5 spooky ways to celebrate Halloween in Portland
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Dip your paws into something scary this weekend. Photo: Courtesy of the Oregon Zoo
We've got one more full weekend before Halloween and Portland's ghoulish goblet runneth over with spooky and scary ways to celebrate the season.
The big picture: From actually scary haunted houses to family-friendly zoo visits to corn mazes for everyone, there's no reason not to fill your weekend with something a little creepy.
- Here are a few of our faves.
🧛 Scaregrounds PDX
Billed as "Oregon's largest Halloween event," you can sample up to seven different haunted houses — with themes ranging from a macabre movie set to a cursed castle to "compromised subterranean medical facility" — at Oaks Park every Thursday through Monday until Nov. 1.
- Tickets start at $25, depending on when you go, but some attractions require an upgraded ticket.
🐘 Howloween at the Oregon Zoo
For something a little more kid-friendly, head up the hill to the Oregon Zoo, where costumes are encouraged, critters will be crawling alongside candy baskets and lawn games will keep everyone entertained.
- Howloween is free with regular zoo admission, though a separate $5 "Treat and Ride" pass is available for a spin on the train or carousel and access to candy stations.
🌽 Sauvie Island corn mazes
There are plenty of ways to get lost on Sauvie Island this weekend, with no fewer than three mazes crisscrossing the cornfields.
- Head to Bella Organics' "5 Kind Acts" maze, The Maize's "America 250" labyrinth or stop by Topaz Farms, which also offers a cow train, a hay pyramid and u-pick pumpkins. Times and ticket prices vary by maze.
🧟 Thrill with your friends
Irving Park will host the 20th iteration of Portland's "Thrill the World Dance" on Saturday — a mass dance-off, where hundreds of zombies, mummies and other creatures will gather to perform Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
- Organizers will be collecting donations for Hygiene4All, while a DJ and professional dance troupe warm up the atmosphere before the main event at 3pm.
🎥 Scary local short films
Clinton Street Theater is putting on GuignolFest 2026 — a short film contest where horror creators are given only 72 hours to make their movies before being judged by an audience of their peers.
- Showings start Saturday at 1:30pm. Tickets cost $20.