Halloween night in Lakeland, Oct. 31, 2026: Rocky Horror at the Polk Theatre for adults, Art in Nature at Bonnet Springs Park and no city trick-or-treat hours.

Last checked Oct. 31, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Sources: Bonnet Springs Park’s calendar, the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority’s events calendar, the Polk Theatre, the Silver Moon Drive-In, the Florida Children’s Museum and the Lakeland Public Library.

Halloween 2026 falls on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Lakeland’s Halloween season runs most of the month. Bonnet Springs Park has a free wildlife night and a pet costume parade, Lakeside Village has one too, downtown holds its Fall Night Market, the Polk Theatre runs horror and Halloween films, and it closes the month with two midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show for adults.

Updated Oct. 31: Halloween is tonight. Events before today are past; the Polk Theatre still lists Rocky Horror at 9 p.m. tonight, ages 18 and up.

Neighborhood trick-or-treat times, sunset on Halloween night and the police safety advice are on our separate trick-or-treat hours page.

Who to call

  • Bonnet Springs Park events: bonnetspringspark.com/events
  • Polk Theatre box office: 863-682-7553
  • Silver Moon Drive-In showtime line: 863-682-0849
  • Lakeland Police non-emergency: 863-834-6900

Family events

  • Evening Explorer, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Hollis Family Welcome Center in Bonnet Springs Park, 400 Bonnet Springs Blvd. The theme is decomposers and Florida’s spookiest wildlife: a beetle craft, spooky sensory bins, bone replicas, face painting and a talk on bats from the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network. It is free and open to all ages with an adult.
  • Book pumpkin contest at the Lakeland Public Library. Children 17 and under decorate a plastic craft pumpkin as a favorite book or character and enter it at the Youth Services Desk through Oct. 22. Online voting runs Oct. 23 to 29, and the library names three winners Oct. 30, the library says.
  • Halloween bingo at Bonnet Springs Park, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The park’s free Classroom Drop-In at the GiveWell Community Foundation Nature Center has nature-themed Halloween bingo with a prize.
  • Florida Children’s Museum Trick-or-Treat Parade. In 2025 the museum, 600 Bonnet Springs Blvd., held a not-scary trick-or-treat through its offices at 11 a.m. on Halloween, included with admission. Its 2026 Halloween program was not on the museum calendar as of Oct. 9.

Trunk-or-treat

The Lakeland Police and Lakeland Fire departments hold a trunk-or-treat each fall. In 2025 it ran from 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20, along the north and east banks of Lake Mirror and at Fire Station 1, with more than 15 candy and safety stops at fire trucks and police cars. It is aimed at children 12 and under, and costumes are encouraged, the event listing said. A 2026 date had not been posted as of Oct. 9. Churches and schools hold their own; our trick-or-treat hours page lists them as they are announced.

Pets and grown-ups

  • Pooch-O-Ween Pet Parade and Costume Contest, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, on The Lawn at Lakeside Village, 1479 Town Center Drive. The center moved its fourth annual parade from Oct. 10 because of the forecast; it supports SPCA Florida.
  • Howl-o-Ween Pet Parade, 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, on the Allen & Company Family Lawn at Bonnet Springs Park. A DJ leads the parade, and there are pup cups, pet vendors, trainers, vets and adoption groups. The pet costume contest has a small registration fee per dog, with party favors and prizes.
  • BSP Brainiacs: Tricks or Trivia, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the park’s rooftop bar, 630 Bonnet Springs Blvd. The theme is horror movies, with happy hour until 7 p.m. In bad weather it moves downstairs to the Depot cafe.
  • Fall Night Market, 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, on Kentucky Avenue downtown: shopping, food and live music from the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority.

Movies

When What Where
6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 Psycho Polk Theatre, 121 S. Florida Ave.
6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 Poltergeist Polk Theatre
4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 Hocus Pocus Polk Theatre
6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 A Nightmare on Elm Street Polk Theatre
Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31 The Rocky Horror Picture Show Experience with the Lipstick Players; doors 9 p.m., movie at midnight; ages 18 and up only Polk Theatre

Tickets for all Polk Theatre screenings are on the theater’s box office page. The Polk Theatre also has Thriller Spooktacular, a Michael Jackson tribute concert, at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23.

The Silver Moon Drive-In, 4100 New Tampa Highway, plays double features nightly on two screens, with sound through your car’s FM radio. For Oct. 16 to 22 it lists Resident Evil and Insidious: Out of the Further on Screen Two. Its lineup changes weekly, so check the showtime page before you go.

Nearby

LEGOLAND Florida’s Brick-or-Treat in Winter Haven, about 14 miles east, and the Wonder House Halloween tours in Bartow, about 14 miles southeast, are on our trick-or-treat hours page. Corn mazes, hayrides and pumpkin patches are on the fall festivals page.

What this means for you

  • With young children, the free Bonnet Springs Park events on Oct. 20 and Oct. 31 run in early evening or daylight.
  • Halloween is a Saturday. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, so the Rocky Horror midnight show gets an extra hour of night.
  • Running a Halloween event in Lakeland? Send it through our contact page.

Related: trick-or-treat hours, fall festivals and pumpkin patches and things to do this month.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do for Halloween in Lakeland in 2026?

Bonnet Springs Park holds a free spooky wildlife night Oct. 20 and its Howl-o-Ween Pet Parade Oct. 29, downtown has the Fall Night Market Oct. 24, and the Polk Theatre shows The Rocky Horror Picture Show Oct. 30 and 31.

When is Rocky Horror at the Polk Theatre?

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Experience with the Lipstick Players is Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. Doors open at 9 p.m. for pre-show activities and the movie starts at midnight. It is for ages 18 and up only, the theater’s box office says.

Is there a trunk-or-treat in Lakeland?

The Lakeland Police and Fire departments held their 2025 trunk-or-treat on Monday, Oct. 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. along Lake Mirror and at Fire Station 1. A 2026 date had not been posted as of Oct. 9.

Can I bring my dog to a Halloween event in Lakeland?

Yes. Lakeside Village’s Pooch-O-Ween Pet Parade is 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, and Bonnet Springs Park’s Howl-o-Ween Pet Parade is 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. Both have pet costume contests.