On Saturday, Oct. 24, the candy stops along 44th & France close at 3 p.m. That is also when the free Halloween party at Linden Hills Park starts. The two events have different hosts. A garden center posted the trick-or-treat, and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board posted the party. Still, one ends right as the other begins. After dark, the Como-Harriet Streetcar takes over with shows for adults. On Sunday morning, a Masonic lodge on France Avenue serves pancakes.
No single group runs Halloween weekend in Linden Hills. Each host has its own time slot, and the slots fit together. A household can go from shops to park to streetcar to breakfast without anything overlapping, as long as it goes in order.
The 3 p.m. Handoff
The first event starts in the business district. Sunnyside Gardens is promoting a neighborhood trick-or-treat along 44th Street and France Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 1 to 3 p.m. It's open to all ages, and participating businesses will hand out candy and small surprises.
Eight businesses are on the list:
- France 44
- Goodnight Moon
- The Ten Spot
- The Convention Grill
- Caphin
- Oh Crepe
- Serge + Jane
- Sunnyside Gardens
Sunnyside Gardens is also putting up Halloween displays and a pumpkin photo spot, which makes it an easy place to end the shop loop.
From there, the afternoon moves to the park. Halloween at the Hills runs from 3 to 5 p.m. the same day at Linden Hills Park, 3100 W. 43rd St. It includes hayrides, a DJ dance party and treats. It's free, there's no preregistration, and the park board lists it as an outdoor event. The park board calls it the neighborhood's "annual Halloween party."
Because the shops close at 3 and the park opens at 3, the only real decision is how long the walk east takes with kids in costume.
Saturday, in Order
The streetcar also runs on Saturday afternoon. The Minnesota Streetcar Museum's 2026 schedule has the Como-Harriet line running October weekends from 1 to 4 p.m. It boards at Linden Hills Station, Queen Avenue South and West 42nd Street, 2330 W. 42nd St. The museum doesn't list a final date for regular 2026 rides, so Oct. 24 may be one of the last chances of the year. It's worth checking the schedule page before you go.
Here's one way to do the day:
- 1:00 p.m. Start at 44th & France and work through the participating storefronts.
- 2:30 p.m. End the shop loop at Sunnyside Gardens for the pumpkin photo.
- 3:00 p.m. Head to Linden Hills Park, 3100 W. 43rd St., for hayrides and the DJ.
- 5:00 p.m. The park party ends, and the weekend's adult programs take over.
The sequence works because every host keeps its own hours. The shops finish before the park starts, and the park winds down as the streetcar's evening events begin. Getting a regular streetcar ride in means making a choice. The line stops at 4, an hour before the park party ends, so the ride has to take the place of the last hour at the park.
After Dark, the Streetcar Has Different Riders
In the evenings, the streetcar runs ticketed events for adults. The museum has two Halloween events left after this week.
The Late Show is on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 and 8:30 p.m. This year's show is "The Undead Dating Game," which the museum describes as a comic, slightly off-kilter look at little-known chapters of streetcar history. Tickets are $15, plus a $2.50 handling fee per order. The museum doesn't recommend it for children. The museum's events calendar has listed it as sold out, but the ticket page has still shown performance times. Check the Late Show ticket page before planning a Friday around it.
Spirits on a Streetcar: The Carbarn is on Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31, at 9:30 p.m. It's a 90-minute paranormal investigation of historic streetcar No. 1300 and its carbarn, led by investigator Heidi Steffens, with investigation equipment. Tickets are $50, plus the $2.50 handling fee, and a ticket is required.
The 9:30 p.m. start means it begins after most trick-or-treating has wound down.
Sunday Morning Belongs to a Lodge on France Avenue
The weekend ends a few blocks south of where it started. Lake Harriet Lodge No. 277, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, meets at 4519 France Ave. S. The Linden Hills Neighborhood Council calendar lists the lodge's Fall Pancake Breakfast for Sunday, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On the lodge's ticket page, adult tickets are $13, tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are $6, and a four-adult pack is $52. The proceeds go to Lake Harriet Community Schools PTA, Joyce Uptown Food Shelf and the Edina Schools Blood Glucose Monitoring Program. The lodge's donation page names the same three groups as its neighborhood nonprofit partners.
The breakfast runs five hours. That's enough time for a late morning after a Saturday spent between the shops, the park and the streetcar.
The Week on One Page
| Date | Time | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 23 | 7 and 8:30 p.m. | The Late Show: "The Undead Dating Game" | Como-Harriet Streetcar | $15 + fee |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 1 to 3 p.m. | 44th & France Trick-or-Treat | 44th St. & France Ave. | Free |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 1 to 4 p.m. | Regular streetcar rides | Linden Hills Station, 2330 W. 42nd St. | See museum |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 3 to 5 p.m. | Halloween at the Hills | Linden Hills Park, 3100 W. 43rd St. | Free |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Fall Pancake Breakfast | Lake Harriet Lodge, 4519 France Ave. S. | $13 adults, $6 ages 6–12 |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | 9:30 p.m. | Spirits on a Streetcar: The Carbarn | Como-Harriet Streetcar and carbarn | $50 + fee |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. | Roberts Rambles with Tanner | Roberts Bird Sanctuary, Visitor Shelter | See sign-up |
The November walk is on the neighborhood council's calendar. It meets at the Roberts Bird Sanctuary visitor shelter.
Getting Between the Stops This Year
Construction on the parkway affects the trip between the park and the streetcar. The park board and the City of Minneapolis are resurfacing Lake Harriet Parkway from W. 42nd Street to Roseway Road. They're also improving the William Berry Parkway intersection. The work began Oct. 5 and runs through mid-November.
The bike and pedestrian trail on the lake's north side stays open, and so does the Bandshell south parking lot entrance at W. 42nd Street. The rest of the parkway is scheduled for resurfacing in 2027.
Lake Harriet's boat and bike rentals are already closed for the season. Wheel Fun Rentals' Lake Harriet page lists its return date as May 22, 2027.
The Next Change Is at France 44's Counter
France 44 is the first business on the trick-or-treat list, and its store at 4351 France Ave. S. will change after the holidays. The Star Tribune reported on Sept. 30 that France 44 plans a remodel. It adds bakery production in the basement and a street-level pastry case and espresso bar, and gives the retail floor a light refresh.
Benjamin Roberts, France 44's cheesemonger-in-chief, has worked there since 2008. He told the Star Tribune that the expansion builds on the store's in-house baking and responds to neighborhood demand for morning coffee and fresh bread.
The work is expected to close the store briefly, "likely in January." The bakery and cafe are aimed to open before spring 2027 and serve from 7:30 a.m. daily. The paper's Oct. 5 restaurant roundup gave the same timeline, though both dates are still targets.
If the schedule holds, 44th & France will have a 7:30 a.m. espresso bar by spring, and the business district will open before the first event on this October calendar starts.
A Linden Hills home sits within walking distance of the Sunnyside pumpkins, the hayrides on 43rd and the pancakes on France Avenue, and buyers should see that in how it's presented. If you're thinking about how to show that side of your home to buyers, Shane Spencer would be glad to talk it through. Let's Connect — Request a Confidential Consultation.
