For families looking for more giggles than ghoulishness, there is the Oct. 24 Spooktacular festival and Oct. 30's Trick or Treat Street.

Those seeking a scare won't want to miss Castle of Terror on Oct. 23, 24, 30 and 31. This year's Haunted Hollywood theme will bring with it décor and costumes from scary movies.

Both the Spooktactular and Trick or Treat Street are free. Castle of Terror costs $10, which helps fund the Town's Police and Fire Explorers programs.

The Spooktacular will run 2-4 p.m. at the Recreation Center, 2301 N. Woodlands Blvd. Wear your costumes to the celebration, which will include bouncy houses, crafts, games and music.

Trick or Treat Street, held in cooperation with the Downtown Merchants Association, will again feature a costume contest as well as music and pumpkin decorating. The fun will radiate from Festival Park, Second and Perry streets, but Downtown merchants also will have their doors open for trick-or-treaters. The event runs from 2 to 5 p.m. A full schedule for the costume contest is below.

This year's costume contest isn't just for kids, with 11 and up and group costume categories added to the age group divisions from previous years.

Preregistration for the costume contest is encouraged and must be completed by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, by contacting Karen McGrath, 303-660-1365 or kmcgrath@CRgov.com. You'll need to provide your child's name and age and the parent's contact information.

Castle of Terror will run from 7-10 p.m. at the Town Fire Training Tower, 333 Malibu Court (near Wolfensberger Road and Park Street). The haunted house is not recommended for young children, and no child under 13 will be admitted without an adult.

Volunteers are needed to help haunt the house. Contact Kristen Trbovich, 720-733-2284 or ktrbovich@CRgov.com, if you can help. She also can answer questions about Castle of Terror and the Spooktacular. Trick or Treat Street questions should be directed to McGrath using the above contact information.

Costume contest schedule

Under 2 years
Sign in by 2:15 p.m.; contest begins at 2:30 p.m.
Winners announced at 3:15 p.m.

2-4 years
Sign in by 2:30 p.m.; contest begins at 2:45 p.m.
Winners announced at 3:30 p.m.

5-7 years
Sign in by 3:45 p.m.; contest begins at 4 p.m.
Winners announced at 4:15 p.m.

8-10 years
Sign in by 4 p.m.; contest begins at 4:15 p.m.
Winners announced at 4:45 p.m.

11 years and up
Sign in by 4:15 p.m.; contest begins at 4:30 p.m.
Winners announced at 5 p.m.

Group costume contest
Sign in by 4:30 p.m.; contest begins at 4:45 p.m.
Winners announced between 5 and 5:15 p.m.