Spooky Season Returns to Newburgh With Ghost Walks and Halloween Lights

If you know me, you know I need absolutely no convincing when it comes to Halloween. Give me spooky lights, ghost stories, and a historic downtown that already looks like it belongs in a Halloween movie, and I'm there.

Fortunately, Historic Newburgh Inc. is bringing back two of its Halloween traditions this October, and you can experience both during opening weekend, October 16-18, 2026.

Halloween Illuminations Light Up the Newburgh Trailhead

Historic Newburgh's Halloween Illuminations will transform the Gene Aurand Trailhead into a festive Halloween experience filled with over 10,000 lights, family-friendly spooky sights, and plenty of seasonal fun.

If you love Halloween but aren't necessarily looking to have someone chase you through the woods with a chainsaw, this sounds like a great way to soak up the season.

Tickets for Halloween Illuminations are just $5 per person, or 5 for $20, and can be purchased in advance through Historic Newburgh or at the entrance.

Hear Newburgh's Ghost Stories After Dark

For those of us who prefer our Halloween festivities with a little local history and a few ghosts thrown in, Historic Newburgh Ghost Walks are also returning.

The walks begin at Preservation Hall and take guests through downtown Newburgh while sharing spooky stories and fascinating pieces of the community's history.

Ghost Walks have been a Newburgh tradition for decades, and Historic Newburgh says tickets are limited. If this one is on your spooky-season bucket list, buying tickets early would probably be a good idea.

Make a Halloween Weekend Out of It

With both events happening during the October 16-18 opening weekend, you could easily make an entire evening or weekend out of exploring Newburgh during one of the best times of the year.

Historic streets, Halloween lights, and decades of local ghost stories?

Yeah. You don't have to ask me twice.