The Metro Events Guide: How to spend Halloween Weekend in Detroit

This week, we’re going all-in on spooky season, from creepy concerts to canine costume contests.

Plus, a couple events unrelated to Halloween for the faint of heart. Read on to learn more.

Spooky sounds

This Friday, Oct. 25, Jon Moshier’s Rock & Roll Horror Show is coming back from the dead! Now in its second year at Cadieux Cafe, the show will feature live performances from garage rock royalty The 3-D Invisibles and Eastside Elvis & the Motor City Mafia, as well as tarot readings from Moon Club, featuring our own Amanda LeClaire. Join us for a night of spooks and scares, and wear your best costume to be featured on stage as best dressed! This event is 21+ and tickets are $25. For more information, visit our events page.

Then, tune into WDET on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 4-6 p.m. to hear Jon Moshier’s award-winning Halloween special! Featuring vintage novelty music and freaky film trailers, this is the perfect soundtrack for finishing up your costume or carving pumpkins. Plus, catch an encore presentation just in time for trick-or-treating on Halloween night from 6-8 p.m.

Trick-or-treats

Head to Eastern Market on Saturday, Oct. 26 for their third annual Trick or Treat Market. Customers of all ages are encouraged to shop in costume, and the first 500 kids to visit the Welcome Center will receive a free bag of candy. The market will be open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free and open to the public. For more information, visit easternmarket.org.

Then, check out PAL-oween at The Corner Ballpark on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 2-5 p.m. This family-friendly fall festival focuses on safe and fun trick-or-treating, with activities like bounce houses, tug-of-war, crafts, sack races, corn hole, face painting, a photo booth and more. Admission is free and costumes are encouraged. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

The 11th annual Grand Circus Dog Park Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest is also on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 2-4 p.m. Residents are encouraged to dress up with their doggos for a pooch parade and costume contest, with prizes for Best Costume, Scariest Costume, Most Creative Costume, and the Best Pet & Parent Combination. This annual event features Halloween-themed games and treats for dogs, a live performance by DJ Skeez, and seasonal delights like Pup’kin Spiced Lattes and “Buddy Bones” for the pups, plus pizza and cider for their parents. For more information, visit downtowndetroit.org.

Creative cocktails

For something more subtly spooky, check out The Upright’s Prohibition Cocktail Experience in the basement of Oak & Reel. On Sunday, Oct. 27, guests will be immersed in the mystique of a bygone era, where dim lighting, haunting melodies and period-inspired cocktails set the stage for a thrilling adventure into Detroit’s clandestine past. During this event, guests will savor cocktails from the secretive speakeasies of Prohibition, and uncover fascinating tales of Detroit’s role in the Prohibition era and its underground bars. Guests are encouraged to dress in their best 1920s attire or come as a specter of the past. Tickets are $100 per person, and include a tasting flight of Prohibition-inspired cocktails with light snacks provided by Chef Jared Gadbaw. For more information, visit their website.

Art exhibits

“Spectrum: A vibrant voyage through color,” is the newest art exhibition showing at the Carr Center. Open now through Nov. 8, the exhibition features works from the Amber Collective, exploring color and light. An artist reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. For more information, visit their Facebook event.