The month of October is filled with Halloween celebrations for kids (festivals and trick or treat) and grown-ups (costumed pub crawls and bourbon tastings).
OCTOBER 17
Little Goblins Galore On Saturday, October 17 at 3 pm, youth ages 12 and under can enjoy the Halloween season with fewer scares at Little Goblins Galore at McConnell Springs. Kids are encouraged to wear their Halloween costume as they trick-or-treat along a trail filled with friendly characters from popular movies. In addition, there will be a petting zoo, carnival games and special entertainment.
Party for the Pumpkins is an afternoon event at the Arboretum, featuring hundreds of carved & painted pumpkins, live music & family activities, 2 pm to 6 pm, October 17.
OCTOBER 23
Baker’s Bash and Costume Party Benefit Sweet Blessings is hosting the inaugural Baker’s Bash, a Halloween costume party for adults on Friday, October 23 from 7:30 to 11:30 pm at the Signature Club of Lansdowne. Proceeds from the event benefit Sweet Blessings, a nonprofit organization that creates individually customized birthday cakes for children who live in poverty or with a life threatening illness.
Halloween Festivities at Shaker Village Parents can bring their kids to trick-or-treat along the village road for treats and other activities on October 23 – 24. Activities include a costume contest, a hayride or spirit stroll, pumpkin painting, an obstacle course and more. There will also be live music, food and drink, and a bonfire.
OCTOBER 24
Halloween Pub Crawl The 5th annual Halloween Pub Crawl will be in downtown Lexington on Saturday, October 24 starting at 6 pm. Follow on Facebook for starting spot and routes for this costumed tour of popular drinking spots downtown.
Victory Lutheran Church hosts Trunk or Treat on October 24 from 6 – 8 pm. Join DJ Wild and Crazy Larry for games, snacks, and treats. Friendly costumes are welcome; this is a family night.
Waveland Paranormal Investigation at Waveland State Historic Site on October 24 features the Lexington Paranormal Investigation team offering public “paranormal investigations” on the ground from 8 pm through midnight.
OCTOBER 25
Thriller & Halloween Parade Downtown at 8 pm on October 25. More than 30 years after Michael Jackson’s video first aired, zombies and the un-dead still come together in downtown Lexington to celebrate Halloween by re-creating “Thriller.” The evening will kick off at 6:30 p.m. with a dance showcase at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza. Prior to the Thriller dance will be a Halloween parade featuring ghosts, ghouls, superheroes, and villains and costumed characters of all kinds.
PumpkinMania: Carving The 5th annual PumpkinMania at Transy will feature over 500 lit jack-o’-lanterns on the steps of Old Morrison. On Sunday, October 25 there will be pumpkin carving at Haupt Circle on Broadway between Third and Fourth. Guests must bring a pumpkin to carve and donate. Carving tools and stencils will be provided.
Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest Southland Drive Incredipet is hosting its 23rd annual costume contest on October 25 at 1 p.m. Contestants dress their pets up and are judged to see who has the best pet costume. The best cat and dog costume will win a year’s supply of NutriSource pet food. Other prizes include gift certificates. Food and coffee will be provided by Common Grounds.
OCTOBER 27
Trick-or-Treat at Old Morrison Circle will be on Tuesday, October 27 and there will be trick-or-treat stations for children, Halloween goodies, face painting and hot chocolate. The lighting of the pumpkins is at 7 p.m. following the trick-or-treating. All events are open to the public.
Community Pumpkin Decorating! A Cup of Commonwealth and On the Move Art Studio present an evening of pumpkin decorating. On Tuesday, October 27 at 4 p.m., decorators can grab a pumpkin provided at A Cup of Commonwealth and decorate it however they like with markers and utensils.
OCTOBER 29
Halloween Bash at Kenwick at the Kenwick Community Center on October 29 at 6 pm. Youth ages 12 & under are invited to a Halloween costume party at the Kenwick Community Center. There will be Halloween carnival games, food and candy. Info, 859.266-6405.
OCTOBER 30
Halloween Hooplah 5 at Cosmic Charlie’s is back in 2015. The rock and roll variety showcase will return for it’s fifth installment on October 30 at 9 p.m. This year’s Hooplah features “local post-rock instrumental” band Bad People, a set of acts from “central Kentucky’s only traveling carny hooligans” Tinderbox Circus Sideshow, and that “sludge-funk-circus-punk sensation” The Ford Theatre Reunion.
OCTOBER 31
80’s Halloween Party at Al’s Bar is October 31 at 9 p.m. and there will be costume prizes and drink specials. DJ JustMe will be spinning 80’s jams.
