Halloween may technically be one night, but Greensboro Parks and Recreation is stretching it into nearly a full month.
The city has announced a series of Halloween and fall-themed events beginning Friday, Oct. 9, with an outdoor showing of the horror movie “A Quiet Place,” and continuing through Halloween night.
There’s also one post-Halloween event for anybody wondering what to do with the pumpkin sitting on the front porch once October is over and done with.
The first event is “Scare in the Park: Scary Movie Night” from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at Barber Park, 1500 Barber Park Drive.
Unlike many Parks and Recreation movie nights, this one isn’t aimed at small children.
The city will show “A Quiet Place” – the 2018 horror movie starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski about a family trying to survive in a world where creatures hunt by sound.
The movie is rated R, and the city describes the event as a chance to “trade the kids’ movie night for a spooky night out.”
On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Halloween Extravaganza will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Hester Park, 3615 Deutzia Street. That event includes spooky trails, a hayride, bonfires, yard games, music and crafts. Scary stories begin at 7:30 p.m., and participants will also be able to make s’mores around the fire pit.
On the next day, Sunday, Oct. 18, the city will hold “Meet and Treat” from 4 to 6 p.m. along the Downtown Greenway at Cairn’s Course, between Guilford Avenue and West Friendly Avenue. Children will be able to meet local mascots, collect treats and walk along the Greenway. Costumes are highly encouraged, because, you know, it’s Halloween.
One of Greensboro’s larger annual Halloween events, Ghoulash!, returns Saturday, Oct. 24. The festival will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Center City and LeBauer parks at 200 N. Elm St. and 208 N. Davie St.
Ghoulash! is organized by the Greensboro Youth Council in partnership with Greensboro Downtown Parks Inc.
This family event, which is primarily geared toward children 12 and younger, will include arts and crafts, game booths, a craft and vendor market, a costume contest and bounce houses.
And dogs finally get their own Halloween celebration the following day.
“Howl-O-Ween” will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at Country Park, 3905 Nathanael Greene Dr.
People and their dogs can trick-or-treat together, with treats available for both humans and canines. The event begins at Shelter 4. Parking will be available in the Jaycee Park parking lot and there’s no registration required.
On Friday, Oct. 30, Craft Recreation Center, 3911 Yanceyville St., will hold a Trunk or Treat from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Children are encouraged to wear costumes and they can play games there, win prizes and get Halloween treats.
Greensboro will wrap up October with “The Great Pumpkin Parking Lot” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31, at Lindley Recreation Center, 2907 Springwood Drive. The free event will feature trick-or-treating at decorated vehicles, games and special guests.
And, finally, for those who still have pumpkins hanging around after Halloween, Parks and Recreation has a solution for that too: The Pumpkin Smash will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 7, at Lake Brandt, 5945 Lake Brandt Road. Participants can use homemade pumpkin slingshots or sledgehammers to send their leftover pumpkins flying – or simply smash them to pieces.
The city says sledgehammers of different sizes will be available for different-sized hands. No registration is required for that event.
