NoDa Halloween Events 2026: Your Neighborhood Week Guide
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
"We may be losing our history, but guess what: The ghosts are still here!" That line comes from the NoDa Neighborhood and Business Association's page for this year's Ghosts & Legends Walking Tours. The page opens by admitting that "every time you look up, another old NoDa building has been torn down."
That mix of wry humor and attention to the neighborhood runs through this whole stretch of late October. Between Oct. 22 and Oct. 31, 2026, the association, known locally as the NBA, puts on four events: a 5K, the ghost tours, a candy crawl and a house-decorating contest. Local businesses fill in around them, and the timing lets one event lead into the next. The best way to use the week is to read it as one calendar.
The week starts with something new. The Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway is introducing The Magenta Train Charlotte at 409 East 35th Street. A ribbon cutting is set for 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, and a public open house runs from 4 to 7 p.m. The operator's Sept. 23 announcement on PR Newswire says visitors can explore select historic passenger railcars and hear about upcoming public programming. No tickets are needed.
A few details matter if you plan to stop by after work:
The same release says select railcars are expected to return and stay in Charlotte more permanently in March 2027. Part of the fleet will keep running events out of Pinehurst. The Oct. 22 visit is a preview of a venue that is still arriving, with weddings, private events and public programs planned for later.
This is also the one event of the week that is a business introducing itself. From Saturday on, the association's four events set the pace.
Oct. 24 shows the planning most clearly. The NBA is putting on two events that night, and the times line up so you can do both.
The NoDaWeen Freaky 5K Costume Run starts and finishes at Great Wagon Road Distilling Company, 610 Anderson St. The race goes off at 5 p.m., rain or shine. The organizers describe the course as relatively flat, with small hills on city roads. They also say it's a good course for spectators. Beginners, walkers, families with strollers and leashed, well-trained dogs are all welcome. The NBA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and net proceeds go to its community projects.
The Ghosts & Legends tours begin in front of Stu's Barrel House, 3215 N. Davidson St., at 6:30 p.m. The last tour leaves around 10:15 p.m. Here's how the evening runs:
Tours leave until about 10:15, so you don't have to pick between the race party and a ghost tour. A runner can collect a prize, stay for the party and still make a later tour. The Free Range showcase isn't billed as a Halloween event. It's on the list because it's a free, nearby option in the middle of the same evening.
Two deadlines fall before race day. Runners who pre-register by Oct. 15, three days from now, get a t-shirt and a swag bag of local goodies. Packet pickup is also open Friday, Oct. 23, from 4 to 6 p.m. The ghost tours are easier. They are free, with donations accepted. Tickets are required, but walk-ups can get them at the event, and the organizers suggest arriving early.
This is the 16th annual tour, and it rotates between the two sides of the neighborhood. The association's Back in the Day Committee writes the stories. It has researched tales passed down over decades, interviewed people who have lived in NoDa for generations, and gathered newer accounts from neighbors.
This year's route covers about a mile of the Mecklenburg Mill village on NoDa's north side. The tour returns to the south side in two years. New stories are added every year, so people who went last year will hear different material.
The committee says why the timing matters. Several haunted buildings on this year's route are still standing, "but who knows what will still be standing when we revisit the south side in two years?" Their page calls this year a possible "last chance to experience the spirits in their original habitats." The tour is a Halloween outing, and it is also a record of mill village buildings that are still standing in October 2026.
On Sunday the calendar moves to the afternoon and to families. The NoDa Downtown Candy Crawl runs from 4 to 6:30 p.m., based at Downtown NoDa, 3025 N. Davidson St. Kids trick-or-treat at participating businesses marked on the association's map, and pop-up businesses set up on the Johnston YMCA's front lawn. McHale's Pub is one of the stops on the 2026 map.
The Johnston YMCA's annual Fall Festival runs the same evening, also starting at 4 p.m., on what the association calls the "front porch" of NoDa. Families can go to both without leaving the block.
If you'd rather stay put after Saturday, Free Range Brewing has free live music from the Mike Strauss Band at 3 p.m. Sunday at 2320 N. Davidson St.
Halloween is on a Saturday this year, and the daytime schedule fills up early.
| Time | Event | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. doors, noon show | Sip Happens: Free Halloween Drag Brunch | NoDa Brewing Company, 150 W. 32nd St. | Free, Eventbrite registration requested |
| Noon to 4 p.m. | 36th Street Market, last of the season | The Chamber, 416 E. 36th St. #100 | Not listed |
| Hours not listed | NoDaWeen House Decorating Contest | Homes across NoDa | $200 prize for the winner |
NoDa Brewing's brunch features Nova Stella, Karen Affection, Anna Yacht, Fellini and Sincere L'etoile, with food from The Exchange Pizza Depot. The event is free, but the brewery asks everyone to register through Eventbrite so it can plan seating. Seats are first come, first served. Groups of 10 or more can email to reserve a table, and those reservations are held until 11:30 a.m. You must be 21 or older to drink.
Wooden Robot's 36th Street Market still lists Oct. 31 as its last market of the season, with local vendors and a food truck. The listing was first posted in April, so check it again that week.
The house-decorating contest is the NBA event residents take part in from their own homes. The NoDaWeen page encourages music, decorations and props. The winner gets bragging rights until next year and a $200 cash prize. Sign-up through the association's Google Form closes Oct. 23.
Several places on these routes are new since last Halloween. Goodyear Bar opened Aug. 27 at 3024 N. Davidson St., CharlotteFive reported. It took over the space where Chief's Modern Cocktail Parlor held its last service Aug. 23. Goodyear serves coffee and espresso during the day, cocktails at night and a short food menu. It's on the same stretch of N. Davidson as Stu's Barrel House and the Candy Crawl base at 3025, so it works before a tour or after a long Saturday.
A few doors away, Olivelli Deli started serving July 1 at 3120 N. Davidson St., in the former Reigning Doughnuts space, CharlotteFive reported. It has a walk-up window for sandwiches and soft serve. A walk-up sandwich between the 5K and a ghost tour fits the evening. Up at The Pass, 4090 Raleigh St., QCity Metro reviewed Café Audire, a coffee shop and vinyl listening room that pours cocktails in the evening.
After Halloween, the association's next big date is the NoDa Bizarre arts market on Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 3025 N. Davidson St.
At Angela Craghead Realty Group, we follow NoDa's calendar as closely as its listings. If your house is decorated for the contest this year and you've wondered what it's worth, get your instant home valuation before the Oct. 31 judging.
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