There’s never a shortage of fun, diverse events in Austin, and Halloween is certainly a night to pack in plenty of events from sweet to scary. Whether you’re celebrating solely on All Hallow’s Eve or making an entire weekend of it, there are plenty of places to strut your costumed stuff. Here are just a few things that you can do:
Go See a Scary Movie
Too scared to sit through a Conjuring double feature alone on your own couch? Join other Austinites to watch some creepy classics at a variety of locations.
Naturally, Alamo Drafthouse has a wide range of gory flicks offered at their theaters on Halloween night, including Cabin in the Woods, Night of the Living Dead, The Exorcist, and Shaun of the Dead at the Ritz location, and Rosemary’s Baby and Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Village location.
The Blue Starlite Drive In’s got Beetlejuice and a very special event: Paz Lenchantin (bassist for The Pixies) will be hosting a screening of Nosferatu and performing a live original score with Dallas Acid.
At the Paramount Theatre on 10/30 you can find half of the creepy crew from the ‘80s classic Monster Squad (which, unfortunately, already had its only screening earlier this month): Dracula at 2 p.m. and The Wolf Man at 3:30 p.m.
If you’re looking for something a little more quirky and out of the ordinary for your Halloween, The Blanton Museum of Art is screening Andy Warhol’s movie Blood for Dracula at midnight on 10/31. The movie is full of violence, comedy, and sex, perfect for an adult Halloween celebration. The film is part of the museum’s new exhibition, Warhol by the Book, which runs until January 29, 2017.
Of course, there’s always the classic family-friendly movie that everyone loves, Hocus Pocus. Sarah Jessica Parker in her finest acting moments, jokes about virgins, and adorable little Thora Birch before she showed the world her boobs. What’s not to love? It’s so popular that you can catch it either at Zach Scott Theatre as part of Austin Pride’s OUT at the Movie series (10/31) or watch it in a bowling alley as Spare Time Texas hosts a family friendly event in their lanes (10/30).
If all that candy and those caramel apples are leaving you with a shortened attention span and you just can’t handle sitting still for a full, Carousel Lounge has you covered with their Treehouse of Horrorween party on 10/31. They’re screening 15 episodes of “The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror,” all chosen by attendees. In addition they’re having a cartoon costume contest, music from the Scooby Doo themed band The Zoinks, and plenty of milk and cereal.
Dance Your Scares Away
If you’ve made the extra effort to find a costume that you won’t sweat to death in or have your face melted off, spending the night dancing it into shreds is kind of the way to go:
The annual Zombie Ball at ACL Live on 10/29 this year throws it back to headliners Morris Day and the Times (with openers The Suffers), so break out your best, non-racist Jungle Love themed costume and get ready to get down.
Geraldine’s is spending Halloween Evening resurrecting pop icons, including Prince, Michael Jackson, and David Bowie, thanks to a night of cover performances by KP and the Boom Boom. Dressing up as your favorite (living or dead) pop icon just might help you earn a chance to win a hotel package from Hotel Van Zandt. They’ll also be hosting some in-house trick or treating and specialty cocktails for adults.
The new downtown Austin bar, Plead the Fifth (you can’t miss it, it’s the one with a giant Texas flag painted on the corner of Congress and 5th), is hosting a Halloween Bash on 10/31 with music by DJ MadCoins. They’re also hosting a costume contest and running drink specials starting at 5 p.m. (though the party doesn’t start until 9 p.m.).
Let Halloween Go to the Dogs
Start the Halloween celebration a little early on Monday and bring your best four-legged friend along for Trace’s Howl-o-weenie Yappy Hour. From 5-7 p.m. adult and dog guests can enjoy treats, a costume contest, and music by DJ Scully on Trace’s outdoor patio.
Doc’s Backyard is hosting a Halloweenie party, too, on October 29. This family and dog friendly event includes dog bowl painting, face painting, a costume contest, drink specials during the college games, and it’s all to benefit Austin Pets Alive!
Speaking of Austin Pets Alive!, they’ll be transforming their weekly Mega Mutt Monday event into a special Halloween edition, with a fun costume contest at Banger’s on Rainey. Judging begins at 7:30 p.m., with winners announced at 8 p.m.
Become One of the Walking Dead
Take to your feet to get the full thrills out of your Halloween weekend:
Lumber along, classic zombie style, through the aisles of the Oakwood Cemetery in East Austin, at the 10th annual Murder, Mayhem, and Misadventure Walking Tour. There, actors tell the tales of 13 chilling deaths of residents of the cemetery. The tours are free, sponsored by Save Austin’s Cemeteries, and give a look into Austin’s history from 1842 to 1918.
Start with a walk and end by running for your life like those 28 Days Later zombies are chasing you as you brave the halls of nationally recognized haunted house, House of Torment. This Halloween Season, House of Torment haunted house moves to a new, larger, permanent home doubling in size to span 40,000 extremely frightening square feet. House of Torment’s inaugural season at 2632 Ridgepoint Dr will feature three brand new haunted houses including: Dawn of Evil, The Frenzy, and Graveside Manor. House of Torment tours run through Halloween on Monday.
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos a Little Early
Austin’s longest running Day of the Dead celebration, Viva la Vida, is hosted by Mexic Arte Museum and the City of Austin. This year’s event on 10/29 will feature a grand procession and street festival (from Congress to San Jacinto) with artist vendors, live music, food trucks, and community altars. The festival takes up various locales across downtown Austin full of family friendly events, including the Frost Bank Tower and Brazos Hall.
Planet K is breaking out the big guns — well, the big cannons to be more specific, at the Texas Fireworks Annual Dia de Los Muertos Celebration. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. on 10/31 behind Krieg Field in East Austin.
Central Market is celebrating the Day of the Dead for their 9th year on October 29-30 at their North Lamar location. The weekend will be full of musical performances, family friendly activities, cooking classes, and more.
On Saturday from 1-6 p.m., guests at the Emma Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center can participate in activities that include sugar skull making, altar building, and a car show. This seventh annual event is the MACC’s largest event of the year and will also feature live music and entertainment, family art activities, a costume contest and more.
