HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Whether you’re going trick-or-treating, or spending the weekend cozy at home – there are so many options to create a festive holiday weekend for your family! Enjoy the events below, or simply pop some popcorn and watch a Halloween movie! Here are my top picks for a wonderful spooky weekend…
Bundle up for a drive-in puppet show with spooky surprises
The Beatrix Potter Drive-In Theatre Experience is SUCH a gem that cannot be missed! It was just extended again through November 8th, and there are still tickets available for this weekend as of this article’s posting. We’ve attended the Beatrix Potter holiday tea party every year at the Chicago Children’s Theatre, and they have really found a great way to translate the magic of this live puppet show to the big screen. You can sit in your car to stay warm (the audio is broadcast through the radio), but I recommend dressing super warm and sitting right outside of your car. The actors come out for some fun interactive parts, so you definitely don’t want to miss this! For Halloween, come in costume! There will be festive decorations, all-hallows humor, and goody bags with treats. Plus, Peter Rabbit and his puppeteer friends will be making a socially distanced visit to each family before the show to see what everyone’s dressed up as! The Chicago Children’s Theatre will also be celebrating Halloween Oct 29th, 30th, 31st, and Nov 1 with socially distanced treat distribution! Stop by the building at 100 S. Racine from 3pm-7pm to show off your costume and pick up goodies.
Celebrate Chicago artists at an “upside down” Halloween parade
Arts in the Dark is going “Upside Down” – the craziness of 2020 can’t stop this celebration! This year, the Arts in the Dark Parade on October 31st is the Grand Finale of a special Mayor’s Office Halloween Initiative – HALLOWEEK – and it will take place in Washington Park in partnership with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Chicago Park District. Of course, it won’t be the usual procession of floats and group spectacles making their way down a crowded street. This year, the parade will be turned UPSIDE DOWN. Dozens of delightful parade contingents will be stationed along a beautiful tree-lined drive in Washington Park, and spectators will drive through the route, enjoying the spectacles from the safety of their vehicles. This event is free, but in order to attend you must make a reservation for a 12pm, 1pm or 2pm slot. Reservations are available on the website. Additional tickets will be released Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning at 9am, so set your alarm if the time slot you’d like is currently sold out!
Dust off your jogging stroller and join a festive 5k through Lincoln Park
The Crypt Run has gone virtual this year – which means you can participate ANYTIME this weekend! Grab your running shoes (or walking shoes) and get moving to support Best Buddies! After registering, you can pick your creepy curated course through Lincoln Park (there are even options available for the kiddos – if they want something a little less scary) and expect running cues and surprises through your headphones! Swag includes a t-shirt, a face mask (a sign of the times), and an LED light spinner which I’m sure your kids will steal immediately 🙂 I have definitely missed all of the fun races & walks in Chicago this past summer, and although this event is “virtual” – the way they have pulled everything together really makes up for not being able to run in a crowd of people! Sign up here and participate any day through October 31st.
Start the weekend early with a Halloween crafting party
KidCreate Lakeview has a TON of fun planned for kids of all ages on Friday, October 30th! Make some spooky crafts to decorate your house for Halloween! These workshops are so fun, my daughter has always loved these little parties (getting her to come home with me is HARD!). Join in on the “Boo Bash” workshop from 9:30-10:15 for kids ages 18 months – 6 years. Wear your costume to class and make a black cat, ghost, or Jack O’Lantern! Sign up here. There is another “Boo Bash” workshop from 10:45-11:30, where kids will make a silly monster! Sign up here. At 5:30PM, kids ages 4-9 can join a fun costume party to make a wacky witch. This goes from 5:30-8pm. Sign ups are here. Parents or caregivers must attend the “Boo Bash”, but the evening costume party is for kids only.
Pile into the car to check out some of the spookiest homes in the city, with cider and donuts for the ride
Roscoe Village has some of the BEST Halloween fun this weekend! Click here for a printable map of all houses participating in the 2020 house decorating contest. Best idea ever right!? We’re going to bring along the Studio DIY Scavenger Hunt printable for the kids to do in the car. On Thursday night, we’re going to load the kids into the car in their PJ’s, blast some spooky music, and do a little house tour! We’re SO EXCITED, because people have really gone all out.
While you’re in Roscoe Village, you can also participate in the Ghostly Gus Scavenger Hunt! Ghostly Gus will be hidden in the windows of local businesses, and it’s your mission to find him! Halloween costumes are encouraged! Businesses will also be handing out Halloween treats for those who visit during their regular business hours. Print a scavenger sheet at the link above, or pick one up at a participating business to begin your search for Ghostly Gus. Once you’ve found Ghostly Gus in the window of each business, write the four digit secret code that’s listed on his picture in the corresponding space on the grid. After you’ve written the code, you can consider that space completed. When you’ve completed a horizontal, diagonal, or vertical line, or completed the entire grid, you can submit it to win a prize!
To complete your Roscoe Village adventure, stop at cider & donut stand at John’s Place in Roscoe Village. Open Friday, Saturday, & Sunday 10am-7pm (or while supplies last). They even have the pop tarts from A Little Frosting Bake Shop, which I have been DYING to get my hands on – so you know you’ll see me there this weekend!