Trick-or-treat by canoe, a park Boo Bash and a Main Street parade fill Ann Arbor’s Halloween month

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ann Arbor’s Halloween season started on the water Sunday, Oct. 11, then moves through city parks, the downtown library and Main Street before ending at the municipal airport the night before Halloween.

On Sunday, Oct. 11, Gallup Park, 3000 Fuller Road, held Trick or Treat on the River from noon to 4 p.m. Families paddled Gallup Pond in rented boats and collected candy from costumed characters along the way, according to the city parks department. A one-person kayak rented for $20, a two-person kayak or a canoe for two or three cost $25, and pedal boats ran $15 for three people or $25 for four. No reservations were needed, and paddlers had to be at least 1 year old.

On shore, the park offered free crafts, games, face painting and a petting zoo, with doughnuts and cider from Washtenaw Dairy for sale. The city suggested parking at the Furstenberg Nature Area, across from Huron High School’s Fuller Road entrance, and walking about 0.8 mile on a wooded path. The boat-launch lot inside the park was closer but had limited space. A city event page said it would post a weather update by 9 a.m. the day of the event if needed.

The next weekend is busier. Creatures of the Night at Lillie Park South, 4365 Platt Road, runs from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, for $15 a child, with adults free, according to the Ann Arbor with Kids calendar. The Humane Society of Huron Valley, 3100 Cherry Hill Road, holds its Muttster Mash from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, for $12 a child.

On Sunday, Oct. 18, Buhr Park, 2751 Packard Road, hosts a free Boo Bash from noon to 4 p.m. That morning, the Ann Arbor District Library gives away cleaned, gently used costumes from 11 a.m. to noon at its downtown branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. All library branches took costume donations through Sunday, Oct. 11, but no donation is needed to take one home, The Michigan Daily reported.

A week later, on Sunday, Oct. 25, Main Street Ann Arbor and the library hold the Ann Arbor Trick or Treat Parade from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Marchers gather at the downtown library, then trick-or-treat along Main Street with Ann Arbor police officers. It is free.

The month wraps up with Propellers and Pumpkins on Friday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, 801 Airport Drive, where children go plane to plane for candy. Admission is free.

Updated Oct. 13, 2026: Trick or Treat on the River at Gallup Park was Sunday, Oct. 11. Lead and Gallup Park language, plus the costume-donation window, have been changed to the past tense. Later October stops (Oct. 16–30) are unchanged.

Updated Oct. 13, 2026: The summary was updated because some of the events listed have already taken place.

Sources:
City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation, Trick or Treat on the River 2026, https://www.a2gov.org/parks-and-recreation/trick-or-treat/
The Michigan Daily, “Things to do in Ann Arbor in October 2026”, https://www.michigandaily.com/news/ann-arbor/things-to-do-in-ann-arbor-in-october-2026/
Ann Arbor with Kids, Washtenaw Halloween happenings, https://annarborwithkids.com/articles/washtenaw-halloween-happenings/
Photo: Dwight Burdette, “Huron River in Gallup Park, Ann Arbor, Michigan,” July 15, 2013, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), cropped and color-corrected, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Huron_River_in_Gallup_Park,_Ann_Arbor,_Michigan.JPG

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Tags: Ann Arbor · Michigan Travel · Parks and Recreation · Halloween · Community Events · Public Safety