Halloween lands on a Saturday in 2026. That changes the shape of Belle Fourche's whole late-October calendar. Pumpkinfest sits on Saturday, October 24, Halloween itself falls on Saturday, October 31, and the weeknights between them fill up with dinosaur movies, a trunk-or-treat, and a haunted museum on U.S. 212. A child's costume could be judged at the Tri-State Museum, worn again at Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek Museum, and walked down State Street a week later, with room left for a pastry and a glow run.
Below is the order the hours allow, with a few spots where the listings disagree.
The First Saturday Plays Out in Shifts
On October 24 the events run from morning to dark, with a few overlaps at the edges.
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Red Onion Marketplace market day. It's on the Visit Belle Fourche calendar for every Saturday in October, Halloween included.
- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the 10th Annual Pumpkinfest at the Tri-State Museum, 415 5th Ave. The museum and the Belle Fourche Chamber present it together.
- 12:30 p.m., Pumpkinfest costume judging. Prizes go to Most Original, Scariest and Silliest. You register at the museum gift shop, according to the museum's special events page.
- Noon and 3 p.m., the Tri-State Performers in "Legend of Eerie Hollow." The Belle Fourche Beacon's October 7 issue describes the show as a western South Dakota version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
- 5 to 7 p.m., Spaghetti Feed at Belle Fourche Moose Lodge No. 859, 399 Stanley St. It runs on a free-will donation that benefits Belle Silver Lining.
- 6:30 p.m., the Fearless 5K glow walk/run at Herrmann Park. The city's September 2026 newsletter asks runners to wear bright, reflective clothing and bring a flashlight. The Rec Center hands out glow bracelets and necklaces, and costumes are welcome.
That's two shows, a costume contest, supper and a 5K. The market's last two hours fall inside Pumpkinfest, and the spaghetti feed runs until 7, half an hour past the 5K start, so runners will want to eat early. The 3 p.m. show ends about when Pumpkinfest closes at 4. The Beacon's item on the play notes that the Tri-State Museum doesn't charge admission, so the afternoon can be as long or as short as small legs allow.
Both Saturdays Can Start With Real Cups and Plates
Before you get to the museum lawn, there's a new morning stop downtown. Anke's Bakery has grown into Anke's Bakery Market and Bistro. It took over the space the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce used to occupy and turned that office into a sit-down room with tables. The Chamber hosted a ribbon cutting there on the morning of September 25, the Belle Fourche Beacon reported.
Owner Anke Townsdin told the Beacon she isn't trying to be a full-service restaurant:
"I said, no, we're going the other way, we're going to be the slow one where you have a real cup, not the paper cups, where you sit down, mingle, and meet friends."
Organic artisan breads and pastries are still the core. The bistro side now adds breakfast sandwiches and paninis served on real plates. The market shelves carry teas, crackers, pasta, sauces and fresh produce. Chamber executive director Michaela Horn told the Beacon that Townsdin had been dreaming about the sit-down area for about five years.
The hours suit a Saturday in this town. Anke's opens at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and closes at 1 p.m., and it's open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Arrive at opening on October 24 and you have three hours before Pumpkinfest begins. On October 31 you have the whole morning before the parade lines up at 4. Townsdin also told the Beacon she's looking forward to Christmas baking, gingerbread included, so the slow-coffee room should see a second busy season right after this one.
The Weeknights Belong to the Dinosaurs
Between the two Saturdays, events move out of downtown and onto U.S. 212. Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek Museum, at 11324 US-212, is holding its 2nd Annual Haunted Museum Days from October 28 through 31. The museum promises nightly dinosaur presentations, ghost stories, a Jurassic costume contest, haunted museum tours and old movies shown on the side of the building.
