If you’ve ever questioned Denver’s dedication to the ghoulish and ghastly, just step outside this October. It’s frankly petrifying just how much the Mile High City revels in haunts and horror. From bars that could make Dracula himself uneasy to events that seem dreamt up in the mind of Stephen King, there’s an avalanche of eerie offerings this season. Feeling overwhelmed? Fear not (or perhaps, do fear a little). We’ve sifted through the spectral to curate the crème de la creepy for you. Share this guide with your pals, plot your eerie escapades, and embark on a city-wide Halloween hop. Think of it as trick-or-treating but with a chance of encountering actual spirits – both supernatural and distilled.

Do you have a tasty event coming up that should be on our radar? Email the details to steph@diningout.com—she for sure wants to hear about them. 

The Pop-Ups

The House of Burton: A Halloween Speakeasy Pop-up @ Denver Pavillions

Location: Denver Pavillions – 500 16th St., #320

Are you a fan of Halloween and Tim Burton? Don’t miss out on the fantastic Tim Burton-themed Halloween bar that’s making its way to our town this October! Haunting decor, themed drinks, and spooktacular guests: If you’re a fan of an illicit, edgy atmosphere, this is the bar for you. 

Slashers: A Horror-Themed Dive Craft Bar

Location: Slashers – 5126 E. Colfax Ave. Denver

A fresh revamp has amplified the spine-chilling factor for the Halloween period at this horror-centric dive craft pub, introducing a vampire-themed seating area and an outdoor bar. The moody ambiance and regular evening fright-film screenings are still part of the experience, as is a revamped menu of bites and drinks. If you go, bring three friends and order the Targaryen Inferno, a tiki-based cocktail that serves up to four people. 

Camp Shiver Creek

Location: McGregor Square – 1901 Wazee Street, Denver

Imagine adding a dash of “psycho-on-the-loose” to your summer camp memories. Welcome to Camp Shiver Creek, taking over Milepost Zero in Denver’s McGregor Square. Think of it as your typical summer camp but with a curriculum crafted by Alfred Hitchcock and Tim Burton. The academic rigor begins with a complimentary soirée on Oct. 16, offering libations that’ll make even the sturdiest counselor wobbly. And the syllabus? Oh, it’s rich: fright film marathons, a dog costume contest (because why should humans have all the fun?), and Bloody Bingo – presumably, the only bingo where “B-9” might be followed by “BEHIND YOU!” Revel in the nostalgia, but perhaps leave the childhood innocence at the door. It’s set to be a scream! 

The Devil’s Drink

Location: The Devil’s Drink – 3330 Mariposa St, Denver

This isn’t your granny’s tavern; it’s where Edgar Allan Poe might’ve ordered a nightcap. Offering such cheerfully ominous concoctions as the “Heart of Darkness” (because who doesn’t like their tequila with a hint of charcoal and existential dread?) and “All Black Everything” (whiskey for the soul, with a twist of nihilism). But if you’re not in the mood for existential beverages, they’ve got local beers and nibbles too. 

Honor Farm

Location: Honor Farm – 1526 Blake St, Denver

This haunted spirit house in the oldest and most haunted building in downtown Denver is home to ghosts aplenty who are undeniably present and dying to make your acquaintance. Completing the Unholy Trinity of bars, the maniacs of The Electric Cure and Hell or High Water Tiki have officially signed their souls over to Satan. This time, they’re teaming up with the owners of Meta Asian Kitchen and Fuel & Iron Food Hall to create a completely new concept for all you heathens, scallywags, and children of the night. They’ve got a full lineup of events on the calendar for the month, from the ‘Goddamned, I am!’ Friday the 13th party to the Lotions & Potions cocktail marketplace on the 15th to Macabre! A Variety Show on Fri., Oct. 27, all culminating with a big ole Halloween Shindig! on Halloween itself. 

Poka Muah Ha Ha @ Poka Lola Social Club

Location: Poka Lola Social Club – 1850 Wazee St, Denver

For the month of October, this swanky cocktail lounge in Dairy Block is mixing its potions and spells to create spooky cocktails like The Dark Side of Sesame Street—cream cheese-washed Reyka vodka, everything seasoning, and house olive brine. If that doesn’t spark your interest, perhaps the Edward Glitterhands will; it’s got sage-infused Union Mezcal, house orgeat, and egg white. When you’re thirsty for blood, order the What We Drink in the Shadows: a blend of Old Forester, citrus, and a mulled wine float. Abstaining? They’ve got Boo-ze Free options for you, too.

