What’s Happening at The Lake: Yerkes Candlelight Walk, Haunted Hayride and Peak Fall Color, October 19-25, 2026
The Yerkes Candlelight Walk is Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24, from 7 to 9:30 PM in Williams Bay. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for ages 18 and under, and everyone parks at Williams Bay High School and rides a free shuttle. Full guide here.
The same 2 nights, the Dan Patch haunted hayride runs 6 to 11 PM behind the Emagine theater, cash only. East Troy has its Trick-or-Treat Train Friday and the last weekend of Harvest Fest trains Saturday and Sunday. Stairway to Zeppelin plays The Belfry Friday and Saturday at 7.
And the trees should be close to peak. The Wisconsin DNR puts southern Wisconsin’s peak in the latter half of October, which is this week.
Plan ahead: Candlelight Walk tickets are online only through Yerkes. The Trick-or-Treat Train needs a reservation. The hayride is the opposite: cash at the window, no reservations at all.
Hey Lake Lovers,
Monday through Thursday is the quiet stretch, and it’s probably the best color of the year. You’ll get weekday boat tours and a Shore Path you mostly have to yourself.
Then Friday and Saturday stack up around Williams Bay. 2,000 candles at Yerkes, then a 15-minute drive to a wagon full of screaming people if you’re up for it.
Week at a glance
Quiet Monday. Fall boat tours from the Riviera Docks, Alex Wilson at Grand Geneva’s Lobby Bar 7 to 10 PM, ghost walk at 7:30.
Peak-color weekdays. Whitewater City Market Tuesday, Terry Byrne at Pier 290 Wednesday, Mars Resort and Harpoon Willie’s Thursday.
Candlelight Walk 7 to 9:30. Hayride 6 to 11. Trick-or-Treat Train at 5 and 6 in East Troy. Stairway to Zeppelin and The 1985.
Harvest Fest trains from 10 AM. Candlelight Walk night 2. Hayride. Zeppelin again. Bar West in Fontana until 12:30.
Last day of Harvest Fest trains. Brunch music at The Abbey. D’Lite Duo at Mars Resort 5 to 8 PM.
Yerkes Candlelight Walk, Friday and Saturday
Once a year Yerkes lines its 50-acre Olmsted arboretum with 2,000 candles and opens the big dome at night. It’s 2 nights, and it’s the event of the week.
- When
- Fri, Oct 23 and Sat, Oct 24, 7 to 9:30 PM
- Where
- Yerkes Observatory, 373 W. Geneva St., Williams Bay
- Cost
- $15 ages 19+, $10 ages 18 and under
- Tickets
- Online through Yerkes
- Parking
- Williams Bay High School, 500 W. Geneva St. No parking at Yerkes.
- Shuttle
- Free and continuous, 7 to 9:30 PM
- Weather
- Rain or shine. Tickets work either night.
Insider tip: it’s self-guided and drop-in, so there’s no reason to rush at 7. Just leave yourself an hour before the last shuttle at 9:30.
Skip it if you want telescope time. The telescopes aren’t part of the walk, though you can go inside and see the Great Refractor under a candlelit dome.
Which night, what to wear and where to eat after are in the Yerkes Candlelight Walk 2026 guide.
Halloween events this week
4 Halloween picks, all within about 30 minutes of downtown Lake Geneva. The train is built for little kids. The hayride gets scary once it’s dark.
Dan Patch Stables Haunted Hayride
Behind Emagine, 2567 Highway 120, Lake Geneva
Kid-friendly wagons from about 6 to 7. Tickets at the window from 5:45, no reservations. Our hayride guide.
East Troy Trick-or-Treat Train
East Troy Depot, 2002 Church St., East Troy
A 25-minute ride to Jim Byrnes Memorial Park, trick-or-treating, then a pumpkin per kid back at the depot. About 1 hour 20 minutes. Reserve ahead.
