Halloween Camp at YMCA Camp Immokalee
Because kids shouldn’t have to wait until next summer to be kids again.
October 23-25, 2026 • Grades 1-9
After two months of homework, practices, Chromebooks, and busy schedules, we’re bringing camp back. Three days of campfires, costumes, candy, laughter, and just the right amount of spooky fun.
10-12th graders: check out our Teen Leader info at the bottom!
It’s time for a break.
By the time October rolls around, kids are back in the routine of school: jam-packed days of learning, sports, Chromebooks, homework, practices, and all the many things in between.
Kids are tired. It’s time for a break.
And that’s what we’re here for.
If you want your kid to come home refreshed (maybe not from more sleep, but definitely from real connection), this is your weekend.
Halloween Camp makes the most of the incredible October weather by getting kids outside and giving them a few days to just be kids.
No rushing from one thing to the next. No checking notifications. No homework waiting in the other room. Just friends, fresh air, ridiculous costumes, plenty of candy, and good old-fashioned, screen-free camp.
Sometimes kids just need camp. And Halloween Camp is a great time to get it.
Why it’s (maybe) the best camp
You really can’t beat October weather at camp. The earlier sunsets over Lake Brooklyn give us better light shows than we could ever dream up, and for once in Florida, spending the whole day outside just feels good.
But that’s not really why Halloween Camp might be the best.
We miss you.
After summer ends, camp gets quiet. Really quiet.
The cabins that were full of laughter are empty. The amphitheater isn’t full of kids. Lake Brooklyn is still beautiful, but nobody’s jumping in. Flagpole is quiet. You can almost feel the whole place waiting for its people to come back.
Halloween Camp is when they do.
So, naturally, we go a little overboard getting ready.
Decorations. Props. Costumes (lots of costumes). Haunted Trails and Halloween fun with just the right amount of ~spooky~ for each age group. We spend months dreaming, scheming, building, and getting camp ready to welcome kids back.
And then Friday night comes.
For returning campers, it’s a reunion with the friends, counselors, and place they’ve been missing since summer. For first-timers, it’s their first chance to become part of it.
By Sunday afternoon, nobody remembers who came together and who arrived knowing no one.
Camp feels like camp again.
And that’s why we love Halloween Camp.
So, what makes it ~spooky~?
We take everything we love about camp, add Halloween, and see what happens.
Expect a costume contest where counselors are just as committed to their costumes as campers. Trick-or-treating around camp. Fall games and crafts. Halloween creatures taking over some of our favorite activities. Special treats. Plenty of surprises. And probably more pumpkins than we actually need.
Then there are the Haunted Trails.
Each age group gets its own version, which means our youngest campers aren’t getting the same scares as our oldest campers. We want the Haunted Trails to be exciting, a little unpredictable, and exactly the right amount of ~spooky~ for the kids walking through them.
And because it’s still Camp Immokalee, there’s plenty of time for the regular camp stuff, too. Being outside. Running around with friends. Campfires. Ridiculous games. Getting dirty. Laughing way too loudly.
It’s Halloween.
But it’s still camp.
We didn’t forget the camp part.
Halloween Camp still means overnight camp. We’re squeezing as many favorites as we can into the weekend:
- Ziplining through the trees
- Canoeing & kayaking on Lake Brooklyn
- Archery
- Capture the Pumpkin (obviously)
- Campfires
- Games, crafts, and plenty of time outside
We can’t promise every camper will get to every activity in one short weekend, but we’ll pack in as much camp as we can.
It’s Halloween Camp. Both words matter.
Never been to Camp Immokalee?
Halloween Camp might be the best place to start.
Camp isn’t a common denominator for every kid. Halloween pretty much is.
They know costumes. They know trick-or-treating. They know pumpkins and monsters and the fun of getting just a little ~spooked~. It gives everyone something familiar to rally around while everything else about camp is new.
And two nights is just enough time to try it all.
They’ll meet their counselors, find their people, learn their way around, and get a real taste of what Camp Immokalee feels like without jumping straight into a full week away from home.
You don’t need to know the songs, understand the traditions, or arrive with a cabin full of friends.
Just show up.
We’ll take it from there.
In a cabin with their counselors and cabinmates. And yes, our cabins have air conditioning. It’s October, so we might even get to use the heat.
Each cabin has somewhere between 9ish-16ish kids and two staff members. Our East Side cabins are duplex-style cabins with bathrooms. Our West Side cabins and Yurts share central bathhouses, always supervised by staff.
Want to see where they’ll be staying? Take a look at our facilities.
People who really like kids. And people who know what they’re doing.
Every Camp Immokalee staff member completes a Level 2 background screening and hours of training before they’re responsible for campers. We train on safety, supervision, behavior, homesickness, building relationships, noticing when something isn’t quite right, and knowing when to bring in more help.
And our counselors aren’t doing this alone. Our professional year-round camping team is on-site all weekend, supporting staff, solving problems, and making sure counselors can focus on the most important thing: your kid.
