A new Halloween tradition in Northgate?
For two days in October, the Kraken’s Community Iceplex opens to the public for special Halloween-themed skates. Kids and families can come early for a pumpkin curling competition and watch local gourds bravely hurtle down the ice.
That and more kid-friendly Halloween picks from Northgate to Tukwila are highlighted below. Get those treats!
Pumpkin Curling and Halloween Skate @ Kraken Community Iceplex
📸: Kraken Community Iceplex
📍 Kraken Community Iceplex: 10601 5th Ave NE, Seattle
🎟️ $15 regular admission
📅 Saturday, October 28th
⏰ 1 – 1:15 pm: Pumpkin curling
⏰ 1:15 – 2:45 pm: Halloween skate
📅 Sunday, October 29th
⏰ 1:30 – 1:45 pm: Pumpkin curling
⏰ 1:45 – 3:15 pm: Halloween skate
The Kraken Community Iceplex turned Northgate Mall into the home of local ice sports. The spot once roamed by teenagers going to Hot Topic is now the residence of an NHL team and numerous community events like blood drives, learn-to-skate classes, and, for two days this October, special Halloween-themed skates. These public skates are open to all ages and levels, and there will be scary soundtracks to score your skating. Costumes are encouraged. Maybe it’s time to take a crack at dressing up as Buoy, the Kraken mascot?
But when it comes to contests, it won’t be what you wear that wins. Instead, a pumpkin curling competition will be held. That’s right, don’t miss your chance to hurl a squash down the ice. Afterward, when your arms and legs are about to fall off from all the gliding and sliding, consider visiting 32 Bar & Grill for a bite. (The location overlooks the rink!) If an additional pick-me-up is needed, there’s even a Starbucks onsite. Cause it’s never too late for a Pumpkin Spice Latte, right?
West Seattle Monster Dash @ Lincoln Park
📸: West Seattle Monster Dash
📅 Saturday, October 28th
⏰ 9:30 am – 5k Run | 10:30 am – Kids
📍 West Seattle’s Lincoln Park: 8611 Fauntleroy Way SW, Seattle
🎟 $40 – 5k Run | $15 – Kids
If you plan to gorge on Goodbars or stuff yourself silly with Snickers, consider putting on your costume and heading to Lincoln Park for the 12th Annual West Seattle Monster Dash. (Every diet has an exception for fun-sized Halloween candy, right? That’s the rule?)
This Halloween, conquer a timed 5K run or walk through trails with a view of Puget Sound. (Running + Pretty Scenery = A Great Idea.) This annual West Seattle event includes a kids’ dash for all the little gremlins in your life, complete with a kids’ zone with games and prizes. Registration for both races comes with a t-shirt.
Last year’s race included everyone from Where’s Waldo—now we know where he is—to witches. Plus, proceeds support South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools equity initiatives and scholarships. Isn’t that sweet? (Tip: The route is available for practice runs for those trying to beat their best time. Jogging strollers are allowed, but leave the pup at home!)
Museum of Fright @ Museum of Flight
📸: Courtesy the Museum of Flight Fright
📅 Sunday, October 29th
⏰ 10 am – 3 pm
📍 The Museum of Flight: 9404 E. Marginal Way S, Seattle
🎟️ Kids 17 and under wearing a costume receive free museum admission
Does turbulence give you terrors? Then this event might leave you with goosebumps. Enter the void of space, where fear takes flight at the “Museum of Fright.”
Held every year during Halloween weekend since 2008, the Museum of Flight transforms its galleries with hair-raising activities and revelers. Kids can try and become Dr. Frankenstein themselves by engaging in hands-on science experiments. They can also visit the Mad Scientist’s booths to experience spirited demonstrations. For entertainment, there’ll be live music from the 8-Bit Brass Band, a cosplaying band who are born costumers. Expect some next-level outfits, like a drummer dressed as Darth Vader. Or a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle playing the trumpet? Oh! The day also includes a dance party held under the Blackbird spyplane.
Haunted Factory Experience @ Seattle Chocolate
Sweet scares 🍫
📸: Seattle Chocolate Haunted Factory Experience
📅 Thursday, October 26th – Sunday, October 29th
⏰ Rotating times between 5 pm – 9 pm
📍 Seattle Chocolate: 1180 Andover Park W, Seattle
🎟️ $12 – $15
There are a lot of haunted houses in Seattle during the Halloween season. But only one combines creepy with chocolate, asking you to discover the dark side of delicious. At the Seattle Chocolate Haunted Factory experience, guests are invited to step inside a factory undergoing a power outage. Do you dare try to restore the tastiness that was once within? Or will you succumb to the spirits and lack of sugar?
Every year, Seattle Chocolate Factory turns its facility into a family-friendly fright fest for all ages. Enter into a lobby full of sinister decor (perfect for cute photos). Then, navigate through the darkness as sweet dreams become nightmares. But keep your wits about you because you must solve puzzles to make it out… hopefully. If you manage to exit, you may get a treat. It is a chocolate factory, after all.
Parking is available onsite, and kids 12 and under get in for $12. Seattle Chocolate Company’s truffles are local staples, so pick some up while you’re there. And get tickets quickly—this thing sells out every year.
Trolloween 2023 @ The Fremont Troll
A birthday bash under the bridge 👻
📸: Courtesy Trolloween – Fremont Arts Council
📅 Tuesday, October 31st
⏰ Meet at 7 pm sharp
📍 Fremont Troll: North 36th St, Troll Ave N, Seattle
In case you missed it: The Fremont Troll, a local Seattle fixture and a tourist hotspot for over 30 years, is about to have a birthday!
The mammoth sculpture is 18 feet tall, weighs around 13,000 lbs, and is constructed from steel, wire, and concrete. Recently voted as “Best Weird Wonder” in a recent poll by King 5, the public art installation was the brainchild of The Fremont Arts Council. In 1990, the council held a competition to fill the space below the Aurora Bridge. Created by a collective of artists and installed on Halloween, residents choose the ugly creature clutching a Volkswagon Beetle with California plates—a nod to the counterculture vibe of the neighborhood known as “The Center of the Universe.”
Trolloween is the troll’s birthday bash, which takes place on October 31st at 7 pm. There’ll be live music performances, a costume pageant, and plenty of revelers this year. After the show, an annual procession known as the Haunt Of Fremont begins, where locals march the party en masse through the streets. Of course, that all happens after everyone sings the Happy Birthday Song to one of Seattle’s favorite sculptures. Welcome to 33.
