Halloween Fun in the Quad Cities
It’s time to mask up in the Quad Cities and we mean a fun Halloween mask in addition to your regular mask. Here’s a whole list of spooky fun activities happening in October. If you want to see really spooky masks, local haunted houses have them in abundance!
The Quad City Botanical Center hosts Pumpkin Extravaganza, a full month of events and programming in October.
- Enjoy the Not-So-Scary Halloween Walk on Friday nights with four admission times between 6:30-8 pm on October 16 and 23.Tickets MUST be purchased in advance.Dress up your little ghosts and goblins and bring your flashlights and explore the nooks and crannies of the Sun Garden to search for spiders, bats, jack-o-lanterns and toads as you wander down the darkened pathways. Get a glimpse of the Halloween train in our popular train garden. Take home a goodie bag after the fun.
- Paint your pumpkin on the lawn at the Botanical Center on Sunday, October 18. Bring your blanket and chairs and enjoy Halloween story time and the free activity guide. One pumpkin per youth ticket purchased with paint supplies provided. RSVP for a time slot online and to receive pumpkin. Free with paid admission.
- Find full ticketing details and what to expect during your visit at qcgardens.com/admission.
The Speakeasy in downtown Rock Island is thrilled to welcome back, for the fifth consecutive year, the 1970’s cult classic, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW on Oct. 23, 24, 25, 30 and 31 at early and late shows. It’s filled with outrageous humor, dynamic musical numbers, unconventional romance, ghoulish delights and plenty of audience participation. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 day of show. For reservations, call 309-786-7733 ext. 2 or purchase online at thecirca21speakeasy.com. The Speakeasy also requires all guests to wear a face mask in the theater and temperature checks.
Spooky Spotlight Spectacular: A Halloween Cabaret features performances by local singers on October 16-18. This fun-filled performance of Spooky Songs will be perfect to get you into the mood of Halloween! Come in costume to be entered to win various prizes! Cost: $20 in advance online / $25 at the door. Seating is limited to 50 people and masks must be worn.
The City of Bettendorf Parks and Recreation and the Family Museum are presenting a family-friendly drive-in movie event with the screening of “Hotel Transylvania” on Saturday, October 17 at 7:30 pm. The movie will be shown on a big screen in the Family Museum parking lot and sound will be played through speakers and broadcast over the radio. Admission is $20 per vehicle in advance online or $35 the day of the event, if spots are still available. Guests may bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. Pets are not allowed.
Mad Scientist Ball is the Putnam Museum and Science Center’s premier annual event, and this year’s virtual event on October 17 from 6-8 pm includes an interactive science experiment, instruction from a mixologist on crafting a delicious signature cocktail, as well as a Q&A session from MIT Aerospace Engineer, and Emmy-Nominated TV host, Emily Calandrelli! Be a part of the experiment for $20 per ticket, $150 per table of 8. Make your reservation! Instructions for using the Zoom platform and login information will be provided after purchasing your ticket.
Rock Island’s annual Fright Night is moving to Sunset Park! This year it’s a Drive-Through Fright Night on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 5-7 pm so you can stay in your car as you travel through the park to have your children trick-or-treat and see all the ghost and goblins from local organizations.
Families are invited to explore the mysterious woods of Camp Liberty on Saturday, October 24, 2020, for an exciting and safe day of camp activities and Halloween fun. Kids will make their way along a spooky haunted trail, dress up for a costume ball, and, of course, go tent-n-treating! Attendees will also enjoy outdoor games, camp crafts, geocaching, nature activities, and more. Families are asked to social distance and wear masks when six-feet of distance cannot be maintained between other groups. Family Halloweekend opens up Girl Scouts’ Camp Liberty to community members from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on October 24, 2020. Camp Liberty is located at 4415 295th Street, New Liberty, Iowa. Tickets can be purchased for $5/person cash-only day-of or in advance at www.girlscoutstoday.org/events. Additional activities like pumpkin chucking, archery, hayrack tours, and a caramel apple station will require additional tickets at a fee.
