October 31 lands on a Saturday this year, and very little of Westminster's free trick-or-treating is scheduled for it. Four different hosts plan the month's Halloween events: a shopping center, the City, the downtown business district and a nonprofit insect zoo. Together they fill four straight weekends, October 10 through October 31, but the free trick-or-treating runs only from October 11 to October 24. Families who wait for Halloween night will find that the city's own free events have already happened.
Four Hosts, Four Weekends
Here is the month in order, with each event's organizer:
- Saturday, October 10: Harvest & Handmade, Downtown Westminster, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sunday, October 11: Spooky Sweets Stroll, Orchard Town Center, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday, October 17: Westy Fest, run by the City at City Park, noon to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, October 24: Trunk or Treat Halloween Spooktacular, Downtown Westminster, noon to 2 p.m.
- October 24, 25 and 31: CRAWL-O-WEEN at Butterfly Pavilion, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
One stop on that list has an admission fee: Butterfly Pavilion. It's also the only one open on Halloween itself. Everything below follows that sequence, because the order changes how a family can plan the month.
October 10 and 11: The Season Opens Before the Costumes Come Out
The first weekend starts with crafts, not candy. Harvest & Handmade fills the South Park Lawn in front of Tap & Burger at 8810 Westminster Blvd. with local makers and handcrafted goods from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Downtown's organizers bill it as the arrival of fall, and there's no trick-or-treating on the schedule.
The first real trick-or-treating comes the next day, up at Orchard Town Center. The Spooky Sweets Stroll on Sunday, October 11 sends kids to more than 50 participating businesses between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The center also sets up a pumpkin patch with on-site decorating. Pumpkins go for a $5 to $10 donation, and all proceeds go to Food for Hope. A live DJ, free face painting and carnival-style games round out the afternoon. The event is free, with no RSVP.
The Macabre Market is the detail that changes the timing. Its booths of local artisans and crafts stay open until 5 p.m., three hours after the trick-or-treating ends. So a household with a toddler who's done by noon and an adult who wants to shop can both get their afternoon out of the same trip.
The Orchard also runs a separate October event for grown-ups. SIP by Culture House Immersive is a theatrical drink-tasting experience at the center, playing October 8 and 10, October 15 through 18, and October 22 through 25.
October 17: The City Hosts the Longest Day
Westy Fest is the biggest single block of time on the month's calendar. The City of Westminster runs it on Saturday, October 17 from noon to 8 p.m. at City Park, 10455 Sheridan Blvd., and it's free. The City lists carnival games, trick-or-treating, live music from local bands, food trucks, jumping castles and its own pumpkin patch.
The eight-hour window matters because of one item on that list, a hot-air balloon glow. Westy Fest is the only free trick-or-treating event of the month that runs into the evening, so families who skipped the Orchard's midday stroll can still get trick-or-treating, a pumpkin and an after-dark finale on the same Saturday. Pumpkin prices for the City Park patch weren't posted.
On Sunday, October 18, College Hill Library at 3705 W. 112th Ave. hosts Cryptid Creatures of the Rockies from 2 to 3:30 p.m. It's for ages 9 and up, children are welcome with an adult, and registration is required. That fits older kids who have outgrown trunk-or-treat lines but still want something spooky that weekend.
October 24: Downtown Gets Two Hours, Butterfly Pavilion Gets Three Days
Downtown Westminster's Trunk or Treat Halloween Spooktacular is the shortest of the free events. It runs from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, and admission is free.
Location update: An August post from Downtown Westminster placed Trunk or Treat at the Eaton Street Parking Lot. The City's event listing, the Westminster Chamber's calendar and Downtown's newer October events graphic all now list the Kokopelli Beer Company parking lot at 8931 N. Harlan St.
With only two hours, the rest of the day matters as much as the event. Aerostat Park, Downtown's three-acre public space at 5750 W. Central Avenue, opened May 30 with a playground, a spray pad, an off-leash dog area, picnic shelters and walking paths. This will be the park's first Halloween season. A few blocks away, Kokopelli Social Bar opened beside the Temporary Dog Park at 90th Avenue and Fenton Street, serving beer, cocktails, dirty sodas and food. That's a different spot from the Kokopelli Beer Company lot on Harlan where the candy is handed out.
The same Saturday, Butterfly Pavilion at 6252 W. 104th Ave. opens the first of three CRAWL-O-WEEN days, running 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 24, 25 and 31. General admission is $25 for adults and $19 for children ages 2 to 12, and children under 2 get in free. For about a $25 ticket, families get a Halloween outing that keeps running after the free events end.
The Downtown business district fills a weeknight between the weekends as well. Its October calendar lists Music Bingo at Vatos Tacos on Tuesday, October 20, from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m.
What Is Left for October 31
By the last weekend of the month, all the free trick-or-treating on the City, Orchard and Downtown calendars is over. The organized options that remain are ticketed, and most are for older crowds.
- Friday, October 30: Butterfly Pavilion's Bugs & Brews: Toxic Terrors runs from 6 to 9 p.m. for guests 21 and older. Tickets are $45 for the public and $40 for members.
- Saturday, October 31: The final day of CRAWL-O-WEEN at Butterfly Pavilion, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Through Saturday, November 7: The Frightmare Compound at 10798 Yukon St. runs timed-entry nights on weekends, and The Denver Post reports added weeknights as Halloween gets closer. Posted prices don't match. The haunt's own site lists a $29.99 starting price in one spot and $39.99 in another, and the Post's October 1 roundup gives $43.23. Check the total at checkout.
Daylight is the last thing to plan around. Standley Lake Regional Park switched to winter hours on October 1. Drive-in entry now runs from 7:30 a.m. until one hour before sunset, parking lots close at sunset, and the nature center is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. An end-of-day walk by the lake now has to wrap up much earlier than it did in September.
The Next Dates Already on the Calendar
Downtown's Holiday Lighting Ceremony & Market is set for November 21 from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. It will have local craft and gift vendors, live performances, caroling and a visit from Santa. The City's schedule still lists the location as to be determined.
The opening a lot of Downtown is waiting for doesn't have a date yet. Red Lotus Den, a planned two-level Asian-inspired food hall at 5815 W. 89th Avenue in the Aspire Apartments and Central Square area, will have seven kitchens, a bar and private karaoke. A September 2025 report in The Denver Gazette expected it to open around June 2026. Its website now says Fall 2026 and is still collecting sign-ups for the opening announcement. At The Orchard, Texas de Brazil at 14644 Orchard Parkway, Suite 1200, is still listed as coming soon. CHICHA San Chen is now open.
If you're in Westminster and planning more than costumes this fall, maybe a move closer to the parks or the Downtown blocks you keep going back to, Sold With Kathryn is here to help, calmly and at your pace. Get your home valuation or schedule a consultation, and we'll go through the questions with you one at a time.
