From now until New Year's Eve, almost every free evening event Layton City puts on happens on one stretch of Wasatch Drive, the 400 block of North Wasatch Drive. The Halloween Bash is listed at 465 North Wasatch Drive, and Whispers in the Dark is listed at 403. They are the same park and run on back-to-back nights, Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17. After that weekend, the city's calendar moves away from the park for about six weeks. It comes back on November 30, when the "Lights Before Christmas" display starts and the park stays lit every night through December 31.
The fall works best when you plan for that shape: two busy nights, a quiet stretch in which events happen at the conference center, the bowling alley and the mall, and then a month when the park is lit after dark.
One weekend, two different nights on the same block
The Halloween Bash comes first, on Friday, October 16, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at 465 North Wasatch Drive. It's free. The city describes it as a family evening with Halloween-themed games, live music and yard games. Layton City has invited local businesses to host Halloween activity booths at no cost, on a few conditions: each business brings its own table and decorations, runs a short activity for kids, and has staff in costume. The city also says "NO SALES will be allowed." Any business booth you find there will be running a kids' activity, and none of them will be selling anything.
Whispers in the Dark follows on Saturday, October 17. It's also free and runs from 3 to 9 p.m. The listed address is 403 N Wasatch Dr. That's the address for the Heritage Museum and for the Edward A. Kenley Centennial Amphitheater next to it in Layton Commons Park. The amphitheater seats up to 1,700. According to the city, the evening includes "family-friendly storytelling in the amphitheater, spooky tales after dark, live entertainment, yard games, vendors, and delicious food trucks."
Whispers in the Dark runs much longer than the Bash, six hours compared with two and a half, and it moves from daylight into dark. The stories start out family-friendly, and the "spooky tales" come after dark. If you'd rather keep things milder, arrive early and leave around sunset. The later hours are there for families who want the scarier part.
Both nights are free, and they're right next to each other. Food trucks are only listed for Saturday, so if you want dinner at the park, Saturday is the night to plan it.
Admission to the Heritage Museum is also free, and it has exhibits of Layton history, artifacts and photographs. Whispers in the Dark brings plenty of people to its door, but the event listings don't say anything about museum hours that evening. Call ahead if a visit is part of your plan.
Where Layton's calendar goes for the next six weeks
From October 18 until the lights go on, the only Commons Park event on Layton City's listings is the lighting ceremony itself, and one of its listed dates may be an error, as explained below. The fall dates move to other parts of town:
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 30 & Sat, Oct 31 | Layton Home Show | Davis Conference Center, 1651 N 700 W | Free; noon to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Halloween Candy Crawl | Layton Hills Mall | 4 to 6 p.m., trick-or-treating at participating stores |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Turkey Bowl | Davis Lanes, 1396 N Main St. | Bowling slots at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m.; reservations required |
There's one thing to check on Halloween itself. The Layton Hills Mall event page lists the Candy Crawl for "Saturday, October 31" but doesn't give a year. October 31 does fall on a Saturday in 2026, which fits, but the page doesn't actually confirm it's this year's event. Ask the mall before you build trick-or-treating around it. If it is this year's listing, the 4 to 6 p.m. window ends early enough to get kids home for trick-or-treating in the neighborhood afterward.
The Home Show is on the same weekend at the Davis Conference Center, and Saturday's hours run until 6 p.m. If you're thinking about a basement finish or a new fence next spring, you can stop by the Home Show and still make it to the mall by 4.
The Turkey Bowl needs a little more planning than the rest of the list. You choose one of three afternoon start times at Davis Lanes on Main Street, and the city requires a reservation. It's the only event on the fall list that asks you to sign up, so it won't work as a last-minute plan the way the free park nights do.
The night the park lights up
The holiday season at Commons Park starts with a kickoff under the heated pavilion. The city's listing says the evening begins at 6 p.m. with performances by local elementary school choirs, including the East Layton Elementary Choir, and by the Layton City Community Band. Then everyone counts down and the park is lit for the first time this season.
The city's own page is inconsistent about the date. The date field says November 23, but the description says the kickoff is "November 30th at 6:00 p.m." Discover Davis lists the 2026 kickoff for November 30, which matches the description. November 30 is the likely date. Check with Layton City the week before, especially if your kids sing in one of the choirs.
After the kickoff, the display is open every night from November 30 through December 31, from dusk to 11 p.m., and it's free. That's 32 nights in a row, compared with the two nights the park was busy in October. The October events are single nights you have to make. The lights work more like a standing option you can pick any evening in December, after a weeknight practice or when family is in town.
There's more than one way to see it. The Deseret News 2025 holiday lights guide said visitors could walk, drive or ride the train through the Layton Commons Park display. In 2019, the Standard-Examiner described Layton's display as having lighted tunnels, hundreds of scenes and more than a million lights. Those counts are from 2019, and the more recent coverage doesn't repeat them.
Two days after the kickoff, on Wednesday, December 2, the city runs free Holiday Hayrides at Layton Commons Park, 465 North Wasatch Drive, from 6 to 8 p.m. They're on a weeknight early in the display's run. Families who missed the kickoff get another scheduled evening at the park that same week.
The pavilion is open to groups this season too. Choirs or organizations that want to perform can email the city to reserve it at no cost. If your church choir, scout troop or school group wants to perform, contact the city before the December dates fill up.
Dinner on the way to Wasatch Drive
There's a newer option for a meal before any of these evenings. The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill opened March 9, 2026, near Layton Hills Mall, as the Standard-Examiner reported that month. It's at 515 Ring Road, in the same development as Sport Clips. If the mall's Candy Crawl does run on October 31, you'll already be near the restaurant. On a December night, dinner there before driving through the lights fits easily between dusk and the 11 p.m. closing.
On Saturday, October 17, the food trucks at Whispers in the Dark mean you can eat at the park. On the other nights, plan to eat before you go.
The two Halloween nights are this coming Friday and Saturday, five and six days from today. After that, the calendar quiets down until November 30.
At Doxey Real Estate Group, we're glad to tell you what's going on around Layton, whether that's this week's events or something further out. And if seeing the holiday lights with family has you thinking about your own home's value before the new year, ask us for a free home valuation. We'll tell you what we're seeing in Layton, with no pressure.
