A pumpkin run to Gilcrease Orchard in the northwest valley has to be planned ahead this fall. Tickets for its 2026 Fall Harvest are sold only through its online ticketing page, by entry time. There are no onsite sales, no refunds and no rescheduling, and the page says anyone who shows up after their ticket time "will be denied entry."
That rule shows how the rest of fall works in Las Vegas this year. From now through early November, the calendar runs on two tracks. The farm and nature-preserve events cost money and reward people who plan around their rules. The city's events cost little or nothing, sit at neighborhood community centers and parks, and crowd into the last week of October. Knowing which track an event is on tells you more about your weekend than any list of events does.
The Ticketed Track Charges for Spontaneity
Gilcrease is the strictest example, but its rules are clear. According to its Fall Harvest ticket page, the orchard is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 31. The Review-Journal's Halloween guide lists its address as 7800 N. Tenaya Way. Tickets cost $4 on weekdays and $6 on weekends, plus transaction fees, and children 5 and under get in free. The ticket covers the corn maze, the wagon ride through the trees, the straw maze, live music and the weekend Spellbound Spectacular show. Pumpkins are extra, at $0.75 a pound.
There's also a timing catch. Your ticket sets when you get in, but not when you have to leave. If you book the 1 p.m. slot, you get one hour before the orchard closes at 2. An early slot buys you the most time for the same price.
The Las Vegas Farm at 7222 W. Grand Teton Drive uses a different model. Its Fall Harvest Festival has five dates left: Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31. Shopping the farmers' market is free. Entry to the animals and festival is $10 for ages 13 and up and $5 for ages 12 and under, individual activities run about $1 to $6 each, and concession prices vary. The farm describes a maize maze and a selection of specialty pumpkins and squash. Its event page doesn't say whether the maze is covered by admission, and it doesn't list parking details.
Springs Preserve's Haunted Harvest runs in the evening, Oct. 22 through 25 from 6 to 8:30 p.m., with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and the "Bootanical" garden. Tickets are $14 for nonmembers and $8 for Value members, and children 2 and younger get in free. Gold and Platinum Donor members can bring up to eight guests for free, and members get in early at 4 p.m. Parking is free at the preserve, with overflow at Meadows Mall.
Clark County's Haunt the Wetlands on Friday, Oct. 23 charges extra for waiting. Tickets are $6 in advance and $10 on the day of the event. It runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at Clark County Wetlands Park, 7050 Wetlands Park Lane, with a haunted maze, a Creatures of the Night walk, live critters and a Mad Scientist's Lair. The county says it isn't a trick-or-treat event. Parking is free, and kids 3 and under get in free.
| Event | Remaining dates | Price | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilcrease Orchard Fall Harvest | Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun through Oct. 31 | $4 weekdays, $6 weekends, plus fees | Online only, timed entry, no refunds; pumpkins extra |
| The Las Vegas Farm Fall Harvest Festival | Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 | $10 ages 13+, $5 ages 12 and under | Activities priced separately; market is free |
| Springs Preserve Haunted Harvest | Oct. 22–25, 6–8:30 p.m. | $14 nonmembers, $8 Value members | Members get in at 4 p.m.; overflow parking at Meadows Mall |
| Haunt the Wetlands | Oct. 23, 4–8 p.m. | $6 advance, $10 day of | Not a trick-or-treat event |
On this track, the cheapest version of each outing is almost always the one booked earliest, on a weekday, or through a membership.
The Free Track Lives at the Community Center
The other calendar comes from the City of Las Vegas and Clark County. These events aren't at destination venues. They're at parks and community centers in specific wards, and most are free. The city's Halloween events page describes them as "free and low-cost Halloween activities" and notes that all activities are subject to change.
The Las Vegas Book Festival returns Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. Admission is free. The day includes author talks, signings, readings, workshops, youth and family programming, vendors and food trucks. Las Vegas Weekly lists it as the 25th annual festival. The festival's schedule has Tony Weaver Jr. at 11 a.m., Jon Ralston in conversation with Steve Sebelius at 12:30 p.m., and Natalie Baszile at 4 p.m. A 2:15 p.m. panel features Ayana Gray, Clarence A. Haynes, Kimberly Lemming, Meghan Le Fay, Vanessa L. Torres and Yasmin Angoe.
