This year's town flyer for Pumpkins in the Park lists a hayride, a DJ, free cookies and hot cocoa, and a $50 gift card for the best decorated vehicle in the trunk-or-treat. The date at the top is Friday, Oct. 23. Halloween falls on a Saturday in 2026, eight days later.
Dates matter here more than usual. North Providence's public Halloween events run on weeknights in the stretch before the holiday. The town goes first, then the library and police department, then a lecture about where the holiday came from. All of them are on the calendar before Saturday, and on the night itself the action moves to front yards.
| Date | Event | Host | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Pumpkins in the Park | Mayor Charles Lombardi and the Recreation Department | Governor Notte Park, 2 Governor Notte Parkway | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | Halloween Safety Night During Trunk or Treat | North Providence Library, alongside the NPPD Trunk or Treat | 1810 Mineral Spring Ave. | 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Halloween history talk with Carl L. Johnson | North Providence Library | Community Room, 1810 Mineral Spring Ave. | 6 to 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Halloween | Porches and home displays |
Friday Night at Notte Park Is the Town's Turn
Pumpkins in the Park is tomorrow evening, Friday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Governor Notte Park. Mayor Lombardi and the North Providence Recreation Department are hosting it, and the town posted the official announcement on Sept. 21. According to Uprise RI, the program includes hayrides, trunk-or-treat, a DJ and dancing, plus free cookies and hot cocoa. The flyer lists no admission price.
There are three contests, and the Valley Breeze reports that each winner gets a $50 gift card:
- Best carved pumpkin. Families are encouraged to bring their best one.
- Best creative costume.
- Best decorated vehicle in the trunk-or-treat. Residents are asked to call ahead and register their car.
If you plan to decorate a trunk, call before you arrive. The Recreation Department is at 401-719-1633 or [email protected]. The announcement gives no rain date, so if the weather looks doubtful on Friday afternoon, check with that office.
The event has been around a long time. Uprise RI notes that the town's 2013 comprehensive plan already listed Pumpkins in the Park among its annual family events, and the town calendar carried a "Pumpkins in the Park Spectacular" in October 2024. The Recreation Department lists its main office at the park, so the hosts are working from their own home base.
Tuesday Moves the Holiday to Mineral Spring Avenue
Four days later, the North Providence Library holds its Halloween Safety Night During Trunk or Treat on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 1810 Mineral Spring Ave. The library's listing ties the evening to the NPPD Trunk or Treat, run by the North Providence Police Department.
The library is planning a decorated entrance, community-partner tables, a selfie station and a tour of the building. Children can take home free books from Books Are Wings and meal bookmarks from Raising Cane's. The guest list includes:
- North Providence Police Department
- Pauline Genest Yoga
- Mighty Minds
- Cub Scouts Pack 20
- Tri-County Community Action Agency
- Carl Johnson
The 2026 listing doesn't say where or when the police department's own trunk-or-treat runs. Last year, WPRI described the library and NPPD co-hosting a Wizard of Oz-themed trunk-or-treat at North Providence High School. That was 2025. For this Tuesday, go by the library's own listing, and follow it for any updates on the police portion.
Holding the town event on a Friday and this one on a Tuesday means children get two trunk-or-treats, each with a different host and crowd, without either one competing with Saturday.
Thursday Asks Where the Holiday Came From
Carl Johnson is on Tuesday's guest list, and two nights later he has the library's Community Room to himself. "Halloween: The 'Faux' Holiday (Origins & Traditions)" runs Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 7 p.m. The library describes it as a look at the traditions behind the holiday. The listing shows the talk as in person but also says an online link will be emailed after registration, so register through the event page either way.
This one is for adults and older children who have had enough candy by midweek. It is also the last date on the published town and library calendars before Halloween itself.
Saturday Night Belongs to the Porches
With the civic events done by Thursday, Oct. 31 goes to private homes, and two North Providence yards made WPRI's 2026 roundup of the best local Halloween displays.
The first is Dixie Dreadful's House of Horrors on Douglas Avenue, where Dixie West builds with handmade props and solar lights this year. WPRI quoted her on why she enjoys it:
"Since I live on a main road, lots of people see me outside setting everything up and comment on how much joy my display brings them while they're driving by."
In the same piece, West told WPRI she hopes to get "a ton of trick or treaters." Her display is up nightly.
The second is The Upside Down, where Steven Simoneau turns his front yard into what WPRI calls a horror movie set. This year's references include "Black Phone," "IT," "Stranger Things" and "Five Nights at Freddy's." Simoneau told WPRI the hobby grew out of music videos he made more than 15 years ago. He started collecting props, then building them, then designing whole sets. The display is lit every night from 5 p.m. to midnight.
Both are family homes. WPRI's roundup has the locations. A slow drive-by after dark, with the car pulled over and off neighbors' driveways, works for the families who built them and for the street.
Smith Street Has the Indoor Option for a Cold Night
Late October weather can cancel a hayride. North Providence now has an indoor evening option it didn't have last Halloween. The Game House RI, a board-game café at 1726 Smith St., opened on Sunday, Aug. 23. Owners Genesis Sanchez and August Bogner run it.
Getting it open took longer than planned. WPRI reported that the café was meant to open earlier in 2026 but was delayed by the town's permitting process and parking requirements. In August the Town Council approved a parking variance, along with new resident-only parking signs on a nearby side street. If you go, those signs are why it pays to park where the café points you and stay off the side street.
The café has more than 100 games. Guests can make reservations, and staff host a game night once a month. Day play is $10. Monthly memberships cost $25 for one player or $45 for two. The menu covers coffee, hot chocolate, tea, canned drinks, popcorn and packaged snacks. The café's website lists hours of 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, and 2 to 11 p.m. on weekends. That is later than the hours WPRI printed at opening, so check the site before heading over. The next staff-led game night is posted on the café's Instagram, which its website directs visitors to.
After the Candy
The library's calendar picks up again right after the holiday weekend. Saturday Surprise Family Days, its monthly family activity, returns Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Community Room. The building that hosts the Tuesday trunk-or-treat crowd goes back to its regular monthly programs a week after Halloween.
At DiCenzo Advisory, we follow North Providence's calendar the way residents do, from Notte Park to Mineral Spring Avenue to the newest storefront on Smith Street. If you would like to know how a neighborhood's daily rhythm shows up when it comes time to sell or buy here, we would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a Free Consultation.
