Halloween 2026 in Panama City: Fright Nights downtown Oct. 15-25, a hospital Trucks and Treats Oct. 29 and a St. Andrews fall market on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Last checked Oct. 14, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Sources: the Bay Arts Alliance’s Fright Nights site, the City of Panama City’s event calendar and Destination Panama City’s events calendar, where each organizer’s listing is linked below. Confirm with the organizer before you go.

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. Panama City’s season centers on Fright Nights, the Bay Arts Alliance’s haunted theater show downtown on two long weekends, with free family events at a fire station, a hospital and the library in between, and a fall market and costume parties on Halloween day itself. Trick-or-treat hours are on their own page: trick-or-treat hours in Panama City.

Updated Oct. 14: October’s events stand after Hurricane Isaias; Spooky Science and the Camp Helen pumpkin patch added.

Who to call

  • Fright Nights: Bay Arts Alliance, 850-640-3670, info@bayarts.org
  • City events: City Hall, 850-872-3000; text PanamaCity to 38276 for alerts
  • Library programs: Bay County Public Library, 850-522-2118
  • Emergency: 911. Police non-emergency dispatch: 850-872-3112

Hurricane Isaias passed through Bay County on Oct. 9-10. The city’s event calendar for the rest of October was unchanged when we checked on Oct. 14, and the Bay Arts Alliance still lists Fright Nights for Oct. 15-17 and 22-25. The city’s storm updates say trash and debris pickup will run behind for a couple of weeks. Check each organizer’s page before you go.

Fright Nights: Oct. 15-17 and 22-25

Fright Nights returns to the Panama City Center for the Arts, 19 E. Fourth St., for seven nights, 6 to 9 p.m. This year’s show, Dreamwalkers, takes visitors through the dreams of the Raven Queen with immersive sets and live actors. The Bay Arts Alliance calls it an immersive theatrical experience, not just a haunted house, and it is the alliance’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Buy tickets online.

Free and family events

  • Fire Department Open House: Friday, Oct. 16, 5 to 9 p.m., Fire Station 2, 2003 Beck Ave. Free food and drinks, a live fire demonstration and a kids’ agility course. Children 14 and under can enter the costume contest at 7 p.m. City listing.
  • Not-So-Fright Night: Saturday, Oct. 17, 6 to 9 p.m., The Portal Downtown, 308 Harrison Ave. A sensory-friendly evening from Multiverse Masquerade, with kid-friendly cosplayers handing out candy across the street from Fright Nights. Listing.
  • Sugar Skull Kids Paint Party: Saturday, Oct. 17, 1 to 3 p.m., L&C Artistry, 1106 Harrison Ave. A drop-off painting class for ages 5 to 12; space is limited. Listing.
  • Teen Fright Night: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Bay County Public Library, 898 W. 11th St. Scary stories and games for ages 12 to 17; family-friendly costumes welcome. Registration required: 850-522-2118. Listing.
  • Spooky Sweets Cookie Workshop: Thursday, Oct. 22, 4 to 5:30 p.m., MLK Jr. Recreation Center, 705 E. 14th Ct. Bake and decorate Halloween cookies; ages 8 and up, $5. City listing.
  • Spooky Science: Saturday, Oct. 24, Science and Discovery Center of Northwest Florida, 308 Airport Road. The children’s science museum’s Halloween event. The museum had confirmed the date but not times or prices on its website when we checked Oct. 14; its usual hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 850-769-6128.
  • Friends of Camp Helen State Park Pumpkin Patch: daily through Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Camp Helen State Park, Panama City Beach. Pumpkin and gourd sales support the park. Florida State Parks.
  • Trucks and Treats: Thursday, Oct. 29, 5 to 8 p.m., Ascension Sacred Heart Bay, 615 N. Bonita Ave. Free. A touch-a-truck trick-or-treat on the hospital campus with construction, military and emergency vehicles, and hospital staff in costume. Listing.
  • Family Friendly Halloween Party: Friday, Oct. 30, 6 to 10 p.m., Out of the Box Studio, 27 Harrison Ave. Halloween movies, snacks and free crafts such as painting a pumpkin. Listing.

Halloween day: Saturday, Oct. 31

  • Market at St. Andrews Fall Festival, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oaks by the Bay Park, 2715 W. 10th St. The Saturday market adds fall festival activities to its vendors. Listing.
  • Point Break Arcade’s Halloween party, 445 Harrison Ave. Anyone in costume gets a discounted wristband from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; entry is $15 from 6 p.m., the arcade is 18 and older only from 8 p.m., and the costume contest starts at 9 p.m. Listing.
  • Little Village Halloween Bash, 6 to 9 p.m., Little Village, 2808 W. 12th St., in historic St. Andrews. Live music from Dashboard Chihuahua and a costume contest with sign-up by 7:30 p.m. Listing.

For grown-ups

  • Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner: Saturday, Oct. 24, 5:30 to 10 p.m., Shaddai Shriners, 1101 W. 19th St. Tickets.
  • Renaissance to Rock-n-Roll: Friday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m., Captain Anderson’s Event Center, Panama City Beach. A Panama City Symphony fundraiser with the Will Thompson Band, from gothic classical pieces to rock anthems; costumes encouraged. Details.
  • Funk-or-Treat with the Pier Pressure Jazz Ensemble: Friday, Oct. 30, 7 to 10 p.m., 3128 E. Fifth St. Tickets.

Trunk-or-treats

Churches and schools often post trunk-or-treats late in the month. None in Panama City besides the hospital’s Trucks and Treats had been posted on the city or visitor calendars when we checked. Hosting one? Send the date, time and address to hello@panamacitydaily.com and we will add it.

What this means for you

  • The big ticketed event is Fright Nights, Oct. 15-17 and 22-25 downtown.
  • For young children, the fire station open house (Oct. 16) and Trucks and Treats (Oct. 29) are free and early in the evening.
  • Halloween is a Saturday: a morning market in St. Andrews, parties at night.

Related: trick-or-treat hours, fall festivals and pumpkin patches, things to do this month and kids’ activities in Panama City.

Frequently asked questions

When is Fright Nights in Panama City in 2026?

Oct. 15-17 and Oct. 22-25, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Panama City Center for the Arts, 19 E. Fourth St. This year’s show is called Dreamwalkers; it is the Bay Arts Alliance’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Is there a free trunk-or-treat in Panama City?

Ascension Sacred Heart Bay holds a free Trucks and Treats, a touch-a-truck trick-or-treat, from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, on its campus at 615 N. Bonita Ave.

What is there to do on Halloween day in Panama City?

Halloween falls on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Market at St. Andrews holds a fall festival market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oaks by the Bay Park, and Little Village in St. Andrews holds a Halloween bash and costume contest from 6 to 9 p.m.

Is there a sensory-friendly Halloween event in Panama City?

Yes. Not-So-Fright Night, a sensory-friendly evening with kid-friendly cosplayers handing out candy, runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at The Portal Downtown, 308 Harrison Ave.

What are trick-or-treat hours in Panama City?

The city had not set official hours when we checked. Our trick-or-treat hours page tracks any announcement from the city or the Police Department.