ASHLAND, VIRGINIA, MAY HAVE JUST SOLVED HALLOWEEN
Forget choosing between trick-or-treating and making memories. This Halloween, Ashland is giving families, friends, and grown-up ghouls an entire evening of reasons to stay, play, and celebrate.
Halloween in historic Ashland, Virginia
What if the best part of Halloween wasn't how much candy you collected, but how many unforgettable memories you made along the way?
That's the question Ashland seems determined to answer this October 31, when the town transforms into a Halloween destination packed with creative activities, costume contests, local shopping, spooky entertainment, and a few surprises that might just outshine the candy haul.
NOON | A Halloween classic at the Historic Ashland Theatre
Start the day with a little cinematic nostalgia. The Historic Ashland Theatre is screening Hocus Pocus at noon on October 31, giving movie lovers a chance to revisit one of Halloween's most beloved seasonal favorites before the afternoon festivities begin.
It's the perfect opening act for a day that promises plenty of witches, costumes, and Halloween spirit.
2–7 P.M. | The Ashland Halloween Party at Studio54
Think Halloween activities with a local twist, prizes worth dressing up for, a chance to turn a child's fingerprint into a lasting keepsake, and enough community spirit to make even the most dedicated candy collectors consider extending their evening.
And that's only the beginning.
Among the afternoon's most memorable offerings is an opportunity from Sherry Siewert Studio, where families can turn a child's fingerprint into a piece of personalized jewelry.
The studio's Halloween Spooky Fun & Fingerprints! experience invites children to participate in the Halloween festivities while creating a keepsake their families can treasure long after the jack-o'-lanterns have been packed away.
For $85, families can take home a piece of fingerprint jewelry featuring their child's unique print.
It's the sort of Halloween souvenir that doesn't disappear into a candy wrapper by November 1 — and a particularly meaningful way to celebrate the little people who make the holiday magical.
Of course, Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, and the Studio54 celebration gives everyone another reason to go all out.
Anyone who shows up in costume at any time before or during the October 31 Halloween Party will automatically be entered to win prizes.
The celebration's prize lineup features support from local businesses and community partners, including:
EmmaK Bags Handmade Originals — handmade creations with personality.
Thrive & Shine — bringing a little extra brightness to the celebration.
Tender Bloom Tarot — offering a prize that includes a 45-minute tarot reading and a crystal.
Immagine' LLC — sponsoring a photo booth, arts and crafts, games, and other attractions while also offering Halloween and autumn decor for sale.
Cafe54 Breakfast and Brunch — helping bring the community together at the event's home base.
Ashland Sportspage — contributing to the collection of prizes.
The result is a celebration where dressing up isn't just a cute photo opportunity. It's an invitation to participate, support local businesses, and potentially walk away with something wonderful.
So dust off the witch hat, break out the superhero cape, resurrect that elaborate costume you've been waiting all year to wear, and give yourself permission to be delightfully ridiculous.
The candy can wait. There are prizes to win!
5–8 P.M. | A spooky musical celebration at Hanover Arts and Activities Center
As the afternoon unfolds, the Hanover Concert Band brings Halloween music to the Hanover Arts and Activities Center, located at 500 South Center Street in Ashland.
A special spooky concert adds a live-music dimension to the festivities — because a Halloween soundtrack performed by a concert band is an awfully good way to make the holiday feel cinematic.
Families are invited to enjoy the evening's musical celebration. Attendees should check with the organizer for any additional event details before heading out.
7–10 P.M. | A mysterious evening at the Henry Clay Inn
When the family-friendly festivities wind down, the Henry Clay Inn offers a distinctly different kind of Halloween experience.
Its 21-and-over Halloween Costume Party invites guests to an evening of candlelight, cocktails, small bites, and mysterious company. Tickets are $35 per guest and include one signature cocktail and passed appetizers throughout the evening. Additional cocktails and small plates are available for purchase in The Lounge.
With limited tickets available, this is a chance for adults to trade the trick-or-treat route for an evening of costumes, conversation, and historic-inn atmosphere.
Together, these events create something rather wonderful: a Halloween that can grow with you throughout the day, from a noon movie to afternoon family fun, live music, and an adults-only evening.
The real treat is what happens when a community shows up
Behind the costumes, attractions, and prizes is something that makes Ashland special year-round: a community of independent businesses, local organizations, and neighbors creating reasons to gather.
The Studio54 Halloween Party brings that spirit into focus by making room for family activities, creative experiences, local shopping, and opportunities for businesses to connect with the people they serve.
Immagine' LLC's sponsored attractions add hands-on fun. Sherry Siewert Studio offers a keepsake that celebrates childhood. Local businesses contribute prizes that make participation even more rewarding. And Cafe54 provides the gathering place where all of these pieces come together.
It's a reminder that a memorable holiday doesn't necessarily require a complicated itinerary or a long drive. Sometimes, the best experiences are the ones happening just around the corner, created by people who care about making their community a little more connected.
So yes, go trick-or-treating. Collect the candy. Admire the costumes. But consider making room for something more this year.
See a movie. Make a fingerprint keepsake. Enter a costume contest. Discover a local business. Hear a spooky concert. And if the evening calls for it, finish with a mysterious cocktail at a historic inn.
This Halloween, Ashland isn't asking you to choose between treats and experiences. It's inviting you to enjoy both.
EVENT DETAILS AT A GLANCE
Ashland Halloween Party at Studio54
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Time: 2–7 p.m.
Location: Studio54 at Cafe54 Breakfast and Brunch, 100 Thompson Street, Ashland, Virginia
Highlights: Costume prize drawing, photo booth, arts and crafts, games, seasonal shopping, and fingerprint jewelry from Sherry Siewert Studio
Fingerprint jewelry: $85
Additional information: Visit ILoveAshlandVA.com for local happenings and community information.
More Halloween happenings in Ashland
Hocus Pocus: Noon at the Historic Ashland Theatre on October 31.
Hanover Concert Band spooky concert: 5–8 p.m. at Hanover Arts and Activities Center, 500 South Center Street, Ashland.
Henry Clay Inn Halloween Costume Party: 7–10 p.m.; ages 21 and older; $35 per guest, including one signature cocktail and passed appetizers. Additional purchases available; limited tickets.