Legends & Lanterns®: A "Spirited" Journey through Halloween History returns this October to bring you three weekends (October 10-11, 17-18, and 23-25) of frightfully fun experiences. Talk to Legends like Captain Hook, the Big Bad Wolf, and Lizzie Borden, explore historical exhibits, and enjoy daily shows as you celebrate Halloween in St. Charles. Plan your trip now and discover the cozy places to stay, charming restaurants, and quaint shops in Saint Charles to make the most of your visit. Here are five can’t-miss activities to add to your Legends & Lanterns® itinerary this year, and don't forget to purchase merch to rock Legends & Lanterns® all year long.
Listen to Haunted Harmonies
There’s no shortage of musical entertainment at Legends & Lanterns®. Enjoy concerts by The Angry Villagers, a musical mob that breaks into song as they work to rid Main Street of ghosts. Join them on the rear steps of the Kister Park Gazebo at 3 PM every festival day for Torch Songs: A Disgruntled Musical Rally, where they sing spellbinding tunes that provide the perfect soundtrack to storming a castle.
The Ghouling Stones, AKA the hottest “rock” stars in St. Charles, perform a rock concert at 1 PM every festival day in Forget-Me-Not-Plaza. You don’t want to miss them, they’re on a roll!
Marvel at the talented fiddle playing by Dr. Schnabel, a plague doctor that plays Halloween tunes and hoedown melodies. After all, music is the best medicine (according to him, at least)!
Do you want to join in on the melody? Sing karaoke with The Phantom of the Opera who traded his pipe organ for a karaoke machine at Legends & Lanterns®. Stay alert as he looks for his new muse on Main Street; you could be the chosen one!
Get Creative at Writers’ Block
Brainstorm story ideas with Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley as you write your own suspenseful story or poem at Writers’ Block located at the Old Post Office Plaza. You can even add it to the community “POE” tree.
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Take a crash course through the history of horror literature at the Ghost Writing 101 show every festival day at 2 PM. The Brothers Grimm join Poe and Shelley as they irreverently skewer the classics in a zany, fast-paced show.
Visit the Vibrant Plaza Del Dia De Los Muertos
Join La Catrina at Berthold Square to explore the heritage and customs of the Mexican Day of the Dead. Get a festive calavera (sugar skull) make over from a face painter and honor a departed loved one by adding a memorial marigold to the ofrenda (memorial altar). Learn more about this vibrant holiday from La Catrina, the skeletal grand dame of Dia de los Muertos and get your photo taken with the colorful 12-foot-tall skeleton, Carlos Grande.
Stop by the KATY Depot in Frontier Park
There are plenty of things to do at Legends & Lanterns® in the KATY Depot. Watch clips from your favorite classic monster and Sci-Fi movies at the Tinseltown Terror: A Salute to the Golden Age of Monster Movies exhibit. Take a seat and enjoy a complimentary bag of popcorn while supplies last.
As you make your way through the Depot, enjoy a performance by the Warbling Gourds. This trio of singing pumpkins performs a repertoire of amusing Halloween “scare-ols” amidst a collection of curios and supplies for spell casters.
Meet Evangeline Mortimer, a 19th century mourner extraordinaire, in Morbid Curiosity: Mourning Traditions of the Victorian Age, an exhibit where you can learn more about how Victorians turned grief into an art form. This family-friendly exhibit features peculiar artifacts displaying the Victorians’ bereavement process and information on how they affected our traditions today.
New for 2026 is The Fox Sisters Séance Parlor, where a trio of swindling spiritual mediums, the Fox Sisters, use a crystal ball to summon spirits and tell the future. Decorated with 1920s and 1930s Halloween décor; the séance parlor has a Victorian feel that draws you in to the mischief.
Check out Pumpkin Glow on Historic Main Street
Hundreds of pumpkins light up Historic Main Street on October 23-24 from 5 PM to 8 PM for an enchanting night of shopping and dining. Main Street businesses decorate their sidewalks and windows with jack-o-lanterns, illuminating the street with an eerie glow. Shops are open late and Legends & Lanterns® will be operating with extended hours to make Pumpkin Glow a hauntingly good event.
Make the most of Legends & Lanterns® in St. Charles this fall. Whether you’re here to interact with the Legends, explore the exhibits, or catch a show, you’re in for a treat!
