EEK! Week Festival 2026: Halloween Events for Kids in Wilmington, NC

It’s only the beginning of October and the costume conversation is already in full swing. Yesterday it was a dinosaur, this morning it was an astronaut, and by dinner it may be a dinosaur astronaut.

Wilmington families have a Halloween tradition waiting downtown. Eek! Week Festival at The Children's Museum of Wilmington turns four floors of hands-on play into a spooky and kooky morning of treats, crafts, and experiments. Costumes are absolutely encouraged. If you are looking for Halloween events for kids in Wilmington, NC that feel festive without feeling frightening, this is the one to circle.

Here is what to know about Eek! Week Festival 2026, when tickets go on sale, and how to plan a Halloween morning that is fun for kids and easy on grown-ups. Every detail we have so far, including the ticket link, lives on our Eek! Week Festival page.

Quick Answer: What Is Eek! Week Festival at The Children's Museum of Wilmington?

Eek! Week Festival is CMoW's Halloween celebration in the heart of downtown Wilmington, built for children ages 0 to 10 and the caregivers who love a good costume. The essentials:

• Eek! Week Festival is Saturday, October 31, from 9am to 12pm

• Tickets are $5 for members and $15 for general admission

• Member tickets and general admission tickets are now on sale

• The morning is packed with treats, crafts, and experiments, and costumes are encouraged

• Free daily programming runs all week leading up to the festival, included with admission

Because the member price is one third of general admission and member tickets open a week earlier, families who are already thinking about a membership often start here.

A Spooky and Kooky Morning of Hands-On Play

This year's lineup is still being finalized, and families can look forward to Halloween favorites like pumpkin pounding, pumpkin slime, and a seasonal craft. 

And yes, there will be treats! Families can expect kid-friendly, peanut-free options like pretzels and fruit snacks, so the morning still feels festive without being all about candy.

Learning through play will be happening all along! . Squishing pumpkin slime is sensory science, as kids notice how it stretches, drips, and changes in their hands. Pounding a pumpkin is gross motor work and a lesson in cause and effect. A Halloween craft gives children a chance to make choices, plan a design, and see their own idea turn into something they can carry home. 

The activities provide the opportunity for children to have ownership of their learning experience.The National Association for the Education of Young Children calls play the child's lab, and a room full of pumpkins makes a pretty great laboratory.

A Halloween That Fits Little Ones

Halloween isn’t always comfortable for  young children. Dark streets, surprise doorbells, and scary masks are part of the fun for some kids and a little too much for others. A bright morning festival lets children enjoy the costume, the treats, and the pumpkins in a familiar, well-lit place, with their grown-ups right beside them.

It also takes the pressure off the evening. The festival wraps at noon, which leaves plenty of time for lunch downtown, a nap, and whatever trick-or-treating plans your family has later.

Free Halloween Fun All Week Long

Eek! Week Festival is more than the Saturday morning celebration. Free daily programming runs all week leading up to the event, so a weekday visit comes with festive fun included with admission. Our daily programs run Tuesday through Friday at 10am and 3:30pm, and the monthly event calendar has the full lineup.

That makes the week a good pick for families looking for activities for younger children, for homeschool families with open weekday mornings, or for anyone whose Saturday is already spoken for. Toddlers can start with Toddler Time on Friday morning, and older kids can find programs built for ages 4 and up throughout the week.

Members Get the First Tickets and the Better Price

Eek! Week Festival tickets opened to members on September 26, a full week before general admission opens on October 3. Members also pay $5 instead of $15, which adds up quickly for a family.

Early access and event pricing are part of a longer list of member perks, along with free daily programs and early-bird access and discounts on camps and birthday parties. For families who visit more than a few times a year, a membership often costs less than a year's worth of tickets.

You can compare membership levels and join in time to grab member tickets before general admission opens.

One note for members: event days require an online reservation, so reserve your festival tickets online instead of planning to check in at the front desk.

Planning for the Morning Downtown

A few small decisions make the morning smoother for everyone:

• Pick a costume kids can climb, crawl, and slide in, and skip the masks that slip

• Buy your tickets online ahead of time, and remember that members need an online reservation for event days.

• Plan a stop in the toddler wing so the littlest siblings have a space that fits them

Grandparents and visiting family are welcome too, and a costume morning is an easy way to include them in the fun without a long day on their feet.

Let's Get Spooky and Kooky Together

Halloween in Wilmington gets a lot more fun when the costumes come out early and the pumpkins come with science. Member tickets are on sale now, general admission opens October 3, and the main event is October 31. We cannot wait to celebrate with everyone!