As autumn floats into the South and the summer heat rides away, those of all ages join with friends and family to indulge in their love for calm fall winds, brown sweaters and orange-turning leaves collapsing to damp ground. Beginning in September, communities join together to attend events and festivals surrounded by fall activities such as apple picking, corn mazes and the enjoyment of pumpkin spice treats.
“[During fall] I love driving around rich neighborhoods to see their decorations because they always go all out, I love handing out candy but of course getting some of my own and this year I’m going to Fright Fest so I’m really excited to see all the decorations and monsters at Six Flags,” junior Neneh Bah said.
Little Five Points Halloween Parade
Supplying spooky fun to the alternative and hippie-bohemian scene of Atlanta, urban neighborhood and party city Little Five Points will host their annual Halloween Fest & Parade October 21 and 22. The parade will officially begin October 22 at 2 p.m. The festival will host live rock music from bands such as Catfight and Los Gargoyles. Additionally, visitors can buy from the markets filled with local art, food and trinkets and shop the neighborhood’s pre-existing local shops such as Criminal Records, Junkman’s Daughter and Crystal Blue. The festivities do not end there—attendees can engage in sticker hunts, ghost tours and other local events surrounding the Halloween celebration.
Folklore Haunted House
With over 1000 five-star reviews on Google and Facebook, Folklore Haunted House of Acworth brings the terror horror fans long for. In a two-in-one deal, Folklore provides two new attractions for the horror heads of Georgia: the traditional haunted mansion horror of Winter’s Estate and the sci-fi space labyrinth of Overload: Final Destination. Alongside the general admission attractions, attendees can engage with the Midway of Mayhem horror-themed carnival games, a Buried Alive Coffin Ride and purchase essential Halloween keepsakes at Eerie Essentials.
Folklore surpasses the bare minimum for a cheap haunted house; October 13, Folklore will hold a horror movie night where attendees can watch a plethora of terror-filled films that range across the decades. November 3 and 4, Folklore will host their most horrific night of the season: BLACKOUT. Visitors will tread through the two attractions in pitch black with the help of only one light stick per group for no extra price.
Stone Mountain Park’s Pumpkin Festival
From September 16 until October 29, Stone Mountain will supply family-friendly activities to Georgians at their annual Stone Mountain Park’s Pumpkin Festival. During the daytime, attendees can enjoy the park with pumpkin picking, Halloween character meet-and-greets and other autumn-themed games while enjoying the mountain’s scenery. As night approaches, the Glow By Night event begins as the park lights up with drones lighting the mountain up for their nightlife revels. Lit by glow sticks and LED lights, walkthrough experiences and a short Glow-A-Long Parade end off each night of the park for the Halloween season.
Six Flags Fright Fest
The well-known and loved Six Flags Over Georgia once again hosts their Fright Fest September 16 to October 29. Decorated with haunted webs and lights from the Twisted Cyclone to the Pandemonium, Six Flags uses the Halloween season to provide Georgia’s most popular October attractions. Visitors can test their fears by exploring five haunted houses across the park. However, to reach haunted houses and the roller coasters, visitors pass through scare zones ridden with actors dressed in horrifying zombie, clown and butcher costumes creeping from behind.
“My birthday is the day before Halloween so every birthday party is always fall or Halloween-themed. One year for my birthday, me and my friends went to the Acworth Folklore Haunted House and it was so much fun, that we started making it a little annual birthday for us! I always go to the North Georgia State Fair. But we like to carve pumpkins at my house, go to apple orchards, rewatch all the Disney Halloween movies and things like that,” junior Jacob Hemsworth said.
