October 2026 Smaller Geeky Events Halloween Edition

17th: Rocky Horror Picture Show 

This was a 21+ screening at the Aurora Public Library central location. This was a free event hosted by the library, but you had to sign up for it online. Like most of the library events, registration opens on the 1st of the month before the event. This means that you basically need to be ready to grab your place about 2 months in advance.

They had everything nicely set up. They had a whole snack bar, bar, and Italian soda bar set up for guests. I didn't know that they were going to have alcohol drinks there or that each guest got 2 for free. I really liked how they had the Italian soda option for people that don't drink. Most places would just have plain soda (which they had as well), but there was several different syrups that people could use and/or mix. I tried the green apple syrup and was really happy that it was not a sour apple. 

Each guest got a bag of props to use. I've noticed that places that do this focus on different things so the props are different depending on where you go for the screening. I can totally understand why they did bubbles instead of rice.

Also just as an additional fun thing they had water press on fake tattoos.

Over all this was a great event that I hope they do it again next year. Libraries right now have so little money, and putting on nice events like this for the community are getting rarer as funding keeps getting smaller. Being able to experience a classic movie in a social setting is very important for the community. The Aurora Public Library gets very little funding when compared to other library districts in our state, like the Arapahoe County Libraries. One of the ways you can help support the Aurora Public Library is by shopping at their used book store, Friends of the Aurora Public.

Ongoing Events

Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns at Hudson Gardens

I went to this event in the day time when it is free. Tickets for adults start at $24.99, even though the website claims $19.99, but then you have $5 in hidden fees that they tack on. Even if I had the money for it, I would have been disappointed because the condition of many of the displays aren't that good.

I noticed that the majority of the pumpkins are fake and it looks like they try to use the same ones year after year, but many had da.age. Everything from pieces of their faces missing to like the large Wonder Woman display had really noticeable damage to her leg. It looked like it could be fixed, but it didn't look like they would take the time to make repairs.

There were funny displays like the outhouse pumpkin above. There were also many geeky or pop culture displays like the Child below.

I did kind of liked these classic movie monster pumpkins. Even if they were a stencil, whoever did them was talented and it looked like they would take awhile to make.

The turtle above is an example of some of the animal and bug pumpkins they had. There were also penguins, dinosaurs, and even giant tentacles.

There were also a few other props mixed in as well. I also saw that in the evening they had locations where you could by food and alcoholic drinks. One drink will cost you $20, but when I looked at the ingredient list I could make a full pitcher for that price if not less. That also doesn't take into account that they will also make your drink mostly ice... I don't know if these stations are the Hudson Gardens or are linked to the third party that runs the pumpkin show, but either way I would say avoid the concessions. Also near the front there was a pavilion that was closed. When I peeked inside it looked like they had some cool Halloween stuff in there for like a Halloween gift shop. It being closed in the day time they were missing out on a lot of potential sales. The place was packed with kids and their moms. I could see the parents buying something to help keep their kids preoccupied. Overall it just seemed like yhis event was mismanaged and uncared for by whoever was running it.

It was a nice fall walk. I would recommend only going in the day time and not paying high prices for damaged displays.

Nick's Garden Center Fall Festival

This is one of the events I look forward to going to every fall.

They do also have food and drink for sell in addition to their little veggie section. I recommend the street corn, which did go up $1 this year to $6.

They had both carved and painted pumpkins to look at.

Many of the activities here are free. They do have a few pay for things, which this year ran $6 a piece per person. They have tons of games, sights, and maze that can keep you busy for a long time. 

They did bring back the talking pumpkin, but this year they put him further in the back. In past years I would see tons of kids gathered around him, but this year there was no one really paying attention to him.

The Tunnel of Terror was back this year, but it felt like they didn't put as much effort into it this year. Last year on the way to it they had decorations set up, but this year there was nothing on the outside. Even the talking skeleton by the gate was missing this year. The Tunnel of Terror is one of the pay for activities.

Another pay for activity is the mini golf. They have a sign up saying that parents are to watch their kids, but the worker wasn't enforcing it. The kids behind us, they looked like they were 6 years old, nearly hit my mom with a ball because they weren't waiting for their turn. This is the first year I didn't see employees enforcing the rules.

I also found my pumkin for the year. A lot of their pumpkins are on the higher end, but you can also find some really weird varieties here that normal stores don't carry. My little guy was only $1.90. Overall this year this event felt a little less bright then past years. Mostly because of the reduced decoration and the employees not enforcing that parents watch their kids. If you want to have more food options, like the corn, you need to go on the weekend, but be prepared for crowds and parking headaches. I actually recommend going on the week days when you can play the games without being mauled by unsupervised kids.