10 Creative Things to Do for Halloween: Spooky or Sweet?

Halloween may officially happen on October 31, but anyone who really loves the holiday knows the fun starts much earlier. The weeks leading up are filled with little traditions and Halloween activities: putting up decorations, rewatching your favorite scary movies, and deciding which candy deserves a spot in your shopping cart. These classic things to do for Halloween never get old, but this year you can add something new to the mix with a creative workshop that taps into what makes the season so special.

Halloween is the perfect excuse to act like a kid again: get messy with art, let your creativity take the lead, and eat as many sweets as you can. You could spend an afternoon decorating spooky cookies and eating the whole box afterward, painting a pumpkin, or learning how to mix a festive cocktail. 

But if the post-trick-or-treat candy swap has taught us anything, it’s that everyone has their own preferences when it comes to Halloween, and that’s half the fun. So instead of giving you one giant list of Halloween things to do, we’re sorting them by mood. Whether you like your October spooky or sweet, there’s a way to make the season your own.

For those who like their Halloween spooky

If Halloween is your excuse to watch something terrifying and seek out the creepiest corners of the city, this is your section. You’re probably already searching for spooky things to do, from haunted houses and ghost tours to Halloween events near you that’ll make your heart race.

That doesn’t mean every Halloween activity needs to be a jump scare, though. Sometimes the best spooky experiences are simply a little unusual or outside your everyday routine. Halloween crafts are a great place to start, especially when you can put your own eerie spin on what you make.

Creepy, creative things to do for Halloween

• Spirits After Dark Mixology Class in NYC: Give your Halloween night a grown-up twist with a themed cocktail class in Manhattan. Learn how to shake, stir, and garnish a spooky seasonal drink.
• Halloween Pastel Painting Class in San Jose: Turn your creepiest ideas into art with a Halloween pastel painting class. Learn how to draw eerie close-up eyes and bring your own spine-tingling vision to life.
• Halloween Séance in LA: For something a little more unexpected, spend an evening in San Pedro getting creative with clay, candles, and a little Halloween mischief. 
• Gourmet Ghost Tour in SF: Explore haunted history while sampling delicious bites on this food and ghost tour through San Francisco’s North Beach.
• Witch Ghost Needle Felting Class in Seattle: Make your own spooky little ghost in this needle felting class. It’s a fun pick if you’re looking for Halloween crafts that have a distinctly haunted twist.

For those who like their Halloween sweet

If your ideal Halloween involves a cozy night in, lighting a pumpkin spice candle, and putting on Practical Magic or Hocus Pocus, this is your section. You’re here for the cute decorations, the autumn flavors, and all the little rituals that make October feel special. When it comes to Halloween things to do, you’d much rather spend the afternoon making something festive than running from a haunted house.

If you’re a true Halloween fan, you probably know your way around a DIY costume or an autumn recipe already. But there’s something different about making it part of an afternoon out. Instead of figuring everything out yourself at the kitchen table with the help of Pinterest, you can show up, dive into a new project, and enjoy the process with other people who love the season as much as you do. And when the afternoon wraps up, you’ll have something you made yourself to take home, along with a new Halloween memory to go with it.

Cute and cozy things to do for Halloween 

• Pumpkin Ceramics Workshop in SF: Swap pumpkin carving for pumpkin sculpting with a Halloween-themed ceramics class. Make a pumpkin you can bring home and keep long after October is over.
• Halloween Cookie Decorating Class in NYC: Frost adorably shaped pumpkin cookies with colorful icing. Turn them into tiny jack-o’-lanterns, spooky faces, or whatever Halloween design you’re feeling.
• Pumpkin Pasta Making Class in Chicago: If fall comfort food is your love language, spend an afternoon learning how to make handmade pumpkin and sage pasta.
• Halloween Mosaic Art Workshop in Oakland: Add some color to your Halloween crafts with a mosaic workshop. Piece together colorful tiles to make a festive ghost, witch, pumpkin, or candy corn design.
• Halloween Floral Design Class in San Jose: If you have a sweet tooth and a green thumb, this one combines both! Create a colorful floral arrangement inspired by your favorite Halloween candy.

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Your childhood Halloween costume says a lot about you

Still not sure which Halloween mood is yours? Let’s go back to the beginning.

Your childhood Halloween costume may not have predicted your entire personality, but it can be a pretty fun way to choose your next Halloween activity. After all, the kid who insisted on being a Rapunzel every year probably has a different idea of a perfect October afternoon than the kid who showed up covered in fake blood.

At the end of the day, Halloween is really just an excuse to have a little fun, and thankfully, you can do it all month long. Maybe that means hunting down spooky things to do, making a cute Halloween craft, or finding an activity that gives you a reason to get out of the house and get creative.

So this Halloween, lean into the whimsy. Try something you’d normally be too nervous or embarrassed to do, make something just because it looks fun, and give yourself permission to go all out. After all, that’s kind of the point of Halloween.