With the pandemic, my hospitalization and…just 2020…ruining our spooky season last year, we amped it up this year and attended almost every single trunk-or-treat, festival, event and party we could this October and November! Below, an annotated event-ography of sorts for your consideration next year.
McFarlin Pumpkin Patch
419 S University Blvd, Norman, OK 73069
Free of charge; purchase optional
We’ve been purchasing pumpkins and posing pictures at this choir fundraiser since Stitchy and HBelle were itty bitties, and we were happy to be able to support them again this year! Sadly, 2020’s Halloween week brought a freeze across our city and took out a good portion of their pumpkins. This year, they were pummeled by a fall hail storm leaving most of the gourds bruised, broken and rotting early. They did make us some fantastic deals on the pumpkins they were willing to sell.
Chester’s Party Barn & Farm
5201 Cimarron Rd NW, Piedmont, OK 73078
Fee required
Sponsored by Linque Gillett and Circle of Care, Foster Care and Adoption Association of Oklahoma invited foster and adoptive families out to Chester’s for their fall fest! We had never been but had seen it advertised for years. We’d always passed over in favor of a local farm, but they had since gone out of business. It’s a bit of a drive for us, but free is free, so we jumped at the chance. With a petting zoo, hay ride, games, s’mores, light eats for purchase and, of course, pumpkins, this checks all the boxes for a fun fall night!
Haunt the Zoo – Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Gardens
2101 NE 50th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Fee required
Our family has been haunting the OKC Zoo since I was in elementary school back in the 90s!! If I had to guess, I’d say we’d only skipped three or four years in the last 30. Although it’s seen its fair share of changes in the last few decades, it’s still a lot of fun! The event now takes place during the day with an nighttime adult-only event happening closer to Halloween.
Alameda Church of Christ Festi-FALL
801 Alameda St, Norman, OK 73071
Free of charge
A digital flyer for this church’s fall fest came out to parents in our school district. Being that we were so close, we added it to our list! Trunk-or-treat, games, inflatables, cake walk and complimentary refreshments made for a fun evening close to home.
Brick-or-Treat in Downtown OKC
Throughout Bricktown
Free of charge
One of the larger events we attended, Brick-or-Treat spans the entire Bricktown district in downtown OKC. While the area is larger, so was the crowd. It was a bit more hectic than the other events, but there were lots of great opportunities for costume watching and candy grabbing. Afterward, we stayed in the area and decompressed at The Wedge for dinner.
First Baptist Church Norman Trunk-or-Treat
211 W Comanche St, Norman, OK 73069
Free of charge
First Baptist’s Trunk-or-Treat offered candy, indoor inflatables, a light hot dog supper and vouchers for either a snow cone or hot chocolate from Mr. Yeti. First Baptist also has a great playground for those that need a few minutes to run off some of the sugar.
Crosspointe Trunk-or-Treat
2601 24th Ave SE, Norman, OK 73071
Free of charge
While originally billed as a trunk-or-treat, the Oklahoma weather had other ideas. The shift from an outdoor activity to an indoor treat trail was a little hectic, but the kids enjoyed it nonetheless.
Norman First American United Methodist Church Trunk-or-Treat
1950 Beaumont Dr, Norman, OK 73071
Free of charge
This Native church has a small but mighty congregation, and the same can be said for their trunk-or-treat. More of a family party feel, everyone of all ages can trunk-or-treat, cake walk, enjoy a hot dog dinner and take part in the costume contest.
Treats on Main
Downtown Norman, OK
Free of charge
Although our large Main Street Fall Festival has been cancelled the past two years due to COVID, the Main Street merchants still offer a smaller chance to engage the community and for the kids to snag some sweets.
Scissortail Park Treat Trail
300 SW 7th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73109
Fee Required ($5 in 2021)
Another daytime trick-or-treat event, this one takes place along the trail at the picturesque Scissortail Park in OKC. We arrived early, and the line for this was long. Members do get to skip the line, so that is likely the reason for the hour-wait to hit the trail. The cost of membership didn’t outweigh the wait time for us, as the benefits, aside from the shorter line, aren’t useful for us. So, we waited. The line does pass right by the playground, so the kids were no worse for the wait. Once past the gate, it was vey similar to the zoo with candy chutes (that really just cause more wait, as the social distancing is nil, and everyone is still touching the same candy) and stations along the trail.
Haunt Old Town Moore
Old Town Moore
Free of Charge
Local merchants sponsor this event and pass out treats along the stretch of street in Old Town Moore. Inflatables, candy, photo ops and haunted houses make this one great stop for those with kids of all ages.
Festival de Vida y Muerte
Scissortail Park – 300 SW 7th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73109
Free of Charge; vendors
Sponsored by Morelos, this event features vendors, performances, food and displays. Celebrating the Day of the Dead, this cultural event is a favorite for our crew!
Norman Community Church of the Nazarene Trunk-or-Treat
1801 N Porter Ave, Norman, OK 73071
Free of Charge
Invited by a co-worker, a group of us teachers gathered up the kids and headed to another church trunk-or-treat! This was right before our city-wide trick-or-treating on Halloween night, so it was the perfect pre-game. A hot dog supper and hay ride rounded out the offerings at this small church event.
Citywide Trick-or-Treat
Of course, we were thrilled to be able to trick-or-treat throughout my grandparents’ neighborhood, a tradition since I started trick-or-treating!
Day of the Dead Street Festival presented by OU’s Hispanic American Student Association
University or Oklahoma – South Oval
Free of charge; vendors
Featuring performances, cultural food, offrendas, vendors and skull painting, this event sponsored by HASA was a fun evening for the whole family! This event had taken place in a parking lot in the past, and I was thrilled to see it had been upgraded to the South Oval this year, as it provided a much nicer setting for a beautiful evening.
Have you attended any of these events? What are your favorite fall happenings? Let us know in the comments so we can add them to our calendar for next year!