When is Halloween in Gretna this year? The calendar says Saturday, October 31. Most of the town's actual Halloween plans fall in the seven days before that.
This year, three dates decide how the season ends here. Halloween falls on a Saturday. Vala's Pumpkin Patch closes its 42nd season the next day, Sunday, November 1. Every community Halloween event Gretna has posted for late October happens before the 31st, starting with a Saturday afternoon on a city trail and ending on a crowded Friday night. If you plan around the week instead of the day, you get more of the season and spend less.
The Calendar Math Behind This Year
Vala's charges different prices on different days. Online general admission costs $26.99 per person Monday through Thursday and $45.99 Friday through Sunday. Kids 2 and under get in free. A Saturday Halloween puts the holiday in that higher tier, and so does Vala's closing day.
For one person, the difference is $19. For a family of four over age 2, a Friday, Saturday or Sunday visit costs $76 more than the same visit on a Wednesday. Vala's hours also follow the weekly pattern. The farm is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and stays open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
So the most expensive days at the biggest fall attraction in town are the last three of its season. Gretna's community Halloween events, two of them free, fill the days just before them.
Saturday, Oct. 24: The Trail Goes First
The City of Gretna starts things off. Trick or Treat on the Trail is back at Lincoln Place Park, 20951 Lincoln Road, on Saturday, October 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. The city's announcement says local businesses will set up along the trail to hand out candy and swag. Each business gets a 10x10 space for a table and tent, and vendors are encouraged to decorate their booths and bring games for kids. The event is free, according to the Oh My! Omaha roundup of 2026 trunk-or-treats, which also mentions games along the trail.
That same Saturday is a Friday-through-Sunday price day at Vala's, with a full day of stage shows. The farm's calendar lists Riverhawks on the Cider Mill Stage from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Chris Saub on Lolo's Stage from noon to 3, Josh Powell on the Cider Silo stage from noon to 3, Amazing Arthur at 4:45, 5:45, 6:45 and 7:45, and Dirt Road Divide on the Cider Mill Stage from 6 to 9 p.m.
The trail event lasts two hours in the middle of the afternoon. If you're paying the weekend price at Vala's that day anyway, you can trick-or-treat at Lincoln Place Park first and still reach the farm in time for the evening sets. Or you can let the trail be your Saturday and save Vala's for a cheaper day.
Monday Through Thursday: The Last Cheaper Days
From Monday, October 26, through Thursday, October 29, Vala's is still at the $26.99 rate. That makes Thursday the 29th the season's final day at the lower price. If you're reading this on Thursday the 22nd, today counts too. Counting today, five lower-priced days are left.
What you give up on those days is the stage schedule. Vala's events calendar shows nothing on Monday the 26th, Tuesday the 27th or Thursday the 29th. Wednesday the 28th has Music Bingo from 6 to 8 p.m. The rest of the farm is open as usual. Vala's lists more than 50 attractions, hayrack rides out to the pumpkin patch and what it calls the largest apple orchard in Nebraska. Its admission page also promises three live shows daily, so check the day's lineup before you go if a particular show matters to you.
Thursday evening brings Gretna's next community event. Gretna Public Library's October calendar lists HalloWeeRead Preschool Carnival & Storytime on Thursday, October 29, from 6 to 7 p.m. That gives families with young kids a natural Thursday plan: Vala's in the daytime at the weekday price, then the library carnival after dinner.
Friday, Oct. 30: Everything Happens at Once
Up to this point, each of Gretna's community events has had its own day. On Friday the 30th, two of them and Vala's trick-or-treat weekend all land on the same evening.
| Friday, Oct. 30 | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zombie Prom | Gretna Public Library | 4 to 6 p.m. | Not listed; see library calendar |
| Trunk or Treat, first year | Gretna Crossing YMCA | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Free |
| Farm-wide costumed trick-or-treat | Vala's Pumpkin Patch | 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Fri–Sun admission, $45.99 online |
| Evening stage shows | Vala's Pumpkin Patch | 5 to 9:30 p.m. | Included with admission |
The newest item on Gretna's Halloween calendar is the YMCA event. The Gretna Chamber listing calls it the Gretna Crossing YMCA's first-ever Trunk or Treat. Trunks set up starting at 4 p.m., and families, coworkers, teams, businesses and organizations are invited to decorate a trunk with a theme or a game, or just come with candy. "This is our first year, and we want to make it a Halloween tradition our community looks forward to every year," the listing reads. If your household has wanted to host a trunk instead of just visiting one, this is the year an event is asking for them.
Vala's is busy that night too. KETV's 2026 fall guide says costumes are encouraged and guests can trick-or-treat across the farm on October 30 and 31 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Vala's Friday calendar lists Mike and Brian on the Cider Silo stage from 5 to 8 p.m., Jeff Quinn on the Howl at the Moon stage at 5:45, 6:45 and 7:45, Daniel Christian on Lolo's Stage from 6 to 8, the Tyler Anthony Band on the Cider Mill Stage from 6:30 to 9:15, and Brad Ramp at the Pie Barn from 6:30 to 9:30.
Because the times are staggered, you can do more than one. Zombie Prom ends at 6, and the YMCA lot is busy until 7:30. Vala's stays open until 10. If you want to fit in all three, the last stage sets start late enough to catch after the trunk-or-treat. If you'd rather skip the farm, the library and the YMCA run back to back.
Halloween Saturday and Closing Sunday
Halloween itself belongs to Vala's. The farm's calendar for Saturday, October 31, lists String Beans on the Howl at the Moon stage at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., Chris Saub on Lolo's Stage and Josh Powell on the Cider Silo stage from noon to 3, and Amazing Arthur at 4:45, 5:45, 6:45 and 7:45 p.m. Farm-wide trick-or-treating continues all day, and Saturday hours run until 10 p.m.
Sunday, November 1, is the last day of the season. Vala's is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays, at the Friday-through-Sunday price. Vala's started its season on September 3 with a day for season pass holders and has been open every day since September 4. If you've been putting off a last apple-orchard visit or a final hayrack ride, Sunday is the deadline.
Vala's is at 12102 South 180th Street. Prices and stage lineups can change late in the season, so check Vala's tickets page and events calendar the morning you go.
The Week, Day by Day
- Thursday, Oct. 22: Vala's at the $26.99 weekday rate.
- Saturday, Oct. 24: Trick or Treat on the Trail at Lincoln Place Park, 2 to 4 p.m., free.
- Monday, Oct. 26, to Wednesday, Oct. 28: Weekday pricing at Vala's, with Music Bingo Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 29: Last day of the season at the weekday price, and HalloWeeRead at the library from 6 to 7 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 30: Zombie Prom from 4 to 6, the YMCA's first Trunk or Treat from 5:30 to 7:30, and trick-or-treating at Vala's until 10.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Halloween at Vala's, with stage shows from 11 a.m. through the 7:45 Amazing Arthur set.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Vala's final day, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
At Mamie Jackson and The Jackson Group, we'll be keeping up with Gretna's fall calendar right along with you, from the trail on the 24th to Vala's last hayrack ride on November 1. If your business or neighborhood group is setting up a trunk at the Gretna Crossing YMCA's first Trunk or Treat and you'd like help spreading the word, or if you just want to compare notes on your family's Halloween plans, Schedule Your Concierge Consultation and let's talk.
