Halloween in Amador County 2026: Preston Castle Haunt nights, Sutter Creek Witches Walk, Ione's Lighted Halloween Parade, free family nights, live blues, and a murder mystery dinner - every Halloween event in one guide.
Why Halloween hits different in Amador County
Amador County does Halloween better than it has any right to. The Gold Rush towns already look like a film set after dark, and October stacks the season: a real haunted castle with three nights left, a witches walk down a historic Main Street, a lighted Halloween parade, free family nights, live blues, and a murder mystery dinner. Most of it falls on the weekends of October 16-17 and 23-24 - here is how to plan yours.
The anchor: Preston Castle Haunt, four nights left
The Preston Castle Haunt is the county's biggest Halloween draw, and three of its six nights are still ahead: tonight, October 17, and October 23-24. Doors open at 7:00 PM at the historic castle in Ione, and general admission runs $35. Saturday nights move fast, so buy ahead rather than counting on the door. Full details, parking, and tips are in the dedicated Haunt guide.
October 17: blues in Sutter Creek or a murder mystery in Jackson
Saturday, October 17 gives you two grown-up options. Blues guitarist Chris Cain plays the Sutter Creek Theatre in Sutter Creek - tickets are $30. In Jackson, a Halloween murder mystery dinner runs the same night at $50 with dinner included. Either pairs well with a late afternoon on Main Street before showtime.
October 23-24: Halloween weekend, five events
Halloween weekend is the busiest one. Friday, October 23 brings Movies, Monsters & Moonlight, a free family night in Ione. Saturday, October 24 packs four events: the Sutter Creek Witches Walk - a free family Halloween event on Main Street - a Kennedy Mine benefit concert at $31.80, and the CHP Amador free Halloween open house in Jackson (trunk-or-treating, games, and hot dogs, 4-7 PM). You can string the Witches Walk and the benefit concert into one Sutter Creek-Jackson day trip.
The finale: Ione Lighted Halloween Parade, October 30
The season closes with the Ione Lighted Halloween Parade on Friday, October 30 - a small-town lighted parade in Ione that makes a good reason for one more trip through the valley before the costumes come off.
After Halloween: the haunts keep going
When the season's events end, the spooks do not. Kennedy Mine runs paranormal nights through the year at the historic mine in Jackson - worth knowing for anyone who visits the Haunt and wants more of that energy on a different weekend. Check the events calendar for the next one.
Plan your Halloween trip
Buy Haunt tickets online before the weekend - Saturday nights are the first to go. Halloween weekend lodging in Sutter Creek and Jackson fills fast, so book the room before you lock the plans. For families, anchor on the free nights: Movies, Monsters & Moonlight on October 23, the Witches Walk and CHP open house on October 24, and the parade on the 30th. For adults, it is the Haunt, the murder mystery dinner, and Chris Cain.