A flyer for Taunton House of Horror Haunt for Hunger 2026 showing the lit Halloween yard display with skeletons and a giant skeleton figure, the date Saturday, Oct. 31, at 6 p.m., and a goal of more than 800 pounds of food donations for Our Daily Bread
The Taunton House of Horror flyer for Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Anawan Street display collects food for Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center. Image: Taunton House of Horror, via the City of Taunton community calendar

SOUTH COAST Taunton House of Horror shows its full Halloween display on Anawan Street on Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6 p.m., and asks visitors to bring canned and boxed food for Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center. The organizers have set a goal of more than 800 pounds of donations this year, and their flyer says donations are accepted all through October.

It leads our nine picks for Friday, Oct. 30, through Sunday, Nov. 1, in Taunton, Fall River, Swansea, New Bedford and Mattapoisett. Friday has a free after-hours screening of a 1980s horror movie in Swansea, Saturday has Halloween afternoon and evening events in Fall River and live music in Taunton, and Sunday turns to books and music.

Our earlier guides already cover Baby Boo at the Zoo, the library story times, the Factory of Terror's Halloween weekend nights (Halloween week guide), Wareham's Trick or Treat on Main Street and the Dighton library's Halloween treats (Marion, Wareham, Dighton and Lakeville guide), the Zeiterion's Halloween week shows and the downtown New Bedford trick-or-treat stroll, so they are not repeated here. Neighborhood hours are in our town-by-town trick-or-treat guide.

How we chose

The picks fall between Friday, Oct. 30, and Sunday, Nov. 1, in the towns South Coast 360 covers. Each is listed on the organizer's own page or flyer. Each listing below gives the price or sign-up rule only where the organizer posted one. We read every listing on Thursday, Oct. 29. No organizer paid to be listed.

Friday, Oct. 30

  • Almost Halloween Movie Night, Swansea Swansea Free Public Library, 69 Main St., meeting room. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The library shows the 1988 film "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" after hours, free, with popcorn and water while they last and trivia from host Count Kaija. The movie is rated PG-13, and the library advises parental discretion. Anyone may attend.

Saturday, Oct. 31

  • Halloween on Pleasant Street, Fall River Pleasant Street. 1 to 5 p.m. The Flint Neighborhood Association and Nite Owl host games and activities, $2 pizza slices, a best-dressed owl costume contest and a scarecrow contest in which visitors vote for their favorite among scarecrows decorated by Flint businesses. Visitors are asked to bring canned goods and other nonperishable items for a Thanksgiving food drive for a local food bank. Families are welcome.
  • Greater Fall River RE-CREATION Halloween Party, Fall River Greater Fall River RE-CREATION, 45 Rock St. 5 to 7 p.m. The party is free, with trick-or-treating, a costume contest, pizza and a spooky hallway.
  • Taunton House of Horror Haunt for Hunger, Taunton Anawan Street, off Tremont Street near Trucchi's. From 6 p.m. The organizers call it a family-friendly Halloween display and invite visitors to take photos. It is a display to view from the street, and the flyer says it is not a walk-through. Donations of canned goods, boxed foods and other nonperishable items go to Our Daily Bread.
  • Church Green Coffeehouse, Taunton First Parish Church, 76 Church Green. Doors open at 6 p.m., and Plymouth Rock Music plays at 7 p.m., with costumes and prizes, followed by an open mic. The suggested donation is $5.

Sunday, Nov. 1

  • Church Green Farmers Market, Taunton First Parish Church, 76 Church Green. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., every Sunday, with free street parking or the municipal lot behind City Hall.
  • National Authors' Day, New Bedford New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Write With Community, a South Coast literary nonprofit. An authors' conversation at 11 a.m. is followed by a lunch break, a place-based writing workshop for writers of any experience at 1 p.m., and book signings at 2 p.m. Featured authors include Gail Braccidiferro MacDonald and Elizabeth Sylvia. It is included with museum admission and free for members.
  • Irish Music, Mattapoisett Mattapoisett Free Public Library, 7 Barstow St., large meeting room. 2 to 3 p.m. Musicians gather to play traditional Irish music together, and players who are learning, regular performers and listeners are all welcome. No registration is needed.
  • Lines and Spaces Community Concert, Taunton First Parish Church, 76 Church Green. 3 p.m., free, all ages, with themed activities for children from 2:30 p.m. The program centers on "Scrumdiddlyumptious," a duet inspired by "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and adds music for violin and viola by Max Reger, Timo Andres and Adolphus Hailstork. A Taunton Cultural Council grant helps pay for it.

