F orget the full moon on Saturday. The scariest thing about this Halloween in New Haven is just how much there is to do.
Thursday, October 26
5 p.m. | Halloween Cocktails & Cabaret. “Spooky speakeasy attire” is encouraged during an evening of slinky jazz singing and seasonal cocktails at Old Heidelberg.
7 p.m. | Hotel Hex & Witching Hour. Fright Haven’s haunted attractions will be attracting hauntees to Stratford all weekend, starting tonight.
7:30 p.m. | Halloween Macbeth. “Halloween… thrills and Shakespearian chills” are promised during this “special, haunting production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth” at the Stratford Library, with additional showtimes through Saturday.
8:30 p.m. | Let’s Get Spooky. Live music at Stella Blues is no shock, but tonight’s show is also a Halloween costume party and a benefit for local cat rescue organization A Chance for Love.
8:30 p.m. | Terror on Temple. Aimed at college students, this nightclub party at 144 Temple promises DJs, drink specials, a photo booth and a costume contest.
9 p.m. | Shrek Rave. Yes, that Shrek. As the touring event’s website suggests, “unleash your inner ogre” at Toad’s Place during a dance party spliced with Shrek-themed performances, games, drinks and visuals.
Friday, October 27
6 p.m. | Evidence of Evil. At Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, you can walk a “haunted trail” full of infernal vignettes open every night this weekend. Note: “You will be asked to participate in scenes. This can range from chanting along with actors, moving objects, or finding a key element to move onto the next scene.”
6 p.m. | Final Friday & Halloween Bash. After a costume contest, the Alpaca Gnomes and Back to the Future-themed ’80s tribute band The Gigawatts take the stage at New England Brewing Co. in Woodbridge.
6:30 p.m. | Spooky Sip and Paint. This adults-only event in Erector Square offers “a wickedly fun night of painting, sipping, and spooky vibes.”
7 p.m. | Murder on the Shore Line Express. Every night this weekend, a “haunted trolley” murder mystery at East Haven’s Shore Line Trolley Museum promises “an interactive 30-minute show/presentation combining murder, thrills, theater, and a heavy dose of comedy.”
8 p.m. | Nightmare on State Street. Ward 9 hosts “a crazy night of tech house and techno” music with costumes encouraged.
8 p.m. | Light Upon Blight Live Score. At Best Video in Hamden, the improvisational collective Light Upon Blight will live-score the 1960 French horror film Eyes Without a Face. “In a tradition of horror combining the visceral, the philosophical, and the psychological, Georges Franju’s… Eyes Without a Face is a work of poetic realism and surrealism. The film is open to endless interpretations and full of unforgettable images [and is] thus the perfect vehicle for a Light Upon Blight Halloween-themed live score.”
8 p.m. | Halloween Party. Indeed, it’s a Halloween party at The Cellar on Treadwell. Splatterhead, one of three bands on the bill, fit the theme especially well.
9 p.m. | Halloween Blacklight Glow Party. With the addition of a costume contest, Toad’s Place turnkeys its weekly blacklight and laser light dance party into a holiday affair.
9:30 p.m. | Heroes & Villains Halloween Party. On the third floor at 142 Temple Street, “get ready to mingle with other comic book, horror movie, and slasher enthusiasts and show off your costume creativity. Whether you choose to don the cape of a caped crusader or embrace your dark side as a notorious villain, this event is the perfect opportunity to showcase your alter ego. Our venue will be transformed into a thrilling battleground of good versus evil, with exciting decorations and themed activities throughout the night,” plus dancing, drinking and a photo booth.
Saturday, October 28
10:30 a.m. | Toddler Tunes, Halloween edition. Local children’s entertainer Robert Messore “puts on a high-energy sing-and-dance-along program for young children and their parents,” this time with what sounds like a Halloween twist.
11:30 a.m. | Crawl-O-Ween. Promising DJs, food and drink specials, locational themes, cash and other giveaways, a costume contest, photo booths and more across 15 downtown bars and restaurants, this all-day Halloween crawl could get messy—especially since, according to organizers, more than 5,000 people have already bought tickets.
12 p.m. | The Sanderson Sisters. A trio embodying the inexplicably musically talented witches from the Hocus Pocus movies cast a spell over the food court at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford. Before that, starting at 10 a.m., kids under the age of 12 can do some particularly efficient trick-or-treating throughout the mall.
12 p.m. | Halloween Party. Freedom Road Harley-Davidson in Branford hosts a family-friendly gathering revved up by snacks, candy, tarot cards, palm readings, pumpkin-decorating and a kids’ costume contest—and misses an opportunity to call it “Harleyween.”
1 p.m. | Halloween Boo-tique. Popping up at Strange Ways, “this curated market features five frightful local makers that are sure to get you in the Halloween spirit, if you aren’t already!”
3 p.m. | Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Woodmont United Church of Christ in Milford hosts this ode to Alice in Wonderland, promising prizes for the best Alice and Hatter costumes.
3:30 p.m. | Walnut Beach Zombie 5K. Want to set a new personal best? Sign up for this race in the Walnut Beach section of Milford, where blood-spattered zombies will try to catch and “infect” you. Then party with those zombies (and any new ones) afterward.
5 p.m. | Halloween Costume Party. At Bar August, “cast your vote for best costume while you enjoy creepy cocktails, spooky snacks and a spine-chilling playlist.”
6 p.m. | Factory Festival of Frights. Held at least in part within the brewery’s “factory” space, a Halloween party at East Rock Brewing promises “live music, contests, prizes, and more,” including a costume contest and a pair of seasonal beer releases.
