22 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Weekend

By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 30, 2015 4:11PM

Did you know that All Hallows Eve is also the night that daylight savings time ends? That means you get an extra hour to party. To help you make the most of it, we’ve found a ghost-load of events for Saturday and the rest of the holiday weekend.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 30

DANCE + WBEZ VETERAN: WBEZ hosts Monica Bill Barnes & Company and Ira Glass, host of This American Life for Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host. These two art forms—radio and dance—“have no business being together,” as Glass puts it, but the show is said to be a funny, heartfelt evening as stories from the three performers are put to stage. Tickets are $37 and the show runs through Sunday. Check The Athenaeum Theatre’s website for showtimes.

CORPSE BALL: Intonation Music hosts The Exquisite Corpse Ball at Beat Kitchen tonight at 9 p.m. This Halloween Cabaret in 6 Acts has six local bands performing as rock legends from the Talking Heads to the Bee Gees. They’ll also have a raffle benefiting the children’s music education program with prizes from Girl & The Goat, The Promontory in Hyde Park, and Letherbee Distillers. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 door.

SUPPER WITH SNAKES: What better way to celebrate the scariest holiday of the year than having Supper With Snakes at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum? The 8th annual event is family friendly and will have pizza, crafts and of course live snakes you can interact with under the watchful eye of the museum’s resident experts. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for kids ($20/$10 members). 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

GAME OF THRONES DANCE PARTY: Duet Dance Studio in West Bucktown hosts a Halloween “Game of Thrones” Tango Dance party from 9 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include a beginner tango class, but singles and couples are both welcome. The event is BYOB and will also include a costume contest, so come in your best medieval costume for a night of dancing. 21+

SCARY BEER + FILM: It’s a Zombie Sheep Beer Party at Logan Theater tonight. They’ll be releasing 3 Sheep Brewery’s latest creation, Violence of the Lambs, along with a screening of Black Sheep at 11 p.m. Part of Logan’s month of Horror Movie Madness. Beer party starts at 8 p.m.

MURDER DISCUSSION: The cast of Never The Sinner join John Russick for a panel about the upcoming play, and the real life murder that inspired it. ‘The Glasses, the Play, the Trial of the Century’ at the Chicago History Museum will examine the events that led to the conviction of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb for the bizarre murder of Bobby Franks in 1924. The glasses at the center of the evidence are now on display at the museum. Tickets are $30. 6 p.m.

PARADISE QUEEN: Smart Bar is playing dress up for Halloween in an homage to everything disco. Presumably modeled after the similarly named iconic NYC nightclub, the evening will be hosted by Jojo Baby, Lucy Stoole, Kim Chi and Trannika Rex with music from DJs Glenn Underground, Michael Serafini, Garrett David and Brian Borden. Costumes are encouraged, but the garage door will be open to all beginning at 10 p.m. Entry is $10 before midnight, $15 after. 21+

CARNIVALE + COOLIO: Expect nothing less than a spectacle a Carnivale costume party, and they’ve upped the ante by adding a performance from Coolio. The Day of the Dead party presented by Genuine Chicago and Stephen Lee will also have spooky cocktails, tarot card readings and more. Tickets are $75 or $150 for VIP that includes a meet and greet with the gangsta himself. 9 p.m.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 31: HALLOWEEN:

NIGHT CREATURES: We get started with a few day-time Halloween events for the kiddies. Bring them by the Garfield Park Conservatory from 12 to 3 p.m. to meet some Creatures of the Night. They’ll wake up some nocturnal creatures like owls, snakes and bats, plus there will be hands-on crafts and activities. Suggested donation is $3 for admission.

TRAIL TRICK OR TREAT: The brand new West Side park system The 606 will hold its first trick or treating event with candy being passed out along the elevated Bloomingdale trail from 3 to 5 p.m. Afterward, bring the kids by Churchill Field Park or Julia de Burgos Park for a costume contest and then watch Beetlejuice at Churchill. Free. For more details, check the 606 website.

