Most of Beloit's October happens somewhere new this year. The Pumpkin Walk has moved parks. ABC Supply Stadium is hosting a haunted attraction on weekend nights. The Ho-Chunk Nation plans to open its casino at Willowbrook and Colley roads on Oct. 23. After Halloween, the downtown farmers market moves inside for the winter.
Taken one by one, each change looks small. Together they move fall evenings in Beloit out of the State Street and Grand Avenue blocks and toward the river, the ballpark, and the interstate on the east side. Downtown keeps two big Saturdays this month, and then its weekly market goes indoors. Here is where to go and when.
The Month, Mapped
| Date | Event | Where | What's different |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekends through Nov. 1 | Stadium of Screams | ABC Supply Stadium, 217 Shirland Ave. | New haunted attraction |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Fall Wine & Beer Walk | Downtown venues | Beer sampling added |
| Wed., Oct. 14 | Pumpkin Walk | Riverside Park Lagoon, 1160 S. Riverside Dr. | Moved from Eagles Ridge Park |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Ho-Chunk Gaming Beloit opening, planned | Near Willowbrook and Colley roads | First phase of a new east-side complex |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Halloween Parade, last outdoor farmers market | Horace White Park, College and Grand; market on State St. and Grand Ave. | Last outdoor Saturday of the season |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Winter Crafter & Farmers Market begins | 557 E. Grand Ave. | Saturday market moves indoors |
The Pumpkin Walk Moves to the Water
The city's free Pumpkin Walk has left Eagles Ridge Park and will take place at the Riverside Park Lagoon, 1160 S. Riverside Drive, on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The city says it moved the event to make parking and access easier.
That reason will matter most on the night itself. The walk runs only an hour on a weeknight, so anyone who drove to Eagles Ridge in past years should plan their route to Riverside Drive this time. The event is still free.
Shirland Avenue Gets a Night Schedule
ABC Supply Stadium normally goes quiet after baseball season. This October it opens on weekend nights as Stadium of Screams, a new haunted attraction at 217 Shirland Ave. It runs Friday through Sunday every weekend in October, and the last weekend stretches into Nov. 1. Hours are 7 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 7 to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
The first weekend wraps up tonight. That leaves four weekends: Oct. 9 to 11, Oct. 16 to 18, Oct. 23 to 25, and Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. The third one starts the same Friday the casino is scheduled to open, which makes Oct. 23 the busiest evening of the month on the east and riverfront sides of town.
The East Side Gets a 24-Hour Address, If the Last Steps Clear
The Ho-Chunk Nation announced that it plans to open its Beloit casino, near the corner of Willowbrook and Colley roads, at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23. The Nation released the date after repeated inquiries from the Beloit Daily News. Ho-Chunk Gaming's own FAQ gives the same date and 2 p.m. start for the general public.
"We can't believe it's finally happening and we are extremely excited," Ho-Chunk President Jon Greendeer said in the Nation's announcement.
"Finally" covers a long stretch. The Beloit Daily News describes the project as a process of about 25 years, with plenty of starts and stops, before ground was broken in October 2024. The opening still depends on a few remaining approvals, and as of today, Oct. 4, they are in this order:
- Liquor license. Ho-Chunk applied for a Reserve Class "B" liquor license for 777 Willowbrook Road. The City Council is expected to vote on a committee recommendation at its regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m.
- Occupancy permit. In late September, city officials told the Daily News that the Nation did not yet have one.
- Opening day. The grand opening is planned for Oct. 23 at 2 p.m.
Several websites had been listing Sept. 26 as the opening date, and the Daily News reported that date would not be accurate. For now, treat Oct. 23 as the plan, and check the council outcome this week before you build an evening around it.
The Nation's announcement lists what opens in this first phase. The casino floor will run 24 hours, and there is a parking garage. Four places will serve food and drinks:
- Draft Pick Pub House
- Black River Coffee Shop
- Livewire Lounge
- Food Truck Alley
The Nation describes the grand opening as entertainment, Ho-Chunk culture, giveaways and community festivities. A Sept. 29 report from Action Network adds a ribbon cutting, speakers, a drum group, dancers and live entertainment. Neither source gives a timed schedule.
This is only the first piece. The 18-story, 312-room hotel and convention center is part of a second phase expected sometime in 2027. Under the gaming compact terms reported by the Daily News, the City of Beloit will receive 1.4% of gross gaming revenue.
If you drive that part of town, Colley Road matters more this fall than the casino does. WKOW reported that Colley Road is closed to through traffic for reconstruction between Willowbrook Road and the I-39/90 bridge, with Springbrook Village still reachable. The work includes a shared-use path, a sidewalk and a road realignment, and WKOW said it should be done in late fall, weather permitting. WKOW's report does not show a publication date, so check current conditions before you rely on a detour.
Downtown Keeps Two Saturdays, Then Moves Inside
With the casino, the ballpark and the lagoon all drawing crowds this month, downtown's October comes down to two Saturdays.
The first is the Downtown Beloit Fall Wine & Beer Walk on Oct. 10, from 2 to 6 p.m. at downtown venues. Visit Beloit's October roundup says this year is the first time the walk includes beer sampling.
The second is Oct. 31, when two downtown traditions land on the same day. The Halloween Parade and Party lines up at Horace White Park, at College and Grand, at 9:45 a.m., and a magician performs at 10:45 a.m. in Bank First Plaza. That Saturday is also the last date on the outdoor Beloit Farmers' Market schedule. The market runs on State Street and Grand Avenue from May through October. Anyone at the parade is already downtown for the last outdoor market of the year.
One week later, the Saturday market moves indoors. The Beloit WINTER Crafter & Farmers Market runs every Saturday from November through April, 9 a.m. to noon, at 557 E. Grand Ave. Vendors are inside, food trucks park outside, and there are free family activities. Under that schedule, the first winter Saturday this year is Nov. 7. The building is the former Beloit Sports Center, which now houses the Downtown Beloit Association's offices and event space. The winter market has been held there in past seasons, so regulars will already know the room.
On the night before the first indoor market, Friday, Nov. 6, the Beloit Art Center at 520 E. Grand Ave. holds its free First Friday Gallery Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The two buildings are on the same stretch of East Grand, so for one weekend in early November, downtown's activity sits within a few doors of each other.
The State Street Storefronts Still in Progress
The State Street block has businesses opening on its own schedule. Wren & Roe opened at 315 State St. at the beginning of May. A Downtown Beloit Association update dated Aug. 26 reported that the business says Beloit has exceeded its expectations. Two doors down, Poke Green at 319 State St. put up an "Open Soon" sign in late July. As of that August update, it had no target date and work remained inside. At 313 State St., Bodacious Shops of Beloit was still getting interior fixtures, with an estimate of four to six weeks. The six-week mark falls on Oct. 7, and no report since August has confirmed that either one opened. If you're heading to the Wine & Beer Walk on Oct. 10, check those two storefronts on the way.
So October's calendar runs across four parts of Beloit: the lagoon on Riverside Drive, the ballpark on Shirland, the east side at Willowbrook and Colley, and downtown's two Saturdays before the market moves indoors at 557 E. Grand on Nov. 7.
A first casino phase opening, a Colley Road rebuild that adds a shared-use path, and a hotel tower planned for 2027 are the kinds of changes Popula Properties follows on Beloit's east side, because they change how that part of the city gets used. If you own a home in Beloit and want a data-based starting point for what it's worth this fall, Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
