Halloween in Scottsdale

October in Scottsdale is the month locals wait for

Halloween in Scottsdale arrives with the first cool air of the year. After a long summer, the first week that feels like autumn makes the whole town a little giddy, and Halloween is where that energy goes. Locals start planning costumes the moment fall clothing shows up in the stores, mostly as a way to convince themselves the heat is ending.

The days are still warm and the pool is still in play. Evenings are the reward, and almost every Halloween event here is built around them. For a family or a group of friends renting a house, the month splits cleanly into daytime and nighttime, kids' events and adult ones. Here is what to book.

The Halloween Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival

The biggest family event of the season is the Halloween Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival, held on a late-October weekend at the fields near Talking Stick. More than 20 hot air balloons inflate on the grounds, and tethered balloon rides lift kids a few stories up in costume. The trick-or-treating is the main draw: more than 4,000 pounds of candy handed out across the festival.

There is live music and a row of local food vendors. The free Kids Zone has more than 30 inflatable attractions. A costume contest runs for the kids, so pack the good costume in the carry-on. Tickets are priced for families, and the dates are announced each fall, so check before you book your flights if this is the anchor of the trip.

Spook-Track-Ula at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

For younger children, the Railroad Park turns its Paradise and Pacific Railroad into a haunted train for the week leading up to Halloween. Rides run in the early evening, after dark but before bedtime, and the scares are calibrated for small kids. The park's carousel is right there too.

Bring a camera. The expressions on the ride are the photo of the trip. Tickets are inexpensive and the park is a short drive from our estates.

The Scottsdale Halloween crawl in Old Town

Adults have their own tradition. The Scottsdale Halloween Crawl has run for years on the Saturday before Halloween, taking over Old Town's bars from the afternoon or early evening until late. A ticket, bought in advance, gets you free entry to every participating bar and a handful of penny drink vouchers to use along the way. Costumes are not required for entry. They are strongly encouraged, and there is a best costume prize to prove it.

The participating bars are announced in the weeks before, so watch the event page. And book a house close to Old Town. Wild West Estate sleeps 16 a short ride from the crawl, which is the difference between a great night and a long one.

Sunday morning is a good time to be one of the people who skipped the crawl. October is when the trails come back into season, and they are empty at 7 a.m.

Costume parties and live music on Halloween night

Halloween night itself belongs to the music venues. Scottsdale's live music rooms book touring rock bands for costume parties on the 31st, and advance tickets are usually cheaper than the door. If your group has a band it loves, check the Scottsdale listings once October starts. The costume party is the point. The band is the excuse.

A Halloween weekend itinerary in Scottsdale

When a group books one of our estates for Halloween, this is the weekend we sketch out for them.

• Friday evening: land, settle in, and take the little ones to the haunted train at the Railroad Park. It runs early enough that dinner afterward still works.
• Saturday afternoon: the balloon festival, with the kids in costume for the contest and the trick-or-treating. Everyone comes home sugared and tired.
• Saturday night: the Old Town crawl for the adults. The kids get a movie and the leftover candy at the house.
• Sunday: a slow morning, a hike or a round of golf in the first real fall weather, and the pool in the afternoon.
• Halloween night, if you are still here: a costume party at one of the venues, or your own party in the kitchen.

Halloween night back at the house

The best part of Halloween in Scottsdale is the last hour of it. The makeup comes off and the pajamas go on. The patio is waiting. October nights are cool enough to sit outside with a plate of the good chocolate and the wine that goes with it, and warm enough that the pool is still an option.

For a group of friends, this is why we suggest renting a whole house rather than a block of hotel rooms. The pre-party and the after-party happen in your own kitchen. Valley Vista Estate in Paradise Valley sleeps 30 and works for two or three families doing Halloween together. Halloween weekend carries a minimum stay at our estates, so plan for a long weekend.

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