October 25: Day of the Dead downtown
Revista Latina’s October 25 festival is free to enter and runs 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The program uses both City Plaza and East Martin Street; the organizer’s map is useful for finding the stage, food and restrooms you want before crossing the festival.
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October 30: choose by age and appetite for scares
Biltmore Hills runs 5–7 p.m. for ages 3–13, with free entry and no registration. The Haunted at the Pines starts later, 8–10 p.m., costs $5 per person and is for ages 10 and up. Register for the haunted house through RecLink.
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November 7: arts-fair arrival and accessibility
Carolina Ballet’s Dracula offers a Friday evening, two Saturday shows and a final 2 p.m. Sunday performance on November 1. It plays Fletcher Opera Theater at 2 East South Street. The program totals 80 minutes of ballet plus an intermission of unspecified length.
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Biltmore Hills Community Center
Start: 5:00 PM
Ages 3–13
Biltmore Hills Community Center and the Raleigh Police Advisory Board host a two-hour fall celebration with carnival games, inflatables, candy-bag crafts and a costume photo backdrop. The city lists pizza and candy as free, and no registration is required.
- Cost & what’s included
- Free
- No registration required.
Carolina Pines Community Center
Start: 8:00 PM
Ages 10 and up
Visitors move through themed rooms in groups of four, with music and Halloween scares throughout. Raleigh Parks directs attendees to register through RecLink. Proceeds support the Play it Forward financial assistance fund. The late-evening event is intended for ages 10 and older.
- Cost & what’s included
- $5 per person
- Register through the official RecLink listing.
- Groups move through four people at a time.
Meymandi Concert Hall, Martin Marietta Center
Start: 2:00 PM
The Symphony’s Halloween program features music from the Harry Potter films and encourages costumes. Before the 2 p.m. performance, families can join lobby activities from 1 p.m., including a costume contest, wand crafts and the Instrument Zoo. The Alamance Strings pre-concert performance begins at 1:15 p.m.
- Cost & what’s included
- See website
- Lobby doors for the 2 p.m. show open at 12:30 p.m.
- An additional performance starts at 11 a.m.; buy tickets for the intended show.
City Plaza
Start: 11:00 AM
All ages
Revista Latina’s Day of the Dead celebration spans City Plaza and an East Martin Street stage. The published program begins at 11 a.m. with music and continues with folkloric dance and Catrina programming. Admission is free; use the organizer’s interactive map to locate stages, vendors, restrooms and parking.
- Cost & what’s included
- Free admission
- The organizer’s October 24 article confirms the 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. event window.
- Food and vendor purchases are separate from free entry.
JC Raulston Arboretum
Start: 5:30 PM
NC State’s calendar lists six Friday and Saturday evenings in November, beginning November 6 at 5:30 p.m. Lighting transforms the arboretum’s plant collection, with live music, fire pits and hot apple cider. This is a ticketed evening fundraiser even though normal daytime garden admission is free.
- Cost & what’s included
- $30 general admission; $20 JCRA members and college students; $5 children 12 and under
- The published prices do not specify whether checkout fees are included.
- Regular dates: November 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21. The November 5 preview is a separate event.
Fletcher Opera Theater, Martin Marietta Center
Start: 7:30 PM
This two-act ballet follows the life and loss that lead to Dracula’s transformation. The published program lists 42 minutes before intermission and 38 minutes after it. Halloween-weekend performances are Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.
- Cost & what’s included
- See website
- The performance venue is Fletcher Opera Theater; the company’s Stony Brook Drive address is its office.
- The exact finish time depends on intermission length, which is not published.
Fred Fletcher Park
Start: 10:00 AM
All ages
Artists from the Pullen and Sertoma arts-center programs bring pottery, prints, jewelry, fiber work and other handmade pieces to Fred Fletcher Park. The event includes art demonstrations and activities for children. The city’s visitor guide identifies paved paths between all entrances and a wheelchair-accessible restroom in the Washington Street lot.
- Cost & what’s included
- Free admission
- Dogs are expected at this pet-friendly event.
- There is no designated quiet space; benches away from the festival may be calmer.
