Plainville, CT — The Mega Metacomet Halloween Thriller, seven decorated houses on Metacomet Road, returns on Halloween night for its 12th year with 2,000 feet of lighted sidewalk arches and live Thriller dancers from 6 to 8:30 p.m. It’s free, and visitors are asked to bring canned or nonperishable food for the Plainville Community Food Pantry.
Seven Decorated Houses and 2,000 Feet of Lighted Arches
The Mega Metacomet Halloween Thriller is a row of decorated front yards on Metacomet Road, from No. 62 to No. 82, that the neighbors light up together for Halloween night. The Bucci family’s Halloween House at 62 Metacomet Road started it, and other houses on the street joined in. This year there are seven themed houses:
- Horror House
- Pirate Island
- Witches Way
- Metal Manor
- Werewolf Cookout
- Clown Circus House
- Spirito Hallow Cemetery (NEW), a graveyard display with the welcome “Dead Only”
The 2,000 feet of lighted arches over the sidewalks are new this year, donated by Eversource and F.W. Webb. The houses also have tall Halloween figures, colored lights, laser projections, music, and fog, according to the organizers.
At Pirate Island, the S.S. Metacomet is a 21-foot Bayliner Hardtop boat from Affordable Marine in Plainville, done up as a pirate ship on a front lawn. It first appeared in 2025, when Dan Bucci told the New Britain Herald that his family painted it black and added portholes, railings, a pirate flag, and an animatronic captain.
Thriller Dancers and the Undertaker
The YWCA New Britain School of Dance performs Michael Jackson’s Thriller over and over from 6 to 8:30 p.m. outside 62 Metacomet Road. In 2025 the school sent more than 21 dancers, who performed every 20 to 25 minutes, according to the New Britain Herald. Food vendors set up on the street for the night.
Plainville Town Manager Michael Paulhus comes back as WWE’s The Undertaker for a third year, this time in a casket with smoke and laser effects. He and State Rep. Rebecca Martinez get into costume that morning at 62 Metacomet Road.
The Food Drive for the Plainville Community Food Pantry
The organizers say the Mega Metacomet Halloween Thriller has collected more than 8,000 pounds of food for the Plainville Community Food Pantry in its first 11 years, and in 2024 it collected 1,400 pounds, double its previous best year, Bucci told the New Britain Herald. The pantry is a nonprofit that provides food, energy assistance, clothing, and crisis help to people in need, and the organizers accept canned goods and other nonperishable food all through October and on Halloween night.
State and Town Honors
The Connecticut General Assembly issued an official citation for the event on October 31, 2025, introduced by State Rep. Rebecca Martinez. Gov. Ned Lamont issued an official statement for its 11th year, which celebrates the event and the Town of Plainville “for their festive Halloween atmosphere.” The Plainville Town Council gave the event a ceremonial Skeleton Key.
Date, Parking, and the Shuttle
- When: Saturday, October 31. The Thriller performances run from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
- Where: 62 to 82 Metacomet Road, Plainville, CT.
- Cost: Free. Bring canned or nonperishable food for the food pantry.
- Parking: Crew Volkswagen of Plainville, at 245 New Britain Avenue, is opening its lot to visitors and running a shuttle to the event in a Halloween-decorated Volkswagen electric van. Street parking nearby is allowed where posted, and driveways must stay clear.
- Traffic: Plainville police will handle traffic and road closures around the event.
Event updates are on the organizers’ CT Halloween Map page on Facebook.
More Free Halloween Night Displays and Connecticut Trick-or-Treat Streets
Reese’s list of the 150 best trick-or-treat streets in America this year includes three in Connecticut: Jackman Avenue in Fairfield, High Ridge Avenue in Ridgefield, and Minivale Road in Stamford. In Fort Wayne, Indiana, a family builds Baker’s House of Horror, a free haunted maze, in its driveway and garage for Halloween night only.
