Annual event bringing classic Edgar Allan Poe literature to live performances and storytelling, featuring 'The Raven' performed on the grand staircase.
PoeFest returns to downtown Phoenix from October 23 to 31, with the main event taking place at the Rosson House Museum on Halloween night. The festival brings Edgar Allan Poe's work to life through immersive theatrical performances staged in authentic Victorian settings, all produced by The Arizona Curriculum Theater, Inc. (ACT Inc.). This year's edition honors ACT Inc., the company that has been behind the festival since it started.
The centerpiece is on Halloween night, October 31, from 8 PM to 10 PM at the Rosson House Museum, 113 N 6th St. Throughout those two hours, The Raven is performed every 20 minutes on the museum's grand staircase, so you can catch it whenever you arrive. It's a ticketed show—$20 plus fees—and you'll need to check in 15 minutes before the performance starts. When buying your ticket you must pre-select your time slot: you cannot buy a ticket and then move to a later performance, as later slots may be sold out.
There's more to the festival than just Halloween night. On Friday, October 23, from 6 PM to 10 PM, the Arizona Science Center hosts Science With a TWIST, titled The Paranormal Project: Where Science Meets Supernatural. It's a 21+ after-hours event, so it's geared toward an older crowd. And if you have a writer in the family, Bookmans Entertainment Exchange is sponsoring the 2026 Student Writing Competition for Arizona students in grades 7 through 9, with submissions due by 11:59 PM on October 29.
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It's a long-running local tradition that started 18 years ago with just six people in the audience and grew into one of the top Poe festivals in the country, drawing fans from all over. The Phoenix New Times has named it the city's "Best Halloween Tradition," and it's become a staple of the downtown Halloween calendar. If you're planning to go to the Rosson House on the 31st, just remember that 15-minute pre-show check-in.