PASTRY TREATS: Delightful Pastries locations in Old Town, Jefferson Park and the French Market will have complimentary complimentary fall sugar cookies, made with unbleached flour, Wisconsin butter and fall-colored sprinkles for little trick or treaters in costume. Check their website for business hours.

MASQUERADE DANCE PARTY: Duet Dance Studio in West Bucktown will hold a Halloween Masquerade Dance Party for kids age 5 to 12 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The party will also have guided mask making and a dance class. No previous experience necessary. $20 per child.

OPERA HOUSE MASQUERADE: Once the kids are tucked away, the grownups head to their own Masquerade Party at the Lyric Opera. Who knows what type of phantoms will show up at this masked evening at the opera house. Admission is $125 ($75 for LYP members) and includes food and open bar. Costumes strongly encouraged.

BONESHAKER PARTY: Redmoon transforms their Pilsen space into a giant “otherworldly” party that only this bold theater group could pull off. DJs, Galloping Ghost arcade games, fire breathers and more entertainment await. Tickets are $100 and include open bar and snacks. 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. 21+

NEO-FRIGHT: The Neo-futurists present a special edition of their long-running Too Much Light show: Too Much Fright Makes The Baby Go Blind. The concept is the same; 30 plays in 60 minutes, but tonight expect “dark humor, heavy metal and existential dread.” And candy. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. at the Neo-Futurarium in Andersonville. Tickets are $25 and costumes are encouraged.

PUNK ROCK: For Peelander-Z, every day is Halloween. The Japanese action comic punk band look a little like the Power Rangers on acid, with Peelander Yellow, Red, Blue and Green all dressed in elaborate costumes with songs that match the grandeur. Mad Conductor and The Symptoms also play. Show starts at 8 p.m. at Reggies Music Joint. Tickets are $10 ($12 day-of). 21+

BANDS IN DISGUISE: Lots of venues do the band-pretending-to-be-another-band thing for Halloween, but Double Door’s annual show is one of the best and longest running. Catch Archie Powell and the Exports headlining as Tom Petty, The Noise FM as LCD Soundsystem, Soddy Daisy as The Hives and more. The Halloween bash will encompass both levels of the space as Door No. 3 moonlights as CBGB’s. For even more bands playing dress-up this week, check out Tankboy’s list of his favorite Halloween concerts. Tickets are $15 or $25 for VIP. 21+

NOCHE DE MUERTOS: Maria’s Packaged Goods & Community Bar gets into the Mexican holiday spirit with an All Souls Day celebration. DJ crews Sonorama and The Ponderers will play old school Latin tunes while vintage Mexican horror films provide the visuals. 9 p.m. No Cover.

WONDERLAND PARTY: River North cocktail bar and supper club Celeste has made Alice’s Wonderland the theme for their Halloween party. “Fall down the Rabbit Hole” with specialty potions, er, cocktails and themed decor. Music provided by Gordon Bramli (Gemini Club) and M. Sylvia (NORdjs). Doors open at 8 p.m. Visit their website for reservations.

SPLATTER THEATER: If live theater is more your speed, check out Splatter Theater on The Annoyance mainstage at 8 or 10 p.m. This parody of Friday the 13th-style movies will have you laughing out loud when you’re not cowering in fear. There will be blood. Tickets are $20.

SPOOKY BOOBS: Halloween theater goes next level with Gorilla Tango Burlesque Cabaret. If scary sexy is your thing, this one-night-only performance that promises to “scare the shirt right off you” is the place for you. Expect mutant turtles, dancing zombies and more. Tickets are $28. Midnight.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: Honor loved ones who have passed at the National Museum of Mexican Art’s 29th annual Day of the Dead celebration. You can submit photos or create your own ofrenda (altar) at the festival’s site in Harrison Park (registration required). They will also have live performances, face painting and art activities. 4 to 9 p.m.