On the same Saturday evening, Spook and Splash runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at Pavilion Center Pool Complex, 101 S. Pavilion Center Drive, for $4 a person. That makes Oct. 17 the one date when you could do a book festival and a costume swim without paying for parking passes or timed tickets.
The ward events pick up from there:
- Ward 2 Trunk or Treat and Halloween Movie in the Park, Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m., Bruce Trent Park, 8851 Vegas Drive. It's free and includes a "Hotel Transylvania" screening.
- Ward 3 Family Movie Night, Friday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m., Stewart Place Park, 4700 Chantilly Ave. It's free, with a screening of "COCO" plus activities.
Ward 3's free movie night lands on the same evening as Haunt the Wetlands and the second night of Springs Preserve's Haunted Harvest. A family in the central valley has a free option and two ticketed options on that Friday.
Why the Last Week Gets So Crowded
The two calendars collide in the final week of October, and a city holiday makes it tighter. According to the city's events page, all city centers and offices are closed Friday, Oct. 30, for Nevada Day. That closure leaves Thursday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 31 as the city's two big days.
Thursday, Oct. 29 has two free festivals at opposite ends of the city:
- Ward 6 Haunted Harvest, 4 to 7:30 p.m., at Centennial Hills Community Center and YMCA, 6601 N. Buffalo Drive, and Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive. It's free, with a castle maze, scavenger hunt, puppet show and trunk-or-treating.
- Fourth Annual Fall Festival, 5 to 8 p.m., at East Las Vegas Community Center, 250 N. Eastern Ave. It's free, with a pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating, entertainment, games and vendors.
The East Las Vegas festival offers a free pumpkin patch on a weeknight. Gilcrease, by comparison, sells timed entry and charges for pumpkins by the pound.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and it's the last day on both calendars. Gilcrease's Fall Harvest and The Las Vegas Farm's festival both end on Oct. 31. That evening also has three free or open-to-the-public options:
- Halloween Safe Night, 5 to 8:30 p.m., Doolittle Community Center, 1950 N. J St. It's a free city and county event with trunk-or-treating, games and refreshments.
- Stupak Trunk or Treat, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Stupak Community Center, 251 W. Boston Ave. It's free for families with children up to age 12, and the city advises street or paid-lot parking.
- Costumes Under the Canopy at Fremont Street Experience, starting at 8 p.m. The Review-Journal's Halloween guide lists entertainment, food trucks, a silent spooky disco and a costume contest.
Those start times add up to a full day. A weekend-morning orchard slot gets you out of Gilcrease by 2 p.m. at the latest. The community-center trunk-or-treats start at 5 and 5:30, and Fremont Street starts at 8 p.m. for anyone still in costume.
Fall Doesn't End on Halloween
Both calendars continue into November.
Springs Preserve's Día de Muertos runs Nov. 6 through 8, 5 to 9 p.m., with altars, mariachis, sugar-skull decorating, live entertainment, and food and art vendors. Nonmember admission is $15 for adults and $9 for children ages 3 to 17. Members pay $11 and $7, and children 2 and younger get in free. Members again get in an hour early at 4 p.m., and parking works the same way as at Haunted Harvest, free on site with overflow at Meadows Mall.
On the free side, Clark County's Fall-O-Ween at Silverado Ranch Community Center takes place Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 3 p.m., with games, music, cookie decorating and community booths. Food is available for purchase. It runs the same weekend as Día de Muertos but in the afternoon, so the two don't overlap.
Two other annual events didn't have confirmed 2026 dates in what we could find: the City of Las Vegas Día de los Muertos festival and Clark County's Life in Death festival at Winchester Dondero Cultural Center. Both are worth checking with the city and county before you plan around them.
If your weekends are already filling up and you're curious how your part of the valley compares with the neighborhoods hosting these events, I'm happy to talk through it, whether you're staying put or thinking about a move later. Reach out to Florianne May Turla and let's connect.
