Travel with us now along the spooky corridor of time, where SF’s sacred Halloween holiday stretches over not one, but two terrifying weekends of once-sexy costumes soon soggy with dance floor sweat and recycled masks long stained with spilled drinks and sloppy kisses. This year’s Many Hallow’s Eves parties winner will surely be Pumpkin Spice Febreze, as we wend our zombie-like way through celebration after celebration. Below are a witches’ claws-worth of events this weekend, some directly related to Halloween, some not, that will get your toes curling.
EVENTS OF NOTE
ONGOING THROUGH NOVEMBER 4: “13 INVOCATIONS FOR WORLD PEACE” Let’s get witchy for world peace! “The 2024 D.I.R.T. Festival – or Dance In Revolt(ing) Times – gathers a cross-section of the Bay Area arts community to set an intention of peace and justice for the upcoming election. It is a gathering of diverse and multi-generational artists using the mediums of dance, theater, and music to light a spark for a healthy future for all. The 13 day activation includes outdoor and indoor performances, with multiple offerings at the 24th Street BART Station, Osage Alley, and inside Dance Mission Theater. Join us as we set a spell for tomorrow.” Dance Mission Theater, SF. More info here.
FRI/25: MUSHROOM MASQUERADE Local restaurants fill the Ferry Building with mushroom-themed delights, including infused aperitifs and beer, for a Halloween masquerade party that highlights the ingredient’s delicious variety. 5pm-8pm, Far West Fungi, Ferry Building, SF. More info here.
FRI/25: ALL HALLOW’S LEISURE It’s scary how deeply devoted this long-running party has been to Britpop, Madchester, and UK post-punk tunes—but wait: “We will be using our OUIJA board to channel classics from the legendary London club The Batcave! Bring on Siouxsie, Sisters, Specimen, Bauhaus, Killing Joke, Simple Minds The Cult, Soft Cell, Virgin Prunes, Psychedelic Furs, SPK, PIL & many more spooky delights!” I cannot. 9pm-2am, Cat Club, SF. More info here.
FRI/25: COBRAH Head-turning explicit Swedish dance music wonder Cobrah brings her all-out “Gag Ball” to 1015 Folsom, featuring floor-stomping, vogue-ready beats by Cali Rose, Only Fire, MJ Nebreda, and Adam Kraft. 10pm-late, 1015 Folsom, SF. More info here.
FRI/25: GREEN GORILLA LOUNGE MASQUERADE A classic party returns, this time with the beloved DJ Mark Farina in tow—and about a dozen other decks-hounds. Dare you deny the Green Gorilla??? 9pm-3am, Monarch, SF. More info here.
SAT/26: HAUNTED HEARTS Psychedelic techno crew Desert Hearts has thrown so many parties around the world that it’s scary—scary enough to guarantee their Halloween party at Public Works, including the “Graveyard Garden Party,” will be a terrific time. 9pm, Public Works, SF. More info here.
SAT/26: KAIDAN: JAPANESE GHOST STORIES Japanese-Peruvian rooftop restaurant Kaiyō transforms into an eerie underwater wonderland, as spooky tales of the fearsome “umibozu” — the Japanese soul of the ocean — fill the air. 9pm, Kaiyō, SF. More info here.
SAT/26: HALLOWEEN: GLOW IN THE STREETS! This free and fabulous annual outdoor family-friendly Castro celebration provides eye-popping neon decor, glow-in-the-dark drag queens, music for your lil goblin feet, and many more adorable things. 5pm-10pm, Noe & Market Streets, SF. More info here.
SAT/26: DAY OF THE DEAD HALLOWEEN PARTY Swanky literary-themed bar Novela pulls out all the stops for its annual Dia de los Muertos tribute party, with spine-tingling horrors, themed cocktails, music, and dancing all pulled from the pages of your spookiest fantasies. 8pm-2am, Novela, SF. More info here.
SAT/26: WICKED HALLOWEEN 33 1/3 The great and powerful Tony Humphries, one of the true geniuses of house music, visits essential rave crew Wicked to celebrate their 33 and 1/3 birthday—and toast the Wicked label’s fab new musical release featuring his remixes, “Surrender.” 9pm-4am, The Foundry, SF. More info here.
SAT/26: QUEERBAIT HALLOWEEN WITH CRRDR & MOBILEGIRL This always ki party from the SQUISH & FAKE and GAY crews brings us so many contemporary flavors. “A true Latincore pioneer, Colombian producer CRRDR brings his irreverent brand of rave-ready guaracha & hardcore to a beloved underground venue.” OK!! Manuka Honey and Profesito complete the baiter lineup. 9:30pm-3:30am, Monument, SF. More info here.
SAT/26: AUDIO HALLOWEEN WITH GUY J I am going to let you in on a mysterious secret: The exquisite tech house jams of Guy J literally saved me during the pandemic, and are what’s on in the background right now as I type this. Hearing his sublime tracks through your headphones is one thing—experiencing them on the Audio club sound system with hundreds of costumed revelers quite another. 8pm-late, Audio, SF. More info here.
SAT/26: GHOULS GHOULS GHOULS My wild nightclub The Stud teams up with the fabulous Terror Vault for a night of thrilling, chilling dancing and carousing, with DJs Derek B, Knob Goblin, and C’est Jille. Expect drag. 9pm-2am, The Stud, SF. More info here.
SUN/27: SUNSET HALLOWEEN ‘Tis the weekend for seminal rave crews to shine! This annual hoot on the Bay hosts some of the most amazing costumes I have seen in our fair city, alongside incredible DJ legends: A Guy Called Gerald heads up the cruise this year, with Roman Flügel (unmissable!) and Felix Dickinson in tow. Yes, there will be an afterparty. 5pm-10pm, San Francisco Belle. More info here.
SUN/27: LIT CRAWL 2024 The re-animated ghosts of literature flit, laughingly, down Valencia and adjoining streets for this annual stroll, filling every kind of nook and cranny with readings, signings, appearances, comedy, music, and all manner of bookish delights to wrap up the Litquake fest. 2pm-late, SF. More info here.
