Halloween in Cheyenne: Trunk-or-treat, costume contests and ghost tours

Will Carpenter, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne
·5 min read

Oct. 14—Halloween is handled a bit differently in Cheyenne than in other parts of the country.

Kids will still be out going door to door come frigid Halloween night, but there's a popular alternative for the season that has gained traction out of concern for kids' safety — trunk-or-treat.

Here are some of the many trunk-or-treat and similar events coming up over the Halloween season that are good for kids and families. As for residents over 21 years old, there are several party options to look out for, as well.

Trunk-or-Treat

There are many options around the city to partake in this contained trick-or-treat experience, where kids go from vehicle trunk to vehicle trunk for sweets, rather than door to door.

The Cheyenne Police Department is hosting its own event on Oct. 27, 5-7 p.m., at the Cheyenne Public Safety Center, 415 W. 18th St. Kids will be able to interact with police officers and load up on candy ahead of Halloween night.

Starting that same night and running through Oct. 29 is "Trick-or-Treat on 20th Street," hosted by the Cheyenne Civic Center. The event is from 6-9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Kids ages 8-12 can explore a haunted Civic Center, 510 W. 20th St., and find candy and frights along their way to completing their quest. Price of entry is $5.

The majority of this year's trunk-or-treats will be held on Saturday, Oct. 28.

Connections Cheyenne will host its event at Tyrrell Chevrolet, 2142 W. Lincolnway, from 4-6 p.m. Meanwhile, Capital City Car and Bike Club will take to the parking lot at Red Lion Hotel and Conference Center, 204 W. Fox Farm Road, for a lowrider trunk-or-treat starting at 3 p.m. That event will run until candy is gone.

Across town, Element Church is hosting an EKIDZ Trunk-or-Treat from 1-3 p.m. High Country Harley-Davidson is holding its event at 3320 E. Lincolnway from 3-5 p.m. If you're near downtown Cheyenne, Beach Please Drink Company, 200 E. 17th St., is holding a trunk-or-treat in the parking lot from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

One of the larger trunk-or-treat events in the city is held at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. The Wild West Trunk-or-Treat is held inside the museum in a Western-themed celebration at 1 p.m.

On Halloween, Oct. 31, the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens is hosting its own event from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Staff will be dressed in '70s-era threads, but kids should come dressed in their Halloween best. Visit the Frontier Mall parking lot later that evening for the Pirate's Plunder Trunk-or-Treat. The event runs from 6-9:30 p.m. or until candy runs out.

Though not technically a trunk-or-treat event, Visit Cheyenne is hosting a downtown Halloween event on Oct. 28, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Participating locations will pass out candy to trick-or-treaters, while $5 hayrides will be available for ages 6 years old and up.

Halloween parties

Leadership Cheyenne is holding its annual Boo Ball, a "Monster Mash-themed" Halloween party, on Oct. 21. The 21+ event, which is $75, is intended to be a night of Halloween entertainment featuring music, a costume party, and live and silent auctions at Red Lion Hotel. All proceeds from ticket sales go toward the Legacy Landscapes Water Conservation Turf Park beautification project.

As for rowdier Halloween atmospheres, the Outlaw Saloon is throwing a Halloween Party and Costume Contest on Oct. 28, 8:30 p.m.-midnight. Railspur will also host its own event that same night from 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m. The categories for the latter contest, most creative and sexiest, will be judged by crowd noise level. The winner receives a $500 cash prize.

The Crown Bar, 222 W. Lincolnway, also has a Halloween party going that night, featuring three local bands and a costume contest. Check out your favorite local bars and breweries to see what they have planned.

For something more laid-back, stop by the new Tankhouse Nursery on that same Saturday anytime from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. for "Music So Good It's Scary." Hosted in the new location's first Fall Festival, open Saturdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., this live event will fuse all the offerings at Stansbury Farms, 521 Southwest Drive, with a good Halloween celebration.

Additional scares

Of course, the "Nightmare on 17th Street" haunted house is firing on all cylinders at 312-1/2 W. 17th St. But there's also the Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley Frightseeing Ghost Tour — a hour-and-a-half after-hours tour of Cheyenne that details all the haunted history of the capital city.

The tours are held every weekend through Oct. 29, with additional tours on Oct. 30 and 31. Busses leave at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with an extra 7:30 p.m. slot on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets can be purchased online at visitcheyenne.ticketspice.com/october-haunted-2023.

Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.