Halloween events in Marietta 2026

Last checked Oct. 5, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Dates, times and prices come from each organizer’s own page, linked below.

Updated Oct. 7: the Oct. 15 Frankenstein lecture at the Root House is sold out.

Looking for trick-or-treat hours on Halloween night, or the trunk-or-treats around town? See our trick-or-treat hours guide. Pumpkin patches, Chalktoberfest and the corn maze are in our fall festivals guide.

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. Marietta’s season leans on its history: a Victorian funeral exhibit at the William Root House, ghost walks around the Square and a haunted history day at the Marietta History Center. The season at a glance:

Who to call

• HarvestFest and city events: Marietta Parks and Recreation, 770-794-5601
• Root House tours and tickets: William Root House Museum, 770-426-4982
• Marietta History Center: 770-794-5710
• Ghost walk check-in: Ghosts of Marietta, 770-425-5755
• Emergency: 911

On the Square: HarvestFest, Saturday, Oct. 17

The city’s free HarvestFest runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. around Glover Park, according to the city’s HarvestFest page. The Halloween part is Halloween Happenings, a kids’ festival for children 12 and under: come in costume with a trick-or-treat bag for candy, carnival games and inflatables. The costume contest is at 2 p.m. and the pet costume contest at 3 p.m. Touch-A-Truck, a pie eating contest and Scarecrows in the Square fill out the day. The full schedule is in our trick-or-treat hours guide.

Haunted History at the Marietta History Center, the same day, is one block west of the Square at 1 Depot St. Admission is free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month, and the October theme is Haunted History. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. children’s author Kelly Young-Silverman reads from “Mystery of the Haunted Graveyard,” the Cobb Bookmobile visits and stories from the Marietta City Cemetery run through the galleries, according to the History Center’s Pop-In page.

The William Root House: Victorian funeral season

The Root House, at 80 N. Marietta Parkway NW, is dressed for a Victorian-era funeral through Oct. 31, with 19th-century embalming equipment, mourning jewelry made from human hair and an 1850s death mask on show, according to the museum’s home page. Its October programs, from the Root House events page:

• Midnight Wake, Friday, Oct. 9, 11 p.m. to midnight. A candlelit vigil marking the 1856 death of Leonard Simpson, Hannah Root’s father, in the house. Ages 12 and up; adult themes. Tickets are $50, bought in advance.
• Mother of a Monster: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Thursday, Oct. 15, 6:30 p.m. Dr. Molly Livingston of Kennesaw State University on the life behind the novel. Sold out, the Root House events page said on Oct. 7.
• Victorian Funeral Flashlight Tours, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, 5 to 9 p.m. Self-guided tours of the darkened rooms. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Arrive by 8:30 p.m.

Ghost walks around the Square

Ghosts of Marietta runs a 90-minute, lantern-led walk through historic downtown, with stories of the Square’s shops, restaurants and the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. Tours leave at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under, plus tax, and must be bought in advance, according to the Ghosts of Marietta tour page.

Check in outside the Root House at North Marietta Parkway and Polk Street. Tours go out rain or shine and end in the middle of the Square. Street parking and several lots around the Square are free on evenings and weekends, the tour’s FAQ page says.

Nearby: Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell

Fright Fest runs on select days from Sept. 12 to Nov. 1, 2026, at Six Flags Over Georgia, 275 Riverside Parkway, Austell. Scare zones, shows and rides are included with park admission; haunted mazes cost extra. The park says Fright Fest is not recommended for children under 13, according to the Fright Fest page.

For younger children, Tricks and Treats is the park’s daytime Halloween event on the same dates, included with admission, with a trick-or-treat trail for kids 12 and under and a costume contest, according to the Tricks and Treats page.

What this means for you

• Saturday, Oct. 17, is the big day downtown: HarvestFest on the Square and free admission at the History Center a block away. Park once and walk between them.
• Root House and ghost tour tickets are sold in advance and space is limited; buy before you go.
• Halloween night is a Saturday this year. The city had not posted official trick-or-treat hours when we checked; our trick-or-treat page will carry them if it does.

Holding a Halloween event in Marietta? Send it through our contact page.

Related: trick-or-treat hours, fall festivals and pumpkin patches, things to do this month and history and landmarks.

Frequently asked questions

What Halloween events are in Marietta in 2026?

The city’s free HarvestFest, with a kids’ Halloween festival, is Saturday, Oct. 17, on Marietta Square. The William Root House holds Victorian funeral flashlight tours Oct. 23-24, and Ghosts of Marietta runs lantern-led ghost walks Friday to Sunday nights.

Is there a ghost tour in Marietta?

Yes. Ghosts of Marietta runs a 90-minute lantern-led walk around the Square at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under, plus tax, and must be bought in advance.

When are the Root House flashlight tours?

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. at 80 N. Marietta Parkway NW. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door; arrive by 8:30 p.m.

When is trick-or-treating in Marietta?

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, and the city had not posted official trick-or-treat hours when we checked. Our trick-or-treat hours page lists the trunk-or-treats around town.

Is Six Flags Fright Fest open on Halloween?

Fright Fest runs on select days from Sept. 12 to Nov. 1, 2026, at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, including Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. The park says it is not recommended for children under 13.