A Local Black Hills event listing gives a 6 p.m. start on Wednesday, October 28, with extended hours, and gives each night its own theme:
- Thursday, October 29: movie night, with a "mystery" 1969 dinosaur film
- Friday, October 30: party night with an art contest, music and snacks
- Saturday, October 31: costume contest and candy hunt
- Every night: free admission for kids in dinosaur costumes, candy for kids in costume, and spooky spider scavenger hunts
That free-admission perk adds up fast for a family. The museum's posted 2026 prices are $12 per person over age three, $10 per person for families of four or more, and free for children under three. A stegosaurus costume bought for Pumpkinfest can pay for itself on a Thursday night.
Thursday also has a second option in town. Trunk or Treat runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on October 29 at Wareing Belle Fourche Ford CDJR, 30 5th Ave., according to the Belle Fourche Chamber calendar. It overlaps with Hell Creek's movie night, so families with more than one child may end up splitting the evening.
Halloween Saturday Runs From Downtown to the Gym
October 31 follows the same pattern as the first Saturday. The bakery and market share the morning, and the afternoon and evening move across town.
| Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Anke's Bakery Market and Bistro, Saturday hours | Downtown, in the former Chamber office |
| 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Red Onion Marketplace market day | Listed on the Visit Belle Fourche calendar |
| 4 p.m. | Halloween Parade lineup | In front of Pete's Clothing & Hodge Bootery |
| 4:15 p.m. | Parade starts, followed by trick-or-treating at State Street businesses | State Street |
| 5 to 7:30 p.m. | Halloween Spooktacular | Belle Fourche Rec Center gymnasium |
| Evening | Haunted Museum costume contest and candy hunt | Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek Museum, 11324 US-212 |
The Center of the Nation Business Association sponsors the parade. The Chamber listing splits kids into four age groups: 0–2, 3–4, 5–7 and 8–10. Costumes are judged as Scariest, Prettiest and Most Original, plus a group or family category. Prizes are $15, $10 and $5. If a judge tells your child they've won, the listing says to go to the office where the Beacon used to be, at 7th and State, to get a picture taken and collect the prize.
After trick-or-treating on State Street, the Spooktacular opens at 5 p.m. in the Rec Center gym, the same Rec Center that ran the glow 5K a week earlier. The Chamber calendar also lists a costume contest at the Outlaw that night.
Count it up and a child could enter three separate costume contests in one week: the Tri-State Museum's at Pumpkinfest, the Jurassic contest at Hell Creek, and the State Street parade. Each one has its own categories, so the same costume gets judged three different ways.
Where the Flyers Disagree
Some of the listings for these events don't match, and these spots are worth checking before you head out.
Pumpkinfest's start time. The Tri-State Museum's own page and the Visit Belle Fourche calendar both say 11 a.m. The Chamber calendar says 10 a.m. The museum is running the event, so 11 a.m. is the safer plan, and that's the time used above.
The parade's weekday. The Chamber's parade description says "Tuesday, October 31st." That wording looks carried over from an earlier year. October 31, 2026 is a Saturday, and the same calendar's Spooktacular listing says Saturday, October 31.
What Pumpkinfest will include. The Beacon's coverage of the 9th annual Pumpkinfest in October 2025 described vendors, food trucks, games, crafts, a bouncy house, a Pumpkin Train and a Haunted Spaulding Cabin. That was last year's lineup. So far the 2026 listings confirm the costume contest and the two Eerie Hollow shows.
Halloween night at Hell Creek. The listings give a 6 p.m. start for October 28 and promise "extended hours," but no closing time for any night and no separate event price for adults. If Saturday's costume contest also starts around 6, it would overlap with the end of the Spooktacular. Check the museum's posted schedule closer to the date if you plan to make both.
One more date for runners. Registration for the Fearless 5K is already open through the Rec Center, per the city's September newsletter.
I'm always glad to see families out on State Street in late October. If you're planning around these two Saturdays, or you have friends weighing a move to Belle Fourche who'd like a hometown Halloween like this one, I'd be happy to talk about what everyday life here is like. Let's Connect with Sandra Donahue.
