Hudson Valley Halloween and Harvest Weekend

Hudson Valley Halloween events for the second half of October 2026 start with Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Attractions in Ulster Park, which runs October 16 to 18, October 23 to 25, and October 30 and 31. Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz adds a magic lantern ghost show on Saturday, October 17 and a Revolutionary War burying ground tour on Halloween morning, and a Walkway At Night runs from 6PM to 7:30PM on Saturday, October 24.

Each date, hour and rule here was re-read on the organizer's own page on October 16, 2026.

When does Headless Horseman run in 2026?

Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Attractions is at 778 Broadway, Route 9W, in Ulster Park. Its remaining 2026 nights are October 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30 and 31, and one ticket covers 14 attractions: a hayride, walking trails, walk-through corn maze attractions and haunted houses. New this year are The Cursed Earth of Crow Hollow hayride and the Crow Hollow Candy Company walking trail.

Book ahead. The Horseman says to reserve online to guarantee entry, warns that Friday and Saturday evenings in October are extremely busy, and suggests Sunday evenings to reduce wait times, which leaves October 18 and 25. Arrive about 30 minutes before your reservation time to exchange it for a ticket at the window, expect a line even with a reservation, and know that anyone who leaves the property cannot return.

It is held outdoors in the dark on uneven ground. Flip flops, high heels and sandals are not allowed, and the Horseman asks guests not to bring a flashlight. If weather closes the event, the announcement goes up on its website by 2PM that day.

What is the Phantasmagoria show on Huguenot Street?

On Saturday, October 17, from 7PM to 8:30PM, Historic Huguenot Street hosts Elliott and Schlemowitz's "Phantasmagoria," a magic lantern show. Because of extremely low temperatures expected that evening, it has been moved indoors to the Crispell Memorial French Church at 60 Huguenot Street. The original Fantasmagorie was a late 18th century Paris sensation by the scientist, balloonist and showman Étienne-Gaspard Robertson, whose rear projection and wheeled fantascope made small ghosts and goblins seem to grow into giants stalking toward the audience.

Dawn Elliott and Joel Schlemowitz built a working fantascope with tracks, a rear projection screen and scores of hand-painted slides to recreate the experience. The program includes a haunted graveyard, the Bleeding Nun from the gothic novel The Monk, the head of Medusa and a midnight visit to a Witches' Sabbath. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged because seating is limited, and it is on Historic Huguenot Street's calendar.

Walkway At Night on October 24

Friends of the Walkway lists a Walkway At Night on Saturday, October 24, from 6PM to 7:30PM. Its page describes the moon rising overhead and the lights of Poughkeepsie and Highland in the distance from the bridge, 212 feet above the river, and weather permitting the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association brings telescopes. Members RSVP with their discount code, other guests can buy tickets in advance or at the gate, and pre-registration is strongly encouraged to shorten entry waits.

Guests are asked to exit the park by 7:30PM, and Friends of the Walkway says the 1.28-mile bridge takes about 40 minutes to cross at a leisurely pace. The elevator does not run that night, and the bridge cannot be reached from the Poughkeepsie train station or Upper Landing Park, so use an entrance with parking; Friends of the Walkway says construction makes the Highland side the easiest way in that night. The Walkway lists GPS addresses of 87 Haviland Road in Highland and 61 Parker Avenue in Poughkeepsie for its two approaches. For a daytime visit another weekend, our Walkway Over the Hudson day trip covers both entrances.

Halloween morning on Huguenot Street

On Saturday, October 31, Historic Huguenot Street lists "Or Give Me Death: An (Educational) Tour of the Historic Burying Ground," led by Zack Veith, at 11AM to 12PM on its calendar (confirm the time when you register). The Revolutionary War-themed tour visits gravestones connected to soldiers, a suspected Loyalist and witnesses to history in the Old Huguenot Burying Ground, and covers colonial funeral practices, local raids and how gravestones in New York changed over time. The ground is uneven and unpaved, with close clusters of gravestones, and Historic Huguenot Street says the tour may not be accessible for everyone. Registration is on its calendar.

The harvest side of the weekend

Mid-October is also color season. I LOVE NY, the state tourism program, says Hudson Valley foliage has historically peaked from mid-October through early November, and notes that peak times are approximations based on prior years. Its Fall Foliage Report comes out every Wednesday afternoon from more than 100 volunteer field observers and reflects the color expected for the coming weekend.

For a drive through that color, our Shawangunks leaf-peeping road trip loops the ridge above New Paltz, and our Hudson Valley apple picking guide lists pick-your-own orchards near both stores with their picking days and reservation rules.

Which Farmers Choice is closer to each stop?

Farmers Choice New Paltz, at 1 Old Route 299 by NYS Thruway Exit 18, is the closer Farmers Choice for most of this list. Historic Huguenot Street is about 2 miles and 6 minutes away, and the Walkway Over the Hudson Highland entrance is about 7 miles and 13 minutes. For Headless Horseman, the venue's own directions from Exit 18 run 5 miles east on Route 299 to a T intersection, then 7.7 miles north on 9W. The New Paltz store is open 8AM to 10PM daily.

Farmers Choice Fishkill, at 18 Westage Drive where Route 9 meets I-84, is about 11 miles and 18 minutes from Poughkeepsie, where the Walkway's east entrance is. Sunday to Wednesday it is open 8AM to 10PM, and Thursday to Saturday 8AM to 11PM.

Keep a purchase sealed

Headless Horseman allows no smoking by guests anywhere on its property, the parking lot included, and the Walkway is a non-smoking park. The drive between them has its own rule: New York's Office of Cannabis Management says using cannabis in a motor vehicle is illegal, and that no driver and no passenger can open any cannabis packaging while in a vehicle. So the bag from the farm stand stays sealed until you are home, and where consumption is and is not allowed is covered in our guide to New York's cannabis laws.

Do the hayride, the lantern show or the bridge first and the farm stand after. Order Now from the New Paltz menu when the outing is over; most orders are ready inside an hour, and the New Paltz store keeps its doors open until 10PM every night. At the counter, show a government-issued photo ID, valid and showing you are 21 or older.