Oct. 29–Nov. 4, 2025
Happy Halloween, to all who celebrate. And be sure to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4! Find your polling place here.
Thornton Park District throws a big block party on Halloween night
There’s a little something for everyone: spirits (of all varieties), costumes and a costume contest with prizes, music, dancing, stilt-walkers, go-go dancers and trick or treat-gone-adult revelry. This one’s on the big night, so expect that much more haunted oomph.
Lucy Darling brings an evening of (magic) tricks and treats to Orlando on Halloween
Darling gained national attention with her appearances on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for her fire-eating stunt. This eerie offshoot of Darling’s “You’re Welcome” tour blends stand-up, glamor and sleight of hand with a theatrical, vintage variety-show flair.
Post-punk outfit French Police want you to brood and dance at the Social
Louche post-punk outfit French Police (actually from Chicago, and deffo not cops) are out on a two-month U.S. tour that swoops into Orlando this week. The exact date is the day after Halloween, noted here for those of you who need one last fix of Spooky Season stimulation before it’s all Mariah Carey Xmas jingle-jangle…
DeLand’s Kaupe deliver tricked-out and heavy new album, ‘Destroyer of Worlds’
On Destroyer of Worlds, their first new album in four years, Kaupe have taken their same signature template and tricked it out with some new, flashy components. Kaupe have always been a band predicated on dynamics, and their instru-metal locomotive steams onward here as a thundering ride of rock heft, widescreen melodies and soaring synths.…
San Diego’s Sun Room to kick up a glorious mix of surf and garage at the Social
With taut songs that pack punch, kick and hooks galore, San Diego headliners Sun Room are a raggedly perfect merge of surf and garage that rocks like The Strokes partying with FIDLAR.
Nick Dittmeier and the Sawdusters honky-tonk into Orlando’s Lil Indie’s
Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters are an Indiana act that’s “alt-country” primarily in the sense that they’re more real country than the pap most people believe is country music nowadays.
Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Drawn to Life’ at Disney Springs turns 4
As Drawn to Life approaches its fourth anniversary on Nov. 18, I spoke with original cast member Chloe Diane Polson — who is one of six current performers from the U.K. — about leaving London to create the leading character in this one-of-a-kind circus.
What to watch this week: A triumphal Emma Thompson in ‘Down Cemetery Road,’ a second season of ‘Hazbin Hotel’ and more
Emma Thompson plays a private investigator whose search for a missing girl uncovers a shocking secret: Vast numbers of Britons who were believed dead are secretly still alive and well. “How does a guy get in on that?” asks Keir Starmer. (Apple TV)
Spooky Empire brings frights and celebrity guests to Orlando over Halloween weekend
Oft considered the spooky version of MegaCon locally, Spooky Empire returns to Orlando for a weekend of chills and pop-culture fun. Founded back in 2003, the event has grown from a small gathering into one of the largest horror conventions in the country.
John 5 stops in Orlando for the perfect Halloween mix of horror and guitar pyrotechnics
When guitarist John 5 hits the stage in Orlando Halloween night, it won’t just be just another stop on his tour with Richie Kotzen; it’ll be a full-blown monster mash of metal and melody.
Ednah’s Gorey and Glory Fashion Show spotlights horrifyingly creative young designers and models
In a truly frightful fashion, haute couture taking on campy horror films and eerie classics is exactly what’s in store for audiences with Ednah’s Gorey and Glory Fashion Show this Devil’s Night.
Outpost Neighborhood Tavern adds a bit of queer cheer to the sports bar experience
Outpost is a sports bar, but one amplifying the world of the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, owner Devon Tillman (who formerly ran Island Time in Thornton Park) and OUT Sports League creator John Teixeria bill their tavern on the sink-holed shores of Lake Eola as a “fabulous place for dining, drinks, drag and sports.”
Get a double dose of cinematic surreality with Sky Elobar at the Enzian this week
A throughline between the two flicks will be there in person in the form of Sky Elobar, star of both films. Elobar first became known to film freaks with his role in the pulpy midnight hit Strangler and plays Paul McCartney in the oddball film Ebony & Ivory, nominally about the making of the just-as-oddball…
Scaredy Cat promises a chilling mix of live bands and drag the night before Halloween
Featured music artists are theatrical industrial act Pressure Kitten, feminist hardcore furies M.A.C.E., new indie rockers Fawn and DJ Pup Rocky. The illustrious drag lineup includes Opulence Black, Sue Cyde, E., Davi Oddity and De Sastre.
Stereogum’s Chris DeVille talks millennial indie-rock memories at Park Ave CDS
Going into November strong right after celebrating 41 years of slinging platters, Park Ave CDs hosts a talk with music critic Chris DeVille, managing editor of venerable indie-centric blog Stereogum. DeVille is on tour promoting his new book Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion.
Acid Mothers Temple mark 30 years of keeping it unbelievably weird in Orlando this week
Kawabata and his Mothers have been following their own wayward path since the 1990s, creating a gorgeously weird combo of Can and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd with just enough free-improv chaos to keep things well and truly weird.
