BooMap: a free map of 1,996 Halloween events in 84 U.S. cities, and fans vote in the first Boo Awards

BooMap is completely free to use. It maps pumpkin patches, trunk-or-treats, family events, ghost tours and haunted houses in 84 metro areas across 41 states and Washington, D.C., and every event's 2026 dates are checked on its own website. Fans vote for their city's favorites in The Boo Awards from Oct. 1 to Oct. 25. Winners are announced Oct. 27, the week before Halloween, which falls on a Saturday this year.

Interviews: Andrew Ward (creator) and Kristen Moss (spokesperson), by phone, Zoom or in studio. Email hello@boomap.app and we'll reply the same day. Say it: "Boo-Map," at boomap dot app.

Download everything (ZIP)   One-page fact sheet (PDF)

Fans vote for their city's favorites in five categories:

1. Best Pumpkin Patch
2. Best for Little Goblins
3. Boo's Hidden Gem: small, local events only. No theme parks, zoos, chains or national tour companies.
4. Most Fun Overall
5. Most Likely to Make You Scream

Dates: voting runs Oct. 1–25; winners are announced Oct. 27. How it works: sign in with an email link, then one vote per category per day. Each vote is checked on our server. Vote spikes are reviewed before any result, and a category needs at least 25 voters to name a winner. Winners are "voted by BooMap fans".

Vote: boomap.app/boo-awards

For hosts, producers and writers. Numbers are from the live map on September 24, 2026. Download as plain text for show notes.

Fun facts

• BooMap lists 1,996 Halloween events in 84 U.S. metro areas, across 41 states and Washington, D.C.
• Pumpkin patches come first on the map: 343 pumpkin patches and 55 corn mazes.
• 1,179 events are gentle enough for little ones (suggested all ages, 1–2 of 5 ghosts). 368 list free admission.
• There are 163 trunk-or-treats, 275 fall festivals and 366 ghost tours, and 292 haunted houses for the brave.
• The city with the most events on BooMap: Los Angeles + Orange County, with 43.
• The earliest haunted house on the map opened on September 4: Demon House (Monongahela, PA).
• Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday. Some towns set official trick-or-treat hours on a different night, like Thursday, October 29 in and around Columbus, including Dublin and Hilliard.
• Every event has a 1-to-5 "ghost" scare rating: 1 ghost is a pumpkin farm, 5 ghosts is an extreme haunt.
• BooMap's #1 Most Unique Halloween Event in America: the Emma Crawford Coffin Races in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where costumed teams race decorated coffins up the main street.
• BooMap's guide is Boo, a friendly white ghost who calls it "my map."

Easy ways to describe it

What is it, in one line?

BooMap is a free map of every Halloween event near you: pumpkin patches, trunk-or-treats, family events, ghost tours and haunted houses.

How do you say it?

"Boo-Map". The website is boomap dot app (B-O-O-M-A-P dot A-P-P).

What makes it different?

Every date is checked on the event's own website, so families aren't guessing whether this year's dates are real. And every event has a suggested age and a ghost scare rating.

Is it free?

Yes, completely free. No sign-up needed to browse.

For parents:

Filter for "All Ages" and 1 or 2 ghosts to find the not-scary stuff for little kids.

For thrill-seekers:

Haunted houses are on there too, rated up to 5 ghosts. They're listed last, for the brave.

The Boo Awards:

Fans vote for their city's favorites, like Best Pumpkin Patch and Boo's Hidden Gem, which only small local events can win. One vote per category per day, Oct. 1 to 25; winners are announced Oct. 27.

Who made it?

Andrew Ward's company, Toronado Entertainment, which also makes the Christmas-lights app Noelly. Andrew is also SVP of 10 Lives Studios and a film and TV producer who built a haunted house in his driveway in 7th grade.

Apps?

BooMap works free on the web now. iPhone and Android apps are coming in October.

Ready-to-read copy (radio and TV)

10-second read: "Looking for Halloween fun? BooMap maps 1,996 Halloween events in 84 cities, free at boomap dot app."

20-second read: "Halloween's on a Saturday this year! BooMap is a free map of 1,996 Halloween events, from pumpkin patches and trunk-or-treats to haunted houses for the brave, with every date checked. Find yours at boomap dot app."

