What to Do in Philadelphia on Halloween
Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which means no work in the morning, no early alarm, and absolutely no excuse to spend the night on the couch. Philadelphia has a way of going all out for October 31, and this year the calendar is begging you to make a night of it.
Start (or End) Your Night at Monster March
If you only plan one thing, let it be this one. Monster March, Philly's Halloween Bar Crawl, lands in Center City and Rittenhouse on Saturday, October 31, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Here’s how it works. Check in anytime between 6 and 9 p.m. at Lucy's, where you’ll pick up your wristband, a map of the participating bars, and your swag. From there, you crawl at your own pace. There’s no set schedule and no one herding you from bar to bar, so you can hang where the music is good and skip where it is packed.
Add a Haunted Pier Stop
The crawl wraps up at 10 p.m., but Halloween night certainly shouldn’t. Cavanaugh's River Deck has turned its waterfront beer garden into Haunted Pier, a Halloween pop-up bar billed as Philadelphia's first and only haunted river attraction. It is open until 2 a.m. on Halloween night, with all the Halloween decor you crave, plus themed cocktails with the Ben Franklin Bridge lit up in the background.
Play Mini Golf in a Mad Scientist's Lab
If you want something a little different earlier in the day or the night before, Frankenstein's Mad Scientist Cocktail Lab & Putt Putt at Libertee Grounds runs through October 31. It’s a 21+ glow-in-the-dark mini golf course with a cocktail lab theme, and sessions are bookable in two-hour blocks. It works well as a first stop for a group that wants to do something before the bars.
Catch a Show
Philly's spooky entertainment goes well beyond bars. The Rocky Horror tribute at Fabrika is an event far unlike others in Philadelpha, this drag, aerial, and fire reimagining of the cult classic is sure to Halloween-ify your a.m. before heading to Center City for Monster March.
Get Spooked at Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary
Does your idea of Halloween include haunted houses and scare actors? Well then, the easiest choice is to head to Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary.
The historic former prison transforms into a full Halloween attraction, with haunted experiences, live entertainment, and themed bars. It's a solid option for getting your fright fix before heading out for drinks later.
TLDR:
Halloween in Philadelphia is a choose-your-own-adventure night. But if you want one plan that covers the drinks, the costumes, the music, and the people, Monster March is the easiest way to do it.
