What's Halloween like on Martha’s Vineyard?

Nowhere likes to do Halloween more than on Martha’s Vineyard where the island embraces the holiday in full spirit (so to speak). 

About a  week or so before the end of October, you will start to see dressed up “scarecrows” depicting storybook characters outside many of the businesses across the island.  Including Tea Lane Associates who have sponsored a scarecrow every year since the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School started its annual Halloween fundraiser in 2005. 

Vineyard Haven becomes the Halloween hub, with parades, parties, trick or treating beginning mid week and carries on throughout the weekend.   Historic William Street Vineyard Haven is the center of the trick or treating action on the evening itself.    

People come from far and wide even from the mainland to trick or treat on William Street and surrounding blocks where the streets are closed to traffic and homeowners really embrace their responsibility with decorations, pumpkins, costumes and lanterns and of course plenty of candy!

Earlier in the afternoon Main Street shops greet the younger trick or treaters starting with the Puppet Parade at 4pm from the Mansion House Hotel. Then from 4:30 to 6:30 the Main Street shops continue the party with extended shopping, DJ, and a costume contest.   

Also on October 31st the annual Howl-o-Ween dog halloween party and dog show takes place at the MV Agricultural Hall.  It promises, “games, treats, prizes and activities”   I mean…. dogs in Halloween costumes .... what's not to love about that?

The Martha’s Vineyard museum celebrates Halloween with “Halloween on the Hill” on the 31st with Trick or Treating throughout the museum. Games, crafts, costumes and candy are the order of the day… The Museum building was once the Marine Hospital which lay abandoned and empty for many years before the Museum purchased the building.. so you don't need to let your imagination run too far to think about how spooky it might be up on that hill on Halloween!

The Grange Hall in West Tisbury is hosting “Spirits and Spirits”  during Halloween week …  The Grange is transformed into “Hotel Le Grange”, where island actors and musicians perform a vaudeville style review of ghostly tales, song and dance. Performances are all week (5 Nights) and tickets are available via Circuit Arts.

Be sure to check out Ghost Island Farm over Halloween  - the farm stand on State Road where they flipped the map of the island upside down to create a ghost shape!  Halloween must be their favorite holiday because each year they go all out with a spooky, scary installation in front of the farm stand.  This year Rusty and the crew will be open all day with their first annual "Ghost Fest" music by local musicians, games and pot luck and everyone is welcome. it's worth a visit - even if just to take a photo with this year's installation. 

Friday night in Oak Bluffs is the Zombie Crawl.  The flyers say “just show up”   Costumes encouraged. 

On Friday and Saturday, MV Screen Printing is the place to be if you are up for a proper scaring.  For two weeks every October MV Screen printing shuts down their operation to turn their building into a Haunted House. Bigger kids line up to experience the super scary  “Lights out Horror” show from 7-10pm.  For the younger audience or those who are more delicate - “Kid Friendly Spooks” are from 4-5:30pm.  Proceeds go to the Tisbury Fire Dept. 

For more Halloween fun across the Island visit #visitmarthasvineyard or Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce.