Halloween is my favorite holiday by far. I have always enjoyed a good scare, and ever since becoming more skeptical, finding something that can actually scare me is an ongoing challenge. Even more, I love the costumes–the creativity, the chance to pretend to be something you’re not (or, perhaps, to fully be who you really are without the stigma).
I have also always struggled with social anxiety, yet even in my worst stretches, when I wouldn’t leave the house, Halloween was the one time of year when I could practice bravery-via-costume and get out and meet people. If you’re looking for something to do this week, various skeptic, atheist, humanist, freethought groups are having parties, pub crawls, movie nights, and more spooky events. Check them out below, first alphabetically by state in the United States, then Canada, England, and Scotland. Click on the event name for more info.
If you know of an event not listed, please leave the details in the comments and I’ll update the post.
Happy Halloween!
United States
Alabama
Birmingham
Halloween at Five Points South
Darwin’s Tavern
Thursday, October 31, 7:00 PM
Arizona
Flagstaff
Friday Night Freethought: Dia de los muertos celebracion
Flagstaff Freethinkers
Friday, November 1, 7:00 PM
Tucson
The Night Before Halloween Party
Tucson Atheists
Wednesday, October 30, 6:00 PM
Arkansas
Little Rock
Science after Dark: The Science of Fear
Museum of Discovery
Wednesday, October 30, 6 PM to 8 PM
California
Lake Forest
The Orange County Atheists Conversational Meetup
Tuesday, October 29, 7:30 PM
Long Beach
Beer & Board Games (Halloween Costume Edition!)
Long Beach Atheists
Tuesday, October 29, 6:00 PM
Pasadena
Special Hallowe’en Trivia-ing Skeptically
The Greater L.A. Skeptics
Thursday, October 31, 8:00 PM
Santa Cruz
Atheist Community of San Jose
Thursday, October 31, 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Stockton
Halloween Movie & Party: Evil Dead (2013)
Stockton Area Atheists and Freethinkers
Thursday, October 31, 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM
Colorado
Arvada
The Mile High Skeptics
Thursday, October 31, 7:00 PM
Denver
Secular Hub Movie Night: The Cabin in the Woods
Secular Hub
Thursday, October 31, 6:30 PM
Fort Collins
Tiny Tot Trick or Treating in Old Town
Secular Families
Thursday, October 31, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Georgia
Atlanta
Special Skeptical Halloween Event
Atlanta Skeptics
Saturday, November 2, 6:00 PM
Illinois
Peoria
Movie Night: Night of the Living Dead
Peoria Secular Humanist Society (Peoria , IL) – Meetup
Thursday, October 31, 6:30 PM
Montana
Missoula
Missoula Area Secular Society
Saturday, November 2, 7:00 PM
New York
New York City
Cerebral Cinema—Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Center for Inquiry–New York City
Wednesday, October 30, 7:15 PM
North Carolina
Asheville
WNC Humanists
Saturday, November 2, 7:00 PM
Rhode Island
Cranston
Costume Party and October Meeting
Humanists of Rhode Island
Monday, October 28, 7:00 PM
South Carolina
Aiken
Freethinking Friends of Augusta and Aiken
Saturday, November 2, 6:00 PM
Texas
Corpus Christi
HALLOWEEN: Evil Dead the Musical
Corpus Christi Atheists
Thursday, October 31, 11:00 PM
Dia De Los Muertos Street Festival
Corpus Christi Atheists
Saturday, November 2, 3:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Utah
Orem
Utah Valley Postmormons
Friday, November 1, 7:00 PM
Virginia
Williamsburg
Retro Cinema: Halloween on Halloween
Southeastern Virginia Skeptics
Thursday, October 31, 7:00 PM
Canada
Bowmanville, ON
Durham Region Freethinkers
Thursday, October 31, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
England
Basingstoke
Deborah Hyde: Halloween Interview With a Vampire Expert, CafeSci-Basingstoke
Winchester Skeptics
Thursday, October 31, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
London
Things That Go Bump in the Night—When Skeptics Meet the Supernatural
Central London Humanists
Friday, November 1, 7:00 PM
Scotland
Edinburgh
Skeptics on Halloween—Witches in Scotland
Edinburgh Skeptics and Skeptics in the Pub
Thursday, October 31, 7:30 PM
Featured image by Nicola Jones.
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