Halloween Happenings

Pumpkins filled with colorful substances fall 70 feet onto Metcalf Plaza during the CAS physics department’s Pumpkin Drop. Photo by Cydney Scott

Because Halloween falls on a Thursday this year, it’s being celebrated over not one, but two weekends—good news for those who can’t get enough of the holiday. So if you missed last weekend’s festivities, we’ve assembled a list of events—both on and off campus—guaranteed to provide some ghoulish fun. Whether you’re looking to enjoy a zombie classic at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, or you just want to let loose at Lansdowne Pub’s annual Halloween ball, there is something for everyone this Halloweekend.

If you know of an event we haven’t mentioned, please leave it in the comments section below.

Thursday, October 31

Pumpkin Drop

It’s that time of year again! The College of Arts & Sciences physics department hosts its annual Pumpkin Drop. Watch as nearly three dozen pumpkins—filled with substances from pudding to paint—are hurtled from the roof of the Metcalf Science Center to the plaza 70 feet below. Guess the weight of the largest pumpkin, and be sure to arrive early to enter the costume contest, with first, second, and third-place prizes.

The event starts at 12:30 p.m. at the Metcalf Science Center Plaza, 590 Commonwealth Ave.

Tea Time

Join Howard Thurman Center student ambassador Emily Sheehan (COM’15) for a Halloween-themed tea. Students are encouraged to invite friends.

Tea Time takes place at the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, 775 Commonwealth Ave., GSU lower level, from 3 to 5 p.m.

The Salem Haunted Magic Show

Thousands of people converge each Halloween on nearby Salem, Mass.—site of the real 17th-century witch trials—to celebrate Halloween. One of the biggest attractions, the Salem Haunted Magic Show, is back with an all-new 90-minute interactive magic and mind reading show. Open to all ages (the show is designed for 10-year-olds and up), this year’s show will feature a Halloween-inspired mix of magic, mind reading, séances, and scares. There’s a lot more going on in Salem on Halloween, so plan to make a night of it. Find a list of events here.

Part of Salem’s 32nd annual Haunted Happenings, the Salem Haunted Magic Show is at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Hawthorne Hotel, 18 Washington Square West, Salem. Tickets, which can be purchased online, are $30 for general admission, $40 for preferred seating, and $75 for VIP seating.

Dawn of the Dead Film Screening

What would Halloween be without a few horror movies? Fans of the genre can catch the classic zombie flick Dawn of the Dead at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. As zombies take over the earth, four desperate survivors hole up in a shopping mall to battle the flesh-eating hoards of the undead in George A. Romero’s 1978 classic. Following the screening, enjoy a free sneak peak of Birth of the Living Dead, a documentary about the making of another Romero horror classic, Night of the Living Dead. The documentary opens at the Coolidge officially on Friday, November 1.

The screening of Dawn of the Dead begins at 7 p.m. at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office, and cost $10 for general admission, $8 for seniors, and $7 for Coolidge Corner Theatre members. By public transportation, take a Green Line C trolley to the Coolidge Corner stop (Harvard Street).

2nd Annual UNICEF Masquerade Ball

Here’s a chance to don a costume and dance away the night, all while supporting a great cause. This dance party will feature DJ Milan, laser and fog machines and free masks and glow sticks. Costumes are strongly encouraged. Feeling self-conscious about your skills on the dance floor? Come early for a 30-minute salsa workshop before the ball starts.

The salsa workshop takes place from 7 to 7:30 p.m. at the Photonics Center Colloquium Room, 8 St. Mary’s St., immediately followed by the UNICEF Masquerade Ball, which runs to 9:30 p.m. Masks and glow sticks will be provided at the door. Customized masks can be purchased for $1. Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Students must show a valid BU ID. All proceeds benefit UNICEF.

Towers of Terror

The basement of Towers residence hall is transformed into a haunted house for one night only. Sponsored by Towers RHA, the free event offers games, prizes, music, and dancing. Costumes are optional, but recommended.

Towers of Terror takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the west side basement at the Towers residence hall, 140 Bay State Rd. Students must show a valid BU ID.

