Updated: March 06, 2026
Sedona is where you want to be during Halloween. You will find floating pumpkins at the community pool, striking Dia de los Muertos altars at Tlaquepaque, and spooky ghost tours in Jerome. This guide covers the best local traditions, helping you plan an enjoyable autumn trip to the red rocks.
When October rolls around in Sedona, the heat of summer disappears and crisp mornings emerge with a skyline that looks like it’s been painted with a fresh coat of copper. Most people come here for the hiking or the energy of the red rocks, but if you happen to visit during the last few weeks of the month, you’ll find a town that takes Halloween quite seriously.
Sedona’s version of the holiday pairs lighthearted local fun with deep cultural roots and haunting legends that become much more convincing in the quiet of a desert night.
Contents
- The Famous Floating Pumpkin Patch
- Trick-or-Treating Through Uptown
- The Heart of the Season: Dia de los Muertos
- Ghost Hunting in a Real Ghost Town
- Grown-Up Fun and Local Craft Beer
- A Few Tips Before You Go
- Why Sedona?
The Famous Floating Pumpkin Splash
Floating Pumpkin Splash
If you want to see how Sedona does things differently, you have to look at the Pumpkin Splash. Most of us grew up wandering through dusty fields or crowded supermarket bins to find the perfect Jack-o’-lantern. In Sedona, you go to the community pool.
I remember the first time I walked into the Posse Grounds Park pool area on a mid-October Saturday. Instead of clear blue lanes, I found a bobbing sea of orange on the water. Hundreds of pumpkins floated on the surface, and the air was thick with the scent of chlorine and excitement. Kids in swimsuits were launching themselves off the edge, doing cannonballs into the middle of the “patch” to grab their favorite one.
It’s an exhilarating event, and for 2026, the Pumpkin Splash is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. If you want to kick off the season without the usual desert dust, this is one of the best ways to do it.
Once the kids haul their chosen pumpkin out of the water, there’s a decorating station where they can use stickers and paint to avoid the mess of carving. It’s localized fun at its best, and because the city keeps it free, it creates a deep sense of community for all that attend it.
Trick-or-Treating Through Uptown
Uptown Trick or Treat
On Halloween night, Uptown Sedona turns into the main hub for the night’s festivities. This is the part of town most visitors know for its galleries and souvenir shops, but from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM on October 31, the merchants clear their counters for bowls of candy.
The Uptown Trick or Treat has been a staple of Sedona for decades. It’s a safe, walkable corridor where the police department and local businesses team up to host thousands of people. Although it’s Halloween night, the best part isn’t the candy; it’s the creativity of the costumes. And because Sedona attracts a lot of artists and performers, you’ll see many different types of outfits, including ones that belong on a movie set.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the flash mobs. In recent years, the Sedona Dance Academy has been known to take over Sinagua Plaza for a choreographed performance of “Thriller.” It’s a surreal experience watching a group of zombies dance perfectly in sync while the red rocks of Oak Creek Canyon tower in the background.
If you’re bringing a car, aim for the free parking lots early in the afternoon, because by the time the sun starts to dip, the traffic on Highway 89A slows to a crawl.
The Heart of the Season: Dia de los Muertos
While Halloween is the loud, candy-fueled side of the season, the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration at Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village is the most meaningful part of the month. Tlaquepaque is built like a traditional Mexican village, with cobblestone paths, vine-covered walls, and arched entryways, but during the last few days of October and into early November, it transforms into a living memorial.
The most moving part of this celebration is the Marigold Mural Project, a community remembrance initiative that invites anyone to paint a tribute to a loved one they’ve lost on a massive, 26-foot-long canvas wall.
I sat on one of the stone benches near the fountain last year, just watching people interact with the wall. There was a woman next to me holding a small paintbrush, carefully outlining a name in bright yellow. She told me she had traveled from Phoenix just for this, and we talked for a few minutes afterwards about how rare it is to have a public space where you can share grief and celebration at the same time.
The air was filled with the smell of burning incense and fresh marigolds, and the sound of a lone Spanish guitar echoed through the courtyard. Was it spooky or scary? No. Was it beautiful? Absolutely!
In 2025, the celebration took place over two days, beginning October 31st and wrapping up on November 1st. As of now, official 2026 dates aren’t out yet, but they usually stick to that timeframe.
