CHARLESTON, S.C. – Whether you're looking for a scary movie or to make your own Halloween mask, the Charleston County Public Library has plenty of events to get you ready for the spookiest night of the year. There are even plenty of changes to go trick-or-treating in the stacks!
And if you want to take home a little bit of CCPL Halloween magic with you, we have an Owlbert jack-o-lantern cutout you can download and print to use as a guide on your pumpkin! Just right click the image on this page and save it to your computer.
Main Library
Mad Scientists Book Club: March of the Mini Beasts at Main Library
Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11 a.m.
We can all be mad scientists in this fun book club. Follow the Data Set in all their adventures with their wacky neighbor, Dr. Bunsen. Each book club meeting will combine exciting hands-on science activities with a brief discussion of the month's chosen book from The Data Set series by Ada Hopper.
Fright Fest Film Festival (grades 6-12)
Monday, Oct. 23 through Friday, Oct. 27
Monday, Oct. 23: "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Rated PG; 1 hour, 16 minutes.
Tuesday, Oct. 24: "The Addams Family" Rated PG-13; 1 hour, 50 minutes.
Wednesday, Oct. 25: "Beetlejuice" Rated PG; 1 hour, 32 minutes.
Thursday, Oct. 26: "Hocus Pocus" Rated PG; 1 hour, 36 minutes.
Friday, Oct. 27: "Casper" Rated PG; 1 hour, 50 minutes.
Full STEAM Ahead: Frankentoys at Main Library (ages 7-11)
Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 3:30 p.m.
Dismantle old toys, see what's inside, put them back together to make something new. Bring something you want to dismantle.
Afternoon Adventures: Ghoulish Makeup
Thursday, Oct. 25 at 3:30 p.m.
Get into the Halloween spirit, and learn how to apply stage makeup to transform yourself into a ghoulish creature.
Preschool Special: Spooktacular Costume Party
Monday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.
Come dressed as your favorite character for a party filled with fun stories, songs and crafts.
Legends and Ghost Stories From the South
Monday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m.
Join Dr. John R. Williams for an evening of Southern ghost stories, regional folklore and other scary tales from the oral tradition. This is a South Carolina Humanities program.
14th Annual CCPL Trick-or-Treat at Main Library
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m.
Trick or treat your way through the library, and enjoy some Halloween fun. Participants are asked to wear a costume and start their adventure in the Children's Department.
Halloween Spooktacular (grades 6-12)
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 3:30 p.m.
Enjoy spooky eats, spine-tingling games, and an improv costume contest using items from the Teen Lounge’s costume box.
Cooper River
Spooky Storytime
Tuesdays, Oct. 16 and 30 at 10:30 a.m.
Enjoy a spooky Halloween-themed story.
Adult Crafternoon: DIY Halloween Wreath
Thursday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m.
Come make a festive Halloween wreath for your door. All materials will be provided.
Candy Corn Contest
Throughout October
Guess the correct amount of candy corn, and win the whole jar!
Word Search (teens)
Throughout October
Complete a Halloween-themed word search to receive a ghoulish treat!
Kids Movie
Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 10:30 a.m.
Join a Halloween feature presentation, and watch "Coraline" Rated PG.
Kids Movie
Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 10:30 a.m.
Join a spooky feature presentation, and watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Rated PG.
Movie Matinee (adults)
Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 3:30 p.m.
Join us for a Halloween feature presentation, and watch "Hocus Pocus" Rated PG.
Halloween Movie Matinee
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 4 p.m.
Come inside if you dare, and join us for not one but two Halloween classics that will surely scare your socks off.
4 p.m.: "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Rated PG
6 p.m. "Hocus Pocus" Rated PG
Trick or Treat at Cooper River!
Wednesday, Oct. 31
Come dressed in your costume, and receive a delicious sweet or savory treat!
Dart Library
Pumpkin Hunt
Throughout October
Search for little pumpkins hidden throughout the library for a sweet treat.
Halloween at Dart
Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m.
Enjoy a costume party, trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating and more.
Dorchester Regional
Saturday at the Movies (ages 11 and younger)
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 12:30 p.m.
After three centuries, three witch sisters are resurrected in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night, and it is up to two teenagers, a young girl, and an immortal cat to put an end to their reign of terror once and for all. It's "Hocus Pocus" Rated PG; 95 minutes.