Lake Geneva Ghost Walks
Starts at Seminary Park, downtown Lake Geneva
90 minutes through downtown’s darker stories, including the Maxwell Mansion and Baker House.
Boo-On-The-Bay costume party cruise
Lake Geneva Cruise Line
A 2-hour Halloween costume cruise, 21 and older. Appetizers and 1 drink are included. Dates are on the cruise line’s calendar.
Also this week
- Harvest Fest trains, last weekend. Saturday and Sunday between the East Troy Depot and The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago. First train about 10 AM from East Troy, last one back about 4 PM. $19 adults, $16.50 seniors and military, $13 ages 3 to 14, under 3 free. Day passes, good on every train.
- Stairway to Zeppelin at The Belfry, 3601 WI-67 in Delavan, Friday and Saturday at 7 PM. $74 to $92.
- Lake Geneva Cruise Line fall tours. The Best of the Lake tour is 1 hour for $43, and the Full Lake tour is 2 hours for $57.
- Live music every night. Free sets at Pier 290, Mars Resort, The Abbey and Grand Geneva. Every act and time is in this week’s live music post.
- Pearce’s Farm Stand at W5740 N. Walworth Road in Walworth, with pumpkins, cider donuts and the corn maze through October 31.
Fall color around Geneva Lake this week
This should be the week. The Wisconsin DNR puts southern Wisconsin’s peak color in the latter half of October, and the oaks that were still green last week should be catching up to the maples.
Go on a weekday if you can. Saturday traffic in Williams Bay and Fontana gets heavy on a good color weekend, and this weekend has the Candlelight Walk on top of it.
Where to look
- From the water. A fall boat tour shows the hillsides and estate lawns at once. The 2-hour Full Lake tour covers the quieter west end.
- The Shore Path. It’s public all the way around. Start in Williams Bay or walk west from the library downtown. The Shore Path guide has the access points.
- Yerkes grounds by day. The arboretum trails are open sunrise to sunset with no ticket. Walk it in daylight, then come back Friday or Saturday night for the candles.
- Kettle Moraine State Forest, Southern Unit. About 35 minutes north near Eagle. The biggest stretch of woods in the area.
- A drive. The Lake Geneva scenic drive strings together Rustic Roads, hikes and farm stops.
One Saturday: trains, color and candles
- 9:30 AMDrive to the East Troy Depot, about 30 minutes north of Lake Geneva.
- 10:00 AMFirst Harvest Fest train to The Elegant Farmer. Your ticket is good all day.
- 1:30 PMTrain back to East Troy, then lunch on the town square.
- 3:30 PMBack to Williams Bay. Walk the Shore Path while the light’s good.
- 5:30 PMDinner in Williams Bay.
- 6:50 PMPark at Williams Bay High School for the Candlelight Walk.
- 9:15 PMPick one: D’Lite Duo at Pier 290 until 10, or the hayride on Highway 120 until 11 (bring cash).
With little kids: flip Saturday night. Hit the hayride’s kid wagons at 6, then the Candlelight Walk at 7:15. You’re done by about 8:30.
Compare this week’s events
Yerkes Candlelight Walk
- When
- Fri & Sat 7 to 9:30 PM
- Cost
- $15 / $10
- Book ahead?
- Yes, online
- Rain plan
- Rain or shine
Haunted hayride
- When
- Fri & Sat 6 to 11 PM
- Cost
- $25 / $10, cash
- Book ahead?
- Can’t
- Rain plan
- Weather pending
Trick-or-Treat Train
- When
- Fri 5 and 6 PM
- Cost
- $12 to $32.50
- Book ahead?
- Yes
- Rain plan
- Delays for thunderstorms
Harvest Fest trains
- When
- Sat & Sun from 10 AM
- Cost
- $13 to $19
- Book ahead?
- Suggested
- Rain plan
- Check with the museum
Stairway to Zeppelin
- When
- Fri & Sat 7 PM
- Cost
- $74 to $92
- Book ahead?