During the Dia de los Muertos, you can expect to see elaborate altars (ofrendas) decorated with photos, sugar skulls, and favorite foods of the departed. It’s a colorful and immersive experience, and you won’t want to miss out on it.
Ghost Hunting in a Real Ghost Town
Jerome: Arizona Ghost Town
If you are looking for a properly spine-tingling experience, take the short, winding drive up the mountain to Jerome. Once known as the “Wickedest Town in the West,” this former copper mining hub is now a thriving artist colony with a permanent population of ghosts. It is widely considered the most haunted spot in Arizona, and October is when the town really leans into its eerie reputation.
The Jerome Grand Hotel is the epicenter of the local hauntings. It originally served as the United Verde Hospital, and records suggest nearly 9,000 people passed away within its walls. Guests today often report hearing the squeak of old gurneys in the hallways or seeing the spirit of a former maintenance man near the original 1926 elevator. The hotel even offers ghost-hunting tours on select nights where you can use infrared thermometers and digital cameras to track any unusual activity yourself.
For a more active adventure, several local companies host walking ghost tours through the dark, narrow alleys of the town. You will be handed an EMF reader, a little gadget that lights up when it detects electromagnetic frequencies, and led to sites of old gambling dens and long-abandoned miners’ cottages.
Standing on a cold, windy street in a town built on the side of a cliff, listening to stories of the “Ghost City,” is a pulse-pounding way to spend an October evening.
Grown-Up Fun and Local Craft Beer
If you want to celebrate without the kids in tow, visit the local breweries. Oak Creek Brewing Co. in the Tlaquepaque area often hosts a costume party with live music. It’s a more relaxed way to spend the night, sipping on a Snake Charmer IPA and seeing which locals went all-out on their costumes.
The Sedona Airport Family Fun Day is another one to watch for. It’s usually earlier in the month and offers a different perspective. You can see vintage aircraft and sometimes even snag a helicopter ride over the rocks at this event. Although it’s not strictly Halloween-themed, it adds to the general “fall festival” vibe that takes over the town.
A Few Tips Before You Go
Sedona is a small town with a lot of visitors, so planning is essential for the Halloween season.
- Weather: It can be 75 degrees during the day and drop to 45 degrees as soon as the sun goes down. If you’re heading to the Uptown Trick or Treat or the Dia de los Muertos events, bring layers. You’ll see people in heavy coats over their costumes by 7:00 PM.
- Transportation: Parking in Uptown is a challenge on Halloween. If you’re staying outside the main corridor, check if your hotel offers a shuttle or use the Sedona Shuttle if it’s running special holiday hours.
- Reservations: If you want to eat at a restaurant in Uptown on October 31, book it weeks in advance. Many places get overwhelmed by the crowds coming for the candy and the parade.
- Registration: For specific events like the Pumpkin Splash, keep an eye on the City of Sedona Parks and Recreation website. They usually open registration on October 1, and the spots for pumpkins fill up almost immediately.
Why Sedona?
There are plenty of places to spend Halloween, but Sedona is particularly attractive this time of year. The natural beauty of the red rocks against the clear October sky is a gift, and the way the community combines modern fun with traditional heritage makes it feel grounded.
You can spend your morning on a quiet trail surrounded by juniper and sage, your afternoon painting a mural in honor of a grandparent, and your evening watching a zombie flash mob.
Sedona is a town that embraces the strange and the sacred in equal measure, and that’s exactly what the best Halloweens are made of.
Spooky Sedona Halloween Getaway
To create a Halloween stay as unique as you and the members of your group, make sure the first thing on your planning to-do list is to book a vacation rental with Sedona.org. After you’ve enjoyed a day of sights full of fall color and Halloween fun, you can prepare a home-cooked meal in the fully equipped kitchen. Relax in a private bedroom or on a comfy couch in an open living space and watch a movie or TV show or play a game together.
For an intimate experience, choose a one-bedroom unit with a kitchenette for you and your sweetheart or small family, or plan a family or group reunion and book a unit as large as six bedrooms! Choose a premium unit for luxury upgrades like stainless steel appliances, granite counters, hardwood floors, flat-screen TVs, and more to make your fall Sedona getaway memorable!
Contact us today to book your Sedona Halloween getaway!
If you want a change of pace from the red rocks, the Smoky Mountains offer a beautiful fall alternative, and Avada Properties provides the perfect base for exploring those misty peaks. Their cozy rentals make any autumn getaway feel like a true home.