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We
know how it is. Halloween is just around the corner, and with that
hectic daily schedule of yours, you suddenly find yourself without
Halloween plans. Or, maybe you're tired of all of the slick, polished
city events and are looking for a little rustic-charm-off-the-beaten-path
sort of event.
Don't worry, we've got you covered! Below is
a list of some major cities, and their events, and the alternate
rural events....all for Halloween. After all, you can be a little
bit country AND a little bit rock and roll, and still enjoy a great
Halloween!
CALIFORNIA
City Event: HOLLYWOOD
West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval
The week of Oct. 31, with the massive party spilling onto the street
on Halloween night.
Yes, it really is spelled "carnAval". This event draws
up to 500,000 people in their craziest, sexiest, most bizarre, and
most interesting outfits to Santa Monica Boulevard.
Rural Alternative: ORANGE COUNTY, CA
Knott's Berry Farm Halloween Haunt
Throughout October
Probably the closest thing to the country, without ever leaving
the city is Knott's Berry Farm in California, which takes credit
for hosting the first major Halloween event at an amusement park
in 1973. It now declares its Halloween Haunt to be the biggest such
event, with 1,000 monsters lurking in the fog, 12 heart-stopping
mazes, and a show that brings back dead rock-and-roll idols. Transformed
into “Knott’s Scary Farm,” the it includes shows,
interactive games, mazes, and more for kids and kids at heart.
www.knotts.com
LOUISIANA
 City
Event: NEW ORLEANS
The Witching Hour Ball 2007
Fri, Oct 26
The Howlin' Wolf, 907 South Peters Street
The Witching Hour is the official reincarnation of past Coven Balls
celebrated by Anne Rice's Vampire Lestat Fan Club. Les Temps des
Vampires - a core of fan club veterans - has kept the spark of the
famous balls alive since the club disbanded about the turn of the
century. With Rice's blessing, the fan club has come back to life
and is preparing for the first official "Coven Ball" in
more than five years. Musical guests include Anders Manga, Analog
Missionary and Paul Mercer and the Ghosts Project. A raffle of items
by various artisans as well as items donated by Rice will benefit
Habitat for Humanity New Orleans.
www.vampirelestatfanclub.com
Rural Alternative: NEW ORLEANS
Haunted Riverfront
Fri. Oct 26 - Sat., Oct 27
Yes, it's still in the city, but this event has old-fashioned appeal.NOCCA
invites your little ghouls and goblins to experience a safe and
fun Halloween weekend by attending the second annual Haunted Riverfront.
A haunted house, games, spacewalks, storytelling and food will be
offered. $10 kid admission provides for 10 tickets guests can use
for games, refreshment booths or any activities at the event, $5
admission for parents, parents receive 5 tickets. This is the perfect
opportunity for Marigny and Bywater families as NOCCA is located
at 2800 Chartres Street at the intersection of Press, free parking
is available. Students ages 5-12 should have a great time! Dates
and times: October 26, 6-9 PM, October 27, 3-9 PM, October 28, noon-6
PM. For more information call 504.940.2854 or visit nocca.com.
$7, NOCCA 2800 Chartres Street, (504) 940-2854
Rural/Country Alternative: POINTE CELESTE, LA
Halloween Fun Show and Horse Show
Sat, Oct 27
$4 entry fee per event, all 8 events for $20, Pointe Celeste Therapeutic
Riding Center, 21178 Highway 23, Pointe Celeste, La.
This fun filled event will feature a FREE Costume Contest and fabulous
prizes along with a thrilling Haunted Hay Ride to see our elk, and
a lot of fun for the whole family. Food and drinks will also be
sold and there will be 20 different horse show events for a $4 entry
fee per event or you may choose to ride 8 events for $20. The Halloween
Fun Show and Horse Show is open to all horses and riders (you must
bring your own horse to ride). (504) 436-8145 for more information
MASSACHEUSETTS
City Event: BOSTON
Halloween Town
Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday, Oct. 28, 10 am to 6 pm
Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd, Boston
The Boston Medical Center and iParty present this family safe event
with interactive activities, storytellers and entertainers, costumed
characters, laser tag, face painting, performances by Girl Authority,
give-a-ways, pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treating and more. Proceeds
benefit the Kids Fund at Boston Medical Center.
halloweentownboston.com
Rural Alternative: EAST BRIDGWATER, MA
C.N Smith Farm
Pick pumpkins from the pile seven days a week or directly from the
field on the weekends. The last two weekends in Octoberthey offer
Creepy Hollow Hayrides, slightly haunted daytime rides for younger
kids. There’s also the Hallo Lantern Hayride, a nighttime ride
featuring hundreds of lit Jack-o-lanterns.