Kilachand Hall Halloween Party

Come dressed in your best costume for a chance to win a BU hockey jersey. Enjoy free food, desserts, games, and music with your friends and check out the newly renovated lobby at Kilachand Hall. This event is free.

The party runs from 7 to 9 p.m. in the lobby of Kilachand Hall, 91 Bay State Rd. Students must show a valid BU ID.

BU Stage Troupe Presents Alice in Wonderland

A mad hatter, a white rabbit, a red queen, and a Cheshire cat. No, it’s not a Halloween party. It’s BU Stage Troupe’s take on Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice in Wonderland, directed by Michael Gobiel (CAS’16) and Audrey Wood (CAS’15). Follow Alice as she grows, shrinks, plays along with her friends, and tries to make sense of all the seemingly senseless things going on around her.

Performances will be held in the Student Theater at Agganis Arena tonight, Thursday, October 31, Friday, November 1, and Saturday, November 2, at 8 p.m. The theater is in the passage between FitRec and Agganis Arena at 925 Commonwealth Ave. Tickets are $6 for the general public and $5 for card-carrying members. Tickets can be purchased at the Activities Information Desk, GSU second floor.

BPC Screams! A Halloween Event

Don’t think music and Halloween go together? Think again. Berklee College of Music is sponsoring a musical haunted house at Berklee Performance Center. Berklee voice faculty member Rene Pfister directs the Berklee Musical Theater Ensemble and Peter Cokkinias conducts the Berklee Musical Theater Orchestra in this ghoulish sing-along of such songs as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “The Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

BPC Screams! begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. Tickets, which can be purchased online, are $12. By public transportation, take any MBTA Green Line trolley to Auditorium.

Halloween Show, Part 4: Night of the Cereal Killers

Described as Whose Line Is It Anyway? meets Saturday Night Live, Boston’s Improv Asylum comedy troupe presents a special Halloween sketch comedy and improv show highlighting both the best and the worst aspects of the holiday. Come dressed in your best Halloween costume to enter Improv Asylum’s costume contest.

The Improv Asylum Halloween show begins at 8 p.m. Location: 216 Hanover St. Boston. Tickets are $20 to $25 and can be purchased online or by calling the box office, 617-263-6887. By public transportation, take any Green Line trolley to Haymarket.

Halloween Ball at the Lansdowne Pub

Kick off your Halloween with live music by Boston band BearFight at Lansdowne Pub’s fifth annual Halloween Weekend Blowout. Enjoy giveaways, games with cash prizes, a costume contest, and more, as part of Lansdowne Pub’s three-day Halloween festivities.

The ball starts at 9 p.m. at the Lansdowne Pub, 9 Lansdowne St., Boston. There is no cover charge for the ball. The celebration continues on Friday, November 1, with a White Trash Party, featuring live music by Dalton and the Sheriffs, and on Saturday, November 2, at a Disco Party, featuring the band Boston Common; each has a $5 cover charge. Find more details here.

RadioBDC Retro Halloween Ball at Ned Devine’s

This retro ball will have you dancing the night away. DJs Julie Kramer and Adam 12 will be spinning ’80s tunes all night. Be sure to wear a costume and vie for awesome prizes.

RadioBDC Retro Halloween Ball kicks off at 9 p.m. at Ned Devine’s, One Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Register for the free, 21+ party online. By public transportation, take any Green Line trolley to Government Center.

Friday, November 1

Ghost and Gravestones Haunted Tour

What better way to spend All Souls Day then by taking a tour of Boston’s centuries-old burial grounds. This popular tour will introduce you to the city’s sordid past and some of its most colorful (and deceased) citizens, including a murderous opera diva and a pyromaniac circus leader. You’ll visit the site of the biggest grave-robbing scandal in New England history.

The Ghost and Gravestones Haunted tour runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m.; it starts at 200 Atlantic Ave., Boston. By public transportation, take any MBTA Green Line trolley to Government Center and switch to a Blue Line train to Aquarium. Tickets are $39.90 for adults; $36.75 for seniors, students, and military; and $25.20 for children 6 to 12. Call 617-269-3626 to reserve your spot, or purchase tickets online at discounted prices.

