The parades, costume parties, haunted houses and Día de los Muertos celebrations worth getting dressed up for — with dates and how to beat the lines. A few of our favorites here; all 20 are in the Whosly app.
Updated
Free, outdoors and the best costume-watching of the year. Get there 30–45 minutes early for a spot at the curb, take transit — streets close along the route — and bring a layer: it gets cold fast after dark.
A nighttime Halloween parade of giant puppets, lanterns, stilt walkers and fire performers down Columbus Drive, with Buckingham Fountain behind it. Free, 6–8 p.m.
Northalsted's Halloween night: an all-day block party on Halsted, a 7 p.m. parade with bands and fire performers, and a costume contest. Free.
A daytime Halloween parade in Washington Park where kids in costume do the marching, cheered on by dancers and musicians. Noon to 2 p.m.
The ticketed nights sell out in the last week, and prices tend to climb as the 31st gets closer — so buy early, and check the age limit before you go.
A two-night Halloween takeover of West Loop venues: three stages and 20-plus DJs, stilt walkers, a ball pit, a silent disco, a skate half-pipe and tattoo and palm-reading stations.
A Halloween-night party in a hotel famous for its ghost stories: DJs in several rooms, costumed staff playing vampire bellhops and zombie servers, and a costume contest worth $2,000.
Haunted houses sell timed entry, and the weekend nights right before Halloween are the busiest — a weeknight or an early slot means a much shorter line. Pumpkin patches and zoo nights are the easy pick with kids.
Kids in costume trick-or-treat shop to shop across Lincoln Square and Ravenswood, with free pumpkin decorating at The Perfect Cup on Damen.
Lifeline Theatre actors read 'The Raven,' 'The Tell-Tale Heart' and lesser-known Poe inside the 1887 Glessner House, a Halloween tradition now in its 38th year.
Día de los Muertos (November 1–2) remembers loved ones who have died, with ofrendas, marigolds, music and processions. Go to learn and to celebrate — and ask before photographing an altar or a family.
The museum's Day of the Dead gathering in Harrison Park: community ofrendas, pan de muerto, hot chocolate, music and face painting. Free.
Costume-friendly concerts and Halloween-night sets from Whosly's Chicago concerts list.
With OsamaSon, Waka Flocka Flame, Speed, 2slimey, DJ Smokey, Buckshot, Big Ass Truck, Warlord Colossus, Boltcutter, Chamber, Private School
Every parade, party, haunted house and Día de los Muertos celebration in the Chicago Festivals & Events list — star the ones you're into and see which friends are going.
Every date on this page. Tap a marker to see which it is.
This page is a few of the 20 Halloween dates in Whosly's Chicago Festivals & Events list. The app keeps every one — and tells you when it matters.
Or search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
“Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs”.
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