Halloween lands on a Saturday next week, but most of the Gold Coast is celebrating a weekend early. From a haunted night trail through a botanical garden in Miami to a bike ride of costumed witches in Delray Beach, here are six things happening Friday, Oct. 23, through Sunday, Oct. 25, from West Palm Beach to South Miami-Dade, with the times, places and prices to plan around.

Garden of Shadows at Fairchild (Miami)

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden opens after dark on Friday and Saturday for Garden of Shadows, a Halloween night built around a Shadow Trail with six haunted stops. Along the way are tarot readers, contortionists and aerial performers, with a DJ on the Amazonica Lawn and a costume contest with cash prizes at 9 p.m. An optional tram tour is available for an added $14.95.

Hours are 7 to 10:30 p.m. both nights, with parking opening at 6:30. Adult tickets are $35.95, or $30.95 for members, and a pair costs $64.95. A ticket with a cocktail flight is $65.95. Fairchild is at 10901 Old Cutler Road.

Zoo Boo at Zoo Miami (South Miami-Dade)

Zoo Miami runs Zoo Boo on Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Children 12 and under can trick-or-treat around the zoo, and the weekend also has a costume contest with prizes, magic shows, inflatables and yard games, a live DJ, an Elite Hoops basketball trailer and keeper sessions where the animals get Halloween treats of their own. Everything is included with regular zoo admission. The zoo is at 12400 SW 152nd St.

Fall Fest at CityPlace (West Palm Beach)

The Lawn at CityPlace turns into a fall festival on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with live music from 1 to 6 p.m., trick-or-treating at the shops from 3 to 6 p.m. (check in at The Greet House) and Boo-vie Night, a free outdoor movie, from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and starts with the Pooch Parade and Costume Pawty from 11 a.m. to noon, followed by live music from 1 to 4 p.m. There is also a pumpkin patch and cookie decorating with Maman. CityPlace asks visitors to RSVP online. The Lawn is at 700 S. Rosemary Ave.

Witches of Delray and Halloween downtown (Delray Beach)

Saturday in downtown Delray Beach starts with the 15th annual Witches of Delray ride, in which hundreds of costumed riders pedal from City Hall to Old School Square between 8 and 11 a.m. to raise money for the Achievement Centers for Children and Families. Riders must register in advance.

The rest of the day is free. Merchants on Atlantic Avenue hand out candy from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kidsfest at Old School Square runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with food, vendors, crafts and entertainment, and a walk-in costume parade steps off at 1 p.m. from Federal Highway toward Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave.

Pumpkins and Palm Trees (Fort Lauderdale Beach)

The Fort Lauderdale Beach Business Improvement District holds its sixth Pumpkins and Palm Trees Fall Fest on Saturday at Las Olas Oceanside Park, 3000 E. Las Olas Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Activities run 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a student pie-baking contest from 10 to noon and the Broward Center's Spotlights Trick-or-Treat Trail from noon to 2 p.m. There is also a corn maze, inflatables and the Oceanside community market. Admission is free. A $10 wristband covers the rides, and $12 adds a pumpkin to decorate.

Boo Bash at ArtsPark (Hollywood)

Hollywood's family Halloween night is Friday at ArtsPark at Young Circle, 5 to 9 p.m. Music and children's activities start at 5, a costume fashion show follows at 7, and a movie begins at 8 (the city lists Hotel Transylvania 2). Admission is free, food is for sale, and the city's garage parking rates apply.

Plan the weekend

  • Friday, Oct. 23: Boo Bash, ArtsPark, Hollywood, 5 to 9 p.m., free. Garden of Shadows, Fairchild, 7 to 10:30 p.m., from $35.95.
  • Saturday, Oct. 24: Witches of Delray ride, 8 to 11 a.m., with free downtown Halloween events until 3 p.m. Pumpkins and Palm Trees, Las Olas Oceanside Park, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free entry. CityPlace Fall Fest, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Zoo Boo, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with zoo admission. Garden of Shadows, 7 to 10:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, Oct. 25: CityPlace Fall Fest, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the Pooch Parade at 11. Zoo Boo, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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