Witches ride this weekend tops the list of Halloween and fall fun on the MS Coast
Sandwiched between the biggest fall events on the Coast — Cruisin’ The Coast the first week in October and Peter Anderson Festival the first week in November — are enticing fall and Halloween happenings.
South Mississippi has pumpkin patches and fall festivals like much of the country, and mixes them up for for those who who prefer a butterfly festival and those who want a haunted house.. The Coast celebrates the season with Trunk-or-Treat, started 18 years ago after Hurricane Katrina, and still a safe way to get candy to the kids. Local folks return during cemetery tours to tell us about their lives.
Here are the best experiences the Coast has to offer this October for families, adults and kids:
Halloween flight
Witches, pumpkins and even fish will fly this October.
Hundreds of witches and Wizards will “fly” through downtown at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Witches Ride of Ocean Springs. Dressed in costume and on bikes, golf cart and maybe a broom, they’ll toss candy to the crowd, many of them in costume, too. It’s fun and a fundraiser for the Animals of Ocean Springs.
All that flying makes a witch and warlock thirsty, and on Oct. 26 the Halloween Pub Crawl will be part of the Witches Ride of Ocean Springs. Drop by participating pubs from 4-10 p.m. and for a $10 entry fee there’s a chance to win cash prizes.
On the other end of the Coast, the 10th annual Witches Walk in Bay St. Louis on Oct. 26 is an evening of live music, shopping and spooky fun. The costume contest starts at 7 p.m. at 200 North Beach Restaurant & Bar.
Pumpkin Chunkin is something you see on TV. Try it yourself Oct. 26 at Infinity Science Center near Bay St. Louis. First you and your family learn the science of making a pumpkin fly and then you get to launch a pumpkin and see how far it goes. Reservations required. $20 per person. 1-3 p.m.
Halloween fright
Goosebumps and screams are the reactions to the mystery and madness events on the Coast.
Terror on the Coast is the largest haunted house in Mississippi and fills the Hollywood Warehouse with frights. Every Friday and Saturday thru Nov. 2, people line up at 3420 Giles Road in Gulfport to be scared silly. Tickets start at $25 per person and the terror reigns from 7-11 p.m.
Cemetery tours
These experiences fall into the non-scary category. Family members or actors portray the people buried at cemeteries across the Coast, dress in the time period of the person and tell what part they played in the community. Here’s the list:
Oct. 24— Krebs Cemetery Tour, 4602 Fort St., Pascagoula.5:30-7:30 p.m. Donations welcome
Oct. 31 — Cedar Rest Cemetery Tour, 200 S. Second St., Bay St. Louis. 4-6 p.m. Free. Refreshments and candy for the kids.
Nov. 8-9 — Live Oak Cemetery Tour, 125 Church Ave., Pass Christian. Guided tours from 5-8 p.m. Admission is $5 cash. 12 and under free.
Pumpkin patches
Thru Oct. 27 — Southern Promiseland Farm, 1212 Raygan Lane, Kiln. Ten acre corn maze, hayrides, farm animals, play and picnic area, pumpkin patch, grass maze, cow trains. $8, cash only. Open Saturdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday Oct. 13, 20, 27 from 1-4 p.m.
Thru Nov, 2 — Seward Farm Maze, 10836 Tanner Williams Road, Lucedale. Open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Haunt Hours are Oct. 19 & 26, 6-8:30 p.m. The farm has corn maze, pig races, funny farm golf, hayrides and cow train, tube slide and corn cannon, farm animals. It’s closed on Sundays.
Weekends thru Nov. 3 — Williams Family Farms pumpkin patch and corn maze in Wiggins, with hayride to the pumpkin patch, animal barnyard, playground, cow train. Open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays 1-5 p.m. $12 for ages 2 and up.
Adult Halloween fun
Halloween isn’t just for kids. Adults like the glow of the season and Oktoberfest drinks.
Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport will be aglow Oct. 24 for the Hancock Whitney Sea of Stars fundraiser. Dress in neon to glow under the black lights while enjoying food and cocktails and dancing with The Chee-Weez party band out of New Orleans. It’s from 6-10 p.m. and the cost is $100 per person and $175 per couple.
Gulfport is the home of the Navy Seebees, and they will be saluted Oct. 24 at OktoBEEfest at Chandeleur Brewing Company in downtown Gulfport. The event is from 5-8 p.m. and brings together active duty, retired,and former Navy Seabees, Civil Engineer Corps officers, friends and families.
This story was originally published October 1, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
