Time to get busy with the fancy dress and hit the freaky streets, clubs, pubs and theatres this weekend as well as some of the city’s spookiest old haunts (seance in a shipping container anyone?). Quake in your boots and feel your souls shiver citizens as the darkness of Hallows Eve descends on Birmingham… Also see our Halloween events for families & kids round-up here

1. Sold Out: Stranger Things Halloween Party at the Night Owl
If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, and who isn’t? Then there’s only one place to be this weekend. The Night Owl is fast becoming one the hippest clubs in the city with its northern soul inspired nights, cool atmosphere and springy dance floor. Tonight you’re encouraged to come in fancy dress as a Stranger Things character and there will be prizes for the best. Our monster costume is a doozy. DJs Mazzy Snape and Sonny & Spare will be spinning the usual grooves with an eighties slant.
Sat Oct 29 9pm at the Night Owl, 17-18 Lower Trinity Street, B9 4AG Birmingham £5 www.facebook.com/

2. Night and Day Markets Day of the Dead Weekender at the Bond
A stonking line up of activities for the witching weekend at the Bond. Strong music line up with legends Craig Charles (yes that Craig Charles) and Joey Negro headlining, street food, arts, food market, real ales and cocktails. Read our full preview here
Fri 28 Oct (5pm – 12am) – Sat 29 Oct (3pm -12am), The Bond 180 -182 Fazeley St, Birmingham B5 5SE. Weekend tickets £25, day tickets £15 www.facebook.com

3. The Haunting at the Rainbow.
Across five transformed rooms in Digbeth and involving actors, acrobats and circus performers. This will be a Halloween experience like no other. A huge line up of world renown DJs including DJ Haus and Applebum. Read our full preview here and see all our Halloween weekend club selection here.
Sat 29 Oct, Rainbow, Lower Trinity Street, Birmingham, B9 4AG, Tel: 0121 771 1521, 6pm-4am, from £20, www.skiddle.com

4. Alfred Hitchcock Presents Halloween at the Annexe
An evening of sophisticated dining with an Alfred Hitchcock theme. Expect cocktails, live jazz and what piqued our interest ‘a room full of serial killers’. Customers are encouraged to wear fifties themed fancy dress.
Fri 28 Oct 7pm 220 Corporation Street, Birmingham, , B4 6QB £16 (includes cocktail) www.annexe.co/

5.Dread to Tread Halloween Party at the Sun at the Station Kings Heath
Balkan beats and live burlesque sounds like a fine way to celebrate Halloween to us. DJ Slavan will be bringing the beats and Revelation Burlesque will be providing the show. Fancy dress positively encouraged folks.
Sun 30 Oct 8pm at the Sun at the Station, High Street Kings Heath Birmingham B14 7BB Free www.facebook.com/

6.Funeral Nation: Halloween Special Cult Film Fancy Dress at COGS
Themed fancy dress around cult films like Blade Runner, Mad Max and Evil Dead is going to create a futuristically noir atmosphere for you boys and girls to enjoy. There’s live music from Wrapped in Plastic, fire jugglers and face painting across three floors of cyber punkery. Wear to despair.
Fri 28 Oct 9pm at Cogs, 61 Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 3RB Free www.facebook.com/

7.Trick or Treat at the Old Crown
The oldest pub in Birmingham has a great party lined up and best of all its free. The venue is being transformed into a spooky forest based on the Blair Witch Project and punters are expected to join in with fancy dress and fake blood. Shocktails are promised as is their own version of apple bobbing with booze which is either genius or terrifying, watch out for ghosts and other surprises. Sounds will be provided by DJ’s Moschino Hoe, Versace Hottie, Lovethelife and Jordan Lott. Come get lost in the woods.
Sat 29 Oct 6pm at the Old Crown, 188 High Street Deritend, B12 0LD Birmingham Free www.facebook.com/

8.Halloween Weekender at the Flapper
The Flapper is always a good night out, friendly crowd, drinks promos and if alternative music is your thing then you’re sorted. DJs Callum Whyte and JP are promising to mix in plenty of Halloween themed choons. Opening till the early hours both Friday and Saturday and with some great Jagermeister prizes for the best fancy dress. What are you waiting for?
Fri 28 Oct & Sat 29 Oct 8.30pm The Flapper, Kingston Row, B1 2NU Birmingham Free www.facebook.com/

9.Sunday Social Halloween Special at British Oak
The Sunday Social has always been a bit special adding a touch of style to the end of the weekend. Well now you can add chills and thrills to the mix as the British Oak goes all Halloween on our asses. Bring the kids in fancy dress, and yourselves for that matter, enjoy bouncy castle, face painting, apple bobbing with prizes aplenty. Specially themed cocktails are available for the adults along with quality sounds from 4x reigning world dmc dj champion Mr Switch. It’s Sunday of course so the Oak’s legendary lunches will be available too. We advise booking.
Sun 30 Oct 3pm at British Oak 1364 Pershore Rd, B30 2XS Birmingham Free www.facebook.com/

10.Halloween Silent Movie special at The Town Hall
Actually on Monday this one but well worth extending your weekend for. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari has been called “the first true horror film”: a vision of madness, mystery and the macabre from the shadowy underbelly of Weimar Berlin. And what better way to experience it – if you dare – than on Halloween, with an eerie, atmospheric score performed live on the Town Hall organ? Fancy dress encouraged – with THSH prizes.
Mon 31 Oct 7.30pm at The Town Hall, Birmingham, B3 3DQ £18 www.thsh.co.uk

11.Birmingham Museums events
Include an interactive terror tour at Aston Hall (adults/over 12s only). Slots selling fast so book here now.
Fri 28th – Sun 30th Oct, Aston Hall, 19 Trinity Rd, Birmingham B6. Hourly slots from 5pm 9pm. Pumpkin flotilla at Sarehole Mill Birmingham’s only Pumpkin flotilla at Sarehole Mill, watch your pumpkins float across the Mill Pond at twilight. Fri 28 Oct – Sun 30 Oct. Sarehole Mill, Cole Bank Road, Birmingham, B13 0BD. Tel: 0121 348 8160 6.45pm – 845pm £20 per float (maximum 4 people). And a Ghost walk through the Jewellery Quarter. Pre-booking essential. Hosted by the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. Sat 29 Oct, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, 75-80 Vyse St, Birmingham B18 6HA. 0121 348 8263 6pm, £6 per person. See here for details of all events:www.birminghammuseums.org.uk

12. There are plenty of scares to be had at The Rep with live performances of The Exorcist and the horror in a container mind mash up, The Seance. See our full write up: Exorcist and Seance

13. We don’t think there has ever been as many horror films screening in one week in Birmingham before. The Mockingbird is running its own Hallowscream festival with an incredible seven movies in addition to a screening of the original Halloween on the day itself. You can also spend an evening with the adorable Michael Myers at the mac where John Carpenter’s remastered slasher masterpiece will be shown. For more details on these and a host of other cool movies screening this week read our full preview here