Halloween in Boston - Ghosts, Graveyards, Gore!

Best Boston Halloween Events

Halloween in Boston celebrations start at least a month before the actual event on October 31. 

After all, Boston has some of the country's oldest graveyards, haunted tales, and scary events, plus great places to shop for Halloween costumes.  If you visit Boston during October, be sure to take part in these Halloween events!

Here are some of the best places to celebrate Boston Halloween . . . starting with graveyard tours and ghost stories.

17th century gravestones in Boston's Kings Chapel Burying Ground

Ghosts and Gravestones Tour

Not just for Halloween, Boston's nightly Ghosts and Gravestones Tour combines a trolley ride with walking to visit the city's scariest sites. 

Costumed "gravedigger" guides show you the darker side of Boston.  They'll entertain you with haunted tales about the city's earliest days and strange discoveries - the mysterious North End tunnels, the unexplained Day of Darkness back in 1780, and the haunting ghost of Boston Harbor, the Lady in Black.

You'll also visit 2 of Boston oldest graveyards, learn about the skull and angel imagery on the tombstones, and visit the final resting place of American Revolution patriots such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams.  You'll hear legends about macabre events, shudder at tales about the Boston Strangler, and learn about the Salem Witch Trials.

Ghosts and Gravestones tours fill up fast around Halloween in Boston - so book early!

Details

Tours last 1.5 hours, and are conducted from April through November. Children under 4 are not permitted due to loud noises.  The tour may not be suitable for children under 13.

Part of the tour requires walking, so wear sturdy shoes. If the night of your tour feels dark and stormy, bring raingear and wear a warm jacket.

Ticket information:  Make your reservation now!

Location:  Tours depart from Old Town Trolley stop #1, at the end of the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel on Atlantic Avenue.
Nearest T station is Blue Line/Aquarium
Parking options: See Boston parking garages near North End

The Fear at Fenway - New for 2011!

SpookyWorld brings The Fear to Fenway in a 10-day transformation turns the famed ball park turns into, um, a Scream Park. 

Three different haunted attractions will bring plenty of chills and thrills. 

There's Hancock Hill Cemetery, where evil refuses to die . . . Brigham Manor, empty except for the restless spirits who make sure no one leaves alive . . . and finally, 3D Freakout, where Freaks battle Clowns and fiends stalk YOU! 

Don't miss this haunted horror show!  You'll never feel the same about Fenway Park again.

Kids Day Matinees provide a family-friendly afternoon version for those who want to avoid nightmares later.

Dates:  October 28 - November 6.  More about The Fear at Fenway

Halloween Costume Contests and Parties

Boston pubs and hotels get into the Halloween spirit with prizes for best costumes, live music and/or DJs, and shows.  Tickets usually required (call in advance to check); most are 21+.  Several Halloween parties and events to check out:

Liberty Hotel (215 Charles Street, 617-224-4000) -  Welcome to the Circus extravaganza with live circus performances, music, specialty drinks, and costumes; Saturday, October 29, 8pm, tickets $20, or included in Liberty's special Halloween Package (includes 2 party tickets, parking, and breakfast for 2, plus a luxury room.  Check rates.

McGreevy's (911 Boylston St, Back Bay neighborhood) - Halloween Party, Saturday Oct 29, 8pm - Costume contests and big party; tickets required.

Church of Boston (69 Kilmarnock, Fenway neighborhood, 617-236-7600) - The Light's Out Annual Halloween Extravaganza; Saturday, October 29, performances start at 9pm.

Lansdowne Pub (9 Lansdowne St, Fenway, 617-247-1222) - Halloween Weekend with live music on Friday, Oct 28 (Boston Common Band), Saturday October 29 (Bearfight), and Monday, October 31 (Larry and the Birds), with costume contests on Friday and Saturday.  Shows start at 9pm.

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Half-Price Tickets for Halloween Events

Don't forget to check for Half Price Tickets from Goldstar, especially during the week or two before Halloween.  You usually have to move FAST to get these tickets - but you'll be nicely rewarded with 50% savings.  Events where you MAY get lucky:  pub crawls, Halloween Party cruises, and shows.

Check for Half Price Tickets Now!

