What Matteson's calendar costs you between now and the first weekend of December depends mostly on which building an event is in. Every Matteson Community Center event with posted details this season lists a price and a CommunityPass registration link. The events at the Matteson Area Public Library District and Village Hall list no fee at all.
So you can plan the whole season by building. The Community Center gets the two big paid Saturdays, one in October and one in December. Most of what falls between them happens at the library, where no listing carries a price. Below is the full 2026 lineup, then a walk through it in order.
The season on one page
| Date | Event | Where | Listed cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Fall Family Fun Fest Carnival | Matteson Community Center | $40 per person, parents included |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | La'Bre Kafe first-birthday gathering | 3601 216th Street | Free |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | "A Haunting We Will Go" sign contest | Library | None listed |
| Oct. 25 to 31 | Halloween Week | Library | None listed |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Spooky Storytime | Library, Room C | None listed |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Trick or Treat @ the Library | Library | None listed |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Halloween Haunted House | Matteson Community Center | Not yet published |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | A Night to Remember: Senior Prom | See venue note below | $40 per participant |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | "Thanksgiving, a History" | Matteson Historical Museum | None listed |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Christmas Tree Lighting | Village Hall | None listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Winter Wonderland Bash | Matteson Community Center | $25 per person, age 2 and under free |
The column on the right shows the pattern. Each row at the Community Center carries a dollar figure, or will once the Haunted House details are posted. The library and Village Hall rows don't.
The opening weekend costs the most, and the cost scales with your household
The season starts Saturday, October 17, with the Fall Family Fun Fest Carnival at the Matteson Community Center, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Village lists carnival rides, carnival-style games, a bounce house, music, refreshments and family activities. It's open to all ages.
The price is $40 per person, and the listing says that includes parents and guardians. Adults pay the same as kids. That matters more the bigger your group is. Two parents and two kids come to $160 for the afternoon. Registration runs through the Village's CommunityPass page.
The next morning offers something smaller. Patch's Matteson calendar lists a first-birthday gathering for La'Bre Kafe at 3601 216th Street on Sunday, October 18, at 11 a.m. Patch's Matteson page bills it as "La'Bre Kafe Turns One: Free Family Celebration in Matteson," so the cafe has been open about a year and this is an anniversary, not an opening. A few doors down the same block, at 3613 216th St, is Hidden Manna Café. The Village's development page says Hidden Manna is expanding and renovating to add an event space, a social club and a jazz venue, plus a new façade. No completion date is given. For now, it's a block to keep an eye on as the season moves along.
Halloween moves to the library for a full week
Once the carnival is over, Halloween in Matteson mostly moves to the Matteson Area Public Library District, and none of the listings there carry a price.
- Saturday, October 24: The "A Haunting We Will Go" contest asks people to decorate yard signs. It's listed as an all-day library event.
- October 25 to 31: Halloween Week brings Halloween crafts and activities for kids and teens. Young visitors can pick up a "spooky friend" while supplies last.
- Thursday, October 29: Spooky Storytime meets in Room C twice, from 10:30 to 11 a.m. and again from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Kids can come in costume, then visit desks around the library for candy afterward. Each session has a registration link.
- Saturday, October 31, 4 to 7 p.m.: Trick or Treat @ the Library is open to all ages. Children nine and younger need an adult with them.
One detail on that last listing is worth acting on. The library says trick-or-treating runs "until 7 PM or when we run out of candy, whichever comes first." So 4 p.m. is the real start time, and 7 p.m. is the latest it could end. If the kids have other Halloween plans that evening, go early.
The Thursday storytime gives families two times to pick from. The morning session works for younger kids who are home during the day, and the 4 p.m. session works for after school.
October 31 has two hosts, and only one has posted its details
The Village's Special Events page also lists a "Halloween Haunted House!" for Saturday, October 31, at the Community Center. As of today, October 11, the page gives no time, cost or age guidance. The fall CommunityPass catalog doesn't have a Haunted House session yet either.
Every other Community Center event this season has been sold through CommunityPass at a set price. So if you want to go, keep checking that Special Events page as Halloween gets closer. Once a time is posted, you'll also be able to see whether it overlaps the library's 4-to-7 window.
November is the quiet middle, built for adults
After Halloween, the calendar gets lighter and shifts toward adults.
On Friday, November 6, the Village hosts A Night to Remember: Senior Prom, from 5 to 8:30 p.m., for ages 55 and older. It's $40 per participant. It's another Village event with a price, which fits the pattern. The venue is less clear. The registration catalog's description names the Matteson Community Center gymnasium at 20642 Matteson Ave. Its session table lists the Colin Powell Middle School gymnasium at 20600 Matteson Ave. The two buildings are close together on Matteson Avenue, but confirm the venue with the Village before the night.
On Tuesday, November 10, the library brings “Thanksgiving, a History” to the Matteson Historical Museum from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. It's part of the Teas & Tidbits series and is meant for adults. Like the other library programs, it's run by the library, though this one is held off-site.
The Village's November calendar has no Veterans Day event. The only entry on November 11 is a 10 a.m. Building Department hearing.
December ends with two nights in a row and two price points
The season closes with back-to-back events on the first weekend of December, and the pattern holds one last time.
On Friday, December 4, the Village holds its Christmas Tree Lighting at Village Hall, 4900 Village Commons Drive, from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit Chicago Southland's listing mentions choral singing, festive snacks and a visit from Santa, and it doesn't list a fee.
On Saturday, December 5, the Winter Wonderland Bash runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the Community Center. The Village lists holiday games and activities, treats, music, inflatables, photos and Santa. It's $25 per person, and children age 2 and under get in free.
Compare that with October. The same family of four with two kids over age 2 would pay $100 for Winter Wonderland, versus $160 for the Fun Fest. A family with a baby or toddler saves a little more, since the October event lists no free age group.
Santa also shows up both nights in a row. You can see him at Village Hall on Friday, where no fee is listed, or at the Community Center on Saturday, which is a paid event with inflatables and photos.
What the calendar shows about Matteson
Put the whole season in order and it follows the buildings. The Community Center holds the large paid events with rides, bounce houses, inflatables and planned programs. The library and Village Hall cover the shorter stops in between, with no fee listed. That includes a whole week of Halloween, a storytime, a costume walk, a history talk and a tree lighting.
A few new spots may join the mix later. The Village lists a Dutch Bros Coffee as an active project on a two-acre site at 4600 Lincoln Highway. It also lists a Gas N Wash at 21220 Central Avenue, with a coffee shop and quick-service restaurant planned along with fuel and a car wash. Neither has an opening date posted, so they aren't part of this year's holiday plans. When they do open, they'll be new places to stop on the drive home from Village Hall in December.
Until then, here's the plan for this season. Register on CommunityPass for the paid Saturdays. Go to the library early on Halloween afternoon. Keep checking the Haunted House listing until the Village posts a time.
If you're planning the season with family visiting, or you just want to talk about life in Matteson, I'm always glad to help. I'm a neighbor first, and I can do it in English or Spanish. Reach out to Elizabeth Botelloo and let's connect.
