Beasties and Besties Halloween Festival
Saturday, October 24 • 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Calling all little goblins and ghouls! Stepping Stones invites you to a day of Halloween fun at our annual Beasties and Besties Halloween Festival! This all-ages celebration takes over the museum with music, dancing, puppetry, hands-on activities and plenty of magical surprises around every corner. Play classic carnival games, move and groove at the Monster Mash dance party, trick-or-treat through The Village, march in a costume parade and see what other frighteningly festive fun you can uncover along the way.
Costumes encouraged!
*Ticketholders are welcome to arrive at Stepping Stones Museum for Children any time on Saturday, October 24, beginning at 10:00 am. The event runs until 5:00 pm. While most activities can be completed within approximately two hours, your ticket provides full-day admission to this museum-wide Halloween celebration. Ticketholders are free to come and go throughout the day.
Featured Experiences
Monster Mash Dance Party
Enchanting lighting effects, swirling fog and wickedly good beats transform The Theater into a Halloween spectacle, with larger-than-life puppets leading this fangtastic dance party. Shake your bones, raise the roof and groove the day away!
Carnival Games
Step right up, folks! Hurry, hurry, hurry in for some traditional carnival games with Halloween flare! Try your hand at Can Knockdown, test your strength at the Kiddie Striker, take aim during Ducks Spray-N-Race and more.
Courtyard Hayride
You've been on a hayride, but have you been on a trike-pulled hayride? Hop aboard the wagon for a ride through our fall-decorated courtyard.
Puppet Show: Spookytown Variety
Prepare to meet the ghoulish citizens of Spookytown in this howlarious puppet variety show! Ghosts soar, Dracula lurks, skeletons dance, witches cackle – and most horrifying of all, the daily commute. This special October presentation by Out of a Box Puppetry features marionettes, hand puppets, masks and more.
Costume Parade
Step into the spotlight and strut your stuff! Our spirited costume parade is your chance to show off your spectacular look as music, marching and Halloween magic fill the museum.
Mummy Wrapping Contest
Let’s get wrapped up in the fun! Join us for a fast-paced mummy wrapping competition where teams race to wrap their partner from head to toe. The first team to turn their friend into a full-fledged mummy wins!
Halloween Bento box
A little sweet. A little salty. A lot of festive! Enjoy cinnamon donut bites, pretzels, fresh apple slices and caramel dipping sauce in this Halloween-ready bento box. Available for purchase at the event.
Decorate a Pumpkin
Get creative and decorate your very own mini pumpkin! Use colorful materials and fun Halloween-inspired designs to make a pumpkin that’s yours to take home. Pumpkins generously provided by Silverman’s Farm in Easton, CT.
Face Painting
What’s Halloween without a little face paint? Choose a spooky (or not-so-spooky) design to add a festive touch to your look and let our artists take it from there.
Design a Trick-or-Treat Bag
You can’t go trick-or-treating without a bag to fill! Decorate your own with colorful stickers and spooky or silly designs, then bring it along as you explore the museum and collect Halloween goodies.
Trick-or-Treat Treasure Trail
Trick-or-treating doesn’t have to wait until Halloween! Design your own goodie bag and fill it with treats and treasures at five festive stations throughout the museum.
Flying Bats
Bats can seem a bit scary, but they’re very beneficial to nature since they eat pesky bugs like mosquitos. Get crafty by making your own bat with coffee filters and markers, then put your creation to the test in a wind tunnel to see how it flies!
Tombstone Rubbing
Enter the Memento Mori cemetery and create a rubbing from authentic casts of real New England gravestones. Look closely at the symbols and designs to uncover the stories and traditions behind early memorials.
