This year, Halloween in Aiken is a Saturday with six steeplechase races on it. The Aiken Steeplechase Association has scheduled the Aiken Fall Steeplechase for Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at the Aiken Steeplechase Racecourse, 2020 Richland Ave. E. Gates open at 9 a.m. The first race goes off at 1 p.m., and gates close at 5:30 p.m.
The family Halloween events are on the calendar too. They just sit seven days earlier. The City of Aiken trunk-or-treat, the Aiken County YMCA's Halloween Trail, a full day of downtown events on Laurens Street, the costume class at Bruce's Field and the last Saturday of the Western Carolina State Fair all land on Saturday, Oct. 24. If you're planning around costumes and candy, Oct. 24 is your Halloween. Oct. 31 is a race day that also happens to have a costume contest.
Saturday, Oct. 24, From Morning to Dark
You can fit most of it into one day if you go in order. Here's how the published schedules line up:
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., downtown. The Aiken Downtown Development Association's Fall In Love With Downtown Aiken runs on Laurens Street SW. The county listing doesn't bill it as a Halloween event. It does fall on the last day of public voting in the downtown Scarecrow Contest, which runs Oct. 13 through Oct. 24, with winners announced Oct. 28. If you want a say in the scarecrows, vote before the day is out.
- All day, the fairgrounds. The Western Carolina State Fair runs Oct. 16 through Oct. 25 at the Aiken Fairgrounds, 561 May Royal Drive, off Highway 495. The rodeo is on the final weekend, Oct. 24 and 25. The demolition derbies already ran on Oct. 16 and 18.
- 3 to 6 p.m., Citizens Park. The City of Aiken's Trunk-or-Treat is at Citizens Park, 1060 Banks Mill Road. It costs $1 per child age 12 and under, children need an adult with them, and pets aren't allowed. Along with the decorated trunks, the listing promises a DJ, inflatables, games and food vendors.
- 5 to 7 p.m., Graniteville. The Aiken County YMCA's Halloween Trail starts as the city event ends. It's at 621 Trolley Line Road, with a trick-or-treat trail, face painting, crafts, field games and concessions.
- End of the day, Bruce's Field. The Aiken Horse Park ends its Saturday program with the Halloween Costume Class. Barns are also competing in a Halloween Barn Decorating Contest.
The overlap is tight. The Citizens Park and YMCA events only share their 5 to 6 p.m. hour, so a family could do both without rushing. Downtown and the fair cover the morning and early afternoon.
Halloween Week at the Horse Park
Bruce's Field gets its own section because it's the event most residents outside the horse community drive past without stopping. Its Fall in Love With Aiken series runs Oct. 15 to 18 and Oct. 22 to 25, then returns Nov. 5 to 8. These are USEF/USHJA National A-rated Level 3 shows, and each week has a $25,000 grand prix. The second October week is billed as Halloween Week, and the show page lists one addition for this year:
NEW for 2026!!! Join us ring side during the $25,000 City of Aiken Grand Prix for the Bruce's Field Trunk o' Treat.
That means you can trick-or-treat at the rail while grand prix horses jump. Deirdre Stoker Vaillancourt is also putting up a $500 prize for the best costume worn by a Grand Prix horse and rider. The page doesn't give a time for the Trunk o' Treat. Check the Aiken Horse Park show page the week of the show before you plan around it.
The park is at 931 Powderhouse Road SE. According to the Aiken Horse Park, most of its events are free and open to spectators, and a few require tickets. Spectators enter through the Audubon Drive gate and follow the parking signs, and well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome. The page doesn't say outright whether the Halloween Week show is free, so look again before you go.
The week before has its own draw. Week I is Homecoming Week. A Bruce's Field Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned Saturday, Oct. 17, between the first round and the jump-off of the $25,000 Aiken Saddlery Grand Prix. The horse park says the nominations and voting support its charitable partners, Aiken Senior Life Services and USC Aiken Equestrian Club Sports.
The Days Between
The week between the two Saturdays is quiet, with a few dated events on the calendar. The Aiken Hounds list a Halloween Hunt for Tuesday, Oct. 27, as part of a fall hunting season that runs Oct. 13 through Nov. 24. On Friday, Oct. 30, Millbrook Baptist holds a free trunk-or-treat from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 223 S. Aiken Blvd. SE. That's the one Halloween-themed community event the research found that lands on a weeknight close to the 31st.
A few Steeplechase details matter if you plan to be at the racecourse on Halloween. The Aiken Steeplechase office is closed Oct. 28 through Oct. 31, and ticket help during those days goes through 1-800-239-9254. Holders of reserved Railside and Second Row spaces can set up their tailgate on Friday, Oct. 30, between 3 and 6 p.m. Setup costs a $50 donation, and you enter through the Red Gate with your Reserved Parking Hanger.
Oct. 31 at the Racecourse
The Steeplechase is where Halloween itself happens this year. The race-day lineup includes a few events that look made for the date:
- 11:30 a.m. Children's Stick Horse Races
- 1:30 p.m. Hat and Costume Contests for all ages and pets, at the Live Music Stage
- 2:30 p.m. Corgi Racing
- All day Halloween Tailgate Contest, plus live music in the Village of Shops starting at 11 a.m.
Costumes for the kids and the dog may get more use on race day than at a trunk-or-treat. The contest is open to every age and to pets. The FAQ doesn't spell out a general pet policy for the grounds, though, so check with the association before you bring a dog just to watch.
Getting in costs more than the Oct. 24 events. A Patron Ticket is $47.25, and children 10 and under get in free. Patron parking is $42. Reserved railside tailgate packages run from $367.50 to $1,312.50 and include four to 10 Patron Tickets, depending on location. A 5% electronic ticketing fee applies to all purchases. You can buy tickets and parking at the gate on race day, but the gates don't take cash.
Timing is the main thing to plan around. Infield vehicles have to be parked before noon. Vehicle crossings close at noon and stay closed until after the third race at 2:30 p.m. Leaving and coming back means buying patron and parking tickets again. Golf carts, scooters, generators, drones and glassware aren't allowed. Tailgate tents can't be bigger than 10 by 10 feet and have to sit 5 feet back from the rail. The last race goes off at 4:20 p.m. and gates close at 5:30, so there's some light left for neighborhood trick-or-treating if your family wants both.
Dinner Downtown Either Saturday
If you'd rather end Oct. 24 or Oct. 31 at a table downtown, there's a new option on Laurens Street. Fire Shaka Hawaiian BBQ began a soft opening Sept. 29 at 126 Laurens St. NW. Co-owners Matt Miskelly and Alex Wilson serve a Hawaiian and Polynesian menu with Southern influences, the Aiken Standard reported. It's on the same street as the Oct. 24 Fall In Love With Downtown event, so it fits easily into a downtown day before you head to Citizens Park.
At The Moss Group, we follow Aiken's fall calendar as closely as we follow its streets, and this year it shifts a week early. If you're thinking about a move in or around Aiken and want to talk it through with someone who knows how the city's seasons play out, request a complimentary home valuation or schedule a consultation with Lisa.
