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September 27, 2021

Trick or treat every weekend in October during Franklin Fright at The Franklin Institute

Halloween Family-Friendly

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Experience one of the most spirited Halloween destinations around and plan for a howling good time with the return of Franklin Fright this season at The Franklin Institute. Back by popular demand, young witches and warlocks, ghosts and goblins can embark on a trick or treating adventure throughout the museum’s iconic exhibits and take part in ghoulishly fun activities every weekend in October.

  • ALSO AT THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE
  • Science After Hours: Fright@Night: Experience a night of mischief with Dr. Franklinstein and her team and witness some shocking, gross and sticky science. Dance the night away with live entertainment by DJ Shearn and Wassup Gina, with surprise pop-up drag performances throughout the night.
  • Thursday, Oct. 21, 8-11 p.m.
  • Tickets: $35 - $45 per person
  • 21+ only | Proof of vaccination required

Pumpkins, goblins, and playfully-wicked décor galore! The halls of the museum are infused with the sights and sounds of Halloween all month long. Grab your best costume and come experience three all-new hair-raising live science shows featuring costumed performers—alongside a 12-foot-tall robotic pumpkin creation—experimenting with some very spooky science.

New this year, the debut of Dr. Franklinstein joined by her science sidekicks to perform explosive experiments, dastardly demonstrations, and spooky science with frighteningly funny results.

What to Experience at Franklin Fright

Trick or Treat in Iconic Exhibits—From The Giant Heart to Electricity and Your Brain
Seek and find the playfully spooky trick or treat doors in several of the exhibit galleries, and behind them, monsters, mummies, and magicians await, ready to share their tasty treats!  Remember to bring your own bag for trick-or-treating!

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Three NEW Live Science Shows: Halloween Edition

  1. Celebrate Halloween in the sloppiest way possible in the all-new Live Science Show: That’s Gross! From the gooey to the spooky, this gross show uses science to create playfully startling seasonal scenarios.
  2. Meet Dr. Victoria Franklinstein, who has arrived from the future to set up her temporary lab at The Franklin Institute. Joined by a 12-foot-tall combination of pumpkins and robotic mechanisms, they are sure to add some weird science to your Halloween season. Be sure not to miss the Live Science Show: Dr. Franklinstein’s Pumpkin Lab. 
  3. When Dr. Franklinstein turns the stage over to her modern-day science sidekicks, they create a few sparks of their own in the all-new Live Science Show: Pondering Plasma.

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Festive Halloween Atmosphere with Museum Access
Franklin Fright is free with museum admission, so plan for a full day of science-infused Halloween fun and experience all The Franklin Institute has to offer. For a ghoulishly grand time, purchase your tickets in advance.


Franklin Fright at The Franklin Institute

Weekends | October 1 - 31
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Free with general admission tickets
The Franklin Institute
222 N. 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103
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