What to do this weekend, including so many Halloween dance parties

Say what you will about Baltimore; we are rich in Halloween options. This year you can mark the occasion by attending a thematic event dressed as a clown, a vampire, a fashionable witch, a Disney villain or a literary figure of one sort or another. You can go by bike or drink yourself silly at the Fright Crawl or the Baltimore Halloween Crawl or Boos on the Block.

Or you can attend the events below. Some are ghoulish, others not so much. All are in Baltimore and beyond. (None occur in the great beyond, so far as we know, so enjoy them while you can, bwahaha.)

Thursday, Oct. 29

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’

Let’s do the time warp again (and again) this weekend. The original film will screen at M&T Bank Exchange as a “shadow cast” performs on stage in front of it. Expect audience members to shout out callbacks and throw toast ($36-$80; 7 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; 401 W. Fayette St., Baltimore). And the Iron Crow Theatre puts on a full live production, also with prop-tossing ($72-$98; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; 2600 N. Howard St., Suite 200, Baltimore).

Time: Various

Price: Various

Location: Various

Family friendly? Have you seen the movie?

Diane Williams

Diane Williams is considered the founder of flash fiction, a variety of short story generally clocking in at fewer than 1,500 words. She founded the literary magazine NOON and has published 12 books of fiction. Her titles alone speak to her odd, funny voice. One story from her most recent collection is called “I Did Trip Over a Very Small Boy.” Williams will be in conversation with author and Baltimorean Jeannie Vanasco.

Time: 6-7:30 pm.

Price: Free

Location: Bird in Hand Coffee & Books (11 E. 33rd St., Baltimore)

Family friendly? No

Lawrence Burney and Ellis Marsalis III (aka t.p. Luce)

Writer and critic Lawrence Burney will read from his essay collection “No Sense in Wishing” as well as screen a preview of a documentary about Baltimore that is still in progress. The doc is told through the lens of another book, “Tha Bloc: Words, Photographs and Baltimore City in Black White and Gray” by photographer Ellis Marsalis III aka t.p. Luce. The pair will chat after the screening. Before or after, check out the Baltimore Museum of Art’s related exhibition, “Flashback: Two Centuries of Baltimore Photography.”

Time: 6:30-7:45 p.m.

Price: Free

Location: Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore)

Family friendly? Not aimed at kids.

‘BAROCOCO’

Experience the production TimeOut NY called “a tasty little eat-the-rich hors d’oeuvre.” Washington, D.C.-based Happenstance Theater uses physical comedy, pantomime and 18th-century costumes and finery to skewer oblivious aristocrats — and isn’t it a fine time for that?

Time: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday

Price: $15-$25

Location: Baltimore Theatre Project (45 W. Preston St., Baltimore)

Family friendly? It’s a comedy of manners. Probably too slow for younger kids.

Friday, Oct. 30

Saving Time: ‘Preservation’

Chef and artist Heidi Ross and sound artist Rachel Beetz present an experimental performance about canning and preserving food. The pair previously co-created an album called “Somatic Steamed Eggs,” which incorporated the actual sound of eggs steaming. Weird, yes. Also, possibly wonderful.

Time: 8 p.m. on Friday, 9:30 a.m. on Saturday

Price: $15-$30

Location: Lovely Lane Methodist Church (2200 St. Paul St., Baltimore)

Family friendly? You have remarkable children if they’ll sit still for this.

Spooktacular

This annual fest includes a trick-or-treat trail, a costume contest, music and dancing, pumpkin decorating, games and a glitter tattoo artist among other offerings. Early birds get a complimentary trick-or-treat bag. If you’re closer to Baltimore, you might prefer ArBOOretum, 5-7:30 p.m., a candy-free Halloween event in the city’s lovely public garden (also on Thursday at the same time; $5-$10; Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore). Or drop the kids at a free screening of the movie “Casper” while you have a cocktail (5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m., Cece’s Roland Park, 10 Village Square, Suite 10, Baltimore).

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Price: Free

Location: Color Burst Park (6221 Mango Tree Road, Columbia)

Family friendly? Yes.

‘The Pirates of Penzance’

“The Pirates of Penzance,” a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, is one of their most popular works. A young man is indentured on a pirate ship until “his 21st year.” But he was born on Feb. 29 in a leap year, which means he must remain indentured for another 63 years … and he’s only just fallen in love.

Time: 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday

Price: $28-$120

Location: Maryland Hall (801 Chase Street, Annapolis)

Family friendly? May be too long for young kids.

