October Activities For All-Ages
PLUS a fully planned October calendar at the end of this post that you can download and adjust to your programming schedule.
October is one of the busiest and most exciting months for libraries. Between pumpkins, costumes, spooky stories, and cozy autumn vibes, there are endless ways to engage the community. Whether your patrons are kids eager for slime and scavenger hunts, teens ready for a late-night lock-in, or adults looking for a haunted lecture or craft night, October gives you the perfect chance to mix fun with learning.
To make planning easier, I’ve put together a list of 90 October library program ideas—30 each for kids, teens, and adults—plus a sample calendar that shows how you can spread them out across the month. From low-prep crafts to immersive experiences, these activities can be adapted for libraries of all sizes and budgets.
🎃 Kids (Ages 8–12)
Pumpkin Painting Party – No carving, just safe decorating with paints and stickers. I love these disposable painting aprons from Amazon: CHECK THEM OUT HERE
Spooky Storytime & Campfire Tales – Staff or guest storytellers share not-too-scary ghost stories. For some fun decorations you can use some inflatable campfires!: GET THEM HERE
Build-a-Scarecrow Craft – Use paper bags, hay, and old clothes for a take-home scarecrow.
Monster STEM Lab – Kids build “Franken-toys” from old toy parts.
Library Escape Room: Haunted Stacks Edition – Play a simple puzzle-based escape game. You can go all out and create your own, or if that’s too daunting just pick up some Exit: The Game board games. Some are more complicated than others and younger kids might need some guidance, but my 10 and 12 year old love these. : THIS IS A PERFECT ONE FOR HALLOWEEN
DIY Glow-in-the-Dark Slime – Science + Halloween fun.
Witch’s Potion Science Demo – Dry ice, baking soda, vinegar experiments.
Halloween Paint-by-Number – Find some favorite Halloween pictures and let kids paint! These disposable aprons I linked in the first program idea would be ideal here too!
Haunted LEGO Challenge – Build haunted houses or monsters with LEGOs.
Creepy Crawly Critter Show – Invite a local reptile/bug expert.
Pumpkin Catapult Contest – Mini candy pumpkin launchers with popsicle sticks.
Costume Creation Workshop – Supplies to make simple DIY costumes.
Spooky Mad Libs Night – Halloween-themed fill-in-the-blanks. This is a great passive program too if you simply want to get some mad-libs books and leave them out for kids to fill-in. To make it better, find a place you can hang the completed mad libs for everyone to read and get a laugh! These mad lib books are perfect for young kids!: CHECK THEM OUT HERE and HERE
Monster Bookmark Making – Origami corner bookmarks. There are some great YouTube tutorials or you can see a step-by-step from The Bear & The Fox here: https://www.thebearandthefox.com/origami-monster-bookmarks/
Magic Tricks Workshop – A local magician teaches easy tricks. If you don’t have a local magician, this National Geographic kit is an easy intro to magic anyone at your library could use to teach!: SEE IT HERE!
Halloween Cartoon Screening – Classic shorts (e.g., It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown).
Mummy Wrap Race – Teams wrap friends in toilet paper to see who can create the best mummy in the least amount of time.
Haunted Puppet Show – Library staff or kids perform.
Zombie Tag – Outside library, safe flashlight tag at dusk.
Pumpkin Hunt in the Library – Hide paper pumpkins with riddles.
Frightening Food Fun – Decorate cookies or “monster apples.”
Spooky Comic Creation – Kids draw short comics.
Library Ghost Walk – Staff lead a pretend “ghost tour” of library history.
Monster Mash Dance Party – Kid-friendly tunes + costumes.
DIY Trick-or-Treat Bags – Tote bag decorating. Our local library gets bags like this and lets the kids decorate them with fabric markers for Summer Reading and it is a favorite with the kids!: GET THESE TOTE BAGS
Pumpkin Pi(e) Math Games – Fall-themed math challenges.
Monster Yoga – Silly poses themed around bats, zombies, cats.
Glow Stick Scavenger Hunt – Hide glow sticks in darkened library rooms.
Creepy Coding – Use Scratch to code Halloween animations.
Halloween Joke Contest – Kids share their best spooky jokes. You can also print out a list of Halloween jokes or get a book like THIS ONE for kids who don’t have a joke but want to participate!
👻 Teens (Ages 12–17)
Escape Room: Zombie Apocalypse – Again, you can go all out and create your own, or if that’s too daunting just pick up some Exit: The Game board games. This one is a little more complex and would be great for teens: CHECK IT OUT HERE
Murder Mystery Lock-In – Teens solve a whodunit after hours. THIS murder mystery DIY guide has a step-by-step planning guide as well as 5 sample plots and character lists to make your planning easier!: GET IT HERE
DIY Cosplay Workshop – Make accessories for Halloween or anime cons.
Spooky Poetry Slam – Teens share original spooky poems.
Horror Makeup Workshop – Learn scar and zombie makeup. If you can get someone from a local theatre or spook alley with experience in horror makeup its even better!
Creepy Film Screening – Classic PG-13 horror or cult Halloween movies.
Paranormal Investigation Night – Learn about ghost-hunting tools. Invite a local ghost-tour leader or paranormal investigator to come speak.
Pumpkin Carving Contest – Have a contest for who can make the most complex design.
Zombie Nerf War – One person starts as a zombie. Everyone they hit with their nerf darts turns into a zombie. If they and the people they “turn” can turn everyone into zombies before the time is up the zombies win. If they can’t the humans win.
Spooky Paintings – Find landscape photos at the local thrift store or ask for donations and then have the teens paint their own ghosts, pumpkins, zombies, etc. onto the landscape to create their own spooky paintings! If that’s too much, you can always grab something like these DIY ghost paintings and let them get creative!: CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT I MEAN
VR Horror Gaming – Use VR headsets for scary games.
