Ghosts, goblins and a near-perfect fall forecast mark a Halloween that falls on a weekend for the first time in years

By The Columbia Chronicle Staff · Oct 31, 2026

COLUMBIA — Halloween landed on a Saturday this year, and Columbia is making a full day of it. From the morning market on South Third Street to porch lights on every block after dark, here is what is happening in town today and through the weekend.

Today: Saturday, Oct. 31

Morning at the Market House

The day starts where Columbia Saturdays usually do: the historic Columbia Market House, 15 S. Third St. The borough-owned market, built in 1869, holds its regular Saturday market, typically 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with vendors, breakfast and lunch counters, and the building’s well-known basement “dungeon” — a set of jail cells added in the late 1800s that market staff have shown on Saturday tours. On Halloween, it may be the most fitting stop in town.

Trick-or-treat: 6 to 8 p.m.

Trick-or-treat in Columbia Borough runs tonight from 6 to 8 p.m., rain or shine. Columbia is a member of the Lancaster Inter-Municipal Committee, which in 2022 set a standing policy that trick-or-treat happens on Oct. 31 every year — no longer shifting when the holiday falls on a weekend. The city of Lancaster, Millersville, Mountville and most of Lancaster County are on the same 6-to-8 schedule tonight.

Residents who want visitors should turn on their porch lights. Families should keep young children with a responsible adult, carry a flashlight, and use crosswalks — especially on Locust, Fifth and Third streets, where traffic will be heavier with Halloween-night events downtown.

Books and hot dogs at the library

The Columbia Public Library, 24 S. Sixth St., is a trick-or-treat stop again this year. From 6 to 8 p.m., costumed kids can pick up a free book and a free hot dog meal while supplies last. Admission is free.

For the grown-ups: TOXIC AF at the Switchboard

After the candy runs out, Switchboard Studios & Gallery — the artist space on the second floor above Columbia Kettle Works at 40 N. Third St. — is throwing a Halloween show with local original band TOXIC AF from 7 to 11 p.m. The event is 18 and over. Columbia Kettle Works will be open downstairs.

The weather: about as good as Halloween gets

Forecasters are calling for a partly sunny day with a high near 60 degrees and only a 10% chance of rain. Temperatures will fall into the upper 40s during trick-or-treat hours and bottom out near 40 overnight, so a jacket under the costume is a good idea.

Sunday, Nov. 1: Fall back

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday. Set clocks back one hour Saturday night — an extra hour of sleep after a long night of trick-or-treating. Fire officials also recommend the time change as a reminder to test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Sunday’s forecast mirrors Saturday’s: partly sunny, a high near 62, a low near 40, and little chance of rain — good weather for raking leaves or a walk along the river.

Looking back: a Halloween season for Columbia’s 300th

This weekend caps a busy October in a town that has made Halloween part of its identity:

• The 79th annual Mardi Gras Halloween Parade stepped off Thursday, Oct. 22, from the Columbia Borough Fire Department at 10th and Manor streets. Bands, floats, baton groups and fire companies marched along Manor, Fourth, Union, Second, Locust, Sixth and Cherry streets under this year’s theme celebrating Columbia’s 300th anniversary and America’s 250th.
• The Haunted Lantern Tour filled Mount Bethel Cemetery, 700 Locust St., on Oct. 23 and 24. Costumed actors portrayed figures from Columbia’s past on hourlong walking tours of the county’s oldest burial ground in continuous use, which dates to 1730.
• Halloween Happenings, organized by Create Columbia, brought demonstrations, dungeon tours and a car show to the Market House on Sunday, Oct. 25. Residents also competed in a decorated-property contest that ticket holders drove past and voted on.

The week ahead

A warm stretch is on the way. Highs climb into the mid-60s Monday and near 70 Tuesday and Wednesday before rain moves in Thursday and Friday, with rain chances of 65% to 75%. Cooler air returns next weekend, with a high in the mid-50s next Saturday.

The general election is also coming up this week. Voters can confirm their polling place and registration at vote.pa.gov.