Felix Haunted Mansion

Location: My Neighbor Felix – 1801 Central St, Denver

At My Neighbor Felix, a Haunted Mansion bar pop-up celebrates the spooky season with spine-tingling cocktails featuring your favorite Halloween characters. Halloween decor, tunes, movies, and more are part of the experience at both the LoHi and Boulder locations. 

The Haunted Mansion 

Location: The Mansion on Colfax – 1509 N. Marion St, Denver

A Halloween pop-up bar at The Mansion on Colfax, a circa 1889 manse erected at the corner of Colfax and Marion. Today, in the former speakeasy below the restaurant, you’ll find HD Escape Rooms. Discover the clues, solve the mystery, and be the protagonist of some of your favorite films. Or sign up for a Ghost Ride Haunted Tour, an adventure that begins at The Mansion where you’ll learn about its history. Then you’ll board Denver’s only Ghost Tour Bus for an hour guided excursion to visit some of Denver’s most paranormal spots. 

The Haunted Happenings

Multiple Dates: Million Dollar Murder Mystery Dinner Series @ The Brown Palace 

Location: The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa – 321 17th St, Denver

The setting: an exclusive dinner party at Mr. Meene’s mansion along with Mrs. Off-White, Colonel Dippinsaus, and Ms. Finch. (Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, and Mrs. Peacock must have had previous engagements.) A murder takes place! And now it’s up to you to decipher the motive and solve the crime, which all signs point to not being Colonel Dippinsaus in the library with the candlestick. Tickets to this interactive evening, which includes dinner, start at $155 per person. Find all the details here. The deadly dinners take place throughout the month: Oct. 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28, and 29. 

Fang Bang @ Sports Castle

Location: The Sports Castle – 1000 Broadway, Denver

At this immersive pop-up vampire bar experience, Denver’s most macabre underground drag and burlesque performers are putting on hourly performances amidst the creepy, unique, and highly themed environments. Horror-themed cocktails, vampire denizens, and haunting beats complete the Fang Bang scene. Tickets start at $25 for any of the nights it’s running: Oct. 13, 14, 20, 21, and 28.

The Return of Red Rum Wednesdays @ Adrift

Location: Adrift Tiki Bar – 218 S. Broadway, Denver

Join Adrift every Wednesday this month where the bar will have spooky films playing on the big screen, happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and discounted Halloween drinks like the Dante’s Inferno Room, a rich, herbaceous, and downright devilish concoction, and the Queen Mobu’s Voodoo Elixir—sweet, tart, and peppery and more than likely to shrink your head. 

Fri., Oct. 20: Halloween Masquerade Ball & Costume Contest @ The Source Hotel

Location: The Source Hotel – 3330 Brighton Blvd, Denver

Talia Tucker L’Whor always slays and so will The Source Halloween Masquerade Ball. A live DJ and devilishly good drag performances by Valentino Flora and Juicy Misdemeanor are part of the lineup, as is a masquerade mask-designing station and Costume Contest featuring five categories: Black Tie, Greatest of Gatsby’s, Jokers Wild, DIY, Glitz Glam Goddam. Tickets are $25 each and advanced purchase is required. Get yours here.

Sat., Oct. 21: Carving & Cocktails @ Union Station

Location: Union Station – 1701 Wynkoop St, Denver

Bring your mad carving skills and turn some gourds into ghouls at Terminal Bar’s annual Carving & Cocktails event. Tickets to this 21+ event start at $60 per person and include a pumpkin, all of the Jack-o-Lantern carving necessities and two delicious seasonal cocktails. Choose from two seating times: 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. Find more details here.

Sat., Oct. 21: Spirits & Spirits @ Four Mile

Location: Adrift Tiki Bar – 715 S. Forest Street, Denver

Explore Four Mile Historic Park after dark with a bunch of other adults who, too, are interested in entering the otherworldly realm of Victorian Spiritualism, the 19th-century movement that maintained that the spirits of the dead possessed both the ability and the desire to communicate with the living. Tastings from local spirits vendors and the Metaphysical Marketplace enhance the evening with their chances to get tipsy and buy unique crystals and curios. Aura photography, flash tattoos, tarot readings, and tours of the Four Mile House for a Victorian mourning ceremony are also part of the experience.  return this year, offering guests a chance to buy unique crystals and curios. Attendees will also revel in a variety of entertainment on the Sundry Stage – new to this year’s Spirits & Spirits – featuring drag bingo, live music, and mystical performances. Guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy aura photography, flash tattoos, tarot reading, and tours of the Four Mile House for a Victorian mourning ceremony. More details are available here. 

