Which States Go All Out for Halloween? See Our 50-State Map

From century-old parades to neighborhoods transformed into haunted wonderlands, these Halloween traditions give Americans plenty of reasons to celebrate.

There is putting a pumpkin on the porch. Then there is turning your entire street—or your entire town—into Halloween.

In Salem, Massachusetts, the festivities fill a month. In Anoka, Minnesota, a community celebration stretches back more than a century. And on Michigan’s Tillson Street, residents work together to create the sort of Halloween displays that make you stop, stare, and wonder where they store everything the rest of the year. Destination Salem

So, which states go all out for Halloween?

For this Farmers’ Almanac feature, we’re looking beyond candy purchases and costume searches. Our focus is on the celebrations themselves: longstanding parades, neighborhood traditions, pumpkin-filled festivals, haunted attractions, and the creativity that makes a place memorable in October.

Our map groups all 50 states into five editorial tiers, with 5 as the highest rating. These are our judgments about public celebrations and traditions—not a scientific ranking of how much residents love Halloween. Farmers’ Almanac Halloween Map

Our Halloween Map: How the Ratings Work

The map uses five broad categories, ranging from primarily local celebrations to national Halloween standouts. It is not a representative survey, a complete inventory of Halloween events, or a measurement of household participation.

A lower rating does not mean a state lacks Halloween spirit. An unforgettable neighborhood celebration does not need national attention—or a ticket booth—to matter.

Halloween Ratings for All 50 States

States are listed alphabetically within each tier. These are the groupings shown on the map. Farmers’ Almanac Halloween Map

Rating	Editorial category	States
5	National Halloween standouts	California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania
4	Major Halloween celebrations	Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
3	Strong regional traditions	Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia
2	Regional Halloween highlights	Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota
1	Primarily local celebrations	Alaska, Wyoming

Map caption: Farmers’ Almanac’s 2026 editorial assessment of public Halloween celebrations, traditions, and attractions. Ratings range from 1 to 5; 5 is highest. This is not a resident-participation survey. Farmers’ Almanac Halloween Map

The 10 States in Our Highest Halloween Tier

These ten states illustrate different ways to celebrate, from homemade neighborhood displays to elaborate theatrical productions. They share our highest tier, but they are not ranked against one another.

Massachusetts: Where Halloween Becomes a Month-Long Celebration

Massachusetts gets our first spotlight for one especially compelling reason: Salem’s Haunted Happenings.

The city’s October celebration brings together parades, family activities, live entertainment, markets, and Halloween festivities. Destination Salem reports that Haunted Happenings draws more than one million visitors—a measure of the event’s reach, rather than a count of Massachusetts residents celebrating. Destination Salem

In 2026, the season also coincides with Salem’s 400th anniversary, adding another layer to the city’s October calendar. Destination Salem

What stands out to us is the sense of a whole destination participating. Halloween is not simply an evening attraction here. It becomes the reason people plan an October visit.

New York: A Halloween Parade You Can Actually Join

New York’s Halloween appeal is not just about watching a spectacle. It is about becoming part of one.

The Village Halloween Parade invites anyone in costume to march. Organizers say that typically 50,000–60,000 people take up that invitation, joining giant puppets, musicians, dancers, and fellow costume-makers along Sixth Avenue. NYC Village Halloween Parade

Beyond the city, the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson offers a different kind of show: more than 7,000 illuminated jack-o’-lanterns arranged into elaborate displays, accompanied by synchronized lighting and an original soundtrack. Historic Hudson Valley

That combination earns New York its place in our top tier: large-scale entertainment with room for individual imagination.

Pennsylvania: Halloween Traditions That Span Generations

Pennsylvania’s place on our list is rooted in community tradition.

Consider Bethlehem, where the city’s 105th annual Halloween parade is scheduled for October 25, 2026. The community calendar also includes a Halloween Party on the Plaza and an annual trick-or-treat night. City of Bethlehem

A parade that reaches its 105th edition offers something different from a newly opened attraction. It becomes part of a town’s seasonal memory: the route, the costumes, the familiar gathering places, and the anticipation of another year’s celebration.

For Farmers’ Almanac, that continuity deserves recognition. Halloween can be a community tradition as much as a commercial event.

Ohio: A State With Plenty of Ways to Get Spooked

Ohio makes a strong showing for the variety of its haunted attractions.

The state tourism office highlights Halloween experiences ranging from haunted hayrides and wooded trails to elaborate indoor attractions. Its roundup includes destinations in different parts of the state, rather than a single Halloween hotspot. Ohio.org

One example is the Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati, which is celebrating its 30th season in 2026. The attraction combines detailed sets, themed scare zones, and a Monster Midway, with special experiences that also include a lights-on option without monsters. The Dent Schoolhouse

Ohio’s appeal is the range: the chance to make a fall outing as atmospheric—or as frightening—as your group prefers.

Michigan: Where the Neighbors Steal the Show

Michigan offers one of our favorite examples of Halloween enthusiasm because it begins at home.

In Romeo, Terror on Tillson is created by the residents of Tillson Street. Homeowners build and fund their displays, help one another with decorations, and welcome visitors to a neighborhood celebration that is free to enjoy. terrorontillson.com

Meanwhile, Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village offers another expression of the season. The Henry Ford’s 2026 celebration features more than 1,000 jack-o’-lanterns, costumed storybook characters, harvest markets, and performances in the village’s historic setting. The Henry Ford

Together, they represent a Halloween combination we especially appreciate: homemade creativity and old-fashioned seasonal atmosphere.

