Happy Friday.
Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which means the whole metro is doing the most. Gorillaz and the Smashing Pumpkins both take over the Moda Center, the real Halloweentown wraps its final weekend, a drive-in full of costumed monsters sets up in Ridgefield, and downtown streets from Oregon City to Hillsboro hand out free candy. Here's how to spend it.
Fri, Oct 30 · 7pm · Moda Center, 1 N Center Court St, Portland
The virtual band's Mountain Tour lands at the Rose Quarter with Little Simz and Deltron 3030 on the bill. It's a big, colorful arena show on a Friday night, and a good warm-up for Halloween.
Plan it: Take the MAX to the Rose Quarter and skip the parking. Check the venue for the start time of each act and bag rules.
Event details → https://www.rosequarter.com
Fri–Sat, Oct 30–31 · Gates 5pm, show 7pm · Clark County Fairgrounds, 17402 NE Delfel Rd, Ridgefield
Watch horror from your car on a big screen while costumed scare actors work the lot. Tickets are sold per car, not per person, and the price changes by date.
Most films are PG-13 or R, so check that night's film on the ticket page before you book. Tickets are online only and non-refundable, and it runs rain or shine.
Plan it: Arrive by 7pm. Masks, outside alcohol, pets and oversized vehicles are not allowed.
Showtimes and tickets → https://ridgefield.cinemaofhorrors.com
Sat–Sun, Oct 31–Nov 1 · 11am–9pm · Downtown St. Helens
St. Helens is the real filming location of the Disney Channel classic Halloweentown, and this is the last weekend of the season. On the schedule: a costume contest from 3 to 4pm, the St. Helens Dancing Witches, a haunted house, pirate and cannon demos, a filming-location trolley ride and the nightly pumpkin lighting at 8:30pm.
Plaza entry is free; some attractions may be ticketed. It's about 30 miles northwest of Portland, and parking has been tight in past years.
Plan it: Arrive before 11am, eat before you go if you hate lines, and bring layers. Halloween night is the biggest crowd.
Full schedule → https://www.spiritofhalloweentown.co/event-calendar/
Sat, Oct 31 · 7:30pm and Sun, Nov 1 · 2pm · Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Michael Gordon's Natural History, inspired by Crater Lake and performed with the Steiger Butte Drum and Singers, shares the program with a new Oregon Symphony commission by Native Oregonian composer Grace Miedziak, Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Beethoven's First Symphony.
Norman Huynh conducts. There's a free pre-concert talk at 1pm on Sunday with Huynh and Miedziak. Runs about an hour and a half with one intermission.
Plan it: Saturday is Halloween night, so the downtown hall is a calm alternative to the party crowd. Sunday's matinee leaves your evening free.
Tickets and details → https://orsymphony.org/productions/2627/stravinsky-and-beethoven
Sun, Nov 1 · 8pm · Moda Center, 1 N Center Court St, Portland
The Rats in a Cage tour plays two sets: the first devoted to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in a more theatrical setting, the second drawing from the band's catalog from the early records through the recent ones.
Plan it: Daylight saving time ends at 2am Sunday, so you get an extra hour of sleep before the show. Check the venue for doors and openers.
Event details → https://www.rosequarter.com
Friday night. Gorillaz at the Moda Center at 7, or the Cinema of Horrors Drive-In in Ridgefield if you want your scares with popcorn.
Saturday, Halloween. Trick-or-treat early on a main street near you, then pick your night: the Oregon Symphony at 7:30, the drive-in, or Halloween night in St. Helens, where the pumpkin lighting is at 8:30.
Sunday, big and small. The Halloweentown finale or the symphony matinee at 2, then the Smashing Pumpkins at the Moda Center at 8.
PORTLAND
Alberta Street trick-or-treat, 3pm, NE 13th to 32nd (free)
Mississippi Avenue trick-or-treat, 3pm (free)
Multnomah Village costume parade, 3:30pm (free)
Woodstock Spooktacular, 3pm, Woodstock Community Center (free)
Halloween Pet Parade, 10:15am, St. Johns
WESTSIDE
Reed's Crossing Town Center, Hillsboro, 11am–3pm (free)
Orenco Station trick-or-treat, 3–5pm (free)
Downtown Hillsboro, 5–7pm (free)
CLACKAMAS
Trick or Treat Main Street, Oregon City, 4–6pm (free)
Canby's Spooktacular Village, 1pm, NW 2nd Ave and Grant St (free)
EAST COUNTY
Trick or Treat Troutdale, 4–5:30pm (check the city page for the location)
VANCOUVER
Washougal Trick or Treat on Main, 3–5pm (free)
Trunk-or-Treat on Daniels Street, 4–6:30pm (free)
Spooktacular at Vancouver Mall, 5–8pm, kids 10 and under (free)
Halloween on Franklin Street, 5–9pm (free, expect crowds)
FRIDAY
Floater — Crystal Ballroom (Portland), check the listing for show times
The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Clinton Street Cabaret — Clinton Street Theater (Portland), $20
Oaks Park Scaregrounds — 7pm, from $28 (Portland), not recommended for kids 12 and under
Battle Ground Boo Bash — 3–6pm (Vancouver) FREE
Bi-Zi Farms nighttime corn maze — final night, 6–10pm (Vancouver)
Haunted Laboratory walk-through — 7–10pm, Hazel Dell (Vancouver) FREE
SATURDAY
Giga-Fright XIV costume contest — noon, Ground Kontrol (Portland), $12
Marlon Wayans — Helium Comedy Club (Portland)
80s + 90s Video Dance Attack Halloween Party — 8pm, Revolution Hall (Portland)
Rocky Horror live shadowcast — 10pm, Kiggins Theatre (Vancouver), $20
Haunted History Walking Tour — 7pm, downtown Vancouver, $20
Death at Dusk Halloween Tour — 3pm, Lone Fir Cemetery (Portland)
SUNDAY
Crystal Ballroom History & Art Tour — 10am (Portland)
Rival Sons — 7pm, Roseland Theater (Portland)
Plini — 7pm, Revolution Hall (Portland)
Buena Vista Orchestra — 8pm, Aladdin Theater (Portland)
Halloween Saturday is the day to be indoors if it rains: the Oregon Symphony, the indoor trick-or-treat at Vancouver Mall, the Rocky Horror shadowcast at Kiggins and the Portland Art Museum (Rick Bartow: Storyteller and The Stars We Do Not See are both on view) all keep you dry. Dine the Couve wraps up Saturday, so grab one last reservation if you have been meaning to.
Mon 11/2 — Slothrust, Revolution Hall (Portland)
Tue 11/3 — John Scofield's Electrospective, Revolution Hall (Portland). It's also Election Day, so drop that ballot first.
Wed 11/4 — Powaqqatsi: Live with The Philip Glass Ensemble and the Oregon Symphony, 7:30pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Portland)
Fri 11/6 — Kathy Griffin, Aladdin Theater (Portland), and La Traviata with Portland Opera, Keller Auditorium
Sat 11/7 — Dessa with the Oregon Symphony, 7:30pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Portland)
Dates, times, and prices come from public event listings and past editions. Please double-check the organizer's page before you head out.
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