The Leelanau Halloween Handbook: Your Guide To Trick-Or-Treating And Spooky Celebrations
Happy Halloween! From family-friendly trick-or-treating events to grown-up costume parties, Leelanau County has something for everyone this Halloween weekend. The Leelanau Ticker has your guide to all the thrills, scares, and candy.
Trick-or-treating and family-friendly events
Cedar, Glen Arbor, and the City of Traverse City all had their official downtown trick-or-treating days last weekend, but most Leelanau towns have some form of official trick-or-treating plan for this afternoon and evening. Here’s a quick rundown of options available for families:
>From 3-5pm, the Leelanau County Government Center will host its annual Halloween festivities, including trick-or-treating, crafts, games, apple cider, and donuts.
>The Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce is hosting its fourth annual trick-or-treat from 4:30-5:30pm. During that period, participating businesses in downtown Suttons Bay will be passing out candy.
>Down in Frankfort, the Frankfort-Elberta Area Chamber of Commerce will run its annual trunk or treat from 5-8pm on Main Street, between 6th and 3rd Streets.
>Also hosting a trunk or treat is the Empire Area Community Center, scheduled for 5-6:30pm. Empire United Methodist Church has announced that it will be serving free pulled pork sliders, hot dogs, hot cocoa, and water as part of the trunk or treat.
>The Village of Northport is sponsoring a Halloween Night at the Northport Marina Pavilion. From 4:30-7:30pm, village council members will be serving up free hot dogs, brats, chips, and apple cider at the brewery’s outdoor seating area.
>The Northport party can also serve as the launching-off point for Northport trick-or-treaters. The pavilion will have “trick-or-treat bingo” cards and maps on hand, outlining the 30-plus downtown businesses that will be passing out candy throughout the afternoon and evening. In addition to snagging candy, kids can get stickers for each trick-or-treat stop they visit, and can get entered to win prizes for every column or row they complete on their bingo card. Maps and bingo sheets can also be printed out online or picked up at the Leelanau Township Library during business hours. Completed bingo cards can be turned in at the pavilion until 7:30pm tonight, dropped off at the library in the next few days, or photographed and submitted via email. The drawing for prizes will happen on Monday.
>Similar to the Northport event, the Leelanau Community Church in Lake Leelanau is hosting a “Hallelujah Night” this evening from 4:30-6:30pm. That free family event “will have candy, chili, a bounce house, and game stations set up throughout the church.”
>Book-or-Treat, the Suttons Bay Bingham District Library’s twist on trick-or-treating, is also still open for a couple more days. All week, the library has been inviting parents to bring their kids aged 0-12 to the library to “pick out a special treat… a new, free book to keep.” That promotion is sponsored by the Friends of the Suttons Bay Bingham District Library and will run through tomorrow, November 1, “while supplies last.”
Halloween parties
Halloween isn’t just for kids – especially when it lands on a Friday night. Here are a few more adult-oriented festivities on the books for today and the rest of the weekend.
>Fresh off its grand reopening celebration last weekend, Northern Latitudes Distillery is hosting all-day “Boos & Booze” parties at both its brand-new Lake Leelanau location and its Suttons Bay outpost. Northern Latitudes bartenders will be dressed up in costume “and offering $2 off cocktails to those who follow suit.” The events will also feature “spooktacular themed drinks and fantastically boos-y jello and pudding shots.”
>Also jumping on the “all-day Halloween party” train is Bel Lago Winery in Cedar. The celebration, dubbed “HalloWINE,” runs from noon to 6pm today, featuring “cozy mulled wine and ciders, food, and Halloween fun.” Local entertainer Dominic Fortuna will be on hand for live music from 3:50-5:30pm. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes and to “keep an eye out” for some “extra tricks and treats waiting for you.”
>Cedar Tavern has its own Halloween party on the books for 8-11pm this evening, featuring a costume contest and a “strictly vinyl” set of Halloween-themed music from DJ Ras Marco D.
>Up in Northport, Northport Pub & Grille is hosting a Halloween party starting at 8:30pm, with no cover charge. The event will feature live music from Touch of Grey, a local Grateful Dead cover band, plus a costume contest, special Halloween cocktails, treats for trick-or-treaters, and more.
>For the late-night crowd, the VI Grill in Suttons Bay is kicking off a Halloween Costume Bash tonight at 10pm, with prizes for best costume.
Post-Halloween
Jacob’s Farm is waiting until the day after Halloween to host its big “Thriller Night.” The one-night-only ticketed event transforms the Jacob’s Farm corn maze “into a haunted labyrinth filled with scare actors who bring just the right level of terror for a fun, family-friendly fright fest.” The haunted corn maze runs from 7-9pm and costs $20 per person to enter. Attendees can buy their tickets and book their corn maze time slot here.
As usual, Thriller Night marks the last hurrah of the season for Jacob’s Farm, which will have its final day of restaurant and bar service for 2025 on Sunday, November 2.