Montclair is hopping with Halloween celebrations this year. For the next two weekends, your family can enjoy the frightening festivites–they’re not all scary.

On Halloween you can get your trick or treating on throughout town. There are great streets to hit up. Montclair Avenue andMidland Avenue are good ones–lots of houses and great decorations. You could also try Bloomfield Avenue and Church Street and get good stuff from our local businesses.

We asked some Montclair parents for their tips for Halloween in Montclair:

“I find streets such as Wildwood, Summit and Gordonhurst great since there are so many houses on those streets. On the south side, Clinton is good and there is a huge beige house on South Mountain with few windows and a very long driveway that kids think is worth the trek bc of the enormous candy bars they give out. The dentist’s office on Grove Street in Clifton (right before RT 3) is a must to see.”" ~Michelle Clement

That dentist’s office up on Grove Street in Clifton, it is a MUST stop for all of us and every year it is more and more outrageous! Second, we love to ghost some houses, it’s always fun to see the excited faces when they know they’ve been ghosted! Third, there is the nearly infamous house on Marstellar Place off of Douglas Road on the Montclair/Glen Ridge border… these guys are set designers for Broadway, and every year they pick a theme for decorating… a MUST SEE and trick or treat at! And on a personal note, I always pipe out the music from Twin Peaks at my front door, it’s the perfect soundtrack.” ~ Suzanne O’ Conner

“If  you have older kids you have to go to “the Dentist’s” house on Grove Street. It is a complete spectacle with zombie’s running around suddenly starting up a chain saw or scraping a shovel on the sidewalk behind you. There are bodies on the roof, all over the lawn, in the trees, you name it. Some of them turn out to be real when you least expect it. Do not take little ones. If you like a roasted marshmallow while trick or treating, the house on the corner of Park and Alexander (SE corner) has a fire pit out front and hands out sticks and marshmallows.” ~ Catherine Sweeney

Need a little help in the makeup department? Parlor Hair Studio is offering a Halloween make-up session to get you looking ghastly on Halloween. Emmy, the salon’s resident “gore make-up” girl, is professionally trained to apply any type of make-up, specializing in prosthetics and the kind of special effects make-up seen in horror movies. Sessions are available on Saturday, October 30 from 5 pm – 9 pm and Sunday, October 31 from 11  am – 5 pm.  Fees will run from $25 for children and from $60 for adults, depending on the extent of “goriness.”  Book your appointment at 973.746.1182.

Here are some great pre-Halloween events to enjoy:

Halloween Art Workshop
Who: Ages 3 – 5 with parent.
What: Make a fun Halloween art project.
Where: The Helen and Bill Geyer YMCA Family Center, 159 Glenridge Avenue, Montclair, NJ.
When: Wednesday, October 20 from 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm.
Cost: $15 Registration required by calling 973.783.7640.

Edible Art Haunted Cemetary Workshop
Who: Ages 7 – 12.
What: Drop off oyur child to make a spooky edible Halloween creation.
Where: The Helen and Bill Geyer YMCA Family Center, 159 Glenridge Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Thursday, October 21 from 4:15 pm – 5 pm.
Cost: $12 Registration required by calling 973.783.7640.

Haunted Mansion Tour
Who: All ages.
What: The Montclair YMCA’s annual Haunted Mansion Tour and Monster Mash Disco. The entire Park Street Y is converted into a “spooktacular” experience for children and adults. All children will receive a free glow stick to help guide them through the mansion.  Upon completion of the 20-minute tour, families can enjoy dancing and games at the Monster Mash Disco.
Where: Montclair YMCA, 25 Park Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Saturday, October 23 from 7 pm – 10 pm.
Cost: Tours are $10 for up to four family members and $5 for each additional ticket.  Ticket money supports the YMCA of Montclair and its programs and services in the area.

Halloween Art Class at Presby Iris Gardens
Who: All ages.
What: Children’s book illustrator Barbara Eveleth is conducting a fun and free art class at the Walther House at Presby Iris Gardens. They’ll supply the art supplies and the snacks. Enjoy a fun family time to draw, color and collage fun Halloween illustrations, or any kind of picture you like. Plus, you can pick up a free pumpkin. Take it home, decorate it any way you like, and bring it back to the gardens on Friday, Oct. 29, from 6-9 pm for the Gardens Aglow event! They’ll display it in the garden beds with hundreds of others.
Where: Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07043.
When: Saturday, October 23 from 2:30 – 4:30 pm.
Cost: Free. Pre-registration for the art class is suggested but not required.

The Great Pumpkin Patch
Who: All ages.
What: Wear your Halloween costume and select a pumpkin. Enjoy face painting, treats and more! Sponosred by
Where: Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, 87 Park Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Saturday, October 23 from 11 am – 2 pm.
Cost: Free.

Moonlight Blaze at Van Dyk Manor
Who: All ages.
What: Tour the trail of over 700 hand-carved Jack O’Lanterns at the Moonlight Blaze. Complementary cider and donuts will be served and there will be face painting for kids.
Where: Van Dyk Manor, 42 North Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Sunday, October 24 from 7 pm – 9:30 pm (Rain date Saturday, October 30). 
Cost: Free. For more information, please call 973.783.9400.

