Celebrations: Halloween and the Day of the Dead

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29

Uptown masquerade

When was the last time you went to a masquerade, complete with masks and all? This Halloween bash will have masks for sale, if you didn’t get a chance to pick up yours. The organizers are promising an evening of live music, dancing and of course, food. Reed Fromer Band, an R & B group, will perform, and there will be a “surprise celebrity guest.”

This is a benefit for the Fox Theater, with proceeds going to Friends of the Oakland Fox, which preserves the theater, and to East Bay Emergency Relief efforts.

Thursday, October 29, 7:30 p.m. to midnight.
The Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph General admission:$20, VIP: $100

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30

Pre-Halloween with Frankenstein

Want a low key beginning to your Halloween? Watch the 1948 scary comedy, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein on the big screen at the Paramount.

The Paramount, 2025 Broadway
Box Office opens at 6:00pm, doors open at 7:00. The curtain rises at 8:00pm
All Tickets: $5.00

10000 Things That go Bump in the Night

Chabot’s having its Halloween party with live music from BandWorks School of Rock, a costume contest, spooky beverages, views of the cosmos (if the weather holds up) and a special haunt jaunt crawl of things that go bump in the night with the Galaxy Explorers. Kids of all ages –and all kinds of costumes – welcome.

6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Boulevard
$20 Adults, $15 Students/Members $8

6th Annual Dimond Howl-o-ween Pet Parade & Costume Party

Don’t leave the pets out of the Halloween fun! The Dimond movers and shakers at Paws & Claws are hosting a party for you and your pets. Meet at Paws and Claws, then join the 6 p.m. parade through the district collecting treats, then return to Paws & Claws and enjoy the outdoor campfire, food & drinks.

$5 Donation Benefits PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support)
6 p.m.to 9 p.m. Paws & Claws 2023 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland 510-336-0105
pawsnclawsoakland.com

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31

Days of the Dead Fiesta 2009

On Saturday, head over to La Borinqueña Restaurant & Specialty Shop in Old Oakland for cooking demonstrations, folk arts and crafts, and to celebrate both the Day of the Dead holiday as well as the 10,000 Steps project. Old Oakland impresario Tina “Tamale” has put together an afternoon that anyone who loves Mexican food and culture will enjoy. If you miss this event, catch up with the tamale queens at the Fruitvale festival on Sunday.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
582 7th Street at Jefferson

Halloween Haunted House

If your kids are into scary Halloween events, consider what the folks at Studio One Art Center are offering. They’re hosting a haunted house – for adults and kids. There will be face painting, games and light treats.

6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Studio One Art Center, 365 45th Street

$2 for children accompanies by adults, $2 for adults with children, $3 for everyone else.
For info, call 510-597 5027

Celebrations on Piedmont/Halloween Movie Night for Kids

Oakland retailers are really getting into the Halloween spirit. On Piedmont Avenue, they’ve got a full day of Halloween activities – free cartoons at Piedmont theater, a grand parade, trick-or-treat, face painting, live music, and a lot more. Check out the complete schedule at piedmontavenuemerchants.org/halloween-parade-09-schedule

And when the day’s over, Video Room on Piedmont will have a kids costume contest and a free screening of the Nightmare Before Christmas. Remember to take your chair and blanket.

7 p.m.
4364 Piedmont Avenue
Free
For questions, e-mail: Mandel Lum twentybelowzero@gmail.com

Thrillerthon: Haitian Day of the Dead party

This Halloween costume party celebrates Haitian “Gede” and Michael Jackson’s thriller. DJ Epic and DJ Mpenzi will spin Soca, Soukous, Samba, Soul and Dancehall. El Wah Movement Caribbean Dancers and the Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble will perform.
The Den @ the Fox
1807 Telegraph Ave, Uptown Oakland
Doors open @ 8:30 p.m., $5 before 10pm/$10 thereafter

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1

The Annual 2009 Fruitvale “Día de Los Muertos” festival

It’s happening! Earlier this year, it had looked like Oakland’s Dia De Los Muertos Festival would be a victim of the recession. But Council member Ignacio de la Fuente intervened. With some help from the City, the Day of the Dead celebration, which is the largest festival of its kind in the Bay Area with more than 100,000 attendees, is back on its feet.

Held in Fruitvale every year, this one day event will feature more than 20 altars, art and craft vendors, traditional Latin American foods, musical performances, and an interactive exhibit by the Oakland Museum of California. There’s also going to be a kids area with games and rides.

The festival honors a traditional holiday in several Latin American countries, where families and friends gather to pray for and remember ancestors and relatives who have died. If you’d like to volunteer, get in touch with Claudia Burgos at
cburgos@oaklandnet.com

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Along International Boulevard between Fruitvale Ave. and 35th Ave.; at the Fruitvale Transit Village;  and along 12th Street to 37th Avenue in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, California
Free

Sunday Book Readings

Poets C.S Giscombe and Charity Ketz will be reading at Diesel in Oakland. Giscombe, the editor of Mixed Blood, a poetry journal, has written several books of poetry and a memoir. His newest collection is Prairie Style. Ketz, a Ph.D student in English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, recently had her first poetry collection published – The Narcoleptic Yard.

