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21 pumpkin patches, family events, festivals and haunted houses around Des Moines, IA, each checked against its own official site for 2026 dates. Scare levels and ages are our suggestions; always check the venue's own guidance.
As of September 23, 2026: 4 events here list 2026 dates that include this weekend. Hours vary, so check each one before you go.
Weekend orchard festival west of Des Moines with pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, a maze, hay wagon rides and fresh cider donuts.
Big family farm south of Des Moines with pumpkin fields, a corn maze, wagon rides, goats, a playground and farm games.
Adults-only Halloween night in the garden with brewery and cidery samples among the seasonal displays.
Adults-only costume bar crawl through downtown Des Moines bars, with check-in at Hessen Haus, drink specials and an after party.
After-dark Halloween walk through the garden's dome and grounds, spotlighting creepy and strange plants in a spooky evening setting.
Old-fashioned Halloween weekend at the open-air history museum: trick-or-treat along 1876 town storefronts, storytelling, games and historic demonstrations.
Adults-only costume night at the zoo with beverage sampling, live music, a costume contest and food trucks.
Evening Halloween walk at the zoo billed as merry rather than scary, with costumes encouraged, an indoor fun zone, food vendors, train and carousel rides.
Walk-through trail of thousands of illuminated hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns at Water Works Park, with live entertainment, carving demos and seasonal treats.
Evening garden walk lit by more than a thousand carved jack-o'-lanterns, with a trick-or-treat trail, science demos and costumed characters.
Halloween day at the science center with spooky-themed experiments and activities; costumes welcome, no costume weapons.
Halloween pop-up at a downtown brewpub, with the restaurant decked out in spooky decor, themed food specials and kid-focused events.
Afternoon trick-or-treating among the arboretum's whimsical treehouses, suited to young kids in costume.
Daytime Halloween at the botanical garden with trick-or-treating among the plants and kid-friendly activities.
Amusement park Halloween event: family activities and trick-or-treating by day, then five haunted houses, four scare zones and rides in the dark after sunset.
Costumed kids trick-or-treat at shops along Ingersoll Avenue, keeping the old Des Moines Beggars' Night tradition alive.
Historic-district Halloween night with streets closed to cars so families can trick-or-treat among the neighborhood's decorated Victorian homes.
Campground haunted hall with dark corridors and flickering-light scares, a gentler kids' hour at the start of each night, and food trucks outside.
Multi-attraction scream park at a Des Moines sports park, with several themed haunts including a pitch-dark rope-guided maze and an oddities museum.
Outdoor haunted trail through timber just south of Des Moines, with costumed actors staging this year's witch-themed story along a dark woodland path.
Large indoor downtown haunted house spread over 20,000 square feet of themed scenes, with live actors and a new bayou-themed area this year.
Nothing matches those filters. Try another age or type.
BooMap lists 21 Halloween events near Des Moines with 2026 dates confirmed on their official sites: 2 pumpkin patches and corn mazes, 13 family events, 2 fall festivals and 4 haunted houses.
Apple & Pumpkin Fest and Howell's Pumpkin Patch. Dates, hours and prices for each are on this page.
The earliest to open in this guide is Apple & Pumpkin Fest, on September 12, 2026, then Howell's Pumpkin Patch (September 12). Each patch's full 2026 dates are on its own page.
Not-scary picks suggested for all ages include Apple & Pumpkin Fest, Beggars' Night on Ingersoll, Family Halloween, Halloween on the Hill, Howell's Pumpkin Patch, and 7 more.
$12, according to the official site.
$25; members $15, according to the official site.
For the weekend of September 25–27, 2026, 4 events in this guide list dates that include it: Apple & Pumpkin Fest, Howell's Pumpkin Patch, Phantom Fall Fest and The Slaughterhouse. Check each one's hours before you go.
Yes: Beggars' Night on Ingersoll lists free admission on the official site.
Official hours announced so far: Waukee, October 31, 6pm to 8pm. We add towns as they announce.
In the towns that have announced, trick-or-treating starts 6pm and ends by 8pm: Waukee, 6pm to 8pm.
Halloween 2026 is on Saturday, October 31. Some towns set trick-or-treat on a different night, so check your town's official hours.
The most intense haunts in this guide are Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park, The Haunted Woods: The Mare Witch 5 and The Slaughterhouse, rated 4 of 5 ghosts on our scare scale. Check each venue's own age guidance before you go.
The earliest opening in this guide is The Slaughterhouse on September 25, 2026. Each haunt's full 2026 dates are listed on this page.
These usually run every year, but we couldn't confirm 2026 dates on their official sites yet. Check with the venue before you go. Seen one open, or know the dates? Tell us and we'll check it.
Orchard farm north of Des Moines with a pumpkin patch, corn maze, apples, farm animals and October evening hours for Pumpkin Nights.
Official hours set by each town. Most towns announce in early to mid October; we update this page as they do.
| Waukee | Oct 31, 6pm–8pm source |
| Altoona | Not announced yet |
| Ames | Not announced yet |
| Ankeny | Not announced yet |
| Clive | Not announced yet |
| Des Moines | Not announced yet |
| Johnston | Not announced yet |
| Pleasant Hill | Not announced yet |
| Urbandale | Not announced yet |
| West Des Moines | Not announced yet |
Every event here was found through local guides and then confirmed on the venue's or organizer's own website, with dates for 2026. We check each one for closures. Events we couldn't confirm yet are listed separately and clearly marked, and we recheck them every week. Scare levels (1 to 5 ghosts) and suggested ages are our read of what the venue says. Dates and hours can change, so check the official site before you go.
Run an event we missed, or spot something wrong? Join the list as a host and we'll get it on the map.
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