Trick or treat, Hallo-queers! I’m Loren, your Gay Do312 editor, I want you to have the best Halloween ever. It’s your time to shine as you show off your costume skills, niche pop culture references, and shake some spooky booty.
For the perfect Halloween night, start things off at Northalsted’s iconic, 28th Annual Haunted Halsted Parade with Grand Marshall Raven (yes, the Emmy Award-winning drag superstar Raven). Watch for free from the sidelines, or sign up to walk and win up to $500 cash in the costume contest!
Read on to see my picks for the coolest and most unique queer (and queer-adjacent) Halloween happenings all over Chicago this season, including chances to win free tickets!
I’ll see you on the dance floor, babes.
Photo via BOOTS / Ty Yamamoto
at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 10/31 - 10PM
BOOTS is that party that always has a great dance floor, a cool pop-up location, hot guest DJs, and the freshest club outfits, but it still feels underground… IYKYK, you know? This Halloween, BOOTs takes over Epiphany, a historic church-turned-events-center, for that extra creepy religious trauma vibe. Get your Halloween look together and get ready to dance your butt off!
Via Lincoln Park Zoo
at Lincoln Park Zoo, 10/24 - 7PM
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Enjoy the Lincoln Park Zoo after dark at an adults-only Howl-O-Ween, with a jump-scare-filled haunted trail, face-painting, live DJ, and free carousel and ferris wheel rides!
Via Organized Grime Crew
at Never Have I Ever, 10/26 - 4PM-10PM
Sunday scaries? We’ve got the cure. In the rich tradition of gay tea dances (a tea-time hang for socializing, among other activities), CunTEA takes the cake. This is a dance-forward event; no photos are allowed in order to maintain a sexy, underground atmosphere. One sip of CunTEA will have you promising: “C U Next Tea!”
Photo via Facebook / International Museum of Surgical Science
at the International Museum of Surgical Science, 10/30 - 7PM
Wanna do something uniquely haunting this Halloween? Party among the surgical instruments and immersive art and medical exhibits in this fascinating lakeside museum. At the International Museum of Surgical Science’s annual Halloween Gala, you can dance in the candlelight to beats by Heaven Malone, get your palm read, and share a spooky photo booth moment with your boo at this authentically creepy fundraiser.
Photo via Facebook / Smartbar
at Smartbar, 10/30 - 9PM
The Hot B!T@# Party + Strapped are teaming up to bring the sexy/scary/sapphic vibes this Halloween! Ring in Halloween with DJs Flores Negras, OZETTA, and Miss B. Haven, plus free tarot readings, and a host of hotties on one of my favorite dance floors in Chicago.
Photo via Facebook / Lebanon Hanover
at Thalia Hall + Tack Room, 10/30-11/1 - 6PM
Show me a more time-honored alliance than gays and alt babes (I’ll wait). Let your inner goth girl loose at the two-day dark music festival, featuring the Midwest debut of sensational darkwave duo Lebanon Hanover, + tons more live music + DJ sets. The costume theme is Blasphemy– so get your sexy nun and creepy pope looks ready.
There are sooo many great Halloween events in Chicago this year, so here's a few more picks:
Hallo-Queen! at Smartbar - 10/26
WIN: Sapphic Slasher at Camp TAO at TAO Chicago - 10/31
WIN: Halloween at Dave & Boo-sters at Dave & Buster's locations - 10/31
WIN: Halloween Bash at Punch Bowl Social - 10/31
Day of the Dead Tea Dance at Fantasy Nightclub - 11/2
Looking for more to do this Halloween?
Photo via Facebook / Six Flags Great America
For the hardcore Halloween lovers, the best scares are always at a haunted house. Fortunately, Chicago has some incredible haunted houses in our neighboring suburbs and beyond. Get ready for the fright of your life. I recommend bringing a buddy to hold onto.
Photo via Facebook / Odyssey Fun Farm
If you're down for the trip, getting out of the city and hitting up a local farm for some pumpkin and apple picking is one of the best ways to enjoy the season. Plus, there some pretty awesome corn mazes to get lost in! Get ready for your pumpkin-carving party and stock up on soup-season produce-- just don't forget to wear mud boots!
Plus tons more LGBTQ+ Halloween events on our full list here!
Happy Halloween!
