Here’s the full list of Halloween and fall events on the Mississippi Coast
It will be a Halloween and fall like no other in South Mississippi.
The 100th Jackson County fair is canceled. The pumpkin patch at Church of the Redeemer on Popp’s Ferry Road in Biloxi won’t happen. The Old Biloxi Cemetery Tour will be virtual this year.
Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said he is discouraging trick-or-treating this year.
In South Mississippi and across the country, parents want to make this Halloween like all the others, but this is 2020 and the coronavirus is still out there. Medical experts say families need to be cautious to avoid a very scary situation.
The Centers for Disease Control lists activities that put children and teens at highest risk for COVID-19 — traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children going door to door, indoor costume parties, indoor haunted houses and trunk-or-treats where candy is handed out from cars lined up in parking lots.
Halloween parties where people aren’t distancing and wearing masks could transmit the virus, said Dr. Lisa Didion, associate chief medical officer at Children’s of Mississippi, part of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which has clinics in all three Coast counties.
Homeowners should stand inside the door so they can see the kids in their costumes, she said, and leave candy in individual bags on the porch to limit face-to-face interaction.
Haunted house changes
Haunted houses are a big concern, “partly because there’s a lot of people screaming,” she said. “It’s just a high-risk situation,” she said
But teens are going to go anyway, and she advises, “At a minimum, they should always wear a mask and go in small groups.”
Terror on the Coast is the largest haunted house in South Mississippi and is ranked the eighth scariest in the country, so people definitely will be screaming. They’ve made changes this year, said Jenny Mitchell, a representative of the Gulfport haunted house, to make it safer.
Many of the activities are outdoors, such as music, food trucks and a Twister Carnival. Hand sanitizer stations are throughout the attraction. The doors close at 11 p.m., even if people are in line.
They have new scare rooms and limited sizes for groups. “We can only release so many people at one time,” she said. “If they came with their own group they come in with their own group.”
List of Halloween and fall events in South Mississippi
CANCELED EVENTS:
- Gulfport Trunk-or-Treat
- Boo Bash in Gulfport
- House of Payne, D’Iberville
- Southern Promiseland Corn Maze, Kiln
- Church of the Redeemer pumpkin patch, Biloxi
- Zonta Arts & Crafts Festival in Pascagoula
- Inkin’ The Coast at Coast Convention Center
- Biloxi Chamber Craft Beer Festival
- Oktoberfest at Mary C. O’Keefe, Ocean Springs
Trick or Treat Down the Street, Ocean Springs
- 100th Jackson County Fair
Biloxi Cemetery Tour is virtual this year
Gulf Coast Equality Fest went virtual
ONGOING EVENTS THROUGHOUT OCTOBER:
▪ Friday and Saturday thru Oct. 31 — Terror on the Coast at 3420 Giles Rd, Gulfport, is one of the largest haunted housed in the country and is ranked 8th in the nation by Scare Factor. Scare actors, new rooms, stilt walkers, sword swallowing, live bands on stage and in-line entertainment. Outdoor food court opens at 5 p.m. Haunt lines start at 7 p.m. and doors close at 11 p.m. Admission is $20 and tickets sold online or at the door. 228-326-1405
▪ Weekends in October — Haunted Carwash at Classy Chassis Car Wash Gulfport location, 12126 U.S. 49, Gulfport. Halloween Haunted Tunnel 7-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights in October. Free car wash if there’s a kid in the car and free candy. Gulfport location only.
▪ Through Oct. 31 — Seward Farms Field of Fright & Corn Maze, 10836 Tanner Williams Road, Lucedale. Thursday and Friday 4-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Field of Fright Oct. 17, 24 and 31. An 8-acre corn maze, pig races, funny farm golf, hayrides, cow train, pony rides, tube slide and corn cannon. Wagon Wheel Cafe
▪ Weekends through Nov. 1 — Williams Family Farms, 115 B&W Road, Wiggins. Admission is $10 for ages 3 and up and includes maze, kids maze, hayride to the pumpkin patch, animal barnyard, farm playground, unlimited rides on the cow train. Saturdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays 1-5 p.m. Weekdays for field trips by appointment only. Call 601-716-7968
▪ Oct. 17-18, 24-25, 31 — Pumpkin Patch Critter Farm & BBQ. Real pumpkin patch farm at 19162 Borzik Road, Saucier. Admission is $10 cash for 2 years and older and includes BBQ plate. 365-2789 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
▪ Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 17-Nov. 1 — Middleton Farms Pumpkin Patch and Hayride, 21500 Otis Cooper Road, Moss Point. Pick a pumpkin out of the pumpkin patch and enjoy pony rides, hay maze and other activities.