Wed., Oct. 25: Shake It Up Cocktail Class—Halloween Edition @ Deviation Distilling

Location: Deviation Distilling – 1821 Blake St. #130, Denver

Mix it up and head to Dairy Block to literally mix it up. The distillery hosts monthly cocktail classes, and—shocking!—this month, the drinks are themed around the spooky vibe that’s in the air. You can find more details here and reserve your spot via Tock here. 

Thurs., Oct. 26: Monster Masquerade @ Denver Zoo

Location: Denver Zoo – 2300 Steele St, Denver

A special spooky rendition of the recurring Adulting with the Animals night, the Monster Masquerade is a spirited seasonal celebration with creepy-crawly Animal Ambassadors, trivia, cool character photo ops, a costume contest, and a live DJ. Buy your tickets here. 

Thurs., Oct. 26: Pumpkin Carving & Harry Potter Night @ Millers & Rossi

Location: Millers & Rossi – 3542 Walnut St, Denver

Pumpkin spice espresso martinis, butter beer, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and Harry Potter movies while you carve a pumpkin? What’s not to love? Get your $12 ticket via Tock, and get it now. The Hocus Pocus drag show that’s also on Millers & Rossi’s spirited Halloween schedule sold out far in advance.

Fri., Oct. 27: 2nd Annual Gays & Ghouls @ Fort Greene 

Location: Fort Greene – 321 East 45th Avenue, Denver

Get all dolled up for a spook-tacular night of gay debauchery at this spooky, sapphic rager. As the organizers remind us, “We all know Halloween is for the days, now let’s show them why!” Costumes aren’t mandatory but highly encouraged. The venue is offering sliding-scale tickets with priority given to BIPOC and Trans folks. Find out more details and get your $20 tickets here. 

Fri., Oct. 27 + Sat., Oct. 28: Addams Family Halloween Party @ Fortissimo Dueling Pianos Club

Location: Fortissimo Dueling Pianos – 891 14th St. #110, Denver

This Halloween Party transforms the Fortissimo space into a haunted house with a musical comedy flare. Come celebrate Halloween with spine-chilling drink specials, spooky tapas, and fiery entertainment. Come dressed to impress in your best Halloween costume yet. Prizes will be given to the top 3 Costume Contest Winners, but everyone who comes in costume gets a free shot of Bacardi Silver Rum on the house. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the dueling piano show starts at 8:30 p.m. Price of entry: $10. Get your tickets here (Friday) and here (Saturday).

Fri., Oct. 27: Grave Rave @ Millers & Rossi

Location: Millers & Rossi – 3542 Walnut St, Denver

Dance if you dare! The spirits are restless and the beats are infectious. Get ready to shake it out till dawn (ok, till 2:30 a.m. when they close) at The Grave Rave. Music by Danny Boy starts at 9 p.m., and there’ll be Halloween-themed cocktails and mocktails throughout the night. Of course, costumes are highly encouraged. Reserve your spot here.

Fri. Oct. 27 + Sat., Oct. 28: Oddities & Curiosities @ Reynard Social

Location: Thompson Hotel, 6th Floor – 1616 Market St. Denver

The swanky sixth-floor bar in the Thompson Hotel is bringing back its signature festival of frights, complete with a “dazzling host of horrors and a spectacular array of live performances.” For the $60 price of entry, you’ll get treated to interactive experiences, cocktails by Pernod Richard, complimentary passed canapes, and live tarot readings by Phantom Circus. Roam the haunted forest, room of phobias, cursed graveyard, and namesake library of oddities and curiosities, and make sure your costume comes with dancing shoes; there are live DJ sets by Hedspin, Kid Conrad, and DJ Chonz setting the mood. VIP tables are available for $1,000 and include an entry for 10 and one bottle. Get more details and your tickets here.

Sat., Oct. 28: Séance Drag Brunch + Lunch @ Sunday Vinyl

Location: Sunday Vinyl -1803 16th St. Mall, Denver

Sunday Vinyl & Champagne Tiger summons you to attend this Séance. Join them for a brunch or lunch and drag show hosted by Scout with special guests Minerva, Pony as ‘Goblin Dixxx’ & Vandy J Sexton, and embrace your inner witchy-ness! Book for brunch or lunchtime. Costumes are encouraged, as are dollar-dollar bills, y’all, to tip the Queens. $70 per person; reserve your spot via Tock here.