- Yes
- Rain plan
- Indoors
Ghost walk
- When
- Nightly
- Cost
- About $34
- Book ahead?
- Recommended
- Rain plan
- Check with organizer
Day by day, October 19 to 25
Monday, October 19
Quiet start.
Lake Geneva Cruise Line fall tours
Riviera Docks, downtown Lake Geneva
Weekday boats, peak-ish color.
Tuesday, October 20 to Thursday, October 22
The quiet days. Best color, smallest crowds.
Whitewater City Market
Cravath Lakefront Park, Whitewater
One of the last 2 outdoor markets of the year.
Friday, October 23
The weekend starts in 3 directions.
Saturday, October 24
The big day.
Sunday, October 25
Last trains, then the drive home.
Harvest Fest trains, final day
East Troy Depot
The last day of the 2026 season.
Save the date: Halloween weekend
- October 30 and 31: the haunted hayride‘s last 2 nights of 2026.
- October 30: the last Trick-or-Treat Train Friday.
- October 30: Steve Trevino of Infinite Journey and his daughter Cecelia at Mars Resort, 7 to 10 PM.
- October 31: a Halloween party with The League of Erics at Geneva Lake Distilling + Winery, and Duo Sonic at Harpoon Willie’s from 8 to 11 PM.
- Trick-or-treat hours by town are in our Lake Geneva trick-or-treat times and Halloween events guide.
For everything else, see What’s Happening at The Lake, the Lake Geneva events calendar and last week’s Elkhorn Oktoberfest roundup.
Williams Bay, East Troy or right in town?
This week runs from Williams Bay to East Troy. Williams Bay has Yerkes, a public beach and Pier 290 on the bay. East Troy is about 30 minutes north, with a town square, a railroad museum and farm country around it. Downtown Lake Geneva has the Riviera and the Shore Path at its front door.
Kim and Joel Reyenga of eXp Realty are based in Williams Bay and work all of them. Compare the Williams Bay and East Troy guides, or call and ask what’s for sale near the places you already like.
Kim and Joel Reyenga, eXp Realty, Williams Bay, Wisconsin. About Kim and Joel. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Yerkes Candlelight Walk 2026?
Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 7 to 9:30 PM at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay. Tickets are $15 for ages 19 and up and $10 for ages 18 and under. All parking is at Williams Bay High School, 500 W. Geneva Street, with a free shuttle.
Is the Dan Patch haunted hayride open October 23 and 24, 2026?
Yes. It runs 6 to 11 PM both nights behind the Emagine theater at 2567 Highway 120 in Lake Geneva. Tickets are cash only at the window from 5:45 PM: $25 for adults and $10 for ages 4 to 10. The last 2 nights after that are October 30 and 31.
Is this the last weekend for the East Troy Harvest Fest trains?
Yes. October 24 and 25 are the final days. Trains run between the East Troy Depot at 2002 Church Street and The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago, first train about 10 AM. Tickets are $19 for adults, $16.50 for seniors and military, and $13 for ages 3 to 14.
When do fall colors peak around Lake Geneva?
The Wisconsin DNR puts southern Wisconsin’s peak in the latter half of October, so October 19 to 25 is usually the strongest week around Geneva Lake. A fall boat tour or a walk on the Shore Path are the easiest ways to see it.
What’s playing at The Belfry October 23 and 24, 2026?
Stairway to Zeppelin, a Led Zeppelin tribute, plays both nights at 7 PM at 3601 WI-67 in Delavan. Tickets are $74 to $92. Doors open at 6:30 PM.
What can I do around Lake Geneva if it rains this weekend?
The Yerkes Candlelight Walk runs rain or shine, and The Belfry and Geneva Stage are indoors. The haunted hayride depends on weather, and the Trick-or-Treat Train doesn’t run in thunderstorms, so check their pages before you drive.
See you at the lake.
