Everything You Need To Know About Beacon’s Spooky Season
Costume Parties, Scary Storytelling, and More
A scene from 2024’s Hocus Pocus Parade Day.
Spooky season is officially here, and Beacon is about to buzz with thrills and chills. There’s something for everyone—from costume parties and eerie performances to scary storytelling, horror trivia, and a Main Street parade the whole family can enjoy. You’ll find something to keep your Halloween spirit alive every day until October 31st. See our Events Guide for the full details of things to do this Halloween in Beacon, as it’s likely new events will be added in the coming days as they are announced.
Here’s what we know so far.
Hocus Pocus Family Party & Parade on Main Street
The Hocus Pocus Halloween Parade is back this Saturday, October 25th with plenty of tricks, treats, and festive fun. There will be the annual Main Street Trick or Treating and the Black Cat Scavenger Hunt from 11 AM to 6 PM. Each business with an orange pumpkin in the window will have a black cat hidden in their store. Find the cat and get your Halloween Passport stamped. Kids can win grab-bag prizes for every 15 stamps collected.
The Hocus Pocus Parade then takes place between 3 PM and 3:30 PM with the parade lineup at 2:30 PM at Polhill Park. Along the way, don’t miss the First Responders Trunk Or Treat taking place between 3 PM and 6 PM at Veterans Place parking lot. This one’s especially for kids (and adults) who love sitting up front in the driver’s seat of a fire truck or nosing around an ambulance.
Enjoy a family friendly Halloween with the kids from 12 pm to 7 pm at Happy Valley Arcade Bar (296 Main Street) where there’ll be best costume contests between 5:00 PM and 5:30 PM for best family group costume, kids (0-12), and teens (13 to 17). Then the party really gets going for the 21+ crowd between 8 PM and 1:30 AM, helped by DJ I❤️Onionz. Best costumes will be announced between 10:00 PM and 10:30 PM. (Foodies should make a note to stop by concept clothing store Colorant at 146 Main Street, where award-winning food writer and Beacon local, Mike Diago, will be serving up “spooky” black squid ink paella at 2 PM and 5 PM.)
Happy Valley Arcade Bar, 296 Main Street.
More Halloween Parties Before the Big Day
On Friday, October 24th, join ComeUNITY Events for a night of live music and witchy, Halloween vibes at Happy Valley Arcade Bar at 296 Main Street (it’s a busy time of year for this popular Beacon venue!). This night of magick, music, and mystery is a gathering where art, spirit, and shadow intertwine. Expect local artists, mystics, and makers, plus a costume contest. Starts at 7 PM and goes on until 2 AM.
The Vinyl Room (396 Main Street) will host its annual Halloween celebration on Saturday, October 25th (9:00 PM to midnight), offering a $1,000 prize for the best costume. Move to the spooky groove with DJ Tekwun, who’ll be spinning 80s and 90s tunes.
If karaoke is your thing, head to the Roosevelt Bar (228 Main Street) on Tuesday, October 28th where you can sing your heart out and dress to impress with a costume that could snag you a prize in the best overall costume or funniest costume category. Starts at 8 PM until late.
Industrial Arts Brewing Co. (511 Fishkill Avenue) is inviting you to step into the shadows for a night of costumes, live performances, and “eerie energy,” on Saturday, October 25th for its Workshop Obscura: Halloween Party. There’ll be local vendors plus performances by Ghost Siren, DJ Midna Mayhem and DJ Shredder and a costume contest with prizes
The World’s Most Famous Vampire Comes To Town
The Bannerman Castle Trust (BCT), in collaboration with St. Rita’s Music Room (85 Eliza Street), is bringing Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker to the heart of Beacon for three performances only, including a matinée. The performances take place on Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th. This spectacular show will be presented at this new 88-seat venue at the KuBe Art Center after its sold-out production on Bannerman Island this summer. Tickets are available here.
Spooky Halloween Tales & Trivia
A friendly neighborhood skeleton on Main Street.
Tweens and teens are invited to the Howland Public Library (313 Main Street) on Friday October 24th for S’More Scary Stories which is an evening of scary stories and s’mores, starting at 6 PM. Expect spooky local ghost stories as well as some classic creepy tales. Register at the library to secure a spot, as this’ll be a popular one.
The Beacon Movie Theater (445 Main Street) is showing Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, also this Friday, October 24th at 8:00 PM. This clever mockumentary peels back the curtain on how a would-be slasher plots his rise to horror movie infamy. The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with Angela Goethals, who stars as Taylor Gentry, the journalist documenting Leslie’s twisted journey.
