With Halloween falling on a Thursday this year, revelers have two potential weekends to celebrate. But don't be surprised if all the best parties land on the earlier side. Let's face it, there's something a little off about blasting "Monster Mash" in November.
That means this weekend is the prime time to debut your last-minute or carefully constructed costume. Holiday festivals in Chestnut Hill and East Passyunk are the perfect place to do it — unless you're dressing as Gritty. He has his own 5K, where orange outfits are highly encouraged.
You can also get in the Halloween spirit at one of 10 Northern Liberties bars serving extra bloody marys, garnished with eyeballs and skulls. If you're just looking for an off-kilter evening without all the guts and gore, head to Helium for avant-garde comedian Maria Bamford's slate of shows.
Try bloody marys with holiday flair
Thanks to the great bloody mary arms race of the 2010s, you may have sipped a cocktail with an entire burger attached to it. But what about a syringe? Northern Liberties bars are marking Halloween with a themed bloody mary contest. Participating spots will serve their spookiest takes on the brunch cocktail Saturday and Sunday, and patrons can vote for their favorites. Some of the wilder garnishes include skull gummies (at Silk City), a blood bag (at Figo) and a candy eyeball (at North Third).
Run for Gritty gold
If you see a stampede of Grittys running around South Philly this weekend, don't panic. They're not rioting, just racing for charity. The Gritty 5K, which benefits Flyers Charities, is back at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday morning. Runners dressed like the rambunctious mascot will jog a 3.1-mile loop through FDR Park, with dancing, cake-eating and karaoke pit stops along the way. The race starts at 8 a.m.
Take a scarecrow walk or watch a pet parade
While Chestnut Hill will offer Halloween activities Saturday through the actual holiday, its main events are happening Sunday. That afternoon, neighborhood businesses will hand out candy to trick-or-treaters (look for a "Treats Here" sign) and host a scavenger hunt (collect stickers from participating shops to enter a raffle). Morris Arboretum will also welcome visitors to its ongoing Scarecrow Walk, featuring straw figures styled as movie villains, through Oct. 31. Don't forget to catch the costumed pooches marching down Germantown Avenue; the pet parade starts Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
See surrealist comedian Maria Bamford
Helium Comedy Club is welcoming stand-up Maria Bamford for a four-night run. The comic, known for her Netflix series "Lady Dynamite" and "Bojack Horseman," will bring her candid, experimental brand of humor to the stage Thursday through Sunday. Tickets are still available for her sets.
Enter a costume contest on East Passyunk
Businesses along East Passyunk Avenue will offer costume cues for the commercial corridor's Halloween celebration on Saturday. Contestants hoping to win a cash prize must dress based off a themed window display in a shop of their choosing — Frame Fatale, for instance, is all in on insects. All participants must donate $5 to enter, with the winner claiming half the pool. (The other 50% will go to the East Passyunk Business Improvement District.) Elsewhere along the avenue, visitors can carve pumpkins, go trick-or-treating or shop craft vendors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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