Adult Book Discussion
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m.
Discuss of the novel "The Ballad of Black Tom" by Victor LaValle. Copies of the book are available at the Information Desk.
Fall Preschool Special (ages 3-5 with adult)
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 10:30 a.m.
Wear your best costume, and enjoy stories, music, games, crafts and more!
Edisto Library
We're Going on a Ghost Hunt
Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11:30 a.m.
Don't be scared! Come read a funny ghost hunting book, and create a Halloween craft!
Boo!
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 11:30 a.m.
Get in the Halloween spirit! Join a spooky story, and have lots of fun making your own glow-in-the dark ghost!
James Island
Teen Candy Corn Guessing Game
Throughout October
Throughout October, take a guess at how many candy corn treats are stuffed within our jar. Teens may make one guess per day for a prize. The participant who submits the closest guess without going over the total amount will win a gift card.
Teen Escape Room
Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m.
Teens are invited to come and see if they have what it takes to escape! Join a team, and work together to solve puzzles and complete challenges before time runs out.
Saturday Movie (all ages)
Saturdays, Oct. 13 and 27
Drop in to watch a movie. Movie will repeat throughout the day.
10/13: “Halloweentown.” Rated G; 90 minutes
10/27: “The Dog Who Saved Halloween.” Rated PG; 88 minutes
Trick or Treat at James Island Library (all ages)
Wednesday, Oct. 31
Visit the library for a Halloween treat.
John's Island Regional
DIY Gifts: Paper Pumpkins
Thursday, Oct. 11 at 11 a.m.
Create a folded paper pumpkin to celebrate the fall season. Supplies provided.
Movie Matinee
Thursday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m.
School's out so come watch 'Hocus Pocus' with us. 95 minutes, Rated PG.
Teen Halloween Party
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m.
Join Mrs. Cleveland in the auditorium for a Halloween Party, there will be food and a scary movie playing. Costumes are optional.
Costume Party Storytime
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 10:30 a.m.
Dress in your favorite costume for a special storytime, then join in the parade and collect a treat!
Mt. Pleasant Regional
Reanimating “Apparently Dead” Bodies in 1790s Charleston
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 4 p.m.
In 1793, the City of Charleston passed a law requiring citizens to try to revive persons who were “apparently dead” or in a state of “suspended animation.” What was the origin of this plan to reanimate human bodies? Was it successful or simply ghoulish? Join CCPL’s historian, Dr. Nic Butler, to learn about the fascinating Frankenstein-like experiments that gripped Charleston in the 1790s and how they contributed to modern medical science.
Library Trick or Treat
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 11 a.m.
Wear a costume, and trick or treat in the library.
Otranto Road Regional
Candy Guessing Jar
Throughout October
Guess how many candies are in the jar throughout the month of the October. The winner will be announced on Halloween, and the person with the closest guess wins the entire jar of candy!
The Wandering Book Mystery
Throughout October
Test your knowledge by completing daily challenges. Follow the clues to the whereabouts of the "wandering" book. Each correctly answered challenge wins a piece of candy. All entries qualify you to win a $10 gift card.
Frankenstein's 200th Birthday Celebration: Frankenstein Trivia
Wednesday, Oct. 24 through Wednesday, Oct. 31
Answer a trivia question each day for a piece of candy. Adults ages 18+ will have a chance to win a $25 gift card, and teens have a chance to win a $10 gift card.
Otranto Movie Time: Frankenstein (The 1931 Classic)
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.
Boris Karloff stars as the screen's most memorable monster in what many consider to be the greatest horror film ever made. Not rate; 71 minutes.
Frankenstein and Everything Monsters Celebration
Monday, Oct. 29 at 3:30 p.m.
Listen to spooky music, win prizes playing Frankenstein and Monster Trivia, and enjoy snacks.
Halloween Word Search
Wednesday, Oct. 31
Complete a word search, and receive a piece of candy.
Edgar Allan Poe/Sullivan's Island Library
Beachlovers Book Club: "The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit"
Saturday, oct. 20 at 10:30 a.m.
Come for a discussion of Michael Finkel's "The Stranger in the Woods: the Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit." Light refreshments provided. Copies are available in book and downloadable ebook and audiobook formats through Charleston County Public Library.
Apple-Printed Pumpkins
Saturday, Oct. 20 at 10:30 a.m.