Before you go

Clocks fall back an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. Our Halloween weather story has the National Weather Service outlook for Saturday night.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every listing comes from the organizer's own event page (the Swansea and Mattapoisett libraries, the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the event pages on the City of Taunton community calendar) or the City of Fall River events calendar and the organizers' flyers posted with its two entries. We read them on Thursday, Oct. 29, and the copy desk read every one again that evening; times, places and prices are as posted. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Events in our earlier Halloween guides are linked, not repeated. Not heard: no organizer was contacted, and none paid to be listed.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (10)
  1. Taunton House of Horror Haunt for Hunger 2026 | City of Taunton community calendarEvent page with the organizer's flyer: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, 6 p.m., Anawan Street off Tremont Street near Trucchi's; family friendly display, view from the street, not a walk-through; food donations to Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center; goal 800+ pounds. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  2. Church Green Coffeehouse | City of Taunton community calendarSaturday, Oct. 31, 2026: Plymouth Rock Music (costumes and prizes), open mic; First Parish Church, 76 Church Green; doors 6 p.m., music 7 p.m., suggested donation $5. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  3. Church Green Farmers Market | City of Taunton community calendarEvery Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., First Parish Church, 76 Church Green; free on-street parking or the municipal lot behind City Hall. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  4. Lines and Spaces Community Concert: Scrumdiddlyumptious | City of Taunton community calendarSunday, Nov. 1, 2026, 3 p.m., First Parish Church; free, all ages, children's activities from 2:30 p.m.; Reger, Andres, Hailstork; Taunton Cultural Council grant. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  5. Killer Klowns from Outer Space: Almost Halloween Movie Night! | Swansea Free Public LibraryFriday, Oct. 30, 2026, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., meeting room, 69 Main St.; free after-hours screening, host Count Kaija's trivia, popcorn and water while they last; rated PG-13; open to anyone. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  6. City of Fall River events calendar (City Events)Halloween on Pleasant Street, Sat. Oct. 31, 2026, 1 to 5 p.m., Pleasant Street (City Events entry 2334, with the Flint Neighborhood Association and Nite Owl flyer: games, $2 pizza slices, scarecrow and owl costume contests, Thanksgiving food drive, 'Bring the family and join us'); Greater Fall River RE-CREATION Halloween Party, Sat. Oct. 31, 5 to 7 p.m., 45 Rock St. (entry 2335, with the flyer: 'Join us for a free Halloween party', trick-or-treat, costume contest, pizza, spooky hallway). Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  7. Halloween on Pleasant Street flyer | City of Fall River events calendarFlint Neighborhood Association and Nite Owl flyer for Sat. Oct. 31, 1 to 5 p.m.: games and activities, $2 pizza slices, Flint businesses scarecrow competition with public ballots, best-dressed owl costume contest, Thanksgiving food drive. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  8. Greater Fall River RE-CREATION Halloween Party flyer | City of Fall River events calendarOct. 31, 2026, 5 to 7 p.m., 45 Rock St.: free Halloween party with trick-or-treat, costume contest, pizza and a spooky hallway. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  9. National Authors' Day 2026 | New Bedford Whaling MuseumSunday, Nov. 1, 2026, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Write With Community; schedule, featured authors; included with museum admission, free for members. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  10. Irish Music | Mattapoisett Free Public LibrarySunday, Nov. 1, 2026, 2 to 3 p.m., large meeting room, 7 Barstow St.; traditional Irish music session; no registration. Read Oct. 29, 2026.