Are you already listening to All Too Well Taylor’s Version (or perhaps having a Taylor album marathon) in preparation for The Life of a Showgirl? Wearing your cozy knit cardigans and red scarves, even though it’s blistering hot weather outside that’s hardly suitable for this fall season? Are you counting down the days ‘till the best holiday of the year for cosplayers (I’m talking about Halloween here, of course.)
OK, maybe that first one is just me. But the second one is totally relevant for this time of year, so that counts for something, right?
If you’ve already called the 1st of October the ‘first day of Halloween,’ we’ve got all the events you could possibly want to visit in our beloved Providence (which is actually quite beautiful in the fall season), plus a few more!
Before we start out, I must reiterate that by the time this article is out, The Life of a Showgirl will already be out in theatres with the release party, which includes the music video for the title track ‘The Fate of Ophelia.’ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be wrapping up at PPAC Theatre in downtown Providence on October 4th. I know they said Halloween events, but you know I had to get some pop culture events in here somewhere.
OK, now for the actual Halloween events! We’ve got everything from Haunted Houses to Waterfire, to Candy Crawls! First up is the Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular, held at the Roger Williams Park Zoo and Carousel Village from September 30th to November 2nd. From pop culture to historical references, you can be sure to find many spooks at every twist and turn on the trail! Parking is first come first served, and the event goes from 6 pm to 10:30 pm, with last entry at 10 pm. Definitely go check out all the fun designs, and have some scary or friendly pumpkins along the way! Note: The Spectacular costs $20 per adult and $16 per child (ages 2-12.)
Haunted Boat Tours last from October 1st till October 30th at the Providence River Boat company. This does fall a bit on the pricey side at $35 per person, but if you want to take the family on a different sort of Halloween event this year, this is the way to go! You’ll hear stories of the city’s “recently deceased but not so departed” residents, including ‘literary giants,’ and ‘humble servants’ alike, but are not so dead on this tour given by expert ghost storytellers!
Want something more tame but still fun and spooky? We’ve got you covered! Farm Fresh at 10 Sims Ave, Unit 108 is hosting a Candy Crawl, family friendly, on October 26th! Make sure to pull out your spooky costumes, you may just meet a familiar costume among old and younger Halloween trick or treaters!
How could we forget about Waterfire in this article? A Providence staple with huge water barrels bursting with fire along the river downtown to light the street market with all sorts of oddities and unique finds at small business stands lined up and down the river. Warm up from the chill of the season (hopefully sometime soon) with this traditional Providence event from October 4th (Flames of Hope), October 30th (Starts at Sunset Lighting) and November 1st: Veteran Salute.
Can’t get enough of Halloween magic? Check out the Grimoire Exhibition at Waterfire Arts Center, held on the Samhain Halloween, October 26th-27th to celebrate Halloween with fellow Providence witches! You’ll find all sorts of oddities and fun small businesses, from psychics to weavers and handmade crafts. This event is small business oriented and tickets, once purchased, are non refundable. Costumes are encouraged, but optional! But why not join in the fun with your best witch or wizard costume from pop culture, or create your own to wear among the magic!
I hope this gave you a few alternative ideas on how to spend Halloween season this year, which I, as a cosplayer and avid Milky Way bar consumer, think is the best season of the year for obvious reasons! And if none of these float your boat, curling up with Ghost Busters or your Halloween movie of choice (lets see how many times I can say Halloween in this article!) with a pet (prefurrably a black cat. See what I did there? Lame, I know.) and handing out to trick or treaters and maybe just having a spook come to visit by the end of the night is the best Halloween (argh, there’s another!) anyone can ask for!