It’s time again for the ghosts, goblins and apple cider to take center stage as the region gets into the Halloween season. From bars to haunted houses and everything that goes bump in the night, this is the time of the year for all kinds of fun.
Craftsman Row Saloon at 112 S. Eighth St. in Philadelphia is known for its over-the-top holiday makeovers. This year, the theme is Nightmare Before Christmas: Spooktacular Movie Mash.
Join the eerie sounds, sights and tastes of the season. Characters of the movie from Nightmare Before Christmas, are accompanied by Halloween movie favorites such as Beetlejuice, It, Halloweentown, Scream, and The Addam’s Family and Haunted Mansion.
Craftsman Row features decorations from floor to ceiling and wall to wall, including dozens of floating witches hats, more spiders, 500 more feet cobwebs, 500 more lights, dozens of additional skeletons, gory bits, pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns.
With the new transformed space comes new food and drinks and two new themed milkshakes that are over-the-top.
The Vampire Burger is back along with some fantastic dishes like the Fright Night French Toast Burger (two smashed patties, American cheese, bacon, egg, strawberry-maple syrup, jack-o-lantern country bread) and the Skellington Stuffed Peppers (bell peppers, jack skellington face, ground beef, rice, onions, green peppers).
From the bar, look for a special menu of potions and cocktails, including a candy corn martini and many cocktails with keepsake festive glasses. Seasonal beers will be rotating on draft.
Get your Spook on with Craftsman Row through Oct. 31. Go to www.craftsmanrowsaloon.com for more information and reservations.
The Edgar Allen Poe Speakeasy will take place at the Fallser Club in East Falls. (COURTESY OF THE EDGAR ALLEN POE SPEAKEASY)
Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy
After a successful run in 2023, the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is back to Philadelphia for a sequel for one exclusive weekend only, Oct. 9-11, at the The Fallser Club in East Falls, 3721 Midvale Ave.
Following a sold-out, wait-list only, extended run during its debut, this immersive pop-up dark speakeasy celebrates the stories of Poe.
There will be four new stories retold and reimagined by the event’s Poe historians. The event’s macabre lead mixologist will transform each of those stories into a four-part new cocktail experience that is paired with live entertainment.
Tickets include the four cocktails, venue admission, interactive show and the immersive vibes.
Tickets and more information are available at edgarallanpoebar.com.
“Over a century and a half after Edgar Allan Poe’s death, this cocktail experience brings the most beloved works of Poe to life off the page and onto the stage,” said show creator/creative director Julia Tirinnanzi. “Come out for an immersive evening that pairs four tales with a dash and history and heavy libations. We love Poe’s works and wanted to celebrate it. This is our favorite national traveling show and we can’t wait to bring this new chapter to Philadelphia, where Poe found so much inspiration for some of his most famous stories. It was important for us to bring Poe to a city where Poe had such a strong connection.”
The stories to be read include “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Annabel Lee.”
Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary is sure to bring out the scares. (COURTESY OF EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY)
Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary
One of the biggest haunted attractions in the region, Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary, is back for another season of screams.
Running on select nights through Nov. 8, Halloween Nights features several new experiences alongside many returning favorites. Tickets are available now at https://easternstate.org/halloween.
“Each season of Halloween Nights is the result of months of creativity, planning, and innovation, and every year we push ourselves to go further,” says Erin Davis, Director of Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary. “For 2025, we’ve raised the stakes once again with Dark Tides and Apocalypse Pass, two all-new experiences that redefine the scale and intensity of the festival. Paired with expanded food and beverage offerings, a redesigned event flow, and enhanced sets and characters, this year’s event will deliver our most immersive, cinematic, and unforgettable Halloween Nights yet. From the moment visitors step through Eastern State’s front gate, they’ll be transported into a world of spectacle and surprise.”
This season introduces several major additions and improvements designed to enhance the visitor experience, including:
• Dark Tides: A new attraction set in a seemingly abandoned fishing village where secrets linger beneath the surface. From the shadows under the docks, an otherworldly presence stirs, its siren’s call masking a deeper mystery.
• Apocalypse Pass: A brand-new outdoor scare zone where containment has broken down, giving way to an unpredictable outbreak. This corner of the festival introduces a tense and atmospheric environment with scares emerging at every turn.
• Redesigned event flow: This year’s festival features a new hybrid design that blends guided storytelling with free exploration. Guests will experience four acts — two open-flow and two in sequence — making the journey smoother and more immersive. Instead of waiting in multiple lines, visitors enter once and move seamlessly through the haunted houses, with fewer interruptions and more time to enjoy the penitentiary’s historic grounds.