Planning your own porch display? See our guide to when to buy pumpkins for Halloween—and why it pays to save the carving for later. Farmers’ Almanac

Minnesota: A Century of Community Halloween

Minnesota’s Halloween story has a particularly fitting beginning: a town looking for a better way to handle October mischief.

In 1920, Anoka’s civic leaders organized a community celebration to redirect young people’s attention from Halloween pranks. The event grew into a tradition of parades, costumes, decorating, and other festivities. Minnesota Historical Society

Today, Anoka embraces its identity as the “Halloween Capital of the World.” Its organizers describe a celebration in which successive generations of families have continued the tradition of costumed children parading through town. anokahalloween.com

That is what makes Minnesota’s entry special. The story is not simply about the size of an event. It is about a community making Halloween its own and passing that tradition along.

Louisiana: Halloween With a New Orleans Parade

Louisiana brings a distinctive style to the celebration through New Orleans’ Krewe of BOO!.

The Halloween parade combines Mardi Gras-style floats with marching bands, dance groups, costumes, and Halloween-themed throws. Organizers describe the parade as family-friendly and free to watch, with the 2026 procession scheduled for October 24. Krewe of BOO!

The festivities also extend beyond the parade, with a surrounding lineup that includes a zombie run and costume-party events. Krewe of BOO!

New Orleans provides a vivid example of a community celebrating Halloween in its own way. Here, the holiday takes on the movement, music, and theatricality of a parade.

New Hampshire: Haunted Farms and Community Pumpkins

New Hampshire earns its spotlight through a combination of elaborate Halloween artistry and community celebration.

At Haunted Overload at DeMeritt Hill Farm in Lee, visitors can choose different levels of intensity. The main event includes monsters, lighting, and sound, while the daytime experience lets visitors examine the attraction’s craftsmanship without the scares. Haunted Overload

There is also Keene’s Pumpkin Festival, scheduled for October 17, 2026. Its organizers describe it as a community-hosted, family-friendly celebration of creativity and the season. Keene Pumpkin Festival

These are two different invitations to enjoy October: admire the ingenuity of a haunted attraction, or join a town gathering built around pumpkins and community pride.

California: Halloween on a Theatrical Scale

California’s place in our highest tier reflects the scale and longevity of its Halloween entertainment.

At Knott’s Scary Farm in Buena Park, a tradition spanning more than 50 years transforms the theme park with haunted mazes, shows, scare zones, and costumed performers. The 2026 event runs on selected nights from September 17 through October 31. Six Flags

This is Halloween as an elaborate production: scenery, performance, lighting, and suspense working together.

It is also a reminder that “going all out” can mean different things. A community parade and a professionally staged haunted attraction offer very different experiences, but both require substantial creativity and commitment.

Florida: A Halloween Season That Starts in August

Florida provides a striking example of just how long Halloween season can last.

Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs on selected nights from August 28 through November 1, 2026, featuring ten haunted houses, scare zones, and live entertainment. Universal Orlando Resort

That extended calendar—and the production behind it—is the reason for Florida’s spotlight here. It demonstrates the scale of a major Halloween destination, not a statewide participation rate.

A note for families: Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights and Knott’s Scary Farm are not recommended for children under 13. Check an attraction’s age guidance and scare level before making plans. Universal Orlando Resort

A Lower Tier Can Still Hold an Unforgettable Halloween Tradition

Our top tier is a selection, not a complete list of places worth celebrating.

Oregon, for example, has Spirit of Halloweentown in St. Helens, a celebration inspired by the movie filmed there. Its festivities include a giant pumpkin lighting, entertainment, themed attractions, and family activities. Halloweentown St. Helens

And in Kenova, West Virginia, the famous Pumpkin House shows how a home display can become something much bigger. West Virginia’s tourism office traces its beginnings to five pumpkins in 1978; the display eventually grew to about 3,000 hand-carved pumpkins. Almost Heaven – West Virginia

There are other ways to look at Halloween enthusiasm, too. Utah led Lombardo Homes’ 2025 ranking based on Halloween-decoration search interest. That is worth noting, but it answers a narrower question than which places have the most distinctive public celebrations. Search activity does not, by itself, establish how many households decorate or participate. Lombardo Homes

Different approaches will produce different lists. That is why we are presenting this map as an editorial conversation-starter, not a definitive Halloween championship.

The Best Halloween Tradition Might Be on Your Own Street

Maybe your favorite Halloween memory has nothing to do with a famous destination.

Maybe it is the neighbor who makes every child explain their costume before handing over candy. The family that builds a new front-yard scene every October. The annual costume parade where you recognize nearly everyone. Or the first evening you switch on the jack-o’-lantern and see its crooked smile glowing through the window.

Those traditions deserve attention, too.

For more seasonal inspiration, explore our collection of Halloween superstitions and symbols, or read our guide to keeping pumpkins from rotting before Halloween. Farmers’ Almanac

Does your state deserve a higher spot on the map? Tell us your town, your state, and the Halloween tradition that makes your community special.