Press homeCounts as of September 24, 2026 · National press kit
Halloween 2026 around Des Moines: press sheet
A few local picks to check out
| Pumpkin patch · for a pumpkin patch Apple & Pumpkin Fest Adel · Weekends Sept 12–Oct 25, 2026; farm store also open Fridays · All Ages, 1 of 5 ghosts |
| Family event · for little ones Family Halloween Urbandale · Oct 23–25, 2026 · All Ages, 1 of 5 ghosts |
| Trunk-or-treat · for trick-or-treaters Grimes Trunk or Treat Grimes · Sunday, October 25, 2026 · All Ages, 1 of 5 ghosts |
| Ghost tour · for a spooky night out The Deadly Dirge of Des Moines Ghost Tour Des Moines · Nightly, Oct 1–31, 2026 · All Ages, 3 of 5 ghosts |
| Haunted house · for the brave Haunted Hall of Tortured, Twisted Terrors Waukee · Fridays and Saturdays, Oct 2–31, 2026 · Teens+, 3 of 5 ghosts |
25 Halloween events around Des Moines are on BooMap, each with its 2026 dates checked on the event's own website.
## What families can find
- 2 pumpkin patches & corn mazes
- 13 family Halloween events
- 3 trunk-or-treats
- 2 fall festivals
- 1 ghost tours
- 4 haunted houses
Pumpkin patches and corn mazes already open by Oct. 1: 2, including Howell's Pumpkin Patch (Cumming); Apple & Pumpkin Fest (Adel).
Not-scary picks for little ones (suggested all ages, 1–2 of 5 ghosts): Apple & Pumpkin Fest (Adel); Beggars' Night on Ingersoll (Des Moines); Family Halloween (Urbandale); Grimes Trunk or Treat (Grimes); Halloween on the Hill (Des Moines); and 10 more.
Free events: Beggars' Night on Ingersoll (Des Moines); Grimes Trunk or Treat (Grimes); Norwalk Trunk or Treat (Norwalk).
Official trick-or-treat hours announced so far: Waukee, October 31, 6pm to 8pm.
## The Boo Awards (fan vote, Oct. 1–25)
Fans vote for Des Moines's Best Pumpkin Patch, Best for Little Goblins, Boo's Hidden Gem (small, local events only), Most Fun Overall and Most Likely to Make You Scream. One vote per category per day; winners are announced Oct. 27.
Vote: https://boomap.app/des-moines/vote
## Links
- City guide: https://boomap.app/des-moines
- About BooMap and the press kit: https://boomap.app/press
## Story ideas
- "We mapped every Halloween event around Des Moines": where to go this weekend, by age and scare level.
- Trick-or-treat on a Saturday: what it means for families (and the towns that set official hours).
- Boo's Hidden Gem: the small, local events fans are rallying behind.
## Spokespeople
- Andrew Ward, creator of BooMap (his company, Toronado Entertainment, makes BooMap and Noelly); also SVP of 10 Lives Studios and a film and TV producer. As a 7th grader he built a six-room haunted house in a borrowed tent in his family's driveway, staffed by neighborhood volunteers. Recent work: the Katy Perry Lifetimes Tour concert film, a Peter Frampton documentary, Hollywood Vampires: Unleashed Spirits. producinghollywood.com
- Kristen Moss, reality TV casting director and BooMap spokesperson; a mom of two whose daughter is going as a red raptor dinosaur this year. kmosscasting.com
Media contact: hello@boomap.app