Trick-or-treat hours in Lexington 2026

Last checked Oct. 24, 2026. This page is updated each year. Facts come from the City of Lexington calendar and the Lexington Police Department’s pedestrian safety page. Police non-emergency: 859-258-3600. Parks events: 859-288-2925.

Updated Oct. 24: still no 2026 trick-or-treat hours on the city calendar; the Thriller reenactment now ends at 8:30 p.m.; two more free Kenwick events added.

Halloween falls on Saturday, Oct. 31, in 2026. The city’s fall events page lists “Lexington Trick-or-Treat” on Oct. 31, but as of Oct. 24 it had not posted hours for this year. Last year the city calendar listed citywide trick-or-treat at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, with no end time. We will update this page if the city posts 2026 hours.

What this means for you

• Plan on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 31, unless the city announces something different.
• The big downtown Halloween night is a week early: the Thriller Parade is Sunday, Oct. 25.
• Neighborhood community centers give out free candy in the week before Halloween.

Candy and trunk-or-treat events

Free events at city community centers, from the city calendar:

The Kenwick dance has a costume contest, candy and snacks. Hallow-Palooza invites children in costume for candy, inflatables and face painting. Kenwick’s event is a candy giveaway for the whole family.

In 2025 the city also listed trunk-or-treats at community centers, including one at William Wells Brown Community Center on Oct. 29. Churches, schools and neighborhood associations hold their own; check with them directly.

Halloween downtown and on the trail

• Halloween and Thriller Parade, Sunday, Oct. 25. Halloween art and performances start at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza at 4:30 p.m., and the parade steps off on Main Street, between Quality and Mill streets, at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Thriller reenactment from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Food, drink and craft vendors are open 4 to 8:30 p.m. Free. The city says the event has been named a top Halloween destination by USA Today.
• Jack-O-Lantern Trail, 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, through Friday, Oct. 30, McConnell Springs Park, 416 Rebmann Lane; gates close at 9:30 p.m. Hundreds of carved pumpkins along a night hike, with campfires and live owls. $6 at the gate; children 12 and under free.
• Carve’n Chip’n, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, McConnell Springs Park: carve a pumpkin with the park’s tools and donate it to light the trail. Free.

The full month is in things to do this month.

Safety on Halloween night

The Lexington Police Department’s pedestrian safety advice fits trick-or-treat night:

• Walkers: use sidewalks; where there is none, walk facing traffic and as far from it as you can. Cross at crosswalks or intersections and look for turning cars. Do not assume traffic will stop.
• Drivers: slow down in neighborhoods where children are out, be ready to stop at crosswalks, never pass a car stopped at a crosswalk, and take extra care backing out of driveways.
• Everyone: take care in the dark, and never drive impaired.

Call 911 in an emergency and the police non-emergency line, 859-258-3600, for anything else.

Frequently asked questions

What are Lexington’s trick-or-treat hours for 2026? Not posted as of Oct. 24. In 2025 the city listed 7 p.m. on Oct. 31.

When is the Thriller Parade? 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, on Main Street.

Where are free candy events? Kenwick on Oct. 26, 28 and 30, Castlewood on Oct. 27 and William Wells Brown on Oct. 28.

More: fall festivals and pumpkin patches.