30-second read: "Planning Halloween? BooMap is a free guide to pumpkin patches, corn mazes, trunk-or-treats, family events, ghost tours and haunted houses near you, with every date checked on the event's own website. Each one has a suggested age and a ghost scare rating, so you'll know what's right for your kids. And vote for your city's favorites in The Boo Awards through October 25th. It's all at boomap dot app."

On-screen text (lower thirds)

• BooMap: every Halloween event near you · boomap.app
• 1,996 events · 84 cities · free
• Vote in The Boo Awards: boomap.app/boo-awards · through Oct. 25
• Social: @boomapapp

Please keep in mind

• Please don't call any event "the best". Fans pick favorites in The Boo Awards (winners Oct. 27).
• Always check an event's own site before you go: dates and hours can change.
• The apps are "coming in October"; no fixed date until the stores approve them.

Your Halloween picks, on BooMap. Send us your own favorite events in your city, a line or two each in your words, and we'll publish them as a page with your name, like Boo's Picks for Chicago. It says plainly that these are your personal picks, that nobody was paid, and that they aren't your station's endorsement. Picks never change how BooMap orders events. We publish only with your written OK, and take it down whenever you ask.

A "This Weekend" widget for your site. A small list of what's open this weekend in your city, rebuilt twice a week through Oct. 31. One line of code, no cookies, no tracking pixels, nothing from third parties. Preview it and copy the code.

Both are free. Email hello@boomap.app.

1. Not-too-scary Halloween near you: the pumpkin patches, zoo nights and trunk-or-treats BooMap suggests for little ones, and how the ghost scale works.
2. Trick-or-treat on a Saturday: the towns that set official hours, and why a weekend Halloween changes plans.
3. Your city's hidden gems: the small, local events fans are rallying behind in The Boo Awards.
4. The 10 Most Unique Halloween Events in the U.S.: coffin races, underwater pumpkin carving, a haunted swamp boat ride. See the list.

For radio: "BooMap checked the dates on 1,996 Halloween events in 84 cities. It's free at boomap dot app, and you can vote for your city's favorites through October 25." Fun facts: 366 ghost tours; 163 trunk-or-treats; a 1-to-5 ghost scale; Halloween is on a Saturday.

Boo is BooMap's friendly white ghost, and he calls BooMap "my map." Using Boo: show him friendly and on-model, on a plain or dark background; never make him scary, gory or altered. Credit "BooMap".

FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2026, 6:00 A.M. ET

BooMap Launches a Free Guide to Nearly 2,000 Halloween Events in 84 U.S. Cities, and Fans Start Voting in the First Boo Awards

Free to use: pumpkin patches, trunk-or-treats, family events, ghost tours and haunted houses, every date checked on the event's own website, plus official trick-or-treat times and a fan vote that gives small, local events their own prize

Oct. 1, 2026: BooMap (boomap.app), a free guide to Halloween events across the United States, launches today with 1,996 events in 84 metro areas across 41 states and Washington, D.C. Every event on the map has had its 2026 dates checked against the organizer's own website, so families aren't left guessing whether this year's dates are real.

BooMap covers the whole season, from gentle to scary:

• 343 pumpkin patches and 55 corn mazes
• 433 family Halloween events, from zoo nights to trick-or-treat trails
• 163 trunk-or-treats run by churches, schools, parks and fire departments
• 275 fall festivals
• 366 ghost tours
• 292 haunted houses, plus theme-park Halloween events

Each listing carries a suggested age and a 1-to-5 "ghost" scare rating, so parents can tell a toddler-friendly pumpkin walk from an adults-only haunt at a glance. BooMap also tracks official trick-or-treat hours in towns that set them. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year.

Meet Boo

BooMap's guide is a friendly white ghost named Boo, who calls BooMap "my map." Boo greets families in the app and on the website, points out the not-too-scary events for little ones, and signs off every BooMap email with a wave. Boo animations and images are available for broadcast in the press kit.

