We’re now in the spooky, autumnal season, as September has arrived. If you’re looking for the perfect place for your coven to celebrate this spooky time of year with your friends, we have an idea.
Every October in Macon (Georgia), hundreds of witches try to float on the Ocmulgee. (We won’t judge them for using standup paddling boards and canoes to take a short ride down the river.)
The annual Macon Annual Witches Float This family-friendly event invites “witches” and “warlocks” to trade their broomsticks with paddles and “get into the spirit of the season.” The event is family-friendly and guests are encouraged to dress up in costumes. They can also bring along any non-motorized floatation device.
Visit Macon
The 2025 event takes place on Sunday, October 5 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Local time. Witches must check in by 2 p.m. The witches can help you return to the start point. (It’s the same thing, even though they have a bus shuttle.)
Here’s the best bit: all proceeds benefit a worthy cause. Proceeds of the float benefit Macon Periods Easier, a nonprofit that works to “raise awareness of period poverty in Middle, Georgia, provide menstrual products to those in need, and normalize the conversation about menstruation.” Some of the money will also go to the Scholarship Fund for ABC BreatheA non-profit organization that teaches breathing exercises and yoga to caregivers and children.
While the Macon float is the most important event of the year, there are still many things to do in the city before or after.
There are many Victorian-era mansions in the area that are incredibly spooky, and filled with ghosts. You don’t have to take our word for this. You can become a member. Ghost Hunt Weekends crew nearly every weekend in October to visit local haunted historic locations, including the Grand Opera House, 1842 Inn, Fort Hawkins, and the Douglass Theatre … if you dare.
Visit Macon
Two ultra-spooky tours are available, including one that takes place in the dark. Haunts & History on the HillA walking ghost tour through Macon’s Intown neighborhood. Spirits in OctoberWalking tour through Riverside Cemetery featuring actors who represent the spirits of Macon’s most historic figures. The 17th annual Macon Heritage Festival is also a great way to get involved. Thriller Parade Join the thousands of zombies that recreate Michael Jackson’s Thriller Dance Sequence every year.
There is no better place to stay than The 1842 InnIt is said that the ghost of John Gresham who was the Macon mayor in 1900, haunts the house. You could invite some of your witchy friends to a seance.