Sat., Oct. 28: Howl-a-Ween Pet Parade @ Union Station

Location: Union Station -1701 Wynkoop St, Denver

Shake off your four-legged friend’s favorite superhero, clown, or princess costume for this Halloween pet parade. (Random side story: Gidget, the 3 lb chihuahua who controls my life with her eyes, dresses up as a guinea pig dressed up as a unicorn. Why? Because she’s far too small for even the smallest dog costumes, but the guinea pig costumes are just her size.) This outdoor event is happening on the Terminal Bar patio, and the Foothills Animal Shelter is gonna be on-site for those among us who can’t handle the cuteness overload and need to bring home a new pawsy friend. 

Sat., Oct. 28: Howl’oween Barktacular Costume Concept @ Seven Grand

Location: Seven Grand Whiskey Bar – 1855 Blake St, Denver

Held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Seven Grand’s Lower Patio in the Dairy Block Alley, this one promises to be loads of doggone fun. Why, you ask? A dog costume contest, a doggy caricature artist, a dog treat decoration station, and Copper Dog drink specials, duh. Costume contest categories: Best Doggy Duo (human & dog), Most Creative, and Judge’s Favorite. And know that by day drinking with your favorite friend, you’re supporting a good cause: Seven Grand is partnering with local nonprofit CHOW Culinary Hospitality Outreach Wellness to help raise funds to support people in the service industry. 

Sat., Oct. 28: Costumes & Cocktails

Location: 54Thirty Rooftop – 1475 California St, Denver

This year, 54Thirty is blending the Hunter’s Full Moon Party with its annual rooftop Halloween celebration. It’s billed as a “Werewolf by Night, Full Moon” experience in partnership with Patron and Bacardi, with the Bordas Brothers providing music from 8 p.m. to close. The costume party is top-notch, as are the people watching. Get your ticket here.

Sat., Oct. 28: 12th Annual Mile High Halloween Bash @ Mile High Spirits

Location: Mile High Spirits Tasting Room – 2201 Lawrence St, Denver

Halloween-themed drinks and shots at a Halloween pop-up bar (that’s open all season long), $1,500 in cash and prizes for the best costumes, live DJs, tons of dancing, and all sorts of fun are in store at the distillery tasting room. Get your tickets (starting at $10) here. 

Sat., Oct. 28: Coloween @ Stockyards Event Center (RiNo)

Location: Stockyards Event Center – 5004 National Western Dr, Denver

Three dance floors, over 20 interactive art installations, 40 bars, a Burning Man art car, dozens of performers, and so much more: when Caloween calls itself Denver’s #1 Halloween spectacle, it’s because they’ve earned it. A celebration of individuality, creativity, and uninhibited fun, Coloween works with world-renowned set designers, Burning Man artists, and festival stage designers to create an immersive, fully interactive art and musical experience inside 50,000 square feet of the brand-new Stockyards Event Center. The 2023 theme is Nostalgia: A Sultry Mixture of Retro Allure and Vibrant Sensations. Interpret that however you’d like, but aim high—there’s a $1,500 costume contest at stake. Get your tickets here before they sell out. Because they always do.

Sat., Oct. 28: Halloween @ the Holiday Theater

Location: MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater – 2644 West 32nd Avenue Denver

MCA Denver is bringing out the soulful songstress Hazel Miller and her band The Collective to headline a night filled with music in support of musical education in Denver. Your $100 ticket gets you an open bar and dinner from Mad Chad’s food truck, plus performances throughout the night. Costumes or bedazzled black are encouraged. Get your tickets and more details here.

Tues., Oct. 31: Shroomski Night: Halloween Bash @ Baldoria on the Water 

Location: Baldoria on the water – 146 Van Gordon St., Lakewood

Shroomski, the magazine dedicated to the magic kind of mushrooms, is throwing a spellbinding party in honor of All Hallows Eve—and a special milestone. The brand launched last year on Halloween, and they’re celebrating the occasion with psychonauts from all over the universe.

The talented Morgan Mandala will be painting live to create an immersive journey into the depths of psychedelic art. Expect wild costumes, fun treats, and trippy fun. Tickets are $100, and you can get yours here.

About The Author

Steph Wilson

Steph Wilson is a writer, editor, and creative maximalist in Denver. She makes magazines for a living and throws color around the world like confetti for fun.

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