The Boo Awards: fans pick their city's favorites

Starting today, anyone can vote in The Boo Awards, BooMap's first fan-voted awards, in every city it covers. The five categories:

1. Best Pumpkin Patch
2. Best for Little Goblins
3. Boo's Hidden Gem
4. Most Fun Overall
5. Most Likely to Make You Scream

Boo's Hidden Gem can only be won by small, local events: no theme parks, zoos, chains or national tour companies. Voting runs through Oct. 25, one vote per category per day, and winners will be announced Oct. 27, the week before Halloween.

Built by a kid who once turned a driveway into a haunted house

BooMap was created by Andrew Ward, whose company, Toronado Entertainment, makes BooMap and its holiday sister app, Noelly. Ward, who is also SVP of 10 Lives Studios and a film and TV producer, has loved Halloween since childhood. In seventh grade he built a haunted house in his family's driveway: a friend's family, who owned a catering company, loaned a 20-by-40-foot tent, and Ward divided it into six scary rooms and recruited the whole neighborhood to volunteer. An eight-foot Grim Reaper worked the line, which stretched down the block. Ward's recent producing work includes the Katy Perry Lifetimes Tour concert film, a documentary on Peter Frampton, and Hollywood Vampires: Unleashed Spirits. More about Andrew: producinghollywood.com.

"Halloween is a time for everyone to have fun, from small kids to adults, from fun to scary and everything in between," said Ward. "It's a chance to take a moment away from our crazy lives and just enjoy life. I built BooMap so every family can find their kind of Halloween near them, and know the dates are real."

How it works

• Visit boomap.app and pick a city to see a map and guide of that area's events, including this weekend's.
• Filter by type, suggested age and scare level. Pumpkin patches come first; haunted houses are there for the brave.
• Vote in The Boo Awards at boomap.app/boo-awards through Oct. 25.
• BooMap is completely free to use. No subscription and no sign-up needed to browse. iPhone and Android apps are in review and coming soon.

Event organizers who spot something to update can reply to BooMap's emails or write to hello@boomap.app. Listings are free.

About BooMap

BooMap is a free guide to Halloween events across the United States, from pumpkin patches and trunk-or-treats to ghost tours and haunted houses. Every event's dates are checked on its official website. BooMap's mascot, a friendly ghost named Boo, says it's "my map." BooMap is a product of Toronado Entertainment, LLC, which also makes BooMap's holiday sister app, Noelly (noelly.app), a guide to Christmas lights, holiday displays and Christmas events, free to download on iPhone and Android. Learn more at boomap.app.

About Andrew Ward

Andrew Ward, the creator of BooMap and owner of Toronado Entertainment, is an Emmy-nominated TV and film producer and Senior Vice President at 10 Lives Studios, specializing in live television, concert films and documentaries with global artists. He started on reality shows including "MasterChef" and "America's Got Talent" and has led projects for Katy Perry, Hollywood Vampires, Peter Frampton and Alicia Keys. He is the creator and executive producer of the American Reality Television Awards, which has earned eight Telly Awards. More at producinghollywood.com.

About Kristen Moss

Kristen Moss, BooMap's spokesperson, is a reality television casting director and President of KMoss Casting. In 2012 she co-created the American Reality Television Awards with Andrew Ward, honoring reality TV talent on screen and behind the scenes. More at kmosscasting.com.

Media contact

Media: hello@boomap.app (interviews with Andrew Ward and Kristen Moss)

Press kit (logos, Boo images and video, city fact sheets): boomap.app/press

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How are the dates verified?

Every event's 2026 dates are checked on the organizer's own website or ticketing page before it goes on the map. Events we can't confirm are shown separately as "Not confirmed for 2026 yet", or not at all. A weekly re-check adds new confirmations.

Is it free?

Yes. BooMap is completely free to use, with no subscription. Browsing needs no account; voting in The Boo Awards needs a quick email sign-in.

What about privacy?

The website counts page views anonymously, with no cookie and no personal details. Votes are stored with the voter's sign-in only to enforce one vote per day; only totals are shown. Full policy: boomap.app/privacy.html.

How do venues get listed or corrected?

Listings are free. Organizers can reply to any BooMap email or write to hello@boomap.app, and a person makes the change.

How are Boo Awards winners decided?

By fan votes: one per category per day, per signed-in person. Hidden Gem is limited to small, local events. Unusual vote spikes are reviewed before results, and a category needs at least 25 voters to name a winner.