▪ Daily starting Oct. 5 — Batting Practice Experience at MGM Park, 105 Caillavet St., Biloxi. 228-271-348
ONE-TIME EVENTS IN OCTOBER
▪ Oct. 31 — Halloween Fun Festival from 10 a.m.-noon at Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, 246 Dolan Ave., Gulfport. Come dressed in your costume for socially distant outdoor family fun. Trick-or-treating, carnival games, arts and crafts. Most activities Included with museum admission. Details: 228-897-6039.
▪ Oct. 31 — Boo at the Mississippi Aquarium, 2100 E. Beach Blvd, Gulfport. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. With general admission. Come in costume for contest. Spookcacular educational presentations every half hour from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., such as Ghoulish Croc Talk and Creepy Crawly Bottom Dwellers.
▪ Oct. 31 — Kids’ Spook-Fest hosted by maCnarB Gaming, 2307 U.S. 90, Gautier. Free party from 3-5 p.m. for kids 17 and under. Games, goody bags, costume contest and Haunted Hall. Following state’s COVID-19 guidelines.
▪ Oct. 31 — Old Town Trick or Treat in Bay St. Louis, 3-5 p.m. Hosted by Old Town Merchants Association.
ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT:
▪ Oct. 31 — Halloween Carnival, 1913 Stuart Ave., Ocean Springs. 4 p.m. Games, candy prizes, pinata, bounce house, refreshments.
▪ Oct. 31 — Spooky Schooner Cruise aboard a Biloxi Schooner with Makin’ Groceries. 4:30-7 p.m. Full moon Halloween cruise and costume contest. Menu includes farm to plate of hummus, cheese, fruit, crackers, veggies; shrimp couscous salad, boudin stuffed bacon wrapped shrimp and Gentilly parfaits. $50 per person; BYOB. Reservations: 228-435-6320
▪ Oct. 31 — Waveland Halloween Bash on Coleman Avenue, 5-7 p.m. There will be tricks, treats, a haunted house and other surprises. Residents and businesses who want to hand out candy on Coleman Avenue should contact Raquel LaFontaine at Raquellafontaine@gmail.com or 228-493-7246 or call Waveland City Hall at 228-467-4134. Participants are expected to wear a facemask and those handing out treats must set out individual candy pieces or small toys on a table for a contact-free trick or treat.
▪ Oct. 31 — Trick or Treat Walk in Bay St. Louis. The tradition returns after many years as the 300 block of de Montluzin is closed to vehicles and only pedestrians are allowed from 5-9 p.m. Parents and children from the Bay are invited and should follow CDC guidelines for social distancing and wearing masks.
▪ Oct. 31 — Cedar Rest Cemetery Tour, Second Street, Bay St. Louis. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Donations welcome. 228-467-4090
▪ Oct. 31 — 10 Candles Horror Event, 5:30-8 p.m. at maCnarB Gaming, 2307 U.S. 90, Gautier. 10 Candles RPG in the dungeon. The number of events depends on the pace of the game.
▪ Oct. 31 — Spooktacular Halloween Trunk or Treat and canned food drive 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Bobby Eleuterius Sports Complex, D’Iberville, hosted by the city. Everyone over age 5 must wear a mask and social distancing will be enforced.
NOVEMBER:
▪ Nov. 6 — Boo on the Rue networking event at Rue Magnolia in downtown Biloxi. People’s choice chili competition for local businesses. Mask-erade contest. Sponsored by Biloxi Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. 5:30-8 p.m.
▪ Nov. 7 — Diamondhead Festival & BBQ Competition, Airport Drive. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
▪ Nov. 7-8 – Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival, downtown Ocean Springs
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 1:33 PM.