3 p.m.
Diesel – A Bookstore, 5433 College Ave., dieselbookstore.com

Local author Canyon Sam will be reading from her new book, Sky Train: Tibetan Women on the Edge of History, at Laurel Books.

4 p.m.
Laurel Books, 4100 MacArthur, 510-531-2073

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10/23: The Pre-Halloween Scene

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23

Percolating Poetry
Spoken word is a mixed bag, and it’s not for everyone. But it might be worth checking out the spoken word scene at Farley’s East on the fourth Friday of each month. Instrumentation is encouraged by the sponsors of “Uptown, Downtown, and Around Town,” which promises one or two featured artists followed by an open mic.
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
33 Grand Avenue
Free

Scholars on Ice
Cal is not exactly known for its ice hockey. How many people get excited about The Big Freeze? That’s when the Golden Bears take to the ice against Stanford. Still, five bucks to watch two decent teams clash over the puck is a good deal. On Friday, the Golden Bears take on Gonzaga University at the Oakland Ice Center. The Golden Bears are 4 and 3 this season, and they meet Gonzaga following a loss to UCLA last weekend.

Hockey: Cal Golden Bears vs. Gonzaga University
7  p.m.
Oakland Ice Center, 519 18^th Street
$5

Book reading: Anne Laughlin
Anne Laughlin reads at Laurel Books on Saturday evening. Her second bay, Veritas, will be out this fall. The Chicago-based writer has been published in anthologies by several well known lesbian and gay presses. Last year, she was named an Emerging Writer by the Lambda Literary Foundation.

7 p.m.
4100 MacArthur

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24

Neo-Soul at the New Parish
Meshelle Ndegeocello performs at the New Parish Friday night. One of the first neo-soul artists, Ndegeocello a D.C.-native, but a Berkeley transplant, is known for her husky sweet voice and a searching, philosophical take on the world.
Doors open at 8 p.m., Show starts at 9 p.m.
The New Parish, 579 18^th Street
$25

Brews and Boos
If Fairyland’s Halloween event is a tad too kid-centric for you, the pumpkin patch at the Dunsmuir House on Saturday will offer beer and sausages for the grown-ups. The only thing scary will be the polka music. Kids will enjoy the hay rides, the pumpkin carving, and old-fashioned games (and we don’t mean Pac Man.) One free pumpkin per family while supplies last. The event will be held around the Carriage House at Covington Gate.

11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Dunsmuir House, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court
Adults are $7, Ages 5 – 12 are $5, Five and under are free

F.A.S.T. Community Event
The second annual F.A.S.T. (For A Safe Town) community event will serve up entertainment, free food, and employment opportunities, and promises “lots of old fashioned fun.” This event is a result of the partnership between Youth Uprising, a community youth organization, and the Oakland Police Department and represents an ongoing effort to help heal relations between the community and the police.

Noon to 5 p.m.
Verdese Carter Park
98th & Bancroft

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25

Scaryland
Fairyland turns spooky this weekend for the annual Jack O’Lantern Jamboree. Come in costume and enjoy unlimited rides, parades, goody bags for kid, pirate school, plus the usual puppet shows and other Fairyland attractions. Admission for everyone is $10.

Saturday and Sunday, October 24-25, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
699 Bellevue Avenue
Admission $10
For more info, go to fairyland.org

Middle Eastern Treasure Concert
On Sunday afternoon, acclaimed Middle Eastern percussionist and recording artist Mary Ellen Donald will present a six-piece Arabic music ensemble. There will be singers from the Aswat Choir, a vocal ensemble called Mozaik, which will perform harmonies from around the world, belly dancing  by Amira Ariana and April Faith, and yes, audience dancing, too. They’ll bring out the wine and you’re welcome to take some food for a potluck. If you like Middle Eastern culture, you can’t miss this event.

2 p.m. to 5:15 pm
Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street, Oakland, CA 94609 (between Broadway and Telegraph)
$17 adults, $8 children under 12. No advance ticket sales
Ticket price includes complimentary wine and other beverages.

For more details call Mary Ellen at (510) 654-DRUM (3786)

Bay Area Halloween For all the Ghouls and Goblins

The spooky season is upon us and ghouls and goblins of all stripes will be roaming the streets all weekend. Here’s a list of some of our favorite events, from freaky all night bashes to haunted houses to scraper bikes to vampire lesbians, there’s something here for everyone. Grab a costume and go get scary!

10/30

Haunted House at Redwood Heights

$1
7-9pm
Redwood Heights Recreation Center
3883 Aliso Ave., Oakland
510.482.7827

Vampire Lesbians of Sodom

One of the longest running plays in Off-Broadway history, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom tells the saga of two fatally seductive vampiresses whose paths first collide in ancient Sodom. Their bitter rivalry as bloodsuckers but more importantly, as actresses, endures for two thousand years with stops along the way in 1920s silent movie Hollywood and contemporary Las Vegas.
10/30 -11/1
$25/$35 Halloween midnight show
8pm
Stage Werx Theatre
533 Sutter St. San Francisco