Anime Halloween Party – Cosplay + themed anime episodes.
Witchy Crafts Night – Spell jars, rune stones, DIY candles. DIY candles are surprisingly easier and you can get soy wax kits like THIS on Amazon to make prep a breeze. To make it even more fun try grabbing some Halloween scents like THESE so their candles fully embody the holiday!
Haunted History Trivia – Focused on local ghost legends.
DIY Haunted House Room – Teens design and run it for younger kids.
Scary Story Writing Contest – Winner published on library site.
Glow-in-the-Dark Capture the Flag – Outdoors with glow sticks.
Spooky Playlist Jam Session – Teens DJ a Halloween playlist.
Pumpkin Spice Taste Test – Sample seasonal snacks.
Monster Board Games – There are lots of board games that you can spin with a Halloween Theme! THIS ONE is a personal favorite for the Halloween season but can be a bit lengthy. We also enjoy THIS ONE which is a great group game.
DIY Horror Zines – Teens make and trade mini magazines.
Social Media Ghost Challenge – Teens create TikTok-style spooky shorts.
“Haunted” Gaming Night – Group play of age-appropriate horror video games.
Escape the Haunted Library – Puzzle stations throughout library with a prize if they solve all of them and “escape.”
Glow Paint Art Night – Blacklight painting session.
Scary Podcast Listening Party – With snacks + group discussion.
DIY Creepy Jewelry – Skull, bat, or spider accessories. Grab some beads and a set of Halloween charms for a fun and easy activity! These charms are great and can be used for bracelets, necklaces, earrings, keychains, etc.!: CHECK THEM OUT HERE
Haunted Photo Booth – Props + backdrops. You can absolutely paint your own spooky background and have the teens design some Halloween props or grab some Halloween themed props like THESE.
Halloween Cosplay Catwalk – Teens show off costumes.
Library Ghost Hunt – Hide “ghost” figures throughout the library that teens must find via riddles.
🕯️ Adults
Spooky Local History Talk – Invite a local historian or Ghost Tour leader to come talk about some of the spooky things that have happened in your area.
Ghost Story Open Mic – Attendees share eerie tales. Provide snacks and comfy seating to make it even better!
Pumpkin & Sip (Mocktails or Wine, if allowed) – Pumpkin carving + socializing.
Nightmares With A Book – Think Blind Date With A Book but horror style. Get some butcher paper to wrap up books (bonus point if you decorate it with bloody handprints…) and pull out some horror classics for people to check-out without knowing what their selection will be, or how nightmare inducing it will be!
Creepy Book Club – Horror/thriller selection.
Tarot Reading Night – Invite a local tarot reader.
Murder Mystery Dinner – Themed evening at the library. THIS murder mystery DIY guide has a step-by-step planning guide as well as 5 sample plots and character lists to make your planning easier!: GET IT HERE
Haunted House Tour – Host at the library or partner with local sites.
Costume Swap & Contest – Bring, trade, and show costumes.
Scary Film Series – Classic or cult horror films and treats.
Macabre Crafts Workshop – Gothic embroidery, skull art.
Pumpkin Spice Cooking – Seasonal recipe exchange. If allowed, you can also have everyone bring a seasonal treat to share.
Ghost Hunting 101 – Have a local paranormal investigation team come and talk.
Spooky Trivia Night – Horror movies, ghost legends, fall facts - whatever sounds the most intriguing to you!
Escape Room for Adults – Again, you can go all out and create your own, or if that’s too daunting just pick up some Exit: The Game board games. This set would be great for Adults: CHECK IT OUT HERE
DIY Autumn Wreath Workshop – Cozy crafts for those who aren’t into the spooky and scary!
Witchy Book Talk – Authors or panels on witchcraft in literature
Cemetery Walks – Partner with local historians or ghost tours to have a special tour for library patrons.
True Crime Book Lovers Discussion– Everyone bring their favorite true crime book to share.
Halloween Wine & Paint Night – Seasonal painting class. You can also get some great paint by numbers options on Amazon if you don’t have someone who can teach. CHECK OUT SOME OPTIONS HERE
Monster Makeup Workshop – Stage/theater makeup demo. Try partnering with a local theatre or makeup artist for even better special effects.
Folklore & Myth Night – Legends from different cultures. Have people bring their favorites to share or invite a local expert to present.
DIY Ghost Terrariums – Tiny spooky worlds in jars. You can get supplies to let participants each build their own or you can purchase a kit like THIS ONE to have groups create for display/decoration at the library.
Scary Storytelling for Grownups – Around a (fake) firepit at library. Something like these fake campfire centerpieces would be a fun decoration to set the spooky mood!: CHECK THEM OUT HERE
Pumpkin Carving with Power Tools – For adventurous crafters. Make sure you consider any liability concerns and which power tools you allow.
Paranormal Podcast Panel – Listen/discuss favorite episodes.
Autumn Photography Walk – Capture fall leaves + haunted vibes. Give participants a list of what type of images they need to create or capture and then have a prize for all those groups who finish!
Halloween Themed Family Feud – Separate into groups, ask the questions, and enjoy the laughter!
Spine-Tingling Yoga – Candlelit yoga with eerie music.
Scary Short Film Fest – Local creators showcase films.
No matter which ideas you choose, October is the perfect time to create memorable moments in your library. A single spooky storytime or trivia night can spark joy, build connections, and remind patrons that the library is more than books—it’s a place for community. Try a few of these programs, mix and match them to fit your schedule, and don’t be afraid to put your own twist on them. And if you try any of these ideas, I’d love to hear how they went!
For your fully planned October program calendar fill out the form below!
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