Nationwide October Festivals, Arts and Community Events

October brings a nationwide slate of seasonal festivals, Halloween programming, arts and community events across U.S. cities, alongside professional and tech gatherings. Family and Halloween offerings range from Pensacola’s haunted houses, Boo at the Zoo and Beach‑O‑Ween (including the Hadji Haunted House fundraiser) to Sleepy Hollow’s candlelit tours of the Old Dutch Church. Cities spotlight food and local traditions with San Antonio’s Beer Garden, Barbacoa & Big Red Festival and Portland’s Night Market, Hood River Orchard & Ale Festival and giant pumpkin regatta, while smaller towns host arts-and-heritage fairs such as Chanute’s 56th Artist Alley paired with a Run for Ollie 5K and library sale. Major cultural hubs continue to program exhibitions, puppet theater and author readings in Houston and design tours, exhibitions and conferences in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia that highlight resilient public-space projects. The month’s schedule also includes investor office hours, startup weeks and cybersecurity and health‑tech conferences, and some communities use seasonal programming for remembrance and fundraising, recalled in New Orleans’ lingering memories of Halloween 2005.