Newark NY Halloween Events 2026: From Canal to Central Park
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
At the May 19 meeting of the Newark Village Board, in the second-floor courtroom of the Municipal Building, Halloween came up between a wastewater boiler contract and a bridge abatement bid. The mayor told the trustees that a group of Newark graduates calling themselves the Ghoul Guide Team wanted to hold a Halloween event in the village. They asked for a haunted trail, a pumpkin walk and vendors west of the bridge by Edgett Street. The trustees approved it unanimously.
That vote is why Newark's Halloween runs differently this October. Trunk or Treat still lands on Saturday, October 31, in Central Park. This year a trail event on the canal also runs across several weekend nights, and in between come a week of community center programs and a contest deadline. Every piece has its own organizer, and the order of the dates matters.
The May 19 minutes describe the event plainly. The scare walk runs from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., with an extra hour before and after for setup and takedown. It is held on the Edgett Street Canal Trail. Vendors were proposed for a sectioned-off part of the north parking lot.
A few smaller details in the minutes help with planning. The board was told there will be a charge for the walk. One trustee raised the question of extra parking, and the minutes say the Ghoul Guide Team could ask the Fire Department about more parking options. The police chief said officers could be on the trail with bikes.
The same minutes include an update that fits well with a night walk. New signs and a kiosk with maps had just been installed at the Edgett St. Canal Trailhead, and the board credited the Department of Public Works for the work. The trailhead got its new maps in the spring, and the scare walk brings people to it after dark in the fall.
The board approved five nights: October 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30. The first weekend has already passed. Three nights are left.
The village calendar lists the remaining dates in two entries. The Ghoul Guide Scare Walk runs Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24. The Ghoul Guide Scare Walk and Pumpkin Walk runs Friday, October 30. All three nights are 6 to 9 p.m.
The final night is the only one the village lists with the pumpkin walk in the title. It also falls the evening before Trunk or Treat, so the canal trail and Central Park host Newark's Halloween events on back-to-back nights.
Both village listings carry the Ghoul Guide Team's 2026 poster. The board said there will be a charge, but the minutes don't give an amount, so check the poster or ask the team about tickets and parking before you go.
The trail is dark from Sunday through Thursday. The Alex Eligh Community Center fills two of those nights with its Halloween Spirit Week, and both events end early enough for school nights.
The center has had a busy fall. Finger Lakes Daily News reported this month that Anchor Pointe, a student-focused space, officially opened in Newark through a partnership between the Alex Eligh Community Center and Delphi Rise under New York's Safe Space Initiative. Spirit Week is that same community center putting on seasonal programs in its own building.
The Monday carving night also lines up with the next item on the calendar. Anyone planning to enter a carved pumpkin in the village contest has Monday evening to finish it and Tuesday and Wednesday morning to call it in.
The Village of Newark's Best Residential Halloween Display Contest opened for registration on Wednesday, October 21, and it closes at noon on Wednesday, October 28.
Here is how it works, according to the village. Decorate the outside of your house or finish a pumpkin sculpture, then register by calling 315-331-4770, ext. 106. Contest judges come by and take a photo of your creation. The prize is a trick-or-treat basket of holiday goodies.
The noon deadline lands two days before the last trail night and three days before trick-or-treating. That means a display going up the weekend of October 31 is too late to enter. When FingerLakes1 covered the contest on October 8, it noted that the announcement didn't list judging criteria, the number of winners or a date for announcing them. The safest plan is to have your display finished and your call made by Tuesday.
Trunk or Treat is Saturday, October 31, from 5 to 7 p.m. The village describes it as Trunk or Treat by several businesses and community members in Central Park on Church St.
You may notice that the listing's address field reads Maple Court, which doesn't match the Church Street description. Both point to the same place. When the board approved an Alex Eligh Community Center event in Central Park this summer, the minutes described blocking off the road from South Main Street to Maple Court. Maple Court is a cross street at the park, and the event itself is in Central Park.
The two-hour window starts at 5 p.m., which is earlier than the 6 p.m. start on the canal trail the night before. It also wraps up by 7, while the canal walk on Friday runs until 9.
The table below starts on the day this post publishes, Thursday, October 22, and runs through Halloween.
| Date | Event | Time | Where | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 22 to Wed, Oct 28 | Best Residential Halloween Display Contest registration | Until noon Oct 28 | Your own front yard; call 315-331-4770, ext. 106 | Village of Newark |
| Fri, Oct 23 | Ghoul Guide Scare Walk | 6 to 9 p.m. | Edgett Street Canal Trail | Ghoul Guide Team |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Ghoul Guide Scare Walk | 6 to 9 p.m. | Edgett Street Canal Trail | Ghoul Guide Team |
| Mon, Oct 26 | Pumpkin Carving | 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Alex Eligh Community Center | AECC Halloween Spirit Week |
| Tue, Oct 27 | Skates & Scares | 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Alex Eligh Community Center | AECC Halloween Spirit Week |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Ghoul Guide Scare Walk and Pumpkin Walk | 6 to 9 p.m. | Edgett Street Canal Trail | Ghoul Guide Team |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Trunk or Treat | 5 to 7 p.m. | Central Park on Church St. | Local businesses and community members |
Every scare walk night falls on a Friday or Saturday, and both community center programs fall on early weeknights, so none of these events overlap. The contest deadline sits on the Wednesday between them, and Central Park closes out the week on Saturday.
One more date from the same week. The village announced that Ollie's would hold its grand opening at 6740 State Route 31 E at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 21.
When Halloween is over, the village moves on to Home for the Holidays. The village describes it as a committee-coordinated season of events between Thanksgiving and New Year's, with a lighted parade, a tree lighting, a Santa visit and Small Business Saturday. The 2026 dates haven't been posted on that page yet. The Ghoul Guide Team's last approved night on the canal is Friday, October 30, from 6 to 9 p.m.
I love sharing what's happening in our Finger Lakes villages, from the Edgett Street Canal Trail to a Saturday night in Central Park. If you're curious how a seasonal event like this connects to the streets around it, or what nearby homes are like, I'm happy to talk it over. Arlene Reese would love to hear from you. Schedule a free consultation, and enjoy your Halloween in Newark.
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