In Lakewood, Jefferson County Public Library has scheduled more of Halloween week than any other single organizer. Between tonight and October 31, two Lakewood branches are hosting a flashlight tour, a teen craft night, a stuffed-animal sleepover, a costume parade and two Día de los Muertos programs. None of those listings shows a price. The city adds one evening at Bear Creek Lake Park, and Belmar adds one afternoon on the Plaza. Both land on Saturday, October 24, the only day the three calendars stack up.
The week is easier to plan once you treat the library schedule as the base and build Saturday on top of it.
Six library programs hold the week together
The two branches split the work. Belmar Library, at 555 S. Allison Parkway, runs programs on the Belmar side of town. Lakewood Library, at 10200 W. 20th Ave., takes the north end.
| Date | Program | Where | Sign-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 22, 6:30–8 p.m. | Heritage Lakewood: Haunted History Tour | Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, 801 S. Yarrow St. | Full, waitlist open |
| Fri, Oct 23, 5:30–7:30 p.m. | FrankenStuffs: Teen Halloween Craft, grades 6–12 | Lakewood Library | None listed |
| Sat, Oct 24, 2–4 p.m. drop-off | Spooky Stuffie Sleepover! | Belmar Library | Required |
| Wed, Oct 28, 5–7 p.m. | Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead | Lakewood Library | None listed |
| Fri, Oct 30, 11–11:45 a.m. | Halloween Parade | Lakewood Library | None listed |
| Sat, Oct 31, 2–3 p.m. | Sugar Skulls & Calaveras | Lakewood Library | Required |
The Haunted History Tour is tonight, and it's already full. It's still worth a look because it shows how these institutions work together. The library lists it, but it takes place at Heritage Lakewood, just south of Belmar Library. Guests carry a lantern or flashlight through the historic buildings after sunset and hear their history and hauntings. Check-in is outside the Visitor Center at 6 p.m. If you're on the waitlist, bring a flashlight just in case.
The teen craft night on Friday is for grades 6 through 12. The Día de los Muertos evening on October 28 includes colorful crafts, treats and a community altar. The library posts the event in English and Spanish, with the same time and place in both. On Friday morning, October 30, the Halloween Parade sends kids in costume around the Lakewood Library building to trick-or-treat.
Saturday, October 24, from noon to night
On Saturday the library programs meet the city and Belmar. BOOmar and the library drop-off overlap by an hour a short walk apart, and the trail opens right as the drop-off closes, so a family can do the whole afternoon without doubling back.
- Noon to 3 p.m., BOOmar at Belmar. Belmar's yearly family Halloween party fills the Plaza at 439 S. Upham St. with face painting, balloon twisting, Halloween crafts and live entertainment. Kids can trick-or-treat at participating Belmar shops, and participating restaurants run food and drink specials. It's free, and costumes are encouraged. Details are on the Eventbrite listing.
- 2 to 4 p.m., Spooky Stuffie Sleepover drop-off. Belmar Library is a short walk from the Plaza. Kids leave a stuffed animal for the night and pick it up at Story Time on Sunday, October 25, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. You need to register, and the listing had 10 seats left as of October 17.
- 4 to 7 p.m., Haunted Trail Adventure. Drive west to Bear Creek Lake Park, 15600 W. Morrison Rd., for the city's evening program on the Owl Trail. The walk focuses on night critters, followed by carnival games, treats, and a fire at the amphitheater with marshmallows and hot chocolate.
- 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Voodoo You: Vampires, Vamps & Villains. This is the adults' slot. The ticketed night at Valkarie Gallery in Belmar includes a costume contest. Belmar's event page has the details.
The handoff from noon to the Owl Trail is the key part. BOOmar wraps up at 3, the sleepover drop-off closes at 4, and the trail opens at 4. The only stretch that takes planning is the drive from Belmar to Morrison Road.
The Bear Creek Lake Park evening needs planning
Of everything on Saturday, the Haunted Trail has the strictest rules. The city's event page says plainly that walk-ins aren't allowed, so you have to register ahead of time. Registration runs through the city's recreation catalog and requires an account. The catalog lists the event at $5 per person for all ages, with a cap of 650 people.
Then there's getting in. Bear Creek Lake Park charges a $10 day pass per vehicle, or $5 for seniors over 62 and people with disabilities. The $15 peak rate only applies on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day, so it won't apply on October 24. The event page lists the $5 registration but doesn't say whether it covers vehicle entry. Call the number on the catalog listing, 303-697-6159, before you go, or bring a card for the gate. Per the park's fee page, the gate takes cash, Visa, Mastercard and Discover.
For a family of four in one car, that's $20 in registrations plus $10 at the gate if entry isn't included. That's still less than one seat at the Halloween-morning pumpkin-painting class covered below.
West Colfax and Belmar's galleries take the evenings
Once the family programs end, a few galleries carry Halloween into the evening. Along West Colfax in the 40 West Arts District, Memento Mori Gallery at 6451 W. Colfax Ave., Suite B, is hosting Skull & Bones V. The yearly group art show with live music opened October 2 and runs through Saturday, October 24, according to the 40 West Arts calendar. So Saturday is both the last day to see it and the night of Voodoo You at Valkarie Gallery in Belmar. The same calendar also lists a spooky edition of Weird Theater / Open Screen Night for Sunday, October 25.
In Belmar, the Halloween Shop Edition maker pop-up at Lakewood Social House ends October 25, per Belmar's listing. If you're at BOOmar, it's a good place to pick up locally made Halloween goods before it closes.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year
October 31 is a Saturday, so the actual holiday gets a full day of daytime plans that don't conflict with each other.
- 8 to 10:30 a.m. F45 Training Belmar holds a Halloween Workout, with classes at 8 and 9:15 a.m. See Belmar's event page.
- 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Painting with a Twist at 7134 W. Alaska Drive runs a family pumpkin-painting class for ages 7 to 97, at $29 to $31 per person. Booking is on the studio's page.
- 2 to 3 p.m. Lakewood Library hosts Sugar Skulls & Calaveras, a family Day of the Dead workshop. Registration is required, and 17 seats were open as of October 17.
Here the library calendar wraps up the week. It runs the first program of the stretch, tonight's tour at Heritage Lakewood, and the last scheduled one before trick-or-treating, the sugar skull workshop on Halloween afternoon. The free Día de los Muertos night on October 28 falls in between.
A Belmar corner to watch after the costumes
The Plaza will be full on October 24, and one nearby corner is getting a new tenant. BusinessDen reported on October 6 that Texas de Brazil bought 7111 W. Alaska Drive for $3 million. That's the corner where Bar Louie closed in 2025. The steakhouse told BusinessDen that buying gives it more control over the property and future operating costs. BusinessDen's report doesn't give an opening date.
If you'd rather try something new now, Westword's August openings roundup included Dumpling Legend at 2595 S. Lewis Way. According to the restaurant's website, it serves handmade dumplings, noodles, rice dishes and dim sum, with takeout and delivery, which is handy on a night spent handing out candy.
If your Halloween already runs through Belmar Library, the Plaza and Bear Creek Lake Park, you know how much those few spots shape everyday life in Lakewood. They're part of a home's value too. When you'd like a number for what yours is worth this fall, Lydia's Home Team can run it for you. Get your free home valuation.
