South Whidbey loves to wear costumes in festivals throughout the year, so Halloween will surely be a sensory overload of ghouls, gremlins, witches and lighthearted fun.
And after glancing at this year’s lineup, that will definitely be the case. Several Halloween and harvest festivals across the South End celebrate spooky spirits, the dead, the undead and the fall harvest over the course of Halloween weekend. So fill up on candy, throw on a costume and prepare to welcome droves of trick-or-treaters looking to satisfy their sweet tooth.
With so much going on, here’s a checklist of events with details about what to expect, when and where the events are and what it may cost.
All Hallow’s
Eve Bash
6-9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 28 at Kalakala Mercantile Co., 138 2nd Street, Langley.
As the shop’s Facebook page says, “Come as you aren’t!”
Pit your pumpkin carving skills against others in Kalakala’s annual pumpkin carving contest, judged by artist Drew Christie. The free event is BYOP — bring your own pumpkin — including carving tools. Live music will be courtesy of Make Dust, who will be playing “dark, spooky folk music.” To wrap up the night, listen to ghost stories around the fire pit. Draft beers are $1 off.
For more information, visit the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/661050004063747/.
Boo La La!
Burlesque Halloween Weekend
7:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA).
The most adult-oriented and titillating entertainment of Halloween weekend, Boo La La is returning to the WICA stage due to last year’s popular performances. Brought to the stage by Seattle’s Can Can Productions, the humorous and provocative burlesque show is specially crafted for the WICA stage.
Adults only. Tickets cost $25. Order online at https://tickets.wicaonline.com/public/.
Fall Festival
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church (6309 S Wilson Place, Clinton) and Clinton Community Hall (6411 S Central Avenue).
Pick a pumpkin at the church before heading over to the free carnival-style program at Clinton Community Hall. A program filled with face painting, crafts and pumpkin carving will be on hand for all ages. There will also be drumming with Ray Soriano, ghost stories told by South Whidbey storyteller Jill Johnson and an apple pressing at St. Peter’s.
“We’ll also do a tour of the cemetery and there may be some surprises too,” Pastor Mikkel Hustad said.
Live music
See an eerie performance by local act Joann Quintana Band during their “spooky vibes” concert at Bailey’s Corner Store in Clinton (7695 Cultus Bay Road), where they’ll play boogie, folk-rock and Halloween tunes. The show is from 7:30-10 p.m.
Local band PETE will also be rocking Bayview Community Hall (5642 Bayview Road) from 7-11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 at a Halloween potluck. Admission is free, beer and wine will be for sale.
Spooktacular Langley
2:30-5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31 in downtown Langley.
Langley and its downtown merchants turn the Village by the Sea into the town of treats during the traditional trick-or-treat afternoon. Shops will open their doors to ghouls and gals and hand out treats throughout the afternoon. For the first time, the Langley Main Street Association and Animal Hospital by the Sea are also inviting townspeople to dress their dogs in Halloween garb to add to the fun.
“Langley is a wonderful Halloween town,” Langley Main Street Association Program Manager Lorinda Kay said. “We put up pumpkins, corn stocks and crows made by Scott Alexander and Mike McVay around town, so we really decorate for the season.”
Walk over to Whidbey Art Gallery to see the gallery’s October exhibit, The Crow Show: An Homage to the Raven. The show depicts the many faces of crows in reality and in fantasy. The exhibit runs through Oct. 31.
Head up Anthes Avenue to the Langley United Methodist Church for trunk-or-treat, where cars will be decked out in Halloween gear and filled with candy to stock up on. There will also be hot apple cider, crafts and other kids activities. For more details, visit http://visitlangley.com/lp/spooktacular/.
Dia de los Muertos Public Observance
7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Whidbey Island Waldorf School, 6335 Old Pietila Road, Clinton.
Come to the ofrenda, or offering, to celebrate the pre-Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Waldorf School students built the altar during the past few weeks, and guests are invited to bring photos and stories of their loved ones to the open vigil. Admission is free.
All Soul’s Eve Luminaria
5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Langley Woodmen Cemetery, Al Anderson Avenue, Langley.
The annual community remembrance event invites visitors to line the road and decorate graves with luminaries. As the evening progresses, the cemetery fills with light. The Threshold Singers will perform from 6-6:30 p.m.
Kyle Jensen / The Record Pumpkins outside Kalakala Mercantile Co. in Langley give people a taste of the carving competition that will happen at the shop Friday evening.