Not-so-haunted Fejervary is an immersive and contact-free drive-thru Halloween experience on Oct. 24 from 12-5 pm. With all of the holiday hi-jinx, while still maintaining safe social distancing. Not-so-haunted Fejervary allows guests to drive their cars past family-friendly scenes throughout Fejervary Park in Davenport during the daytime. In this not-so-haunted adventure, families will journey through an enchanted forest where they‘ll meet their favorite fairy-tale creatures and enjoy music and dancing (contact-free). Props, lights, music and live performers will bring the whole experience to life!
Join the German American Heritage Center online on Sunday, October 25 at 2 pm for “Haunted History: Davenport's Darker Side,” presented by GAHC staff live on Zoom. This presentation will include local ghost stories, mysteries, murders, and more! RSVP and receive a link by reserving a ticket on Eventbrite.com or calling 563.322.8844. This event is free. Donations are always appreciated.
In celebration of the Day of the Dead, view the larger-than-life Catrinas on display throughout the Figge Art Museum from October 20-November 3, along with an altar that will be on view in the Quad City Bank and Trust Grand Lobby. The Day of the Dead Free Family Fiesta at the Figge Art Museum has gone virtual! Join them online around November 1 for any or all of their family-flexible virtual experiences. A free registration grants your family a 2-week access to a virtual line-up, which means you can choose your day to play! Free family activity packets will be available at the museum for each registrant. Online options may include how-to videos, interviews, art projects, performances, discovery prompts, discussion questions, and a free family pass to visit the museum. Registration is FREE and families can choose the option to pick up free Activity Packs at the museum for added fun.
Join Ballet Quad Cites for a delicious three-course, sit-down dinner and a lively, playful Halloween performance in the beautiful ballroom at The Outing Club on October 30-31 at 6:30 pm. The atmosphere in the ballroom at The Outing Club is a wonderful setting for our first indoor performance. Tables will be spaced generously apart with plenty of fresh air and extra safety measures in place. We’ve created a fun medley of Halloween dances to entertain you! Slip on your best costume or finery—or a decorated mask if you wish—and attend the best fundraiser of the season. Get your tickets in advance.
Radar (in costume!) will be handing out candy curbside outside at Vibrant Arena on Halloween from 2-4 pm. Bring your trick-or-treaters for some sweet treats and a picture with everyone’s favorite mascot of the Quad City Storm Hockey.
TBK Bank Sports Complex in Bettendorf is hosting a Halloween “Trunk or Treat” event open to the public on Saturday, October 31 from 2-4 pm. In conjunction with High 5 Lanes & Games and the IlIowa Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the event is a safe family-friendly alternative to trick or treating. The parking lot outside of High 5 Lanes & Games will be blocked off with treat-laden trunks spaced apart to maintain social distancing. WQUD FM – Vintage Radio will be doing a live remote radio broadcast during the event. The event is free to the public.
HAUNTED HOUSES
The Factory of Fear in Moline is the longest running Haunted Attraction and the largest indoor Haunted Attraction in the Quad Cities. Opening in 1994, the Factory of Fear is celebrating 26 years of FEAR with its 2020 season. The Factory of Fear has 30 plus rooms and is adding another almost 5000 square feet to the haunted house in 2020. You walk through the path and get scared by the horrific scenes. Admission is $22 per person.
Journey into the darkness as you enter Skellington Manor’s Theatre of the Macabre in Rock Island. This walk-through Dark Attraction filled with Terrifying live Actors, Amazing Special Effects and Real Paranormal Activity. Admission is $20 per person.
Every year Shock House Haunted House in Rock Island adds more scene rooms, more insane characters, and the 3D area keeps getting better. In 2020, 3D will be split off to a separate haunt! Psycho Circus 3D features work from the world-famous Stuartizm Designs, special characters, and so much more. Admission is $17 per person.
Experience the deepest, darkest haunted forest in the Quad Cities! You will travel in the middle of acres of unrelenting darkness and meet the ghastly lair of the Unhappily Undead. QC Haunted Forest at Adventure Quest in Port Byron is on Friday and Saturday nights from 7-11 p.m. Admission is $18.
Be sure to check ahead at each haunted houses’ website for their COVID-19 precautions and you can purchase tickets in advance.
Want to find out where the ghosts live? Book a private, guided tour for up to 5 people with QC Haunts to tour cemeteries and other haunted places.
Check out the local favorite pumpkin patches to get your jack o'lanterns and visit our event calendar for even more October events.