Join songwriter and vocalist, Jennifer Silva, for Through The Forest on Saturday, October 25th at Savage Wonder Arts Center (141 Main Street). It will be an intimate night of ghost stories and gothic folk as she weaves haunting ballads with tales of the supernatural, folklore, and history that inspires her music. Jennifer will be joined by guitarist Jeff Berman. Show starts at 9:30 PM.
Story Screen and Draught Industries (394 Main Street) are hosting a Horror Trivia edition especially for Halloween on Tuesday, October 28th, starting at 7 PM. Teams of six will compete for some scarily good prizes.
Join Legend of the Sleepy Hollow storyteller, Jonathan Kruk, for Spooky But Not Too Spooky Halloween Tales at the Howland Cultural Center (477 Main Street) including Witches Surprise, The Haunted Hand, and the Rolly Head. Caffeine Kelman accompanies Kruk with appropriately eerie music. Free admission for kids and families. Seating is limited, so you’ll need to RSVP to reserve a spot.
Join Much Ado About Zombies for a faithful performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing on Monday, October 27th—except the stars of the show are zombies. This one-night performance will benefit the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. It features a party, an auction, and a staged reading. Send proof of donation of $20 or more to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund to muchadoaboutzombies@gmail.com to secure a ticket. See @muchadoaboutzombies on Instagram for more details.
Halloween “Tails” Of A Furry Kind
ARF Beacon’s Howl-O-ween Pawty fundraiser at Dennings Point Distillery (10 North Chestnut Street) on Thursday, October 30th might be the highlight of our Halloween. Join this local cat and dog shelter for music, cocktails, light bites, and raffle prizes. Costumes are optional but encouraged. Not only will you meet some of the nicest folks in Beacon, you’ll also help the shelter raise funds to modernize and meet the standards set by NY State’s newly enacted Companion Animal Care Standards Act. Space is limited, so grab a ticket soon. Cost of entry includes one free raffle ticket to some highly desirable prizes donated by kindhearted local businesses.
Plus, enjoy Trick Or Treats with the cats at Mid-Hudson Animal Aid on Sunday, October 26th when the volunteer team will be hosting a Halloween Open House with refreshments and child-friendly activities. Donations of wet food, non-clumping clay litter, and kitten food are always appreciated!
And, Of Course, some art
New to Beacon, Mana Potion Tabletop (192 Main Street)—which sells tabletop role-playing game related content—is hosting a Halloween Mini Painting session in which they invite ticketholders to “to paint a chaos Warhammer mini with the help of a pro,” on Friday, October 24th, starting at 5:30 PM. See their website for tickets.
That Creative Space (333 Fishkill Avenue) is offering Halloween Pet & Family Portraits sessions on Saturday, October 25th. If you’ve gone to the trouble of creating a killer costume, why not book photographer, Nicole Puckette, to create a forever momento? Visit That Creative Space online to book a spot.
On The Big Day
Halloween candy for Trick Or Treaters from Alps Sweet Shop, 269 Main Street.
Start the late afternoon at Two Brewing Company (18 West Main Street) on Friday, October 31st for a Spooktacular Dress To Impress Party and a chance to win a Two Way gift card. There’s also a Happy Hour between 4 PM and 7 PM and live music with the Jared Morgan Band as well as karaoke.
Then head to Spirits Of The Damned Halloween Party at Dennings Point Distillery (10 North Chestnut Street). Be sure to show up in costume as there’ll be prizes, cocktails, tricks, and treats. Party starts at 7 PM and goes until 10 PM.
Then, if two parties aren’t enough, head to Happy Valley Arcade Bar (296 Main Street) for Rave The Arcade where DJ Ethical Drift and the Happy Valley team are hosting a Halloween rave. Be there or be scared! Starts at 9:00 PM and goes until 1:00 Saturday.
For those who prefer a performance to a party, Savage Wonder Art Center (141 Main Street) is hosting a blackout show featuring The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe on Friday, October 31st at 7:30 PM, as part of its Founding Membership Drive. This live, immersive radio play will be performed in complete darkness. For the pre-show, there will be tarot in the gallery, seasonal small bites and signature cocktails as well as a post-show performance by Tamalyn Miller. While the event is free for members, you can find out how to attend by emailing the team at info@savagewonder.org.
Finally, Beacon Farmers Market (233 Main Street) is hosting a vendors’ costume contest and dress up day for everyone on Sunday, October 26th, so don’t miss out.
So, that’s a wrap on Halloween 2025 in Beacon. We’ll include any last-minute events, so feel free to email us with the details (hello@thebeaconbeaconny.com). Since getting spooky can be thirsty work, be sure to explore our Eat & Drink directory if a bite to eat or a libation is on your itinerary. And if you’re looking for free parking, we can help there, too.
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Until next time…
The Beacon Beacon🧡
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