBest time
River StreetTrick-or-treating at 30-plus merchants; bars and costume crowdsOctober 24 afternoon for kids; Halloween night for adults
City MarketBars, restaurants and street life inside the to-go cup zoneEvenings, especially Halloween night
Plant Riverside DistrictThemed parties, rooftop DJ nights and costume contests in past yearsHalloween weekend nights
The squaresDecorated townhouses and the stops on most ghost toursDaytime walks; ghost tours after dark
Forsyth ParkSavannah Pride on October 24 as listed; the Saturday farmers’ marketWeekend mornings and afternoons
Bonaventure and Colonial Park cemeteriesMonuments, moss and history, by daylight onlyMorning

Halloween on a Budget

A Savannah Halloween doesn’t have to be expensive. Trick or Treat on River Street is free, the main Savannah Pride festival in Forsyth Park is free as listed, and the City’s trunk-or-treats have been free in past years. Walking the decorated squares and visiting Bonaventure and Colonial Park cemeteries by day costs nothing. If you want one paid experience, Ghost City’s Grave Tales starts at $29.99, the Sorrel-Weed House’s daytime history and architecture tour is $14, and a single to-go drink on River Street on Halloween night is all the nightlife many visitors need.

Trick or Treat on River Street

The riverfront’s own Halloween tradition is the best free family event of the season. Savannah’s Waterfront, the association of River Street businesses, lists Trick or Treat on River Street for Saturday, October 24, from 2 to 5pm, with more than 30 waterfront merchants welcoming “little ghouls and goblins.” Participating shops and restaurants display posters, so children know where to knock, and there’s no charge. One detail to check: the event page’s description still mentions a Saturday, October 25 date carried over from 2025, so confirm the day with the organizer, at 912-234-0295, before you plan around it.

A few practical tips. River Street is cobbled and sits at the foot of a steep bluff, so bring a stroller down by one of the two public elevators, between the Hyatt Regency and City Hall or at The Alida hotel, rather than the stone stairs. The afternoon timing makes it easy to combine with an early dinner and an all-ages ghost walk. And because the same Saturday brings the film festival’s opening and Savannah Pride in Forsyth Park, downtown will be busy, so arrive early and allow extra time to park. Our River Street visitor guide covers parking and access in detail.

Ghost Tours: Savannah’s Real Halloween Main Event

Box tombs and headstones seen through the black iron fence of Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah
Colonial Park Cemetery, seen through its fence; night tours tell its stories from the sidewalk.

Savannah sells itself as one of America’s most haunted cities, and in October the ghost-tour business is at full volume. Visit Savannah lists 18 ghost tours, from walking tours through the squares to trolleys, hearses, carriages and pub crawls. The main thing that separates them is who they’re for, so start with ages.

TourAgesPriceGood to know
Ghost City Tours, Grave TalesAll agesFrom $29.9990 minutes, about a mile on foot; 7, 8 and 9pm
Ghost City Tours, Dead of Night16 and upFrom $34.9990 minutes; 9 and 10pm
Ghost City Tours, Beyond Good and Evil16 and upFrom $34.99Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil locations; 8, 9 and 10pm
Ghosts & GravestonesRated PG-13; under-18s with an adultFrom $3480-minute trolley tour with stops inside the Andrew Low House and the Perkins & Sons Ship Chandlery; no wheelchair lifts; October sells out quickly
Sorrel-Weed House ghost tour10 and up$3575 minutes inside the house on Madison Square; reservations required
Haunted pub crawls21 and upFrom $34.99 (Ghost City)About two hours and four taverns on Ghost City’s version

Other operators on Visit Savannah’s list include Nightly Spirits, which runs a ghost tour and pub crawl, Savannah Terrors and its Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl, Exploration Point Tours, Guy in the Kilt, Junket and US Ghost Adventures. Genteel & Bard runs ghost and history walks with a full refund on 24 hours’ notice, and Carriage Tours of Savannah offers a public ghost tour by horse-drawn carriage.

Book early. Halloween week is peak season, and on a Saturday Halloween the best time slots will go first. Ghosts & Gravestones warns that its October tours sell out quickly. Mind the rules. City rules bar tours marketed as haunted or paranormal from its municipal cemeteries, including Colonial Park, Bonaventure and Laurel Grove, and Colonial Park allows no after-hours activity, so night tours tell those stories from the street. Keep perspective. These are entertainment. Plenty of the tales don’t survive a look at the records, and the best guides tell you which is which.