Free self-guided tour through Boston's burying grounds

Historic graveyards dating back to the 1600s enhance Halloween in Boston.  You can easily explore these Freedom Trail sites on your own.  

Granary Burying Ground contains the remains of some of the greatest Revolutionary War heroes.  One of Boston's oldest historic sites, it is where you'll find tombstones and grave markers for patriots Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and the 5 Boston massacre victims.

A block away is King's Chapel Burying Ground, Boston's oldest cemetery. Many of the first generation of English Puritans who settled in Boston are buried here.  Intricately carved seventeenth century headstones show Time wrestling with Death.

And, if you enjoy scary ghost stories, King's Chapel Burying Ground is supposedly haunted by Captain Kidd, hanged for piracy in 1701.

Of course, like many other Boston Halloween tales, that story may not actually be true.

Excellent information signs at both of these burying grounds on Boston's Freedom Trail will guide you as you discover where all the bodies are buried.

Details
Cost:  Free
Location: 
-  Granary Burying Ground is next to Park Street Church, at the Park Street/Tremont Street intersection
-  King's Chapel Burying Ground is next to King's Chapel
Closest T station: Green Line/Government Center, Red and Green Lines/Park Street
More details:  Granary Burying Ground and King's Chapel Burying Ground

ImprovBoston's GoreFest 9 - Human Comedy & Centipedes 

Each year, ImprovBoston creates a new musical comedy full of squirting blood (aka red corn syrup), adult humor, creepy crawlers and catchy tunes to entertain and gross out fans during the 10 days before Halloween. 

Enthusiasts of raucous humor and gag jokes love ImprovBoston's tall but bloody horror tales.  Each year, GoreFest provides chills and thrills as it combines corny jokes, sacrilege, and showers of red liquids in a twisted tale of seasonal horror. 

GoreFest 2011 continues the tradition with lots of splattering blood.  Don't wear your good clothes.

ImprovBoston warns that their annual Halloween romp aspires to be inappropriate for people of all ages, and therefore is not for children, the squeamish, the easily offended, or anyone with a sense of decency. 

But if you love this kind of comedy, not just for Halloween, get your tickets now.  And you may also want to check out other best Boston comedy clubs.

Details

When:  October 21 - 31
Tickets and more information: Check ImprovBoston's website - details are usually available by early Oct. - or call 617-576-1253 for times and reservations
Address: ImprovBoston Theater, 40 Prospect Street, Cambridge (Central Square)
Nearest T station: Red Line/Central Square

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. . . and what would Halloween in Boston be without RHPS?

Fans of the campy Rocky Horror Picture Show will want to catch the Saturday midnight screenings of this cult classic . . . if only to dress up in your best black fishnets, corsets, combat boots, and goth make-up and join other like-minded individuals in the theater's vicinity in Harvard Square on Halloween. 

Members of Full Body Cast "encourage" audience participation" - don't come if you're shy.

Note:  Show ends at about 2:30am...so don't plan to take the "T" (Boston's subway) home.

Alert:  By intent, this event revels in being raucous, raunchy, and over-the-edge - not a family-friendly event! 

Details and directions

Location: 11 Church Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge
Nearest T Station: Red Line/Harvard Square; take Church Street exit out of station
For tickets and show times:  

Don your ghoulish best for Pru Boo

If you're looking for a family-friendly Halloween event in Boston, Pru Boo is the biggest Halloween party in the city for toddlers to 12 year olds. The Shops at Prudential Center host this annual event, with all proceeds going to a non-profit partner to benefit children.  The 2011 partner is Room to Grow, which benefits babies born into poverty in Boston and NYC.

Let your children don their scariest costumes and bring them to this safe and fun event featuring costumed characters, pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treating, face painting, magic tricks, and much more. They'll have tons of fun, you can browse for great shopping deals throughout the surrounding shops, and babies who need help the most will benefit.

Details and directions

Date:  Weekend before Halloween - check the Boston Event Calendar for updated details
Location:  Shops at Prudential Center, Boston's Back Bay neighborhood
Nearest T Station:  Green Line/Pru Center
Cost:  $4 per child (12 and under) 

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Get creative at 75 Chestnut's Pumpkin Fest!

Pumpkin carvers of all ages are invited to exercise their skills at 75 Chestnut, one of Beacon Hill's most charming neighborhood restaurants.  Carve, paint, and decorate your pumpkin, and then take it home with you.