‘The Orb of Pondering: A BROS Tabletopera’

The Baltimore Rock Opera Society has done it again, and in this case, it’s an homage to tabletop role-playing games. This original musical alternates between characters playing a tabletop game on stage and scenes from the fantasy world they’re enacting. The bad guy is called Khevyn the Kantankerous and there is a society of evil flightless raven people known as the KORVID. Add in a group of equally ridiculous heroes and a live metal band and you’ve got yourself an evening.

Time: 7 p.m.; runs through Nov. 7

Price: $20-$100

Location: Zion Church (400 E. Lexington St., Baltimore)

Family friendly? The show includes “violence, foul language and adult conversations.”

Halloween ATP

A raucous, super fun evening is in store on Friday: Twelve bands, each playing only 10 minutes, each covering a well-known group. The evening’s cover bands include Boooo Springsteen and the Eeeek Street Band, the Rah rah mones and The Saltspheres (featuring Fjërk). Baltimore art scene stalwart Lexie Mountain emcees. Costumes encouraged.

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Price: $17-$19

Location: Current Space (421 Tyson St., Baltimore)

Family friendly? No.

Saturday, Oct. 31

Druid Hill Fall Festival

Check out Druid Hill Park’s first annual Halloween Fall Festival. Games, food, a costume contest and hayrides have been promised. You can also head across the park and help mark the last day of ZooBOO! at the Maryland Zoo with animal meet-and-greets, a bounce house and more (10 a.m.-4 p.m.; free with Zoo admission; 1 Safari Place, Baltimore). And then wander over to the Hampden HalloweenFest for trick-or-treating (free; 5-8 p.m.; The Avenue, 800-1100 W. 36th Street, Baltimore).

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Price: $3-$6

Location: “The Bowl” at Druid Hill Park (3001 East Drive, Baltimore)

Family friendly? Yes

Annual Irish Wake

Stop the clocks and cover the mirrors, it’s a traditional Irish wake. This annual event includes games, rituals and the sorts of food and refreshments one historically might have consumed upon the death of a loved one. Plus, because the event falls on Oct. 31 this year, there will be touches of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a precursor to Halloween. After the main event, guests caravan to St. Peter’s Cemetery to lay flowers at the Irish Immigrant Marker.

Time: 11:30 a.m.

Price: $15; $5 extra for a flower to lay on the memorial

Location: Irish American Museum (918-920 Lemmon St., Baltimore)

Family friendly? Yes

The Sun Ra Arkestra Halloween Spectacular

Afrofuturist pioneers the Sun Ra Arkestra are bringing the cosmic costume party on Halloween. The Arkestra has performed all over the world, including at the Newport Jazz Festival and Carnegie Hall. Catch the group’s spaced-out jazz, chanting and vibrant costumes in a more intimate venue.

Time: 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Price: $55-$65

Location: Keystone Korner (1350 Lancaster St., Baltimore)

Family friendly? Minors welcome.

MJ Dejavu + Blonde Ambition

For true fans only. Pretend Michael Jackson and Madonna toured together and pretend that you were there. Michael Jackson impersonator MJ Dejavu (Justin Dean) regularly performs in Vegas as does Madonna tribute group Blonde Ambition.

Time: 8 p.m.

Price: $38-$186

Location: The Hall at LIVE! (7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover)

Family friendly? Ages 21 and older.

So. Many. Halloween dance parties.

So many that you’ll have to check the links yourself for details:

• Halloween Costume and Dance Party at Peabody Heights
• ‘80s and ‘90s Halloween Dance Party at Creative Alliance
• A Halloween Ride with Landis Expandis at The Streetcar Museum
• Heroes vs. Villains Halloween Party at Power Plant Live!
• Monster Madness at Ottobar
• Danceoween at Library 19
• All Black Trap or Treat at Patapsco Arena
• Dress as your favorite music artist at Mama Koko’s
• Rave to the Grave at The Point
• Monster Menagerie at Manor Mill 

Sunday, Nov. 1

The Howard County Pride Festival

Rescheduled from October, the Howard County Pride festival draws thousands of visitors. The event includes performances, over 150 vendors, a dozen food trucks and stalls, games, crafts and other activities. A trans memorial will be open all day, and at 11:30 a.m. there will be a reading of the names of trans people who died over the past year. Also on Sunday: T4Tfest, a benefit for the Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition. Expect bands, vendors, music and video games ($12; noon-8 p.m.; Peabody Heights Brewery, 401 E. 30th St., Baltimore).

Time: 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Price: Free

Location: Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods (10431 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia)

Family friendly? Yes.

The big names

Here are a couple of the national acts in local venues this week:

“Marvin: The Marvin Gaye Musical” at the Lyric on Thursday and Friday; Noizu at PowerPlant Live! on Friday.