For how to choose between operators, see our Savannah tours compared by interest and budget, and for the history behind the hauntings, our haunted Savannah guide.

Family-Friendly Halloween

Pumpkins and potted mums on the stone stoop of a brick townhouse on East Gordon Street in Savannah
Pumpkins line a townhouse stoop on East Gordon Street in mid-October 2013; the squares dress up for fall every year.

Savannah is an easy Halloween city with children, as long as you pick the right events and the right hours. The best plan for most families looks like this: Trick or Treat on River Street on the afternoon of October 24, a daytime walk through the squares to see the decorated townhouses, an all-ages ghost walk such as Ghost City’s Grave Tales at 7pm, and Halloween night itself in a neighborhood or at one of the free community events rather than in the bar-heavy blocks by the river.

City and police trunk-or-treats

The City of Savannah and the Savannah Police Department host free Halloween events each year, but the 2026 lineup hadn’t been announced when we checked on October 1. Last year’s events give a good idea of what to expect. In 2025 the City held a Savannah Impact Program Trunk-or-Treat on Thursday, October 30, from 6 to 9pm at 2005 Waters Avenue; a Water Reclamation Department Trunk or Treat on Halloween night from 6 to 8:30pm at 1400 E. President Street; the police department’s Blue Light Fright Night, with a haunted house walk-through and 13 candy stations, from 5:30 to 8pm at the Central Precinct, 1710 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; a trunk-or-treat at Grayson Stadium; and Howl-o-Ween for pets at Daffin Park. Watch the City’s news page and local TV in mid-October for the 2026 dates.

Daytime spooky, without the scares

Savannah’s cemeteries are part of the city’s atmosphere year-round, and they’re best by daylight. Colonial Park Cemetery, on Abercorn Street, is open from 8am, closing at 8pm until early November and 5pm after that, and Bonaventure Cemetery, about 3 miles east, is open daily from 8am to 5pm and free. Ghost City also runs a daytime Bonaventure Cemetery Tour at 11am, for all ages, from $29.99. These are working, historic cemeteries, so keep it respectful: no costumes or pranks.

Halloween Night for Grown-Ups

Savannah's riverfront skyline at dusk, with lights reflected in the river and City Hall's dome among the buildings
The riverfront at dusk; on Halloween night, River Street and City Market fill with costumes.

With Halloween on a Saturday in 2026, expect River Street, City Market and the Plant Riverside District to be packed with costumes from early evening. The riverfront bars and the to-go cup rules make it one of the South’s liveliest Halloween nights, and also one of the most crowded.

  • Haunted pub crawls. They combine ghost stories with bar stops and are strictly 21 and up. Ghost City’s runs about two hours through four taverns from $34.99, with 7, 8 and 9pm starts; Nightly Spirits, Savannah Terrors and Exploration Point Tours run their own.
  • Plant Riverside District. The district at the west end of River Street has billed itself as a Halloween nightlife spot, with themed parties, rooftop DJ nights and costume contests in past years. Check its calendar for 2026 plans.
  • To-go cups. Within the zone from the river south to Jones Street, you can carry one alcoholic drink per person in an aluminum, paper or plastic cup of 16 ounces or less. No cans, bottles or glass, and the rules still apply during festivals. Forsyth Park and the southern squares are outside the zone.
  • Costumes. Wear something you can walk a mile in on uneven brick and cobblestones, and keep masks easy to remove, since bars will check ID.

Haunted House Museums and Historic Stops

Some of Savannah’s historic houses lean into their ghost stories, and some stick firmly to the documented past. A Halloween trip can do both.

  • Sorrel-Weed House, Madison Square. Runs a nightly ghost tour for ages 10 and up at $35, and a daytime History and Architecture tour for $14.
  • Andrew Low House, Lafayette Square. Ghosts & Gravestones trolley guests step inside after dark; by day it offers guided tours on the hour and half hour, $15 for adults.
  • The Pirates’ House. The restaurant dates its origins to 1753 and trades on pirate and ghost lore; it opens daily at 11am for lunch and dinner.
  • Mercer Williams House, Monterey Square. The house at the center of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, open for daily tours; it’s a murder-mystery landmark rather than a haunted house.
  • Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters. No ghosts on this tour, just the documented history of everyone who lived and worked in the house, which makes a strong counterweight to a night of stories.