Sweet Science: Candy, Cocktails, and Cutting-Edge Research

Here’s a chance to indulge in Halloween in a high-minded fashion. This MIT Museum event features post-Halloween candy and cocktails and talks by some of MIT’s leading researchers. You can snack on Milky Way bars while Sara Seager discusses her research into exoplanets, suck on Life Savers while grad student Nikolai Begg talks about his development of minimally invasive surgical tools, and treat yourself to Pop Rocks as Oliver Jagoutz explains his research into the earth’s crust. You’ll also get to see a variety of robots at work. Come in costume.

Sweet Science: Candy, Cocktails, and Cutting-Edge Research is a 21+ event and takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. at the MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are $15. Admission includes two drinks. By public transportation, take an MBTA Red Line train to Central Square. Walk south on Mass. Ave. about five minutes to the intersection with Front Street.

Halloween in November @ Marsh Chapel

Put on a costume and head over to Marsh Chapel for an evening of food, fun, games, and a movie. Bring old friends and meet new friends.

The free Halloween in November party takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. in the lower level of Marsh Chapel, 735 Commonwealth Ave.

Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Providence College: Superhero Night

Here’s your chance to show off your post-Halloween costume while jamming to superhero-themed songs and popular TV and film theme songs by the BU Band. Dress up as your favorite superhero, villain, or character to win prizes: best child and best adult costume and best group costumes. The best costume winner will receive a $250 JetBlue gift card, and runners-up will receive up to $100 in gift cards to Domino’s Pizza and Papa John’s Pizza.

The hockey game starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for BU faculty, staff, and students without a sports pass. All other tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Agganis Arena ticket office, online, or by calling 617-353-GoBU (4628).

BosTones Present Ahh, Cappella Witchez

Celebrate Halloween with an a cappella concert by the BU BosTones, Dear Abbeys, and more. There will be costume contest with free giveaways, so make sure you come dressed for the occasion. The concert is free, but donations benefiting the local Ronald McDonald House Charity, in association with the Alpha Delta Pi Rho Chapter at BU, are being accepted.

The Ahh, Capella Witchez concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Stone Science Building, B50 auditorium, 675 Commonwealth Ave.

Saturday, November 2

Day of the Dead Family Event and Fiesta

Jam to live music, participate in hands-on arts and crafts activities, and munch on traditional snacks at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University Day of the Dead celebration. Create masks and decorations for the special altar, leave a message for departed loved ones, and decorate and take home a sugar skull (for an extra $5). See the complete program here.

Be sure to stick around for the evening fiesta, featuring traditional Mexican finger snacks and lively music from Trio Ollin and Mariachi Véritas de Harvard.

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University Day of the Dead Family Event runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the museum, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for children ages 3 to 18, and $10 for students with a valid college ID. The Day of the Dead Evening Fiesta runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the same location. Tickets are $10 and must be purchased in advance here. Free parking for the event is available at the 52 Oxford St. garage beginning at 11:30 a.m. By public transportation, take a MBTA Red Line train to Harvard Square.

Taza Chocolate’s Día de los Muertos Celebration

Make your way down to Taza Chocolate’s second annual block party, at its factory store, 561 Windsor St., Somerville. The celebration will feature food trucks, live music by Mariachi Veritas de Harvard, free beer samples from Clown Shoes Beer, and holiday-themed activities. Meet in costume at the Union Square Farmers Market in Somerville at 1 p.m. and join the procession to the Taza store. Factory treats and limited edition Día de los Muertos T-shirts will be available for sale.

Taza Chocolate’s Día de los Muertos celebration runs from 1 to 6 p.m., starting at the Union Square Farmers Market, at the intersection of Prospect Street, Washington Street, and Somerville Avenue. The rain date is Sunday, November 3. By public transportation, take a MBTA Red Line train to Central Square and transfer to a MBTA 91 bus to Union Square.

The Callbacks Present: Czech Yourself at BU Central

Come see improv and sketch performances from one of BU’s premier comedy groups at its first show of the year.

The Callbacks Present: Czech Yourself is from 9 to 11 p.m. at BU Central, GSU lower level, 775 Comm. Ave. The event is free for students with a valid BU ID.

Sonia Su can be reached at ssu@bu.edu; follow her on Twitter at @SoniaSu_.