Use apples to make a colorful pumpkin craft.
"Poe in Charleston" with Dr. Scott Peeples
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 12 p.m.
Just in time for Halloween, join Dr. Scott Peeples of the College of Charleston to investigate some of the legends and mysteries of Edgar Allan Poe's time spent in Charleston.
Hurd/St. Andrews Regional
TeenSpot Fright Theater (ages 12-17)
Mondays in October at 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct.1: "Insidious: The Last Key" Rated PG-13; 1 hour, 43 minutes.
Monday, Oct. 8: No movie this week. All CCPL branches are closed.
Monday, Oct. 5: "The Purge: Anarchy" Rated R; 1 hour, 43 minutes.
Monday, Oct. 22: "Split" Rated PG-13; 1 hour, 57 minutes.
Monday, Oct. 29: "Fun Size" Rated PG-13; 1 hour, 26 minutes.
Horror on Wax: Halloween Vinyl Listening Party
Tuesdays in October at 6 p.m.
Get into the Halloween spirit with the old-fashioned scratch of a record needle. Join us for a spine-tingling series of stories and poetry from the masters of macabre; tales from authors Edgar Allan Poe, HP Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and many more. Each spoken word recording is accompanied by acclaimed horror film score producers, including Fabio Frizzi and Maurizio Guarini.
STEM: Spooky Webs
Saturday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m.
Use common household items including yarn and cups to create a spider web structure that supports Lego pieces!
DIY Decorated Halloween Pails
Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 4:30 p.m.
Come deck out your own trick or treat bucket for the big day. Pails are provided, but you may also bring your own.
Adult Crafternoon: Pumpkin Painting
Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m.
Come paint a beautiful masterpiece that you can keep and feature as the centerpiece on your holiday table. All materials will be provided.
Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror
Thursday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m.
Historian and College of Charleston professor W. Scott Poole traces the confluence of history, technology and art that gave us modern horror films and literature. Copies of his latest book will be available for purchase.
No Carve Jack-O-Lanterns
Saturday, Oct. 20 at 10:30 a.m.
Decorate a mini-pumpkin to take home.
Spooky Bingo
Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 4:30 p.m.
Join us for a few spooky rounds of bingo! Small prizes will be awarded to the winners.
Bewitched! Witchcraft and Fear in the Age of the Witch-Hunts
Thursday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m.
In premodern Europe and colonial America people lived in fear of witches -- neighbors suspected of using diabolical black magic to sicken and kill people and livestock. Tens of thousands of suspected witches died at the stake for these supposed crimes between 1500 and 1700. During his presentation, Dr. Jason Coy, Professor of History at the College of Charleston, will examine the experience of bewitchment in Europe and America at the height of the witch-hunts. How did people who believed they had been bewitched described their affliction? Who did they accuse of witchcraft? How did they seek to remedy their condition? How did their fears spark deadly witch-hunts?
Monster Mash Party Bash
Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 4:30 p.m.
Come in your costume to our Halloween party. Face paint and goodies provided!
Reanimating "Apparently Dead" Bodies in 1790s Charleston
Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.
In 1793 the City of Charleston passed a law requiring citizens to try to revive persons who were “apparently dead” or in a state of "suspended animation." What was the origin of this plan to reanimate human bodies? Was it successful or simply ghoulish? Join CCPL’s historian, Dr. Nic Butler, to learn about the fascinating Frankenstein-like experiments that gripped Charleston in the 1790s, and how they contributed to modern medical science.
TeenSpot Annual Halloween Cupcake War (ages 12-17)
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 3:30 p.m.
Can your decorating skills make you the Halloween Cupcake Champion? Create a Halloween-inspired cupcake to be judged by the managers of Hurd/St. Andrews Library. The winner will receive a trophy and a $15 Amazon gift card.
St. Paul's Hollywood Library
Pumpkin Painting Party
Wear some old clothes, and come paint pumpkins.
Village Library
Guess the Candy in the Jar
Throughout October
Correctly guess the amount of candy in the jar to win a prize.
Halloween Storytime and Craft
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 11 a.m.
Celebrate Halloween with a spooky storytime and fun craft. Costumes optional.
West Ashley Library
Halloween Reading with Brutus the Rescue Dog
Saturday, Oct 27 at 10:30 a.m.
Join Brutus for a Halloween story! Costumes are encouraged.