20 Things to Do in Philly This Weekend

This list is 99 percent Halloween, 1 percent Steve Martin.

Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary. Photo by Krystle Marcellus

Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary.
Photo by Krystle Marcellus

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror @ Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center
Watch the spooky 1922 silent film with an equally spooky live score from organist Peter Richard Conte.

Terror Behind the Walls @ Eastern State Penitentiary
Halloween season in Philly isn’t complete without a visit to Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary, which, as a towering old stone prison, already had a creepy vibe before they went and added the bloody undead.

Poe Arts Festival @ Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
Pay tribute to Poe and his macabre tales at the house where he lived. The first Poe Arts Festival will features theater performances, talks, art and music.

Steve Martin and Martin Short @ Academy of Music
Steve Martin and Martin Short bring An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Life to Philly for two nights, Friday and Saturday. They’ll be joined by Grammy-winning bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers.

HalloFunk’nWeen @ Painted Bride Art Center
Painted Bride’s “carnival style Halloween dance party” includes tarot readings, a costume contest, a scary monologue contest and a performance by Found Theater.

Great Gatsby Halloween Party @ 30 Main
Ditch the witch costume for Roaring ’20s look at this Halloween dinner and dance party.

Lantern Tours @ Crystal Cave
Head to Berks County for a haunted Halloween tour of Crystal Cave by lantern light, with your guide telling ghost stories. It’s happening Saturday too.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29

Dia de los Muertos at the Penn Museum. Photo courtesy of the Penn Museum

Dia de los Muertos at the Penn Museum. Photo courtesy of the Penn Museum

Dia de los Muertos @ Penn Museum
The Penn Museum, the Mexican Consulate in Philly and the Mexican Cultural Center are hosting this Day of the Dead celebration with “pageantry and puppetry, music and folkloric dance, paper maché artistry, sugar skull and paper flower making, face painting, and special foods.” Bring a photo or memento to add to the communal altar.

South Street PumpkinFest @ Headhouse Square
It’s a full day of autumnal activities down on South Street, with pumpkin decorating, a hay bale maze, wagon rides, costume contests, screenings of Beetlejuice and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for the kids and, for the grown-ups, a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show hosted by DJ Robert Drake. The Philadelphia School of Circus Arts will perform at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and trick-or-treating at neighborhood businesses is from 3 to 6 p.m.

Mexrrissey @Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center
Mexican rockers Mexrissey, who cover the songs of Morrissey and The Smiths, are doing a free Dia de los Muertos show at the Kimmel.

Red 40 and the Last Groovement @ FringeArts
The FringeArts resident band, a funky disco, R&B and performance art mash-up led by Martha Stuckey, is throwing a record release party for their debut album, She’s Keen to Feed. Costumes are encouraged.

Fall Fest and Spooky Saturday @ East Passyunk Avenue
Bring the kids to East Passyunk Avenue for pumpkin decorating and other fall crafts, costume contests, live music and trick-or-treating.

Ghost Stories @ Shofuso Japense House and Garden
Local folklorist Matthew Meyer will share traditional Japanese ghost stories, told by candlelight to get you in the Halloween mood.

Halloween at the Rosenbach @ Rosenbach Museum and Library
Divine your future with vintage fortune cards and palmistry at the Rosenbach’s Halloween party in the Rare Book Library.

TJ Kong Halloween Costume Ball Rock N Roll Murdershow @ Underground Arts
Philly band TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb headline a Halloween music fest, with Straw Hats, Laser Background, Grubby Little Hands, Minka and Ceramic Animal.

Halloween ComicFest @ Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse
The Black Tribbles host this Halloween-themed comic fest with cosplay, contests, food and free comics.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30

Spooky Mini Golf at Franklin Square. Photo by Jeff Holder for Historic Philadelphia, Inc.

Spooky Mini Golf at Franklin Square. Photo by Jeff Holder for Historic Philadelphia, Inc.

Spooky Mini Golf @ Franklin Square
This is your last chance to play Spooky Mini Golf at Franklin Square, complete with eerie fog, lights and music.

Tricks and Treats at the Manor @ Pennsbury Manor
Check out this family-friendly, history-themed Halloween party at William Penn’s country estate, complete with a witch trial, crafts and games, a corn maze, a hay ride and, of course, trick-or-treating.

Henri David’s Halloween Ball @ Sheraton Philadelphia
The very best costumes are at Henri David’s annual Halloween Ball, now in its 48th year. Dress up; you’ll pay more than double for a ticket if you’re just coming to gawk.

The B-52s Halloween Scream @ Fillmore Philadelphia
The B-52s formed 40 years ago this month. Think about how old you are while you’re getting your costume ready for their Halloween show.

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