Updated October 26th – We’ve added a few more exciting Pinellas Halloween shindigs. If you’re curious about your options across the bridge, be sure to have a look at the Tampa Bay Times’ complete Tampa Bay Halloween events guide.
I doubt there’s any holiday that artists love more than Halloween. It’s simultaneously beloved by nearly all Americans, and a chance to delve into the most esoteric, even disturbing ideas in our culture. And don’t mistake it for a bunch of cheap thrills — as no lesser authority than Stephen King has argued, our encounters with horror are ways to exorcise and placate deep, enduring elements of our individual and collective unconscious.
So in a place as unique as Pinellas County, there’s bound to be a near-infinite array of Halloweenia in October. We’ve put together a list focused on events strongly connected to the arts, and we’llæ continue updating it for the next two weeks äóñ so if you notice any big omissions, please reach out to us on Twitter or Facebookæwith suggestions!
Blood District äóñ Thursday through Saturday All Month
The Warehouse Arts District is one of St. Peteäó»s great success stories of the last half-decade, as artists and developers have helped rescue what was once a post-industrial wasteland. But now theyäó»re willingly turning back the clock, stocking the railways and warehouses with zombies and ghouls. The multi-zone attraction includes two haunted houses and a midway äóñ plus the chance of an undead run-in around every corner.
$20, various times
Warehouse Arts District
St. Petersburg Ghost Tours äóñ Daily
These tours run year äóÖround, but obviously this is the time to go. They promise long-forgotten tales of St. Petersburgäó»s darkest phantoms, from jilted lovers to bitter magnates and everyone in between.
Haunted Places in Pinellas County
Alternatively, if youäó»re more of a self-starter, you can use this handy-dandy crowd-sourced guide at Haunted Placesæto explore the various reports of hauntings in your backyard. Our top pick for spookiest haunted place: Fort De Soto, where you can listen for ghosts as the night sea rolls nearby.
Party Ghost Halloween Art Show äóñ Friday, October 14th
This gathering of 18 artists and musicians is äóìfocused on partying, death, afterlife, and all other things spooky.äó
$2, 9 p.m.
The Emerald, 550 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Rocky Horror With Hell on Heels äóñ Saturday, October 21st
While thereäó»s no way this is the only Rocky Horror screening in Pinellas this month, itäó»s one of the few featuring a live performance. The troupe Hell on Heels will perform parts of the film before the screening starts at midnight, so youäó»ll get to throw the contents of the provided prop bags at real live humans!
$10, Doors at 9 p.m.
SubCentral at Iberian Rooster, 475 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg
Hicks (Hospital) House of Horror – Nightly
This is certainly a bold move. West Coast Family Medical Care is turning their clinic – already a setting with its share of anxieties – into a spooky haunted house, with proceeds benefiting Sun Coast Hospice. Admission by donation. 3165 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater.
Spooktastic Art Show and Costume Contest äóñ Saturday, October 28th
This Halloween-themed studio show coincides with the Pinellas Arts Village 4th Saturday Art Walk, and includes trick or treating for kids, a fortune teller, and a costume contest.
FREE, 4 p.m.
Studios at 5663, 5663 Park Blvd, Pinellas Park
An Eerie Evening at HB Plant Museum – Saturday, October 28th
The Plant Museum is already slightly creepy äóñ itäó»s full of old things that belonged to long-dead people, after all äóñ but this ghostly storytelling session will infuse it with extra gloom. It promises true stories of war, haunting, and murder most foul, told as part of guided tours through halls lit with period-appropriate candles, lanterns, and their spooky shadows.
$25, 7:30 p.m. (Sold Out, but call 813.254.1891 to get on the waiting list)
Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 West Kennedy Blvd, Tampa
Addams Family Halloween Ball – Friday, October 28th
Go in costume as one of Charles Addams’ immortal sardonic-creepy creations, to this party featuring DJs and prizes. Free. Iberian Rooster, 475 Central Ave., St. Petersburg.
Novaween: He11even – Friday, October 28thæ
A multi-attraction, strictly 21 and up party at the area’s finest multipurpose event space. $30 at the door. Nova 535, 535 MLK North, St. Petersburg.
Cantina Halloweena – Saturday, October 29thæ
A joint Halloween-Day of the Dead party at St. Pete’s luxe downtown Mexican staple. Includes a cash-prize costume contest. Free. Red Mesa Cantina, 128 Third Street South, St. Petersburg.
Scott and Patti Spooktacular äóñ Monday, October 30th
Halloween can be either scary or campy äóñ but you can probably guess which direction the vaudevillianæäóìmother and sonäó duo of Scott Daniel and Matthew McGee will take it. This one-night-only production teases free candy, elaborate costumes, and vegan zombies.
$20, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Raymond James Theatre, 163 3rd Street North, St. Petersburg
Samhain: An Experimental Halloween äóñ Tuesday, October 31st
Depending on your taste, this could be the most exciting event of the month, and itäó»ll certainly be one of the wildest. More than ten local experimental musicians äóñ many alums of the late, lamented Venture Compound scene äóñ will certainly bring out their weirdest on All Hallowäó»s Eve. Highlights include Veird, Kevin Greenspon, and Altus Apotheosis Noumena.
FREE, 8 p.m.
SubCentral at Iberian Rooster, 475 Central Avenue, St. Pete
Emo Costume Party äóñ Tuesday, October 31st
Is there anything scarier than . . . THE WAY YOU DRESSED IN HIGH SCHOOL? Hereäó»s your chance to find out, with the help of DJs spinning emo and punk music from the late äóÖ90s and early 2000s. And itäó»s at the Bends, so you can be sure people will embarrass themselves with much more than their costumes.
FREE, 10 p.m.
The Bends, 919 1st Avenue North
