Things to Do in
Gilbert & Eastside Phoenix

This is the one I send new neighbors to first, and it runs as usual on Halloween morning in Gilbert's Heritage District, 8 to noon under the water tower. Arizona growers, local honey, farm-fresh eggs, artisan breads, and live music. Shop first, then wander the district on the final weekend of the Harvest celebration.

The big Saturday market with 150-plus vendors holds its usual fall hours on Halloween, about five miles south of downtown Gilbert. Local organic produce, artisan foods, and prepared food worth the drive. Go early for the best picks, then grab a costume-day breakfast while you shop.

Fall hours continue at the Downtown Chandler market in A.J. Chandler Park, and 9 to 1 makes for a relaxed start to Halloween day. Local growers, artisan breads, and a coffee shop right across the street. Shop, then walk the park while the kids burn off pre-candy energy.

Mesa's year-round downtown market at Inspire Farms on Main Street runs its usual Saturday hours, 8 to noon, even on Halloween. Local growers, artisan goods, and prepared food, with a stroll through downtown Mesa while you shop. Go early and grab breakfast from one of the vendors.

This is the final weekend of downtown Gilbert's big fall celebration, and it lines up with Halloween in the district. The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt's carved-pumpkin scenes stay up along Gilbert Road through Sunday, November 1, the Halloween Pumpkin Fun installation glows at the south end of the district, and the Celebration Soundscape lights up Water Tower Plaza each night on the hour from 6 to 10. Free to wander, and perfect to pair with a Saturday market stop.

A free, family-friendly Halloween kickoff on the green at Verde at Cooley Station in south Gilbert. Costume contest, pumpkin decorating, the Great Pumpkin Hunt with prizes, photo ops, and a DJ, with The Bar Car open for the grown-ups. Bring the kids in costume, grab dinner, and let them run before the big night.

Queen Creek's signature fall festival closes for the season Saturday night, a short drive east of Gilbert. Ten-acre corn maze, U-pick pumpkins, petting zoo, barrel train, pig races, and live music, with Halloween weekend hours of noon to 10 Friday and 10 to 10 Saturday. Book tickets ahead; Halloween is its biggest day of the season.

The free Thursday concert series closes out October under the water tower with Carly Klein. 6:30 to 8:30 at Water Tower Plaza. Bring a blanket and a picnic, grab dinner from a downtown spot, and let the kids dance one last time before Halloween weekend. Free, no tickets needed.

Chandler Center for the Arts hosts the 27th annual Mariachi & Folklorico Festival Sunday afternoon, a vibrant celebration of mariachi and folklorico performance timed for Día de los Muertos weekend. A great Sunday outing: catch the show, then wander downtown Chandler in the cooler evening air. Check the venue for tickets.

For the grown-ups who want their Halloween loud: thrash metal act HAVOK headlines at the Nile in downtown Mesa with Hellripper, Slackjaw, and Xoth on the bill. Doors in the evening, decked out for Halloween, and right on Main Street. Tickets through the venue. This one is not for the little ones.

Hale's big fall musical keeps running in downtown Gilbert: Annie, the classic rags-to-riches story, performed in the round. Bright, warm, and genuinely fun for the whole family, and a nice indoors option after a week of outdoor events. The run goes through November 21, with shows most evenings.

Downtown Chandler's free family Halloween night: carnival games, trunk-or-treat stations, and a costume parade on the park stage plaza from 5:30 to 8:30. Costume up the kids, work the loop around the plaza, and there is plenty of candy to show for it. Free and right off Arizona Avenue.

More than 30 themed trick-or-treat booths line up at MCC's Red Mountain campus Friday evening, free for families. A great Mesa option if you want to make a Halloween-night double: this one runs 5:30 to 8:30, and downtown Chandler's Spooktacular is the same hours.

Pumpkin picking, hayrides, the adventure maze, and classic farm activities run daily through November 1 at Mother Nature's Farm on Baseline in Gilbert, so Halloween weekend is your last chance this season. It is the quintessential fall family outing, right in your backyard. Go early in the day to beat the costume crowds.

The East Valley's longest-running corn maze is on its 28th annual edition off Power Road in Mesa, and Saturday is the last day of the season. Giant slide, games, pumpkins, carnival rides, and fire pits in the evenings, with Halloween weekend hours Thursday afternoon through Saturday night. There is no excuse not to go one more time.

A 28-year Gilbert tradition and yes, the name means what you think: a dog-friendly community festival at the Gilbert Civic Center on Halloween. Costumed canines, contests, vendors, and a whole lot of very good dogs. Winston and I are in for it every year, so bring your own four-legged family member. Check the town's event page for the day's schedule.

A rotating lineup of 15-plus food trucks sets up at Queen Creek's weekly Friday Feastival, with live music and family activities, 5:30 to 9 every Friday. This week it doubles as a relaxed Halloween eve: grab dinner from a truck you have not tried, throw a blanket on the grass, and call it a Friday win.

Gilbert's working water ranch stays open daily and free with seven ponds, miles of trails, fishing, and some of the best birding in the East Valley. Late October is wonderful out here: cooler mornings, migrating birds, and golden light. Pack water, go early, and you have earned the afternoon off.

The observatory at the Riparian Preserve opens for free public viewing Friday and Saturday evenings from dusk to about 9:30, weather permitting, staffed by the East Valley Astronomy Club. A calm way to end Halloween weekend under the stars, and one of the best free things to do in Gilbert with kids. A suggested donation keeps the program going.