The costume is the easy part. The hard part is getting your friends to agree on how big the weekend should be, and how late anyone is willing to stay out. Settle that first, then book the tickets and sort the trip home before anyone starts on the face paint.
Image credit: Ange Costes Photography
For a night in the Valley: Hey Chica!
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Three nights of DJs, dancing and costumes make Hey Chica!’s Halloween 3 Day Fiesta the place for a late Valley night, from Friday, 30 October, to Sunday, 1 November. Friday and Saturday go until 5am and Sunday finishes at 1am. It’s 18+, at T11–14/315 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. Join the guest list through the event page, and book your ride home in advance, because 5am is no time to be negotiating with a rideshare app.
For an afternoon on the river: OASIS
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OASIS takes Halloween onto the river on Saturday, 31 October. The evening boat party has already sold out, but tickets for the Halloween Afternoon Boat Party are still available. Arrive at the City Botanic Gardens River Hub by 12.45pm, board from 1pm, and cruise from 1.30pm to 5.30pm with DJs across multiple levels, themed cocktails, canapés and the city skyline as your backdrop. Costumes are encouraged, the more extravagant the better, and there are prizes for best dressed. It’s 18+ with photo ID, food is à la carte on board and seating is limited, although, considering how good the dancefloor is on board, seating will likely be the last thing on your mind.
For a cultural celebration: OFRENDA
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Image credit: Ange Costes Photography
This year’s OFRENDA celebrates Día de Muertos under the theme Amor y Memoria, running from 30 October to 3 November across Fish Lane, QPAC’s Melbourne Street Green and Merivale Studios. If you’d rather skip the costumes and the scares of Halloween, OFRENDA offers something different. An ofrenda is an altar honouring people who have died. Friday’s opening day and Saturday’s Cultural & Family Day both run from 10am to 10pm, and Saturday brings a community ofrenda, a children’s concert, workshops, music and dance.
A Saturday Halloween means nobody has to choose between the party and work the next morning, so make the most of it. Lock in your night, give the trip home as much thought as the costume, and leave Sunday for the recovery brunch.