The pumpkins are complimentary - but plan to indulge yourself with some of 75 Chestnut's special fall fare - pumpkin bisque, cranberry apple crumble, and for the grown-ups, the special apple, peach, and pumpkin martinis made from locally-grown produce.

75 Chestnut is owned by Thomas Kershaw, who also owns the "real" Cheers (also known as the Bull and Finch) on Beacon Street.  And the talented chefs here are also the creative force behind the delicious snacks at the Frog Pond ice skating rink.

On October 31st, 75 Chestnut invites visitors to stop by in costume and enjoy various Halloween specials, including the featured drink of the night: a Halloween Spider Martini.

Details and directions

When:   2011 dates not available yet - but usually on a Saturday, a week or two before Halloween
Reservations: Call 617-227-2175
Address: 75 Chestnut, Beacon Hill, Boston
Nearest T station: Red Line/Charles-MGH

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Where to Find Halloween Costumes in Boston

The Garment District

During the weeks before Halloween, Boston party-goers and power shoppers head across the river to the Garment District in Cambridge for budget costume choices.  In addition to this funky secondhand clothing store's usual vast array of recycled costumes, retro fashions, and vintage gems, you'll find a great assortment of wigs, swords, masks, body paint, and other Halloween gear in the month or so before Boston's favorite holiday.  Cheap prices - so you'll still have plenty of $$s left for buying candy.

My best insider tip for the Garment District:  Go early to beat the crowds and get the best selection!

Details

Address: 200 Broadway at Portland Street intersection, Cambridge
Open: Daily; call 617-867-5230 for hours
Nearest T station: Red Line/Central Square

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Dorothy's Boutique - Famous Boston Costume Shop

Dorothy's surely qualifies as the biggest costume shop in Boston, if you measure by the huge quantity of costumes and accessories cramming every aisle, floor to ceiling. 

In the weeks before Halloween, Boston shoppers line up for the chance to survey the offerings in this Fenway specialty shop on the edge of Back Bay between Berklee College of Music and the Christian Science Mother Church, and almost next to Bodega, one of Boston's famous "insider" shopping secrets.

Dorothy's almost bursts with every costume and accessory imaginable, and most are very reasonably priced - for example, sturdy fishnet stockings run about $5.  Other stellar finds include hats, fake mustaches, wigs, costumes, cheap cowboy boots, outrageously fake jewels, and stilettos.

Most costumes are for adults.  You'll want to hit the gym before strutting around in some of them.  Don't bring your children unless you want amuse fellow-shoppers as you attempt to explain x-rated details in family-friendly language.

This family-owned shop has been here since 1947, and for the fashionably adventurous, it's not just for Halloween.  Boston is a more interesting place to party because of it.

Details and Directions

Address: 190 Massachusetts Ave, near Huntington Ave, Back Bay
Hours: Open daily; call 617-262-9255 for hours
Nearest T station:  Green Line/Hynes

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Beyond Fishnet . . . Army Barracks
Celebrate Halloween in Boston in Military Gear

Almost directly across the street from Dorothy's Boutique and Bodega is Army Barracks, a well-stocked Army-Navy type store specializing in vintage uniforms and accoutrements.

Army Barracks is hard to miss - just look for the life-sized models out front.  Like Dorothy's and the Garment District, it's not just for Halloween - but you'll find plenty of ways to transform your image here.

Details and Directions

Address: 173 Massachusetts Ave, Back Bay
More information: 617-437-1657
Nearest T station:  Green Line/Hynes

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Beyond Boston . . . Halloween in Salem

Take a day trip or even a long weekend from Boston to experience Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts, also known as the "Witch Capital" after the infamous witch trials of 1692 led to the execution of 20 people and 2 dogs. 

A bus tour to Salem from Boston is an easy option for getting there, plus you'll have plenty of time to explore, visit a witch museum, and see other famous sights in the area.

Check out Halloween in Salem for more about the witch museums.  To find this year's date for Salem's Haunted Happenings Grande Parade, usually held in early October, check the Boston Events for October.

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More Halloween Events in Boston

Halloween Events Calendar	Halloween in Salem	Halloween Tour	Living Dead Market

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