TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — October begins this weekend. How are you ushering in the Halloween season?
Tucson has many 'spooky-themed' events happening throughout the month. KGUN 9 will bring you a fresh list each week in October get you started celebrating to the fullest.
Here five picks for the weekend of Oct. 1 to get you into that creepy holiday spirit, whether you want to stay in or head out.
Hit up a Haunted House
Did you know Tucson is home to one of the scariest haunted houses in the nation?
It's an honor bestowed to Slaughterhouse by the website 'Scurryface.'
This is opening weekend for the haunted experience, which opens tonight, Sept. 30 and is located at 1102 W. Grant Rd.
For more information about Slaughterhouse, its operating hours, and ticket purchases, visit their website slaughterhousetucson.com.
Hit up a family-friendly, not-so-haunted house
For an October evening out with the kids, or perhaps adults who don't love a good scare, the proprietors of Slaughterhouse are presenting Glowing Pumpkins, a Jack-o-Lantern Adventure at the Tucson Mall.
The colorful displays of festive lights and decorated pumpkins require tickets for entry. Glowing Pumpkins is open Wednesdays through Sundays.
For more information: "Slaughterhouse" family to debut "Glowing Pumpkins" Jack-O-Lantern Adventure
Enter a pumpkin-carving contest
Stores around Southern Arizona are already stocked with fresh pumpkins. So why not start carving them up?
The 'Glowing Pumpkins Pumpkin Carving Contest' begins this weekend, Oct. 1 at 12:01 a.m. and ends on Oct. 17 at 11:59 p.m.
Entries in the contests must be original creations: creatively decorated or carved pumpkin that best shows their Halloween spirit. Contestants will be required to submit photos of their entries. Full contest rules can befound on our website.
Want to go the extra mile to find the right pumpkin? Apple Annie's Pumpkin Festival is open, and officially bringing fun and smiles for the fall season.
Stay in for a scary movie night
It's a long-awaited movie release. Some may have been waiting since the original film was released in 1993.
Hocus Pocus 2 premieres on Disney+ today, Sept. 30.
Read the full review from KGUN 9's Phil Villareal: Long-awaited 'Hocus Pocus 2' matches wit, spirit of 1993 original
Buy wares at a Halloween-themed flea market
Head to the Tucson Expo Center at 3750 E. Irvington Rd. for a Halloween-themed flea market, presented by the Dirty T Punk Rock Flea Market.
For a $10 admission fee, explore booths from over 100 vendors featuring
- handmade Halloween-themed art
- vintage items and clothing
- 'oddities and curiosities'
- and more
The market opens at 9 a.m. and runs all day until 6 p.m. both Saturday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 2. Tickets are available online. Free admission for kids 12 and under.
RELATED: Nightfall sneak peek as Old Tucson reopens Oct. 6
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
