With Halloween nine days away and more than a week since crews started clearing Isaias debris, which of your Pensacola plans still hold? The UWF Historic Trust has changed its Halloween page since the storm. It canceled one event "due to hurricane damages" and moved another to tonight. Most other calendars around town were last updated before Isaias reached the coast.
Isaias made landfall late Friday, Oct. 9, as a Category 2 storm near Destin. The Pensacola News Journal reported 92 mph winds in Pensacola. Any Halloween calendar for this year has to account for that date. Some events were posted weeks earlier, a few were adjusted in the days before landfall, and only some have been touched since.
The Trust's lineup is the one updated since the storm
The UWF Historic Trust's Haunted History Happenings page is the clearest post-storm schedule in town. It lists Spirits of the Simpson House as canceled with one line: "Due to hurricane damages, we are cancelling this year's Spirits of the Simpson House." The same page marks Boos, Brews, and Chews "RESCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 22."
Because the Trust updated that page after the storm, the rest of what it lists carries more weight than an event page last edited in September. Its remaining Halloween events also sit close together, in historic buildings and a few downtown restaurants. You can plan several nights around a small part of downtown.
Tonight, Oct. 22: Boos, Brews, and Chews. The progressive haunted dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $75 per person. That covers the tour, dinner, drinks and dessert. It begins with ghost stories and a beer at Pensacola Bay Brewery. Then it heads through Seville Square to Juan's Flying Burrito for a quesadilla bar, a salsa bar, a margarita and the haunted history of Intendencia Street. The night ends at Lucy's in the Square with dessert and a spooky cocktail.
Oct. 23 and 24: Haunted History Walking Tours. Tours run at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. They cost $20 for adults and $15 for children ages 3 to 14. You can pick from two routes. The Haunted Village tour visits the Dorr House, Old Christ Church and the Lear/Rocheblave House. The Trust notes it is not accessible because of several sets of stairs. The Macabre Museum Mysteries route goes through the Arbona Building and the Museum of History.
Oct. 28: Murder at the Monster's Ball. This murder mystery dinner with ICMT Murder Mystery Company is at the Barkley House, 410 S. Florida Blanca St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the murder starts at 6. Tickets are $65, or $60 for Trust members, and it's 21 and over. The menu includes Meatball Eyeballs with Penne, Breadstick Bones and Poison Apple Fudge, plus beer and wine.
Oct. 30 and 31: Talking to the Dead, The Victorian Séance. This is the sixth year of the séance at the Barkley House, with sessions at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. It costs $35 and is for adults only. Both 8:30 sessions were already sold out, so the earlier times are what's left.
The pumpkin patch was rescheduled before the storm
First City Art Center at 1060 N. Guillemard St. moved its 20th Annual Glass & Ceramic Pumpkin Patch two days before landfall. That page is dated Oct. 7. The new schedule is the First Pick Preview on Friday, Oct. 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. It costs $45 for members and $50 for nonmembers, and children under 12 get in free. The public patch follows on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free and pumpkins start at $20. A Harvest Festival is listed for Oct. 31.
Those new dates were set as the storm approached, not after it passed. The event is indoors-friendly and ticketed, much like the Trust's, but its schedule predates the damage. Check First City's page before you leave on the 23rd or 24th, especially for the preview.
The same weekend has a ghost tour farther out. The Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum at 2081 Radford Drive has a Ghost Tour listed for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6:45 to 9 p.m., for guests 13 and older. The lighthouse is on NAS Pensacola. Civilian guests at after-hours events have to ride the lighthouse shuttle and follow access instructions sent by email. Eligible military guests can drive onto the base.
