For non-Halloween October events — fall festivals, concerts, and craft shows — see our October Events in Northern New York 2026 roundup. For door-to-door hours by community, see our 2026 trick-or-treat hours post — updated as villages announce. Halloween season is underway across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties — haunted houses, trunk-or-treats, fall festivals, and library parties, all in one place. This guide is updated as organizers announce details; last updated October 28, 2026.
Jefferson County
Boo at the Zoo — Zoo New York, Thompson Park, Watertown — October 24 and 25, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Trick-or-treating through the zoo grounds, plus music, crafts, and a pumpkin patch. No event-specific admission has been posted — check zoonewyork.org for current regular admission before you go.
North Country Nightmares — 17940 US-11, Watertown — Friday and Saturday nights, September 25 through October 31 (ticket sales 6:30–10 p.m., haunts from dusk). Daytime actor-free haunts run Saturdays and Sundays September 26 through October 31, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., with special events all day October 31. The North Country’s full-scale haunted attraction; ticket prices aren’t published on the official site, so check northcountrynightmares.com or call (315) 777-5783 before heading out.
Mall-oween at Salmon Run Mall — 21182 Salmon Run Mall Loop W, Watertown — Friday, October 30, 6–7 p.m. Mall-wide trick-or-treating at participating stores. Free; kids 12 and under with an adult.
Fort Drum Trunk or Treat — Magrath Sports Complex Outdoor Track (Bldg 10050, Tigris River Valley Road), Fort Drum — Friday, October 23, 5–8 p.m. Free. 20+ decorated trunks, food trucks, and photo ops, hosted by Fort Drum MWR. Access note: this event is on post — it is open to MWR patrons (service members, families, retirees, DoD civilians and other authorized patrons), and base-access rules apply for anyone without a DoD ID. Details at drum.armymwr.com or call (315) 772-9670.
Girl Scout Trunk or Treat — Watertown area — Saturday, October 24, 6–8 p.m. Games, crafts, snacks, photo ops, and touch-a-truck with police, fire, and EMS. The location still hasn’t been posted publicly — the council’s event page now directs families to register through myGS — so check the GSNYPENN event page or call the council before heading out.
Dexter Trunk or Treat — Dexter Market, Brownville Street, Dexter — Saturday, October 24, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Free. Village-run trunk-or-treat; trunks set up from 9:30 a.m. (Village of Dexter.)
Salmon Run Mall kids’ Halloween activities — Salmon Run Mall, Watertown — the Not-So-Scary Halloween Event, Saturday, October 24, noon–3 p.m. Free, in addition to Mall-oween on October 30. (Salmon Run Mall / Pyramid Management.)
St. Lawrence County
Waddington Trunk or Treat — Island View Park Pavilion, Waddington — Saturday, October 24, 4–6 p.m. Free. Sponsored by the Waddington Chamber of Commerce.
YES FM Halloween Costume Ball — Norwood American Legion, Norwood — Saturday, October 31. $10 tickets (Eventbrite). The grown-ups’ Halloween night out in St. Lawrence County.
Bite Night Haunted Infirmary — Clarkson Hall, Clarkson University, Potsdam — October 23 and 24, 6–11 p.m. A haunted infirmary walkthrough put on by Clarkson’s PA program; proceeds benefit Students Without Borders. Ticket price still not posted as of October 15 — the Potsdam Chamber calendar no longer lists the event, so confirm via Clarkson before heading out.
Gouverneur Trunk or Treat (8th Annual) — Gouverneur Fair Grounds, 85 E Barney St. — Friday, October 23, 6–8 p.m. Free. Decorated trunks (on-site by 4:30), with trophies for the best trunks.
Ogdensburg Public Library Halloween Party — Ogdensburg Public Library — Wednesday, October 28, 5–6:30 p.m. Costumes, games, and candy for ages 0–12. Details at ogdensburgpubliclibrary.org.
Fright Night — Market Street & Market Square Mall, Potsdam — Thursday, October 29, 5–8 p.m. Downtown family night with candy stops, games, prizes, and trunk-or-treat, hosted by the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce. Details at potsdamchamber.com/events.
Lewis County
Halloween Towne — Lewis County Historical Society, South State Street, Lowville — Saturday, October 31, noon–2 p.m. Free. Lowville’s long-running downtown Halloween tradition, presented by the Lewis County Historical Society: trick-or-treating at the Historical Society (downtown businesses donate the candy), followed by the Halloween Matinee at the Town Hall Theater at 2 p.m. — a $1 kids’ movie, with “Ghostbusters” screening for the grown-ups. Details via the Town Hall Theater.
A trunk-or-treat at 3 Willows Event Center in Lyons Falls is listed for Saturday, October 31, 4–7 p.m. (per InformNNY’s 2026 Halloween guide) — check before you go.
Still to be announced
These happen most years but haven’t posted 2026 details yet: the Remington Haunting ghost tours at the Frederic Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg (but see the museum’s new Haunted House below — the museum IS doing Halloween this year) and the Schine Theatre haunted house in Massena, which hasn’t announced 2026 plans — this year’s Massena scares come courtesy of the Rescue Squad’s haunted house on October 16–17 (see above).
New this year — Frederic Remington Art Museum Haunted House — 303 Washington Street, Ogdensburg — Saturday, October 24, 6–9 p.m. $10 adults, $5 ages 5–18, under 5 free. Plus a family KidZone the same afternoon, 2–5:30 p.m. ($5; the kids’ Haunted Museum Craft is free).
Trick-or-treat hours
Fort Drum housing areas: 5–8 p.m. on Saturday, October 31 — announced in Fort Drum’s October Community Information Exchange recap.
Since then, three villages have confirmed hours for Saturday, October 31: Carthage: 5–8 p.m.; West Carthage: 5–8 p.m. (no rain date); and Dexter: 5:30–8 p.m. Sackets Harbor, Massena, and Canton don’t set official hours — their clerks leave the timing to families. Many other communities still hadn’t announced as of October 27. Full community-by-community status is in our 2026 trick-or-treat hours post, updated as of October 27. Know of one? Submit it.