What if the best Halloween plan in Newmarket is just a set of start times? On Saturday, October 24, each event starts about when the one before it ends, and each draws an older crowd than the last. Kids' games at the Rec turn into Main Street trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating turns into an evening curtain in the mills. A week later, on Halloween itself, the same relay runs again on Granite Street. It ends at midnight.
This post is your timetable for both Saturdays, plus the Thursday and Friday in between.
Saturday, October 24: The First Relay
Newmarket Rec's Annual Halloween Haunt runs at the Rec & Community Center, 1 Terrace Drive. Admission is $5 per child or $10 per family. The town's event page bills it as "Newmarket Rec's Freakiest Fun Fest of the season."
The afternoon runs on a tight clock:
| Time | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. | Costume judging, this window only | Rec & Community Center |
| 1:45 p.m. | Gates open | Rec & Community Center |
| 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. | Haunt games and activities | Fenced area in and around the Rec |
| 2:00 p.m. | Carrie: The Musical matinee | Millspace, 55 Main St. |
| 3:30 to 3:45 p.m. | Costume winners announced | Rec & Community Center |
| 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. | Downtown trick-or-treating | Main Street businesses |
| 7:30 p.m. | Carrie: The Musical evening show | Millspace, 55 Main St. |
The town moved costume judging into a set window to speed up results, so families with a costume to show off should arrive early. Categories go from babies through adults, plus a best family theme. The gates open at 1:45 to shorten the entry line, but games don't start until 2:00.
Inside the fence, the town lists returning favorites like the Terror Toddlers Area, the Fortune Teller, Hocus Pocus Which Witch is Which, Zombie Laser Tazer, Booling Alley, The Mortuary, the Pumpkin Patch Monster Mash, Boo Toss and Dino Dig. There is also Touch-a-Truck with Newmarket's Fire & Rescue and Police, plus the Let's Make a Devilish Deal games. The page says new activities for 2026 are "coming soon," so a few surprises may still be on the way.
The Trolley Is What Makes the Handoff Work
The 4:00 handoff from the Rec to Main Street is the piece that turns two events into one afternoon. The Haunt wraps at 4:00, and downtown trick-or-treating starts at that same minute. Seacoast Trolley is back this year to carry families to the Main Street businesses.
The route starts at the Newmarket Junior Senior High School parking lot. The town says there is plenty of parking there, "so no need to park downtown." The Haunt page also points to parking at the Community Center and the high school for the afternoon event. That means one parked car can cover the whole afternoon. Park at the school, walk the Haunt, ride the trolley to Main Street, then ride back.
The list of participating businesses is still filling in. The Rec is asking businesses that want to be a Spooky Sponsor or a Downtown Trick or Treat stop to call 659-8581 or email the rec desk. It also put out a call for volunteers that will make some neighbors smile. If you love Halloween, or "if your house doesn't get any tricking or treaters and that bums you out," the Rec wants to hear from you at [email protected].
After Dark, the Relay Moves Into the Mills
Once the candy bags are full, the next leg is a few doors up Main Street. Jonesing for Theater is staging Carrie: The Musical at the Millspace, 55 Main St. Hippo Press describes it, quoting the venue, as "a chilling, blood-red theatrical experience based on Stephen King's legendary horror story." The run started October 16 and closes Sunday, November 1. Evening shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and matinees are Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.
By Thursday, October 22, the opening weekend is over, which leaves two weekends. That's four evening performances and four matinees between October 23 and November 1. Tickets are sold through the Millspace. Since it's a Stephen King story, families thinking about bringing younger trick-or-treaters may want to check with the venue first.
The Millspace calls itself "a volunteer-run community civic space in the historic Newmarket Mills committed to bringing art, theater, music, and history to the town of Newmarket." On October 24 it's the natural evening stop for anyone who spent the afternoon at the Haunt and on Main Street.
Thursday Through Saturday, October 29 to 31: Granite Street Takes the Late Shift
The second relay leans older, and most of it happens at The Stone Church, 5 Granite St.
Thursday, October 29. Hayley Jane with Fox and Friends, featuring Maizy Rae, 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, 21+.
Friday, October 30. Stone Dead, 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, 21+. The venue says the band channels Grateful Dead music with a strong 1980s Dead influence.
Saturday, October 31. The same Stone Dead show repeats on Halloween night with the same hours, prices and age limit. Some Halloween roundups print a 9 a.m. start. The Stone Church's own listing says 9 p.m.
Halloween Saturday follows the same pattern as October 24, just shifted later:
- 2:00 p.m.: Carrie: The Musical matinee at the Millspace.
- 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.: James Gaudreau in the Legends of the Lounge series at The Stone Church. Tickets are $15, all ages.
- 7:30 p.m.: The final evening performance of Carrie.
- 9:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.: Stone Dead, 21+.
That 4 p.m. lounge set fills the same slot that downtown trick-or-treating held a week earlier, and it's the only all-ages event on the Granite Street side of the night. A family could catch the matinee, hear the lounge set, and be home by dinner. Adults heading out later can pick up the evening show or the Stone Dead set, which runs until midnight.
The Week After: Same Venues, Calmer Calendar
Halloween ends, but the two venues keep going on a lighter schedule. Carrie wraps with its 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, November 1. That same afternoon, The Stone Church hosts Slowcooker Sessions at Althea's Lounge from 4 to 7 p.m.
The first week of November at the Millspace looks like this:
- Wednesday, November 4: Millspace Pitch Night, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Thursday, November 5: STF Open Improv Jam, 7 to 8 p.m.
- Friday, November 6: The Ridge Jam, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, November 7: Paper Jam Zine Fest, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Up on Granite Street, The Stone Church lists College Night with Saguaro & Friends on Thursday, November 5. On Friday, November 6, it has The Edd with The Humans Being.
The Zine Fest is the November event closest to the Halloween relay in feel. It's a daytime Saturday event in the mills, open for most of the afternoon.
Before You Head Out
These are live calendars, and times can shift as dates get closer. Check before you go, especially for the downtown business list, which the Rec is still adding to:
- Newmarket Rec's Halloween Haunt page for Haunt and trolley details
- The Millspace for Carrie tickets and the November lineup
- The Stone Church events calendar for show times and tickets
If you're comparing towns, the same week brings Exeter's own fall crowds. Our look at why Exeter Saturday tables get harder to book explains how several event calendars stack up on the same few downtown blocks. You can see more of what's happening around the county on our Rockingham County page.
Know a Newmarket business that hands out the best candy on Main Street, or a Halloween tradition in your corner of the Seacoast that belongs on next year's list? I'd love to hear about it, and about anything else on your mind for the season ahead. Let's Connect with Jeanette Bandouveres.