325 South Street, East Bridgewater
www.cnsmithfarminc.com
(508) 378-2270
Rural Alternative #2: TYNSBORO, MA
Parlee Farms
Probably the most unique aspect of this 93 acre, family friendly
farm, is the "Annie's Goats in the Trees" which is a goat
walk where you can send food up to the 20 foot high top platform.
They also have standard fun farm fare: Mary's Country Kitchen, Annie's
Animal Barn, and a massive U-pick pumkin patch; as of October 2007,
the farm had more than 40,000 pumpkins to choose from. The staff
recommends that you call ahead for weather conditions before partaking
in you pumpkin picking adventures.
Farwell Road, Tynsboro
www.parleefarm.com
(978) 649-3854
NEW YORK
City Event: NEW YORK CITY
The Village Halloween Parade
October 31st
Winding down 6th Avenue from Spring Street to 21st Street from 7
- 10 p.m. FREE!
Probably the best known of the Halloween Parades, the irreverent
celebration showcases the ingenuity that Noo Yawkers are known for.
Revelers utilize homemade puppets, props, and costumes to showcase
the shocking, the unusual, and even political, notions….along
with superb imagination. This year's theme: "Wings of Desire."
Get there early enough to reserve a front spot, as the crowd is
MASSIVE.
Rural Alternative: HUDSON VALLEY, NY
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Oct 26-28
Watch out for the Headless Horseman in New York's Hudson River Valley,
where Washington Irving wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.
Philipsburg Manor, lit by candle lanterns and bonfires, is a haunted
landscape for four nights of insanely popular family fun. Enter
the site through the ghastly gallows. Then see the goblins come
out to greet the Headless Horseman! Wander the grounds at your own
pace, while ghouls, witches, pirates, ghostly apparitions, and characters
from folklore come eerily to life. Jonathan Kruk dramatizes The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Call 914-631-8200 ext. 618 to reserve.
PENNSYLVANIA ~
City Event: Philadelphia
Dracula’s Ball
Wednesday, October 31st, 9pm-2:00am
Shampoo Nightclub, 7th & Willow, Philadelphia. All ages welcome.
This larger of Vampire balls is held quarterly, but it’s October
gathering clearly holds significance. Dress in your sanguine best.
Entertainment includes music by Carfax Abby, and the King of all
things Goth: Voltaire.
www.draculasball.com
$14, on sale through Ticketmaster.com
 Rural
Alternative:
Halloween Daze and Spooky Knights
Oct 27-28.
Mount Hope Estate and Winery
Well, it's not quite "country" but it involves nature,
some animals, VERY old-fashioned music, crafts, and more fun......
Medieval and mysterious fun that includes trick-or-treating, costume
contests, 100+ stages of Renaissance, whimsical and magical entertainment,
Scottish Bands and older music, vending, and more. (Plus, for the
“morbidly fascinated,” check out their Edgar Allen Poe
-Evermore staged plays, starting Nov 2).
www.parenfaire.com
717-665-7021
VIRGINIA
City Event:WASHINGTON D.C.
La Tasca Masquerade Ball
October 27, 2007, 11:00pm until closing. 722 7th Street NW Washington
DC (202) 347-9190. The backdrop of Spanish atmosphere and cuisine
plays host to this adult costumed event. No cover charge. $3 drink
specials with costume, DJ and dancing. $100 gift card for best costume.
www.latascausa.com
City Event #2: WASHINGTON D.C.
Synetic Theater’s Vampire Ball
October 31, 2007. Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 N. Kent Street, Arlington
Virginia. Enjoy a special Halloween performance of The Fall of the
House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, followed by the Vampire's Ball.
Costume contest, prizes, food and drink
Rural Alternative: WILLIAMSBURG,VA
Colonial Williamsburg, throughout October.
Visitors at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia can take part in a
recreation of a dramatic trial, that weighs the guilt or innocence
of a woman who was accused of being a witch in 1706. "Cry Witch"
is one of several programs offered in the spirit of Halloween at
Colonial Williamsburg. Others include tours that explore ghost legends
and evening walks held by candlelight.
www.history.org
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