Pumpkin Carving at the Montclair Art Museum
Who: All ages.
What: Join the festivities as the Montclair Art Museum prepares for Halloween with a night of pumpkin carving and decorating! Come in costume and trick or treat while unleashing your creativity! Pumpkins, art supplies, and tools provided.
Where: Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ.
When: Friday, October 29 from 6 pm – 8 pm.
Cost:  Member families: $20/ Nonmember families: $25. Advance tickets and information available by calling 973.259.5137.

Gardens Aglow
Who: All ages.
What: Bring a carved jack o’ lantern to the Presby Iris Gardens and help to decorate the gardens.
Where: Presby Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07043.
When: Friday, October 29 from 6 pm – 9 pm.
Cost: Free.

Halloween Spooktacular
Who: All ages.
What: You’ve never been to a Halloween party until you’ve been to Incredi-Bill’s Halloween Spooktacular! Unlimited play in a jungle gym, arcade games, haunted laser tag, music, and dancing! There will be pizza, drinks, and snacks and Halloween crafts. Don’t forget to come in costume and compete in the costume and dance contests!
Where: Incredi-Bills, 312 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, NJ.
When: Saturday, October 30 from 4 pm – 7 pm.
Cost: $20 at door / $15 before October 15. Register now as space is limited. Click here or call 973.337.8362 for registration and details. Online registration available.

Halloween Cupcakes and Cake Pops
Who: Kids ages 8 and up.
What: Add some fright to your bite with deliciously scary Halloween treats! 
Where: Chef’s Lab, 345 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, NJ.
When: Saturday, October 30 from 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm.
Cost: $35 per person.

Halloween at Watchung Plaza
Who: All ages.
What: Hear a Halloween story at Watchung Booksellers then enter the Halloween Parade (kids ages 6 and under) and contest on the green.
Where: Watchung Booksellers, 54 Fairfield Street Watchung Plaza, Montclair, NJ and outside on the green in Watchung Plaza.
When: Saturday, October 30 at 10 am-storytime and 11 am-Halloween Parade.
Cost: Free.

Annual Halloween Costume Workshop
Who: All ages.
What: Go to the studio and make all or part of your Halloween costume.  They have tons of stuff you can use to make your costume unique!
Where: StudioKids, 211 Glenridge Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042.
When: Wednesday,  October 27 from 6:15 pm – 8 pm and  Saturday, October 30 from 10 am-12 pm.
Cost: $20 per child.  Reservations are required.  Call 973.744.6484 or email here.

Montclair Community Pre-K Harvest Festival and Alumni Reunion
Who: All current students, their families and alumni and the entire Montclair community!
What: Fun fall activities, such as: make your own scarecrow, arts & crafts, mini-hayrides, apple sampling, the sale of hot cider and donuts, a raffle, performance by Danna Banana, and much more. The event will include a flu vaccine clinic. Traditional flu shots are available, as well as FluMist (a flu vaccine sprayed into the nostrils requiring no shot.)
Where: Montclair Community Pre-K, 49 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Saturday, October 30 from 10 am – 12:30 pm. (Raindate: Sunday, October 31)
Cost: Free to attend! $30 for the flu shot and $35 for the Flu Mist. Children (2 years and older) and adults can get the flu vaccine at the flu clinic.

Halloween Funhouse
Who: All ages.
What: Check out a haunted funhouse in town…if you dare!
Where: 77 Midland Avenue, (Between Claremont and Walnut), Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Saturday, October 30 from 7 pm until the fun ends.
Cost: Free.

Halloween Recital
Who: Kids of all ages with their parents.
What: Go in costume for a very cool Halloween organ recital, followed by healthy trick-or-treats in the Church House.
Where: Central Presbyterian Church, corner Claremont and Park in Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Sunday, October 31, 3 pm.
Cost: Free.

Halloween Portrait and Fundraiser
Who: Costumed kids 13 and under.
What: Bring your little trick or treaters to Phil Cantor Photography for a kid-friendly 5 minute Halloween Portrait Session and help out local non-profit HOMECorp.  The session includes a gift portrait and each of the scary little creatures’ photographs will be viewable onlin so that relatives can share in the oohing and aahing.
Where: Phil Cantor Photography, 26 Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair, NJ, between Bloomfield Avenue and Glenridge Avenue
When: Saturday, October 31. RESERVATION ONLY. Appointments are LIMITED. Sign up: 973.783.1065
Cost: $39. ALL of the proceeds will go to the HOMECorp. Contributions are tax deductible.

Best Friend Photography Halloween Portraits
Who: Costumed kids of all ages.
What: Get a portrait taken by Best Friend Photography on Halloween. Photos will be displayed on its Facebook page and available to purchase, with money going to Operation Smile.
Where: Best Friend Photography, Church Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Sunday, October 31 from 12 pm – 7 pm.

Related Posts:

• Montclair Offers Gardens Aglow
• Teacher Convention Days: What to Do With the Kids
• Gardens Aglow Lit Up The Night