5 things to do for Halloween weekend

Happy (almost) Halloween! The holiday may be on a Monday this year, but there are spooky events all weekend long to get you in a festive mood. I tend to wait until the last minute to make Halloween plans, and if you’re like me, you’re in the right place. From “Frightful Fridays” at Gore Place to a dog Halloween parade and the Boston Book Festival, we have activities for both kids and adults covered this holiday weekend.

This year’s Boston Book Festival will feature over 200 authors from across a wide range of genres, including nonfiction, literary fiction, mystery and more. Authors Ellen Warner and Ekua Holmes will give talks and others will lead workshops, readings and walking tours. Beyond literary activities, the festival will host live music and food trucks will provide drinks and snacks.

Head to Gore Place in Waltham this Friday for a spooky storytime. The evening will consist of two 45-minute sessions of five stories each, one at 6:30 p.m. and another at 7:45 p.m. The performances will be held outside at the Century Tent, and while the stories may raise a few hairs, they welcome both adults and children aged 6 and up.

Tour some of the Peabody Essex Museum’s historic houses in downtown Salem this Friday. Performers dressed in historically accurate costumes will tell mysteries and scary stories based on true events and the real people who lived in the homes. The "goosebump-inducing" program is sold out, but family friendly tickets are still available. Food and drinks will also be available for purchase outside of the historic houses.

If you want to get your pup involved in the holiday fun, look no further. The Doggone Halloween Parade this weekend welcomes all breeds of dogs and their owners to dress up and win awards. This event not only has adorable dogs but there are also cider, donuts, face painting and more. Owners and their pets can win prizes like a night at The Ritz-Carlton, gift baskets from Tasty Burger and more in contests for the scariest costume, cutest costume, best dog and human duo, and best in show. Dogs will need to be pre-registered to enter the contest (it’s free), and the parade will take place near the Downtown Crossing.

This special fall production is a collaboration between the Boston University School of Theatre and Actors’ Shakespeare Project. The play is based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and is the first performance in the Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s 2022-2023 season. It’s a coming-of-age love story that meets the supernatural when two unlikely friends become intertwined in one another's lives. Seeing “Let the Right One In” is the perfect way to spend your Halloween weekend, although it is important to note that this eerie production is intended for mature audiences.