BFB Halloween Best Friend Bar will host a Halloween bash on October 31 at 9 p.m. Pagan Baby will perform a CCR cover set and Street Grar will perform Bruce Springsteen.
Break Room at Pepper’s Halloween Bash is October 31 at 7 p.m. Music will be performed by DJ Hammuh and Bad People. There will also be fire dancers and food trucks.
Halloweezer VI at Cosmic Charlie’s on October 31 at 9 pm is the annual Lexington Halloween Weezer tribute. Fuzzwood will open with a Nirvana set. Big Fresh and Palisades will play second with a Cheap Trick set. Costumes highly encouraged.
NOVEMBER 1
Day of the Dead Festival On November 1, from 5 – 9 pm, the Living Arts & Science Center hosts the 10th annual Day of the Dead Festival at the Old Episcopal Burying Ground at the corner of E 3rd Street and Elm Tree. The fest will include live music and dance, traditional food, hands-on crafts, art exhibits, a gallery talk, a candlelight parade, and an altar exhibition. There will also be traditional Mexican dance and Mariachi singer and guitarist Jose Rivera will perform throughout the evening.
TRICK OR TREAT
Trick or Treat at Shaker Village Parents can bring their kids to trick-or-treat along the village road for treats and other activities on October 23 – 24. Activities include a costume contest, a hayride or spirit stroll, pumpkin painting, an obstacle course and more. There will also be live music, food and drink, and a bonfire.
Trick-or-Treat at PumpkinMania at Old Morrison Circle at Transylvania University will be on Tuesday, October 27 and there will be trick-or-treat stations for children, Halloween goodies, face painting and hot chocolate. The lighting of the pumpkins is at 7 p.m. following the trick-or-treating. All events are open to the public.
Trick or treating in Lexington will be on Saturday, October 31 from 6 – 8 pm.
Due to the Breeder’s Cup and a UK home football game coinciding with trick or treat on Saturday night, an alternative indoor trick or treat will be held at Fayette Mall from 6 – 8 pm on Thursday, October 29. Indoor trick-or-treat is for kids ages 1-12.
Trick or Treat Storytime at Joseph-Beth on October 31 at 11 am. Wear your Halloween costume for trick or treat during storytime.
MOVIES
Classic Horror Films and Ghost Films at the Farish Theatre
October 5: Frankenstein (1931)
October 12: Dracula (1931)
October 19: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
October 27: The Babadook (2014)
October 28: The Haunting (1963)
October 29: The Others (2001)
Kentucky Theater Halloween Midnight Showing
October 30 & 31: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
HAUNTED HOUSES/TOURS
Devine’s Corn Maze “Field of Horror” (Harrodsburg) on October 30 and 31.
Halloween Camp-Outs Saturday, October 17 and Saturday, October 24 at the Kentucky Horse Park Campgrounds from 9 am – 5 pm. The camp-outs’ activities include costume contests, trick or treating, a golf cart parade, and a haunted trail.
Terror on Tates Creek open through October 31 at Wicked World Scaregrounds on Tates Creek Road.
The Nightmare Haunted House is open through October 31 at Wicked World Scaregrounds on Tates Creek Road.
Fright Nights at Jacobson Park Thursdays through Sundays from October 1 through November 1. There is no age limit; however, parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to not bring children under the age of 13. Guests are not allowed to wear costumes.
Fright Nights at Waveland Thursdays through Sundays from October 1 through November 1 at Waveland. There will be three indoor haunted attractions —The Mansion, The Torture Chambers and the Meat House — at one Waveland State Historic Site.
Mary Todd Lincoln House Cemetery Walking Tours Features historic monuments and graves, including those of the Todd family. Covers Lexington’s most famous cemetery, focusing on Civil War history. There is a tour every Sunday in October starting at 2:30 pm.
Whispering Woods Haunted Trail (Georgetown) On October 23, 24, 30, and 31, take a ride on a wagon into the forest. The first wagon ride leaves at 8 pm, the last at 10 pm.
THEATRE
The Lexington Children’s Theatre presents Zombie in Love on October 30 and 31.
Bluegrass Mystery Theatre: Disturbia at the Distillery at Buffalo Trace Distillery on October 30 at 9 pm. Start your evening off with a Ghost Tour, followed by a dinner and spirits pairing at the Elmer T. Lee Clubhouse. During dinner, sit back and enjoy the antics of Bluegrass Mystery Theatre while figuring out a mystery. In between acts, there will be bourbon tastings.
This article appears on page 11 of the October 2015 print issue of Ace.
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