If you love Halloween, Cumberland County has a special event to help you celebrate the season. We have family-friendly events, super scary haunted houses, and everything in between. Visit just a few events and, chances are, you’ll enjoy the outdoors and explore some of Cumberland County’s gems. Start your planning here.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN

On October 8th, the Fayetteville Symphony has partnered with Dirtbag Ales for a screening of the 1922 gothic silent film, Nosferatu. Music, which was arranged by Peter B. Kay, is provided by the symphony. Admission is free. 

From October 15-17 the Dogwood Fall Festival returns to the Cool Spring Downtown District. The fall festival includes vendors, historic hayrides, seasonal food, and music. On Friday and Saturday night, Historic Hauntings offers a spooky walking tour of Cross Creek Cemetery. Tours start at 6:30 p.m. each night. While the festival is free, Historic Hauntings is $13 per person. Attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. 

The undead of Fayetteville are coming back to celebrate the 11th Annual Zombie Walk & Prom on Friday, October 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in downtown Fayetteville.  This free, family-friendly event is an organized public gathering of people dressed in zombie costumes. (We hope these are only costumes!)  Traditionally zombies gather to walk in a parade. However, in 2021, the parade has been canceled and zombies are invited to rove the downtown streets as they wish. The Zombie Walk & Prom includes make-up artists on-site, a costume contest, and live music throughout the evening. 

The 7th year of celebrating Halloween in the Boo-tanical Garden includes trick or treating through the garden, hayrides, crafts, and lawn games. Everyone is encouraged to come in costume with flashlights to walk the Garden lit by jack-o-lanterns, lights, and luminaries in celebration of Halloween. The first night is Dog Night, when furry family members receive Halloween treats, too. Halloween at the Boo-tanical Garden runs from October 28-30 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. each evening. Tickets are $5 to $11 and must be purchased in advance.

If you need some down time with the kiddos or love classic cartoons the Halloween Cartoon Fest at the Cameo Theater is for you. The Cartoon Fest will feature back-to-back Halloween cartoons from the 1920s to the 1950s. Attendees will enjoy more than 90 minutes of spooky cartoons from characters such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Felix the Cat, Popeye, Mickey Mouse, and others. Admission is $5. Showtimes are 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 29, and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, October 30-31.  

Featuring music from Disney’s Fantasia as well as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Ghosts and Ghouls with the Fayetteville Symphony will take you on a Halloween-themed journey of exceptional orchestral music. Filled with fantasy, story-telling, and complexity, Ghosts and Ghouls is a musical Halloween extravaganza. Attendees are invited to wear costumes to the October 30 concert. Tickets are $5-$25. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University.

 

THE SCARY STUFF

At Backwoods Terror Ranch, guests will explore Surgeon Manor, a Victorian farmhouse that is still home to the poor souls that ended up as experiments in Surgeon Labs. Nearby, visitors will explore Backwoods Terror Ranch cemetery and tour the Slaughterhouse, home of the Delamorte Bunch, who was the clean-up crew for Dr. Surgeon’s sadistic experiments. Backwoods Terror Ranch is located at Sweet Valley Ranch, 2990 Sunnyside School Road. Admission is $25-$35 and must be purchased in advance. It is open October 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 21-23, and 27-31. 

The Stoney Point Trail of Terror is known for its thrills, chills, and spills! Hosted at the rear of the Stoney Point Fire Department property, the  Trail of Terror is a fun-filled assault on the senses. Open Friday and Saturday from October 8-30 and Halloween, this experience includes an entertaining stage show, a trip through the spooky indoor trail, and shooting paintballs in the Zombie Gallery. Along the way, visitors may encounter monsters, clowns, and other creepy creatures in animated and 3-D scenes, sure to scare and excite. Tickets are $15 and are available onsite. 

The undead will rise again at Black Ops Paintball each Friday and Saturday in October. The Zombie Paintball Hayride and Haunted House include a hayride through dark woods, abandoned buildings, ancient ruins and more while you defend yourself against hordes of zombies. Each attendee will use a cannon to blast the undead with the flesh-melting glow-in-the-dark ammo. After the Zombie Hayride, visitors can tour the haunted house, if they dare. Tickets are $30 for one attraction or $45 for both if purchased in advance, $10 more at the door. 

These are just a sampling of special events happening in October. Click the link below for a full, comprehensive calendar. 
Ready to plan your visit?