We’re a little over a month away from Halloween festivities, but since costumes need to be found or created, candy needs to be procured and, for the parents among us, sitters need to be secured, we figure it doesn’t hurt to start sorting out plans now.
There’s always tons to do in Nashville, from parties to shows, but we picked out a few particularly good options, based on specific Halloween needs. Want a celebration that’s tailor-made for kids? One that keeps you safely away from kids? Short on cash this year? We’ve included events that fit all of those.
Take a look through, and let us know if any of these end up on your to-do list. Something else we should be thinking about? Let us know in the comments!
Halloween celebrations in Nashville
Fun for kids
Nashville’s Zoo is a fantastic place to visit with kids all year, but that’s particularly true during the Halloween season, when Boo at the Zoo takes over, offering trick or treating, hayrides, carnival rides and, for the bigger kids, a Frightful Farm full of scary tales. And, of course, there’ll be animals to see and admire along the way, too.There’s lots more — you could probably visit all 10 days Boo at the Zoo is running, and still find new stuff to explore. Boo at the Zoo runs from October 14-30 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus Thursday October 27), 5 to 9 p.m., and any-night tickets run $12 for Zoo members, $15 for non-members, free for children under age 2, available now through NashvilleZoo.org.
Fun for grown-ups
Day of the Dead Tequila Festival
This one isn’t a Halloween event, technically — it’s celebrating the Day of the Dead. And it’s not held on the Day of the Dead, either — that’s November 1-2, and the Day of the Dead Tequila Festival in East Nashville is happening on Friday, October 28. It is, however, a Halloween-season hang that’s just for the grown folks, focused on exploring a bunch of different tequilas and talking with distillers who create those flavors. You’ll get a chance to be a kid again too, though, since there’ll be pinatas for smashing and Sugar Skull face painting happening at the fest, along with lots more to do. The Day of the Dead Tequila Festival runs from 6 to 9 that night at The Pavilion East, and tickets are $29, available now through NashvilleTequilaFestival.com.
Fun for free
Salemtown Halloween Block Party
The folks in Salemtown throw a great annual block party — this year, it’s set for Saturday, October 29 on the 1600 Block of 5th Ave. N., with costume contests for kids, dogs and adults, trick or treating, live music, food trucks and more. The location’s easy for lots of Nashville — right on top of Germantown, right over the river from East Nashville, close to downtown — and you can’t beat the price, since the party’s free.
Fun for lovers of the undead
Lightning 100’s Paranormal Rocktivity Halloween Bash
There are a handful of bands that need a specific season to come alive. Trans-Siberian Orchestra around Christmas, Here Come the Mummies around Halloween, and… OK that’s about it. But Mummy time is just about here, and of course the “eight-piece funk-rock band of 5000 year-old Egyptian Mummies” is spending the Saturday before Halloween here at home in Nashville. They’re set to headline Lightning 100’s Paranormal Rocktivity Halloween Bash at Marathon Music Works, and you can expect beats, horns, hooks and a whole lot of bandages. They’ll be joined by “Japanese Action Comic Punk Band” Peelander Z for a totally costumed, if not totally undead lineup. Tickets run $32-$35, and are available now through Marathon Music Works’ website.
Fun for the cultured
Halloween Movie Night: Phantom of the Opera with Organist Peter Krasinksi
If your preference for dressing up on Halloween leans more toward tails and cocktail dresses, less toward fangs and furry ears, there’s always the glamorous Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which’ll host Halloween Movie Night on Monday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m. During a screening of the classic silent film Phantom of the Opera, organist Peter Krasinski will be providing a frightful — if dignified — soundtrack. It’ll all make for a fittingly scary, totally classy evening. (Side note: You’re encouraged to come in costume, so feel free to skip the tie and tails and go for your zombie/bumblebee/Eleven-from-Stranger Things costume, or whatever else strikes your fancy.) Tickets run $17-$39, and are on sale now through NashvilleSymphony.org.
Are you new to Nashville, and in the middle of searching for a neighborhood that suits you on Halloween, and the rest of the year? We’d be glad to help show you around! Give us a call or drop us an email, and tell us about what you’re looking for!