Weekend Possibilities | Halloween Haunt, P!NK and Taylor Swift It’s Getting Scary

Do the “Monster Mash.” It’s Halloween weekend. Treat yourself to a costume contest in the Crossroads, Howl-o-Ween at KC Wine Co. or a dose of dark blues in the West Bottoms. 

Friday, Oct. 27 

4 p.m. – 9 p.m. It’s Howl-o-Ween Weekend at the KC Wine Co. Vineyard & Winery, 13875 Gardner Road. Bring your dog (in costume if possible) and enjoy $5 beer, ciders, wine pours and flatbread pizzas all night Friday. Singer-songwriter Nicki White will be on stage from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Next door, the KC Pumpkin Patch is open until 8 p.m. 

11 a.m. & 6 p.m. Put up the Swiftie bat signal. Mills Record Co., 4045 Broadway Blvd., will host two 1989 (Taylor’s Version) Listening Parties celebrating the album release Friday. The Westport record store is setting up a “1989” photo booth and plans for giveaways including copies of Swift’s “Longpond Studio Sessions” vinyl. The listening parties are free. 

6 p.m. – 10 p.m. The Crossroads Hotel XR Café, 2101 Central St., will be decked out for Día de los Muertos: La Fiesta Friday night. A collaborative effort with Mattie Rhodes Art Center & Gallery and the Kansas City Museum, the celebration at Crossroads Hotel will have mariachi music, puppets from Stone Lion Puppet Theater, Day of the Dead face-painting and specialty drinks and treats. There is no ticket required. You must be 21 or older. 

Saturday, Oct. 28 

1 – 4 p.m. Candy collection starts this weekend. North Kansas City Parks and Recreation’s Trunk-or-Treat will provide plenty of space for safe trick-or-treating in Macken Park, 1207 Clark Ferguson Drive, on Saturday afternoon. Intended for kids 13 and under, the festivities include inflatables, crafts, games and a mini pumpkin patch for anyone looking to make a last-minute jack-o-lantern. Trunk-or-Treat is free. 

7 p.m. We love a costume contest. Celebrate the season Saturday night at Up-Down’s, 101 Southwest Blvd., Halloween Weekend Party. All of the regular games will be in play at the arcade bar, plus a photo booth, blood bag cocktails, spooky tunes and a costume contest starting at 11 p.m. There is no cover. You must be 21 or older to attend. 

7 – 10 p.m. Kansas City’s self-described “scary band/opera/near-death experience” blues duo Freight Train Rabbit Killer is celebrating a decade of music at Stockyards Brewing Co., 1600 Genessee St. Fit for the weekend before Halloween, the always-in-costume band will perform with multi-media effects, horrifying projections and props. The show is free. 

7:30 p.m. Another weekend in Kansas City, another stopover from a global pop superstar. The P!NK: Trustfall Tour comes to T-Mobile Center, 1407 Grand Blvd., Saturday night. Alt-rockers Grouplove will open the show. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are still out there if you are willing to pay a pretty penny. Prices vary. 

Sunday, Oct. 29 

11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Worlds of Fun, 4545 Worlds of Fun Ave., will close its doors for the season Sunday evening, but not before one last day of Halloween Haunt in the park. In addition to all of the regular thrills, Worlds of Fun has set more than 400 monsters on the loose throughout the park and created scare zones and mazes for anyone brave enough. Little ones can enjoy a less-terrifying Great Pumpkin Fest. Ticket prices and packages vary. 

1 – 4 p.m. Enchanted Forest Trail-or-Treat at Prairie Park Nature Center, 2730 Harper St., in Lawrence will provide the opportunity to celebrate Halloween in the great outdoors. With favorite fairytale characters throughout the park, kids of all ages can trail-or-treat through the woods and get in on interactive activities and games. Refreshments will be available. Family-friendly costumes are encouraged. Admission is $10 on Sunday and $8 in advance. 

9:45 a.m. Dead after Saturday night’s Halloween party? Yoga at The Roasterie, 1204 W. 27^th St., will raise the dead with a morning session led by a Power Life Yoga Barre Fitness instructor. Hang out after for $2 off drinks and an optional facility tour. The class is free. 

Clarence Dennis is audience and digital content strategist with Flatland.