Halloween Haunts & Happenings Trick-Or-Treat Event
October 30th from 5:30 – 8pm
- 3 and under
- 4 – 6 years
- 7 – 9 years
- 10 – 17 years
- Adult
- Group
Please only visit each trick-or-treat stop once. We want to ensure everyone has a chance to join in on the sweet treats & Halloween fun!
The Great Jonesborough Pumpkin Party
Brews & Boos
Main Street Jonesborough will host the 11th Annual Brews and Boos in downtown Jonesborough on Saturday, October 17 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Brews & Boos is set in Jimmy Neil Smith Park, behind the International Storytelling Center. Attendees will enjoy a series of ghost stories featuring world-renowned storytellers Michael Reno Harrell and Jessica Piscitelli Robinson.
Main Street Café & Catering will serve fall-themed beer and cider and food will be available.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the event and can be purchased online at Jonesborough.com/boo or by calling the Jonesborough Visitors Center at 423.753.1010.
Check-in will be held on the steps of Jimmy Neil Smith Park, adjacent to the Storytelling Center Plaza, beginning at 5:30 p.m. If you plan to purchase alcohol, you MUST have your I.D.
Guests are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets; ground seating only. This performance is best suited for kids 10+.
Celebrate the Spookiest Season Of The Year In Jonesborough!
Below are additional Halloween-related events and activities.
Halloween Haunts and Happenings At The McKinney Center
October 9 5-7 pm
Each year, Jonesborough’s Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts at the McKinney Center curates the Halloween Haunts and Happenings exhibition highlighting artwork by regional artists that is meant to give you the creeps! Brought together by the McKinney Center staff, this group of artists from across the region span a range of practices, including woodwork, sculpture, painting, photography, digital media, and more. Their interpretive expressions reflect the mood of the season.
The exhibition is just one highlight of Jonesborough’s range of Halloween fun including the Halloween Trivia at the McKinney Center on October 23, 2026, 6-8pm, StoryTown Radio Show at the Jackson Theatre on October 26, 7pm, the downtown Halloween Haunts and Happenings event and Brews and Boos. Halloween is a special time in Tennessee’s Oldest Town and the McKinney Center is excited to include this dark art exhibition with curiosities, the macabre, and the grotesque.
The 2026 Halloween Haunts and Happenings Exhibition will be on view at the McKinney Center from Friday, October 9th, 2026, through November 7, 2026.The reception for the exhibition will be held on Friday, October 9, 5-7pm. The artists will be on hand at the exhibit opening to answer questions from guests. The reception will include light refreshments. You may view the exhibit during regular hours Monday through Friday, 8:00am -5pm.
Halloween Trivia
October 23 7pm – 9pm
The scream team of the McSpooky Center (McKinney Center) and the Scare-itage Alliance (Heritage Alliance) are back together for Halloween Trivia Night. Join us on October 23rd for a frighteningly fun Halloween Trivia contest with questions to test your knowledge on scary television shows, horror movie villains, local haints, and much more.
The festivities will take place on Friday, October 23rd at 7:00 pm at the McKinney Center with Halloween themed trivia questions, friendly competition, a costume contest, and a ton of fun! Not a “history buff?” No reason to fear! These questions cover a wide range of topics and categories and include something for everyone. Main Street Café will be on hand to sell a terrifying assortment of beers and there will be concessions.
It’s only $8.00 per person to play! (Admission price does not include beer or concessions.) Tickets are available online at Jonesborough.com/tickets. Solo play is allowed. Teams are encouraged, but the person limit per team is 8 people. Please enter your team’s name in the comments when purchasing your tickets if you know it. Heritage Alliance and McKinney Center staff will host the event, tallying points and administering prizes to the winners. The event is family-friendly and open to all ages. The costume contest will occur during intermission. Dress up and try to win a prize!
A Spot On The Hill
October 8th, 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th, and 17th
The McKinney Center is proud to present the 12th year of A Spot on the Hill, the original, research-based play all about the inhabitants of the Old Jonesborough Cemetery. Created by Anne G’Fellers-Mason, this edition of Jonesborough’s cemetery play features new characters. Stories include beloved music teacher Jess Patton Haworth, blacksmith and politician Archibald Mason, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of Edward Riddick and John White. All this and much more. Guests should bring blankets and chairs to sit on. Seats are not provided. Come and listen to real stories of real lives among real tombstones.
Performances for A Spot on the Hill will take place at 6:30 p.m. on October 8th, 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. Thursday evening shows have been added this year. There will be a 2:00 p.m. matinee performance on October 10th at the McKinney Center (103 Franklin Avenue) and a 2:00 pm matinee in the cemetery on October 17th. At the outdoor matinee, there will be ASL interpretation provided by BridgesEAST. The indoor performance on October 10th is ADA accessible. Tickets are limited to 40 per show, and sell out fast, so make sure you buy yours today. Tickets are $12.00.
Audience members should arrive 15 minutes prior to show time. Parking is available at the First Baptist Church and downtown. It is a short walk up East Main Street to the cemetery from the First Baptist Church lot. A golf cart courtesy shuttle will be available at the church for guests who need it. This program is not suggested for children less than 10 years of age. In case of inclement weather, the show will be relocated to an indoor location. There are no public restrooms at the cemetery and coolers are not allowed inside the gates.
Lick of Treat Paw Parade
October 24th
Join us on Main Street in Jonesborough for our annual Lick of Treat Paw Parade!! Mark your calendars now! Line up will be at 2 PM, Parade to start at 2:15!
Costume Contest will be on the Courthouse Steps directly following the Parade!
Hauntingly Good Times at the Jackson Theatre
See what spooky treats they have going on!
October is packed with thrills, chills, and plenty of entertainment at the Jackson Theatre! Celebrate spooky season with Halloween favorites and cult classics including Practical Magic, Happy Death Day, Hocus Pocus, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Nosferatu x Radiohead, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Mummy, The Evil Dead, Halloweentown and Halloween II. The month also features live music from GRAMMY Award-winning banjoist Alison Brown on October 16 and legendary musician John McEuen on October 24, along with The Met: Live in HD, Eugene Wolf’s “Book of Mamaw,” Tales of Our 250th: A Jonesborough History Variety Show and more.
Halloween Night at the Jackson
October 31
- 4 pm – Halloweentown (Pay What You Can)
- 7 pm – Halloween II (1981)
True and Chilling Tales Tour
October 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 27th, 28th, & 29th
Come and learn some truly chilling history in Jonesborough this October. From horse theft to murder and mass graves, hear the very true tales and more during this unique tour that’s perfect for a spooky October evening. The True and Chilling Tales Tour will take place at 7:00pm on October 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 27th, 28th, & 29th. Your guide will lead you down Main Street, and please mind your step, lest you end up a true and chilling tale, too! Tickets are $15.00 each and can be purchased through the Town of Jonesborough’s ticketing system at jonesborough.com/tickets. The tour will last an hour. Groups are limited to 15 people, so make sure you buy your tickets in advance. The tours will depart from the Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum on Main Street. This tour is rated PG-13 for content and is not recommended for children under 13 years of age. Please note these stories are very true and some of them are gory and unpleasant and may be upsetting or triggering. Listeners beware.