Oct. 22 to Nov. 1 at a glance
| Date | Event | Where | Cost | Latest organizer word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 22 | Boos, Brews, and Chews | Pensacola Bay Brewery, Juan's Flying Burrito, Lucy's in the Square | $75 | Moved to this date on the Trust's post-storm page |
| Oct. 23–24 | Haunted History Walking Tours | Historic Pensacola Village area | $20 adults, $15 ages 3–14 | Still listed by the Trust |
| Oct. 23–24 | Glass & Ceramic Pumpkin Patch | First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. | Preview $45–$50; patch free | Rescheduled Oct. 7, before landfall |
| Oct. 24 | Lighthouse Ghost Tour | 2081 Radford Drive, NAS Pensacola | Not listed | Event listing, undated |
| Oct. 26–27 | Hauntcert | Jane C. Noonan Center | $15–$40 | Performance page, undated |
| Oct. 28 | Murder at the Monster's Ball | Barkley House, 410 S. Florida Blanca St. | $60–$65 | Still listed by the Trust |
| Oct. 29–30 | HalloZine Fest | Voices of Pensacola, 117 E. Government St. | Free, RSVP encouraged | Posted in August |
| Oct. 30–31 | Victorian Séance | Barkley House | $35 | Still listed by the Trust; 8:30 sessions sold out |
| Oct. 30–Nov. 8 | The Rocky Horror Show | Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. | Not listed | Show page, undated |
| Oct. 31 | Palafox Market Halloween Market | MLK Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand VII | Free | Announced Sept. 23 |
| Oct. 31 | Harvest Festival | First City Art Center | Not listed | Listed on the Oct. 7 page |
The last week of October happens mostly indoors
The ticketed shows between the pumpkin patch and Halloween are almost all inside, which helps while outdoor cleanup continues.
The Pensacola Children's Chorus has Hauntcert: A Family-Friendly Halloween Concert on Oct. 26 and 27 at 6:30 p.m. It's at the Jane C. Noonan Center, across the drive from the Chorus at 46 E. Chase St., with tickets from $15 to $40.
Foo Foo Fest's HalloZine Fest fills the Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center at 117 E. Government St. It runs Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Oct. 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's free, and the festival encourages an RSVP. On Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. there's an afterparty with The Linda Lindas at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. On Oct. 30, the Consulate Building at First United Methodist Church hosts a free "Giant Robot" screening and Q&A from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Wesley Hall, 2 E. Wright St. Foo Foo Fest also lists Boo in the City Haunted Walking Tours at 7 p.m. from Oct. 29 through Nov. 9.
For younger kids, the Pensacola Children's Museum at 115 E. Zaragoza St. has Grandma Jenkins StoryTyme reading "Room on the Broom" on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. It's free in the Party Room. The museum's page says its program dates are tentative and may be rescheduled or canceled.
Pensacola Little Theatre opens Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show on Oct. 30 at 400 S. Jefferson St. It runs through Nov. 8 with a 7:30 p.m. listed start time. If you'd rather walk downtown on your own schedule, Visit Pensacola lists the Murder, Mystery, & Haunted History tour on dates through Nov. 1. It meets at Pensacola History and Haunting Tours, 221 E. Government St.
Oct. 31 depends on the outdoor events
Halloween itself relies most on outdoor, open-to-all events, and those are the ones still running on pre-storm plans.
The Downtown Improvement Board announced the Palafox Market Halloween Market on Sept. 23. It's set for Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand VII. Admission and activities are free; mini-train rides are not included. Plans include vendor trick-or-treating, Creepy Critters and a Haunted Trolley. First City Art Center's Harvest Festival is listed for the same day.
Recovery work is the background for all of this. In the City's Oct. 13 recovery update, crews were still inspecting every city park. The City reported dozens of downed trees and widespread damage to playgrounds, and asked people to stay out of parks until a public safety notice is issued. Gull Point and East Pensacola Heights community centers had major roof damage and were staying closed. Osceola Golf Course was closed too. The same update said city contractor DNJ had 40 trucks collecting debris and would make more than one pass through the city. Residents were asked to keep debris piles clear of roadways. WEAR-TV reported downed trees, downed lines and damaged homes in East Hill and Montclair. If you walk those streets on Halloween night, curb piles may still be out.
A simple plan for the 31st:
- Book a 6:30 or 7:30 séance at the Barkley House for the evening. Those seats are on the Trust's post-storm schedule.
- Check the Downtown Improvement Board's page Friday night or Saturday morning before heading to the Halloween Market.
- Check First City Art Center's page before driving to Guillemard Street for the Harvest Festival.
- If your trick-or-treat route goes through a block still lined with debris, walk the sidewalk side, away from the piles.
Keeping up with downtown Pensacola's historic blocks, from the Barkley House to Seville Square, is the part of local life Malinda Metzger enjoys most. When you'd like to talk about your own corner of Pensacola, between haunted tours or after the candy runs out, schedule your free local market consultation.