The Film Festival, Pride and Other October Events

Halloween isn’t the only draw on Savannah’s late-October calendar. The SCAD Savannah Film Festival runs from October 24 to 31, 2026, filling the week with premieres, screenings and talks; tickets went on sale on October 2. The Savannah Pride Festival, organized by the Savannah Pride Center, is listed for Saturday, October 24, 2026 in Forsyth Park, with free entry to the main festival. And earlier in the month, the Tybee Island Pirate Fest, with a parade, live entertainment and costume contests, was listed for October 8 to 11, 2026. Check each organizer’s site for final schedules, and see our Savannah events calendar for the rest of the season.

Planning Halloween Weekend: Hotels, Dinners and Tickets

The last weekend of October 2026 stacks a Saturday Halloween, the film festival’s final days and the week’s ghost-tour peak, after a previous weekend with Pride, the film festival’s opening and the River Street trick-or-treat. That’s a lot of demand for a compact downtown. Our advice:

  • Book your hotel early. Downtown fills first. Our guide to the best area to stay in Savannah for first-time visitors explains which blocks are quiet and which stay up late, which matters more than usual on Halloween night.
  • Reserve dinner for Friday and Saturday. The best-known restaurants fill on any weekend, let alone this one. See our guide to the best Savannah restaurants for first-time visitors for booking rules.
  • Book ghost tours before you arrive. Choose your time slot first and plan dinner around it.
  • Plan a quiet morning. The squares and Forsyth Park are calm early, even on Halloween weekend.

A Sample Halloween Weekend

Here’s one way to spend Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1, 2026, mixing the spooky with the rest of Savannah.

WhenAdultsFamilies
Friday eveningDinner downtown, then Ghost City’s Dead of Night walk at 9 or 10pmEarly dinner, then Ghost City’s all-ages Grave Tales at 7pm
Saturday morningThe Forsyth Farmers’ Market, 9am to 1pm, and a walk through the decorated squaresThe market, the Forsyth Park playground and the fountain
Saturday afternoonA house museum, such as the Owens-Thomas House, open Tuesday to SundayA rest at the hotel before the evening
Halloween nightCostumes on River Street and City Market, or a haunted pub crawl (21 and up)A City or neighborhood trunk-or-treat, then an early night
Sunday morningBonaventure Cemetery from 8am, before the crowdsBonaventure by daylight, then brunch

Getting Around on Halloween

Walking is the easiest way to get between Halloween events downtown; the Historic District is about a mile from the river to Forsyth Park. The free DOT Express Shuttle runs only from 10am to 6pm at weekends, so it won’t help on Halloween night, though the free Savannah Belles Ferry crosses the river until 10pm. After dark, expect rideshare prices to climb with demand, and leave extra time for pickups near River Street. If you’re driving, park once in a City garage for the evening; garages charge $2 an hour with weekend flat rates of $5 to $10, and on big event days the City has charged a flat rate of about $25. Our guide Do You Need a Car in Savannah? covers the options.

Halloween With Dogs

Savannah is a good Halloween city for dogs, too. The City’s 2025 Halloween lineup included Howl-o-Ween for pets at Daffin Park, so watch for a 2026 version. Forsyth Park has dog-friendly waste bins and water fountains for a costumed stroll, Genteel & Bard welcomes dogs on its walking tours, and the free Belles Ferry carries leashed dogs across the river. Keep pets away from the River Street crowds on Halloween night; the noise and the dropped candy aren’t much fun for them.

Accessibility

Plan ghost tours around access. Ghosts & Gravestones trolleys have no wheelchair lifts, and the route involves stairs and cobblestones; Ghost City’s walks cover about a mile on uneven brick. For River Street’s trick-or-treat, use the public elevators between the Hyatt Regency and City Hall or at The Alida rather than the ramps and stairs, and on Saturday the free DOT Express Shuttle, which is ADA compliant, runs from 10am to 6pm. Our accessible Savannah travel guide has more.

October Weather and What to Wear

October is one of Savannah’s most comfortable months. Long-term NOAA normals at the airport put the average October high at about 79°F and the average low at about 59°F, so afternoons are warm and Halloween evenings are usually mild enough for most costumes without a heavy coat. Bring a light layer for late nights on the river, comfortable shoes for brick sidewalks and cobblestones, and a small umbrella just in case. Our guide to the best time to visit Savannah has more on the season.