We also have a nurse on-site throughout the weekend who administers prescription medications and helps us take care of campers when they’re sick, hurt, or just aren’t feeling quite right.
We know sending your kid to camp requires a little trust. We also think that trust is part of what makes camp work.
We’ll post photos throughout the weekend through our photo app, Waldo, so you’ll get some glimpses of what your camper is up to. Just remember: a photo is one second of a really full weekend, not a wellbeing report.
If you need a little reassurance, you can email us to check in. We’re happy to help. But you won’t get a play-by-play, and that’s intentional.
Camp gives kids something increasingly rare: a chance to have an experience that’s completely their own. They get to make friends without us reporting back on every interaction, work through the occasional hard moment, laugh at jokes you’ll never understand, and come home with stories you haven’t already watched happen.
Of course, if your child is sick, injured, struggling in a way we think you should know about, or there’s something we need your help with, we’ll call you.
Otherwise, let Waldo give you a peek.
Then let your kid tell you the story on the way home Sunday.
They might!
Missing home (and all the comforts that come with it!) is a completely normal part of being away, especially the first time. You’ve probably been on a great vacation and still thought, “Ugh, I miss my coffeemaker!” That’s homesickness. It doesn’t mean the vacation isn’t great. It just means there’s stuff you love at home, too.
Our counselors know how to help campers through those moments, get them connected with their cabin, and remind them that they can miss home and still have a really great weekend.
If homesickness becomes something we think you need to know about, we’ll call.
Yep.
Camp Immokalee is screen-free for campers. Phones, tablets, smart watches, and other connected devices stay at home.
Your kid spends plenty of the school year connected to a screen. Camp is one of the increasingly rare places where everyone gets to put it down at the same time.
Nobody’s texting someone who isn’t there. Nobody’s checking what their friends are doing somewhere else. Nobody’s worried about getting the picture just right.
They get to be where they are.
And don’t worry, going screen-free doesn’t mean going off the grid. If we need you, we’ll call. And if you need us, you can always reach the camp office.
For one weekend, their friends are right in front of them.
That’s kind of the point.
The Halloween Camp Rundown
October 23–25, 2026
Who: Campers in 1st–9th grade
Cost: $169
Meals, activities, lodging, and approximately one million pieces of Halloween candy included.
Check-in: Friday, October 23 between 6:00–7:00 PM
Please eat dinner before you arrive! We’ll take it from there.
Check-out: Sunday, October 25 between 2:30–3:30 PM
Capacity: 180 campers
Halloween Camp is our biggest off-season camp and does fill. Registration stays open until we reach capacity.
Financial Assistance: Available.
If you just need some help making this weekend work, email cimmokalee@fcymca.org and tell us a little about your circumstances and what you can reasonably pay.
If your family needs assistance for multiple Camp Immokalee programs throughout the off-season and summer, visit our Financial Assistance page to apply for ongoing support.
Halloween Camp Teen Leaders
Pathmakers: 10th Grade | CITs: 11th–12th Grade
October 23–25, 2026 | $100 | Application Required
Camp doesn’t just happen.
Someone plans the games. Someone hangs the decorations. Someone notices the kid standing off to the side. Someone makes a small win feel like the biggest deal in the world.
As a Teen Leader, you get to start being one of those someones.
Find your next step.
Pathmakers | 10th Grade
Create the experience.
Have you ever walked into an event and immediately known someone went above and beyond to make it special? That’s what Pathmakers get to create. You’ll help with the details, surprises, decorations, celebrations, and experiences that bring Halloween Camp to life.
Because a kid hitting a target is one thing. Making them feel like they just won the Super Bowl is another.
Pathmakers figure out how to turn it into the second one.
Counselors-in-Training | 11th–12th Grade
Create the relationship.
CITs learn how to become the kind of counselor kids remember.
You’ll work alongside our counselors, build relationships with younger campers, help with cabin life and activities, and practice noticing what kids need and how you can help.
Want to see behind the curtain?
If school and family schedules allow, Teen Leaders are invited to arrive at noon Friday and help us put the finishing touches on Halloween Camp before 180 campers arrive.
Props. Decorations. Haunted Trails. Last-minute ideas.
You’ll get to see what happens before the cars start pulling in and help turn an empty camp back into camp.
Coming early is completely optional and won’t affect your application or selection.
What about 9th grade?
Ninth graders are still campers at Immokalee, and that’s intentional. There’s value in getting one more year where your biggest responsibility at camp is being a kid.
Highly motivated 9th graders who feel ready for more may apply for special consideration as Pathmakers.
The details
Applications due: September 13
Decisions sent by: September 23
Halloween Camp: October 23–25
Cost: $100
Community service: 20 hours
You’ll have real responsibilities. You’ll also make friends, wear ridiculous costumes, and have a really great weekend at camp.
Growing into leadership shouldn’t mean growing out of camp.