6 p.m. | Fat Orange Cat’s FOC’n Halloween Party. The Twelve Percent Beer Project in North Haven hosts this party helmed by one of its local partner breweries, offering “drink specials for [those in] costumes” along with “live music,” “costume contests, specialty beers on tap, food vendors and more!”
7 p.m. | Monster Bash. Witch Bitch Thrift hosts a “night of drag [and] burlesque” along with a costume contest.
9 p.m. | Quinnipiac Halloween Glow Party. A party at East Rock pizza spot Da Legna at Nolo offers a DJ, photo booth, costume contest and chance to bathe in the glow of 300 black lights.
10 p.m. | The Annual Vandome Halloween Party. After a “Mischief Night” party last night, Club Vandome’s main Halloween event promises two DJs powering different floors and vibes and cash prizes for the best costumes.
Sunday, October 29
10 a.m. | Free Family Fun Day. The Shubert Theatre “will treat patrons to a walking backstage tour of the theatre with trick-or-treat stations along the way as well as an arts and crafts area. Children under 12 are welcome to wear Halloween costumes for trick-or-treating in the Shubert lobby…”
10 a.m. | Hall-O-Weekend. After a Hocus Pocus screening Friday on the Milford Green and a themed charity run Saturday, this annual family-friendly event organized by the Downtown Milford Business Association kicks into a higher gear with a hay bale maze, face painting, vendors, costume parade and other activities on the Milford Green, plus trick-or-treating at downtown businesses.
2, 4 and 6 p.m. | Ghosts, Witches & Gravestones. While touring the historic crypt beneath Center Church, “hear tales of a phantom ship, witchcraft trials, communion silver given to the congregation at the behest of ghosts, and the unmarked graves that lie beneath the New Haven Green!”
4 p.m. | Mysterious Circumstances. At the Institute Library, this “exhibition of haunting contemporary art, rare books, and volumes from our collection of mysteries”—plus “a rogues’ gallery of historic family photographs”—gets an opening reception-slash-Halloween party.
6 p.m. | Ghost Story Night. At Bar August, “enjoy spooky tales with local performer and storyteller Carolyn Stearns” as well as “lots of bar snacks and a drink from our cozy bar.”
6 p.m. | Kids’ Costume Ball. Arts in CT aims to provoke “wonder, imagination, and endless fun” for little ones via food and refreshments; face and pumpkin painting; and games and a scavenger hunt.
8 p.m. | Nightmare on Elm Street. The party is actually on State Street (or, if you prefer, Crown). In any case, Cafe Nine plays host to this tribute show honoring shock rock pioneer Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. In an attempt to “resurrect” Hawkins for the night, his one-time guitarist, Mike Armando, will be playing in the band.
Monday, October 30
6:30 p.m. | Tools & Rules of Magic and Samhain Celebration. At Curious Goods New Age Shop in West Haven, “learn about the rules and tools of magic! Learn options on how to set up an altar, and cast a sacred circle. Join us as we celebrate the Witches New Year! We will have an open circle, a ritual, meditation, reiki aura cleansing, gifts, and a feast. Please bring in a plate of food or drink to share!”
7 p.m. | Band Halloween. Cafe Nine invites local bands to dress up as an act of their choosing—current selections include Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, David Bowie, Fugazi, The Buzzcocks—and perform two to four cover songs each. Proceeds from a suggested donation at the door “will be used to buy cold weather supplies for the local unhoused population of New Haven.”
Tuesday, October 31 – Halloween
12 p.m. | Halloween Flash Tattoo Walk-In Day. Hope Gallery Tattoo is offering “hauntingly fun flash”—readymade, presumably thematic designs you can choose from a wall of choices—to walk-ins, including a “flat rate trick or treat ‘Get what ya get’ [option] for those that love to leave it to chance!”
5 p.m. | Halloween Witch Parade. The parade actually starts at 6, when the “Walnut Beach Witch” will appear outside Milford’s Walnut Beach Creamery “to lead the children on a trick-or-treating loop while scaring aware the evil spirits by shaking their bells.” But the free ice cream for kids in costume (while supplies last) starts at 5, as does the DJ and, apparently, a phenomenon described as “candy falling from the sky.” Capping things off, a “witch flash mob” follows the parade, at 7.
5 p.m. | Halloween Flashlight Brew Maze. Lyman Orchards in Middlefield is still in the holiday swing, offering those of legal drinking age a chance to sample beers from three Connecticut breweries while navigating the corn maze and playing yard games.
5:30 p.m. | Y.A.R.D. Trunk or Treat. The city Youth and Recreation Department’s annual trunk or treat event, this year at a new location on SCSU’s campus, provides a safe way for kids to go trick-or-treating. (Note: The address at the event link is spelled incorrectly. You want to head to this parking lot on Farnham—not “Farnum”—Avenue.)
6:30 p.m. | Open Mic Surgery does Halloween. At Volume Two, a.k.a. Never Ending Books, the Open Mic Surgery poetry series promises “spooky Halloween poetry time!”
9 p.m. | Sanctuary, Halloween edition. For this most unholy installment of the goth culture party series, expect partygoers in costume, “Halloween tunes” from DJs R.I.C.H.A.R.D. and Omegatelik and “a special guest performance from goth punk duo The Long Losts, as they sing about love, death, and things that go bump in the night.”
Written by Dan Mims. Image plucked from Shutterstock. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
