Slightly Spooky Saturday at Navy Pier

Slightly Spooky Saturday is Navy Pier’s free, all-ages Halloween afternoon. According to the organizer, it runs noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2026, with trick-or-treating throughout the pier for kids in costume, free workshops, live performances and what the pier calls festive frights and family-friendly fun. There is no admission charge to the pier or the event.

The pier’s indoor spaces, including the Family Pavilion and Crystal Gardens, keep the event workable in bad weather, and the Centennial Wheel and other rides run on their regular fall schedule for a fee. The pier’s restaurants and the Chicago Children’s Museum, which sits at the pier’s entrance, are open as usual.

Adults looking for a party will find separate ticketed Halloween events at the pier’s rooftop venues the same week; those are 21-plus and not part of the free afternoon.

Plan your visit

The Grand stop on the Red Line is a 15-minute walk east on Grand Avenue, or a short ride on the No. 29 State, No. 65 Grand or No. 124 Navy Pier buses, all of which stop at the pier’s entrance. Pier garages charge by the hour and the Halloween afternoon plus a Saturday means both garages fill by early afternoon; the surface lots on Streeter Drive are the overflow. The busiest hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Bring a candy bag, a costume that fits over a coat, and a stroller; the pier is more than half a mile end to end and most of the stations are along the south dock.