North Florida’s Oct. 9-11 weekend calendar includes Halloween activities, concerts, family arts events and festivals in Palatka, St. Augustine, Jacksonville and Gainesville.
In East Palatka, Madd Monsters HallowRamaCon is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Putnam County Fairgrounds. The event marks the 45th anniversary of Friday the 13th: Part II; general admission is $13, while children 10 and younger are free.
Downtown Palatka also has a Friday performance by singer-songwriter Michael Cassidy at 7 p.m. at the Larimer Arts Center, followed Saturday by the Spooktacular Studio Family Art Workshop from 2 to 4 p.m. and the center’s Second Saturday Art Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Elsie Bell’s Antique Mall will host Elsie Bell’s After Dark, a paranormal-themed event with ghost-hunting equipment and optional tarot readings, from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $25.
In St. Augustine, the 28th annual St. Augustine Greek Festival runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Admission is free, with additional parking and shuttle service available at Murray Middle School. The St. Augustine Amphitheatre will also host Tedeschi Trucks Band on Friday and Saturday, then The Avett Brothers with The Secret Sisters on Sunday.
Jacksonville’s WasabiCon 2026 runs Friday through Sunday at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, while the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens opens its annual Spooktacular on Saturday evening. The zoo event uses timed admission and includes a nighttime trail, trick-or-treat stations, a light tunnel and seasonal displays; Sunday’s session is planned as a sensory-friendly night with adjusted lighting and sound.
Gainesville closes out its run of Finding Neverland at Gainesville Community Playhouse this weekend. Elsewhere in the city, Santa Fe College’s Kika Silva Pla Planetarium has Halloween and music laser shows scheduled Saturday and Sunday, and Evergreen Cemetery begins its free “The Art of Death” plein-air art event Saturday. Artists may work at the cemetery through Oct. 18, while visitors are welcome to watch.
