How many free trick-or-treat stops does Gretna have in the last week of October? This year the answer is at least seven, spread over five days and six locations. Two of them are new for 2026. Vala's Pumpkin Patch is still the biggest name on the calendar, and its season ends Sunday, Nov. 1. But the town's own calendar has grown into a full week of events, from a city park on Lincoln Road to a church fellowship hall to a YMCA parking lot.
The list below puts it all in order. Further down is the part that matters if your family plans to buy Vala's tickets this year: which nights cost less, and which nights include the drone show.
The week, in one place
| Date | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Trick or Treat on the Trail | Lincoln Place Park, 20951 Lincoln Road | 2–4 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | E-waste recycling | Gretna Chamber event | See Chamber listing | See listing |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | NEX Candy Crawl | Nebraska Crossing | Not yet posted | See listing |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | Village Square Trick or Treat | Village Square | 5:30–7 p.m. | Free cocoa and cider |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Community Trunk or Treat | Galliant Autism, 11717 Bryan Street, Suite 101 | 4:30–6:30 p.m. | Free |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | HalloWeeRead Preschool Carnival | Gretna United Methodist Church | 6–7 p.m. | Library event |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Zombie Prom | Gretna Public Library, 736 South St. | 4–6 p.m. | Library event |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Trunk or Treat | Gretna Crossing YMCA | 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Free |
| Fri.–Sat., Oct. 30–31 | Trick-or-treating at the farm | Vala's Pumpkin Patch, 12102 S. 180th Street | Noon | Included with admission |
The city announced Trick or Treat on the Trail back on July 31. It runs Saturday, Oct. 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Lincoln Place Park, and local businesses will hand out candy and swag from decorated booths. The Gretna Area Chamber listing calls it a free community event. Businesses pay a $25 booth fee, which is why so many of them set up there. The Chamber calendar also lists an e-waste recycling event that same Saturday. If you've got an old monitor in the garage, you can drop it off the same day.
Why the weekend kicks off the week
Most of the week's events sit close together on the calendar. The first weekend does not. After the Trail on Saturday, the outlet center takes over Sunday. Nebraska Crossing's homepage promotes the "NEX Candy Crawl" on October 25, where kids in costume trick-or-treat at participating stores. The site hadn't posted a start time or age guidelines when this was written, so check the page before you go.
That weekend pairing is the town-wide version of Halloween. One event is run by the city in a neighborhood park, and the other is run by the outlet center off the interstate, at opposite ends of Gretna. After that, the week gets smaller and more local. Each event belongs to one business, one block, or one building.
Tuesday in the Village Square
The Village Square Trick or Treat runs Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Participating businesses hand out treats, and there's free hot chocolate and cider. It's a weeknight event, so it fits after school and before bedtime. It also gives kids one more chance to wear the costume before the last few days of the month fill up.
Thursday and Friday are the busiest two days
Four events land in about 26 hours, and two of them are first-time events.
On Thursday, Oct. 29, Galliant Autism in Gretna hosts what its Chamber listing calls its first annual Community Trunk or Treat. It runs 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 11717 Bryan Street, Suite 101, and it's free and open to the public. The listing's time field says "AM" in one spot, but the description and the date-and-time details both say evening. The evening time is the one that matches the rest of the listing.
Before that one wraps up, the Gretna Public Library's October calendar has the HalloWeeRead Preschool Carnival from 6 to 7 p.m. at Gretna United Methodist Church. Storytime is at 6:30, with games, activities and prizes, and costumes and treat bags are encouraged. The two overlap by half an hour, so a family with a preschooler could start at the trunk-or-treat around 4:30 and still get to the church before storytime.
Friday, Oct. 30, follows the same pattern for older kids and families. The library's Zombie Prom runs 4 to 6 p.m. at the Main Library, 736 South St., with crafts, dancing and spooky movies. The calendar adds that a library card is never required to attend events. Starting at 5:30, the Gretna Crossing YMCA holds its first-ever Trunk or Treat until 7:30 p.m. Trunk setup starts at 4 p.m., and admission is free.
Two first-year events on back-to-back nights tell you which way things are going. Businesses that don't usually host events are choosing Halloween week for their first public one.
Where Vala's fits into all this
Vala's is in its final stretch of the season, and the pricing affects how you'd plan around it. The farm is open daily through Nov. 1. In late October it's open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
WOWT reported on Sept. 3 that weekend admission this season is $45.99 per person and weekday admission is $26.99. That covers more than 50 attractions and live shows, and pumpkins cost extra. HOLA Nebraska notes that children 2 and younger get in free. The $19 difference is per person, so a family of four saves $76 by going on a weekday. Co-owner Kirsten Fong also told WOWT that visitors can bring their own food and drinks.
Here is how those prices line up with this year's calendar.
- The farm's own trick-or-treating falls on weekend-rate days. HOLA Nebraska lists trick-or-treating at Vala's at noon on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. The weekend rate covers Friday through Sunday, so both days cost $45.99 per person.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, is the cheapest night to see the drone show. HOLA Nebraska says the Firefly Drone Show runs Wednesday through Saturday, about 30 minutes before closing. On a Wednesday with a 9 p.m. close, that puts the show around 8:30 at the $26.99 weekday price. Thursday, Oct. 29, works the same way, and it's the last weekday-rate day of the season.
- The last day is a Sunday. Vala's closes for the year on Sunday, Nov. 1, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday falls in the weekend pricing window.
So a Wednesday or Thursday at Vala's leaves Saturday the 24th for the Trail, Tuesday for Village Square, and Friday for the YMCA, and keeps the farm visit at the lower price.
What's new at the farm this year
If your last visit was a few years ago, the farm has changed. KETV reported at the Sept. 4 opening that this season adds Seven Seas mini-golf, the Pony Express spinning coaster, a swinging pirate ship, and a bottled wild-berry cider soda. Beer is also being served on the farm for the first time. A KETV food feature on Oct. 9 named new menu items too: Ube Pie, Mexican Poutine, caramel-apple parfaits, and a cotton-candy "Freakshake." The farm's Apple & Cider Festival ran through September and opened with a new Apple Tree Swing.
After Nov. 1
After Vala's closes, Gretna's calendar goes quiet until a bigger opening early next year. The Gretna Community Complex, under construction next to the Gretna Crossing Park water tower, is expected to open in February 2027, according to KETV. The same report says the $33 million building will house City Hall, an event-rental space, a rentable kitchen, a makerspace, and a two-floor library, with the children's library on the first floor. If the library's Zombie Prom and preschool carnival are any sign, next October's events will have a lot more room.
At Nebraska Crossing, Kalamata is listed as "Opening Fall 2026," and no grand-opening date has been announced yet. If you're going to the Candy Crawl, check whether it has opened by then.
At Staci Mueller Group, we keep track of Gretna's calendar because so many of our clients plan their weeks around it. If you have questions about the parts of Gretna where these events take place, from the Lincoln Road parks to the area around the new Community Complex, we're glad to talk. Contact us anytime.
