Halloween for Barflies
If you missed Hallowmeme at the Bell House last night, don’t feel bad. There are a ton of other costumed events to showcase your clever and refined sense of humor, places where people will get you. If the Halloween party of your dreams is sold out, or if you don’t feel like buying tickets to go to a bar and buy drinks, or if you just can’t commit, behold: a random assemblage of good bars with good Halloween happenings, in no particular order and for no particular reason. Happy Halloween!
The Gate: Best Bar to Dress Like a Dog
Formerly a dog-lovers’ paradise, Park Slope local the Gate recently changed their policies on furry drinking companions, prompting just about the level of outrage you’d expect in Park Slope. Arrive in costume tonight and you’ll be entered into a bar tab raffle, and enjoy an array of seasonal beers on tap. Dressing as your favorite dog is probably the only health code loophole you can get away with, and it’s only going to make sense one day out of the year. 321 5th Ave, Park Slope
One Last Shag: Least Likely to Have to Explain Which Cher You Are
Werk Witch! is One Last Shag’s LGBTQ Halloween party, presided over by drag queen Horrorchata and featuring multiple DJs and shows by Merrie Cherry, Untitled Queen, and Lucy Balls. The Werk Witch! party will spill over into a warehouse space next to One Last Shag, as well as the bar’s ample and lovely backyard. There is a costume contest, but be warned: The competition will be steep. 348 Franklin Ave, Bed-Stuy
The Way Station: The Only Place Where a Doctor Who Costume Will Be Unacceptable
At this Doctor Who-themed bar on Washington, coming as the Doctor is just way too easy. Then again, if you have eleven friends to go with, you’ll probably be appreciated here more than anywhere else. Drink specials are a given, costume contest bar tab prize is standard, at at midnight they’ll be playing Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is a whole other costume opportunity, but the time warp will be a nice transition. Bonus points (we imagine) for crossover costumes. 683 Washington Ave, Prospect Heights
Union Hall: Best Free Halloween Party
No tickets, no door price, no nothing. Starting at midnight, Union Hall will host its Midnight Spooktacular, featuring DJ Bones and Mario Bee. The party goes ’til 4 a.m., plenty of time for a bocce break if the tricks and treats get a little too real. Before the party, Union Hall will host the Rotten Apple Roots & Bluegrass Halloween concert, promising “murder ballads, banjos, and candy,” in the most unlikely but likely most rewarding mash-up of country music and Halloween costumes ever to hit the streets of Brooklyn. 702 Union St, Park Slope
Sycamore Bar & Flower Shop: Best Halloween Party That Also Includes Pumpkin Carving
Let’s be serious: You weren’t actually gonna bother with all that mess at home, even if it meant getting to roast those tasty seeds and have them all to yourself. If you’re feeling nostalgic for childhood and feel like exploring those feelings over a delicious beer, this is the bar for you. Pumpkin carving at Sycamore Hallowe’en Freak Out runs from 6 to 8, which is probably as late as anyone should be handling sharp objects, even and especially on Halloween. 1118 Cortelyou Rd, Ditmas Park
Greenwood Park: Best Drink Special, Best After-Party
This beer garden in South Slope is a bone’s throw from gorgeous and spooky Green-Wood Cemetery, so what better place to celebrate the holiday? Festivities start over a generously defined happy hour with free superhero face-painting from 3 to 5 p.m. (maybe for kids? probably also for adults? give it a shot?), which is basically a costume in itself, so if you can make it in time, stick around for the Halloween night festivities, where any costume gets you a drink on the house. The following night, Greenwood Park will host a Day of the Dead party, including food and drink specials and a costume contest with cash prizes. 555 7th Ave, South Slope
Franklin Park: Best Cash for Your Costume
With an outdoor space to rival One Last Shag’s, Franklin Park will host a dance party and costume contest tonight beginning at 9, with no cover. The cash prizes are nothing to shake a Dutch Boy Burger at, with $100 going to first place. Second place is $50, which will cover enough beer and food to keep you going all night. Third place is $20, so at least you’ll break even on the Renée Zellweger wig. (JK, we expect better of you.) 618 St. John’s Pl, Crown Heights
Follow John Sherman on Twitter @_john_sherman.