Halloween Nights continues its popular option to “opt in” for a more intense experience. If they choose, visitors can pick up a glow necklace at the entrance to the festival.
Anyone wearing a glow necklace may be grabbed, sent into hidden passageways, and even temporarily separated from their group.
The Hocus Pocus Speakeasy and Cocktail Experience will be on stage at the Red Rum Theatre Saturdays through Oct. 26. (COURTESY OF RED RUM THEATRE)
Hocus Pocus Speakeasy
Grab your broomsticks, fluff up your wigs and prepare to get spellbound as Red Rum Theatre transforms into a monthlong Halloween pop-up at the historic Curtis Center, 601 Walnut St., Philadelphia.
This new immersive playground of witches, cocktails, and murder mystery mayhem will start on Oct. 3 and run every Saturday through Oct. 26.
This wickedly interactive evening with the Sanderson Sisters will feature spellbinding performances, games and three “potions” you’ll learn to brew and sip yourself.
For tickets and more information, go to https://redrum.live/shows.
Harry’s Bar and Grille in Cape May will transform into the BOO BAR this October. (COURTESY OF HARRY’S BAR AND GRILLE)
BOO BAR in Cape May
Harry’s Bar and Grille in Cape May is unleashing the spirits with the second year of BOO BAR, Cape May’s first Halloween-themed pop-up experience, Oct. 3-Nov. 1.
Just steps from the beach, Harry’s will transform into a haunted pirate’s den filled with spine-chilling decor, eerie lighting, and an ambiance to raise the dead.
To complement the ghostly decor, the BOO BAR features a ghoulish cocktail menu and a bewitching menu of seasonal dishes to satisfy your cravings. Go to https://harryscapemay.com for more information and reservations.
The attached hotel, The Montreal, is offering a special Trick or Treat Package for BOO BAR guests. Book your stay now at montrealbeachresort.com.
Haunted Pier at Cavanaugh’s River Deck
This year, the legend returns. Cavanaugh’s River Deck has transformed into Philadelphia’s first Haunted Pier and theme pop-up bar where the spirit of the ghost ship The Red October drifts back from the depths.
Before Cavanaugh’s River Deck became a place for summer sunsets and city views, the Delaware River was alive with ships that carried coal, goods, and secrets through the fog. Among them was one vessel that Philadelphians still whisper about: The Red October.
On a stormy night in the 1800s, years before the Reading Railroad and the Philadelphia Transatlantic Line, The Red October set sail from where Penn’s Landing sits today. It was loaded with barrels bound for upriver towns.
Witnesses swore they saw its red lanterns vanish beneath the waves, just offshore where the River Deck now sits. No survivors, no wreckage, nothing but memories of what the river claimed.
Since that night, strange things have been reported on this stretch of the Delaware.
Bartenders closing late swear they’ve heard boots stomping across the deck when no one was there.
Guests leaning over the rail claim to see glowing red lights drifting just beneath the water. And every October, when the fog rolls thick and baseball fever grips the city, locals say the lost ship re-emerges way off in the distance between the river deck and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, its ghostly crew lured by laughter, music and the promise of one more drink.
Check here for more information: www.theriverdeck.com.
Evil Genius will turn into the Taphouse of Horrors in October. (COURTESY OF EVIL GENIUS)
Taphouse of Horrors
Evil Genius Beer Co. is turning up the fright this fall with the debut of its first Halloween pop-up: Taphouse of Horrors.
The immersive experience will transform Evil Genius into a spine-chilling celebration of all things spooky, with seven uniquely themed zones, haunting decor, and limited time food and drink specials, running through Oct. 31.
Taphouse of Horrors is set to be the Fishtown neighborhood’s premiere Halloween destination, designed as an anthology to pay homage to cult-classic horror from movies and TV, to books, and legends. Guests are greeted immediately by haunted and otherworldly sights as they approach the experience.
“We set out to make this a true neighborhood destination where everyone can come together and celebrate one of the most fun seasons of the year,” said Trevor Hayward, co-founder of Evil Genius. “It’s going to be an unforgettable experience and we can’t wait for you to see all the little details.”
For more information, go to https://evilgeniusbeer.com.
Nightmare on Main Street
Taqueria Amor, 4410 Main St., Manayunk, has transformed into Nightmare on Main Street through Nov. 2.
This will be the largest and most all-encompassing theme for the Manayunk restaurant and bar.
Look for a celebration of cult horror favorites, inspired by “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th,” “The Shining” and “Saw.” Themed cocktails and food menu will be available, decor crafted by Manager Max and other vignettes, and the projector show at sundown daily in the dining room.
For more information and reservations: www.taqueriaamor.com.