Halloween Night in Denver 2026: What’s Actually Open on October 31

By the Kevin Larson Presents team · Updated August 24, 2026 · We produce Paranormal Palace, one of the events on this page. Everything else is listed anyway, with links, because you deserve the whole picture.

Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday — the first Saturday Halloween since 2020, and the last until 2037. That means every event in the metro is running head-to-head on one night instead of spreading across a weekend, and the good ones will sell out earlier than people expect. Here is everything happening in and around Denver on the night of October 31, sorted so you can pick fast.

Every event here has a published 2026 date on its organizer’s own website. A few Denver traditions hadn’t announced as of our last update — see the note at the bottom of this page.

You want a big costume party: two real choices — Paranormal Palace in the Tech Center or Coloween in Lafayette. The honest comparison between them is two sections down.

You want to be scared, not dance: book a haunt. All five of the metro’s serious haunted attractions run Halloween night, and for Frightmare Compound and Haunted Field of Screams it’s closing night, which is when the actors empty the tank. Buy timed tickets in advance — Saturday-Halloween walk-up lines will be brutal.

You want a great night under $20: DarknessCon’s masquerade ball in Thornton. Around ten dollars, 18+, live entertainment, and a costume crowd that takes it seriously.

You have kids: Longmont’s free parade in the morning, pumpkin patches in the afternoon, trick-or-treating at dusk, and the Zoo’s sensory-friendly night if your family needs a calmer room. Note that Olde Town Arvada’s Trick or Treat Street runs Friday the 30th, not Halloween itself.

You want culture, not chaos: the Symphony’s Nightmare Before Christmas matinee, then Ghosts in the Gardens at the Botanic Gardens after dark. Both are on the 31st and they stack.

Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 AM as October 31 turns into November 1, so the clock runs 1:59 AM → 1:00 AM and Halloween night 2026 is effectively 25 hours long. Events open past 2 AM gain a bonus hour. Our production at Paranormal Palace wraps at 1 AM — but this is a hotel takeover, and the night doesn’t have to end just because we do. Guests with rooms ride the elevator up and move the party to their own floor, which puts the bonus hour right in the middle of the only afterparty in Denver that doesn’t require a ride, a cover, or a coat check.

Other numbers worth planning around: sunset in Denver is at about 5:59 PM, so trick-or-treating peaks roughly 6–8 PM and the adult events take over from there. And because everything lets out on one Saturday night, expect rideshare surge pricing metro-wide between midnight and 3 AM — the further your party is from your bed, the more that surge costs you. Plan your ride home before you go out: assign a sober driver, pre-schedule a pickup, or use light rail where it works (the E and R lines serve the Tech Center within walking distance of the DoubleTree).

We produce this one, so read this section knowing that — and knowing we’d rather you pick the right night than buy the wrong ticket.

What it is: the 17th annual Paranormal Palace, a full takeover of the DoubleTree by Hilton at 7801 E. Orchard Road in Greenwood Village. The Haunted Forest ballroom carries 8,000 square feet of decor, stage shows, and bars; the multi-level atrium — ringed by 41 balcony rooms overlooking the main dance floor — turns into a maze of walkways, interactive exhibits, and light shows. Three DJs, 20-plus performers, theatrical acts, and the largest costume contest in Colorado: $2,500 in cash and prizes, judged at midnight by professional performers, makeup artists, and costume designers. Register on site before 11 PM. Costumes aren’t encouraged — they’re mandatory. 21+, 8 PM to 1 AM, tickets on TicketFairy.

Every other big event on this list ends with you standing on a curb at surge-pricing hour. Ours ends with an elevator ride, and for a lot of our regulars the ballroom closing is just the cue to change floors. The party doesn’t have to end because we do: move it to your room with the people you came with, order late-night delivery to the lobby, keep the night going on your own terms — and on this particular Halloween, collect the bonus 25th hour while you’re at it. The DoubleTree offers discounted rooms through our booking links — including the 41 atrium balcony rooms that look directly down onto the dance floor (and compete in our balcony decor contest). Split a room two ways and compare it against two surge-priced rides home from Lafayette or downtown at 2 AM, plus the morning-after coffee downstairs instead of a drive back for your car.