9 Halloween 2019 Family-Friendly Events In Phoenix

PHOENIX – What makes Halloween more enjoyable for families than suiting up in creative Halloween costumes and going to parties, festivals, corn mazes, haunted houses or community bashes? Nothing … except all those hauls of candy! And Phoenix is still chock-full of sweet fun and tantalizing treats at this year's Halloween events. Here are our top 9 choices of family-friendly events to try this season, some of which are even free (and provide free candy!).

'Halloween Cats' Cat Show, Oct. 19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Phoenix’s Shrine Auditorium welcomes more than 150 pedigreed kittens and cats in addition to household mixed-breed felines at the Halloween Cats Cat Show. The cats will grace any of the event’s 7 judging tables and include breeds such as Burmese, Russian Blue, Persian, Main Coon, Burmilla, Siberian, Abyssinian and more. Get $1 off admission by bringing a can of pet food, which will be donated to the All About Animals rescue group. El Zaribah Shrine Auditorium, 552 N. 40th St., Phoenix. Adult admission $6, Seniors $5, Kids 5-17 $3, children age 5 and younger are admitted free.

Creepy Candy Crawl, Oct. 19, 4-6 p.m.

Desert Ridge Marketplace hosts a Creepy Candy Crawl event filled with “spooky surprises.” All family members are invited to wear their best Halloween costumes for Creepy Candy Crawl trick-or-treating and a costume contest. Winners of the 5 p.m. costume contest will be selected by audience vote, in categories including Spookiest, Most Unique, 18 & Over Adult, and Best Family/Group. Halloween music, games, dancing and prizes are also included at the event. Desert Ridge Marketplace, 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix.

Howl-O-Ween at the Phoenix Zoo, Oct. 25-26, 6-10:30 p.m.

The family-oriented Howl-O-Ween includes experiences and activities for all members of the family. “Merry” activities are suited to all ages and include a carnival; photo opps with Moon Mermaid; the chance to meet the Phoenix Ghostbusters; a Spooktacular Dance Party with favorite superheroes, characters and mascots; a Pirates of the “Scare”ibbean sword fight; and more. On the Howl-O-Ween “Scary” side, geared toward attendees age 8 and older, expect to find a Toxic Trail infested with flesh-eating zombies, a witch hunt, a Carn-EVIL Cruiser, and Terror in Toyland complete with a horned anthropomorphic creature named Krampus. Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix. $9.95 members, $12.95 general, kids age 2 and younger get in free. Some activities have an additional fee.

Desert Botanical Garden’s Strange Garden, Oct. 25-26, 5:30-9 p.m.

The Strange Garden event includes a trail walk to find Wild Rising glowing creatures and Villafane Studios pumpkin vignettes. Kids are invited to come wearing their Halloween costumes as they dance with “groovy ghouls at the Spooktacular monster bash.” Children ages 12 and younger get to choose a pumpkin that they can take home. Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix. Event price is included with paid Garden admission or membership. Kids younger than age 3 get in free. 480-941-1225.

Mount Mayhem Haunted House, Oct. 25-27, 30-31, 7-9:30 p.m.

The 10th rendition of the family-run Mount Mayhem Haunted House where: “The Zirkus left an epidemic horde of mental patients roaming around in the night and their Enfermedad has been incubating to let itself loose this October,” according to azhauntedhouses.com. The event is free, and minors must bring an adult with them. Appropriate for kids older than 7, azhauntedhouses.com rates it as "moderately scary." Mount Mayhem, 1740 E. Purdue Ave., Phoenix. Free.

Trick or Treat at the Children’s Museum, Oct. 31, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

At the Children's Museum of Phoenix's trick or treat event, young ghouls and ghosts will have a spooky good experience gathering candy in museum paths, and they can participate in a dance floor monster mash. Other Halloween activities at the museum that day include Caramel Apples at 10 a.m.-noon and again from 1-3:30 p.m., Carnival Games from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and a third-floor Costume Parade followed by storytime at 1 p.m. Children’s Museum of Phoenix, 215 N. 7th St., Phoenix. Free for members or included in paid museum admission of $14.95 for nonmembers, $13.95 for seniors age 62 and older. Kids less than 1 year of age get in free. 602-253-0501.

Kroctober Halloween Trick or Treat, Oct. 31, 4:30-7 p.m.

The Salvation Army Kroc Center presents a “fun and safe evening trick-or-treating” at the Center according to azfamily.com. The Trick or Treat will have lots of free candy provided by community resource organizations, and the event includes other family-oriented Halloween activities too. Attendees should come dressed in their best costumes. The Salvation Army Kroc Center, 1375 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Free. 602-425-5018.

Phoenix Community Carnival, Oct. 31, 6-8 p.m.

Held at Cross Church – Phoenix, the community bash includes lots of Halloween candy, in addition to face painting, games and prizes, a petting zoo, bounce houses, hayrides and free food. Admission is free. Cross Church – Phoenix, 1827 W. Grovers Ave., Phoenix.

Corn Maze & Pumpkin Days/AZ Field of Screams Corn Maze, now through Nov. 3

The Corn Maze & Pumpkin Days is held on a 6-acre farm near Phoenix, and has participants looking for map pieces during their stroll through the maze. There’s also a mini corn maze for kids. Meanwhile, the farm’s AZ Field of Screams Haunted Corn Maze includes a cemetery and the walking dead. Other things to do at the farm include a large pumpkin patch, petting zoo, hay pyramid, corn box, jumping pillow, pedal cart track and more. Tolmachoff Farms, 5726 N. 75th Ave., Glendale. Check hours and pricing on the farm’s website.