Savannah’s Haunted Reputation, in Context

Why does Savannah do Halloween so well? Partly because it’s old, with streets and squares laid out from 1733, and partly because so much of its past is still visible: the cemeteries, the 19th-century houses and the river. The city also lived through real disasters. Fires in 1796 and 1820 burned its commercial districts, and yellow fever killed more than 700 people in 1820 and slightly more than 1,000 in 1854. John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a nonfiction best-seller about a Savannah murder case, then turned the city’s eccentric, gothic image into a tourist industry in the 1990s.

The ghost stories that grow from all this are fun, but they’re stories. Behind many of them are real people, including the enslaved men and women who built and ran so many of the houses the tours stop outside. The best way to spend some of Halloween week is to pair a ghost walk with a visit to a house museum that tells the documented history. Our Savannah history guide is a good place to start.

Halloween Safety Tips

  • Follow the City’s advice: trick-or-treat in familiar, well-lit neighborhoods, visit homes with porch lights on, stay on sidewalks and obey traffic laws.
  • Give children a flashlight or reflective trim on dark costumes, and agree on a meeting point downtown in case you’re separated in the crowds.
  • On River Street and its ramps, watch your footing on wet or uneven stones, especially in costume shoes.
  • Keep valuables out of sight in parked cars, and take a rideshare rather than walking long, empty blocks late at night.
  • Drink inside the rules: one drink per person in an approved to-go cup, inside the zone, and only if you’re 21 or older.

Halloween in Savannah FAQ

Is there trick-or-treating on River Street?

Yes. Savannah’s Waterfront lists Trick or Treat on River Street for Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 2 to 5pm, with more than 30 waterfront merchants handing out candy to children in costume. It’s free, and participating businesses display posters. The event page also mentions a 2025 date in its description, so confirm with the organizer at 912-234-0295.

What Halloween events are in Savannah this year?

For 2026: Trick or Treat on River Street on October 24, nightly ghost tours through October, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival from October 24 to 31, Savannah Pride in Forsyth Park on October 24 as listed, and Halloween itself on Saturday, October 31. The City’s free trunk-or-treats are usually announced in mid to late October.

Are Savannah ghost tours good for kids?

Some are. Ghost City Tours’ Grave Tales walk is open to all ages, from $29.99, with 7pm starts that suit younger children. Others have limits: Ghosts & Gravestones is rated PG-13, the Sorrel-Weed House ghost tour is for ages 10 and up, some walks are 16 and up, and pub crawls are 21 and up. Check before you book.

Do I need to book ghost tours in advance for Halloween?

Yes, for the last two weekends of October. Halloween week is the busiest time of year for Savannah’s ghost tours, and in 2026 Halloween falls on a Saturday. Ghosts & Gravestones warns that its October tours sell out quickly. Book your preferred tour and time slot before you travel, then plan dinner around it.

Is Savannah crowded at Halloween?

Yes, especially on the final weekends of October 2026, when a Saturday Halloween, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival and Savannah Pride overlap. River Street, City Market and Plant Riverside get the biggest crowds at night. Book hotels and dinners early, and enjoy the squares and Forsyth Park in the mornings, when they’re calm.

Can you visit Savannah’s cemeteries on Halloween?

By day, yes. Bonaventure Cemetery is open daily from 8am to 5pm and free, and Colonial Park Cemetery opens at 8am. City rules bar tours marketed as haunted from its municipal cemeteries and allow no after-hours activity in Colonial Park, so night ghost tours tell those stories from outside the walls.

What time is trick-or-treating in Savannah?

The City sets recommended hours each year; in past years it has suggested early evening, such as 5 to 8pm, with police officers visiting neighborhoods. Check the City’s 2026 announcement in late October. For a daytime option, Trick or Treat on River Street is listed for Saturday, October 24, from 2 to 5pm.

Related Savannah Guides

Sources and How We Checked

Event dates, times, prices and rules were checked on October 1, 2026, with organizers and official sources. Where 2026 details hadn’t been announced, we say so and describe 2025 as a guide. This guide is compiled from the organizations listed below, not from other event roundups, and we don’t claim first-hand attendance. Event plans change, so confirm before you go.

Savannah Tourism Guide is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with Visit Savannah, the City of Savannah or any event, tour or attraction listed here, and no one paid to be included.

Photo Credits