According to my Celtic ancestors, the veil between the living and the dead gets pretty thin on October 31. It’s a good time to either communicate with the spirit world or dress up to hide from it. There might be more to it — I don’t know; I was raised to demand candy from strangers and fling toilet paper into trees on Halloween, a proper feral American youth. So heritage aside, I’m no spooky expert.
What I am very good at, however, is letting all my readers and homies know where to properly celebrate Samhain — Nos Calan Gaeaf, if you’re nasty. Halloween falling on a Saturday is always cause for celebration — who wants to be hungover at work the next day? — because it essentially creates a Halloween weekend. So drop some bucks at Old Gold or slap something together from the closet and get your costume on. Then follow me on a scary tour through some of this weekend’s offerings around Burlington and beyond.
In South Burlington, Higher Ground has a slew of Halloween-themed shows lined up, starting on Wednesday, October 28, with Burlington folk duo Cricket Blue’s re-creation of the music from the 2014 cartoon “Over the Garden Wall.” Since originating as a live stream during the pandemic, the show has become an annual event featuring musicians and fans alike dressed as characters from the Cartoon Network miniseries. After stints at Radio Bean and the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, the tribute graduates to the Ballroom this year and should not be missed by fans of chamber folk or quirky cartoons.
The following night, Thursday, October 29, Burlington indie-pop outfit Madaila play the Showcase Lounge in what is becoming another holiday tradition since they re-formed in 2024 after a hiatus. They’re joined by soul and R&B band Acqua Mossa.
But the big Halloween show at Higher Ground this year features a band that is seemingly always playing dress-up: Pink Talking Fish. You guys are smart; you don’t need me to go through what they do, right? The first 100 or so fans through the Ballroom doors on Saturday, October 31, receive special-edition “Wolf Man” pins designed by Rough Francis singer — and Higher Ground employee — Bobby Hackney Jr.
Looking to add a little sophistication to your scary? Check out the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s performance of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” at the Flynn in Burlington on Halloween. The matinee — gotta leave time for trick-or-treating later, duh — not only features the classic Paul Dukas composition but also selections from Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz, as well as Michael Abels’ film score for the Jordan Peele horror film Nope.
The Burlington Electronic Department has once again delighted its board with another banger of a seasonal program. B.E.D. Halloween starts this Friday, October 30, and goes until the wee hours of the morning of Sunday, November 1 — don’t forget to set your clocks back. The killer lineup includes Toronto electropunks Slash Need, St. Louis synth act the Mall, Urian Hackney’s dub alter-ego Uzuki Montoya and B.E.D. founders Roost.World. The shows were originally scheduled for the currently closed Radio Bean and now, in the spirit of Halloween tricks and treats, will happen at a secret location in Burlington — find out when you purchase tix.
I’m not personally scared by surf rock, but in case you are, avoid Foam Brewers in Burlington on Friday. Locals the Wet Ones will be rocking out to beach anthems with support from Montréal punkabilly act Bloodshot Bill and DJ Zombeat and Die. Canadian funk-jazz crew SHEBAD and New York City psychedelic groove merchants Psymon Spine headline the waterfront brewery’s Halloween show on Saturday.
Costumed acts are obviously big for the holiday, and Winooski has them in spades this year. At Standing Stone Wines on Thursday, October 29, local surf-rock stalwarts Barbacoa take on the music of the Ramones, followed by the Misfits tribute We Bite. Across the rotary, the Monkey House has ’90s tribute act Lazer Dad on tap on for Halloween proper.
What is it with Halloween and surf rock these days? Is there a correlation between hanging 10 and evil spirits that I’m unaware of? If such an evil surf-rock band existed, it would have to be the Tsunamibots, a crew of self-proclaimed robot musicians hell-bent on eradicating organic life on Earth. They play Saturday at Charlie-O’s World Famous in Montpelier.
Also outside Chittenden County, Barre Opera House hosts Acorn Youth Arts’ Sleepy Hollow: The Musical from Friday through Sunday. That’s a full-on rock-musical reimagining of the classic Washington Irving tale, so I expect some kind of headbanging incident to be the cause of the initial decapitation in the story.
That’s just the tip of the freaky iceberg, y’all. It’s shaping up to be an epic Halloween weekend, so whatever you choose, be safe, be disguised, and be open to the veil between our world and the next slipping for a night. Also, don’t smash pumpkins, do dress warmer than you think you should, and stay hydrated out there!
This article appears in October 28 • 2026.
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