👻👋 Ghost your boring Halloween plans

🛝 There isn’t an award for “most accurate cop slide reenactment.” But if there were, this gal would absolutely get it. Remind us never to go down the cop slide in the rain …

⚽ P.S. The U.S. Women’s National Team is coming to New England. And we have TEN pairs of free tickets to their Oct. 26 game against Portugal in East Hartford, Conn. B-Side Members can grab ‘em tomorrow at 10 a.m. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Hot take: 90% of Boston’s Halloween bar crawls aren’t worth the $30 ticket.

So for this edition of small biz telephone tag, we asked the folks behind Boston’s best Halloween parties, pop-ups, and activities what Halloween shindigs they’d actually go to. 

Here’s what they said:

👻 Scare Leave sent us to Pammy’s Bruja Bar. Every good Halloween bash starts with a good theme, said Shore Leave’s bar manager Simon Weiler. And Pammy’s Oct. 27 Bruja Bar bash is all about the mystical and botanical. There will be a tarot reader, special gin-based cocktail menu, and plenty of snacks. Though it’s geared toward restaurant industry folks, all are totally welcome. Grab a FREE ticket here.

🧟 Pammy’s sent us to the Camberville Zombie Pub Crawl. For Pammy’s bar manager Rob Ficks, a good theme is nice to have, but excellent food and drinks are non-negotiable. Thankfully, this zombie-themed pub crawl on Oct. 25 has both. You’ll put on your zombie best and crawl across seven Camberville bars in search of brains — we mean, food and drink specials — at each stop, courtesy of sponsors like Guinness and Bacardi. No ticket needed!

🎃 The Camberville Zombie Pub Crawl sent us to Roxy’s Arcade. The last thing you want at a Halloween party is a crowd that doesn’t match your energy, said Daren Swisher, co-owner of Tall Order (the zombie crawl’s final stop). But rest assured, at Roxy’s spooky summer camp-themed party on Oct. 31, “you can really go hard,” he said. There will be DJs, cocktail specials, and a costume contest. Oh, and did we mention there’s no cover? 

🍫 Roxy’s sent us to State Park’s “Spirits of Halloween” menu. A unique, clever theme is the way to Roxy’s GM Amanda Decelle’s heart, and Halloween is no exception. This year, State Park’s Park’s “Spirits of Halloween” cocktail menu (a riff on Spirit Halloween, ofc) won her over. You can grab drinks like the Brine of Frankenstein or Chai-Spiced Whiskey and Cider all month long, including at its Espooky Halloween Dance Party on Oct. 31. 

🍷 State Park sent us to the WNBAR. For State Park co-owner Evan Harrison, the best Halloween party is one that involves minimal Halloween … and TBH, minimal party. But he could “definitely get in on” haley.henry and nathalie’s WNBA-themed Orange October challenge. Here’s the deal: Drink five glasses of orange wine at each bar this month to win an epic T-shirt AND get entered in a raffle for a *grand prize*.

👻 💸 This spooky season, find out if you have cash hiding in the shadows. And by shadows, we mean the Massachusetts State Treasury, which has billions of dollars in unclaimed funds (some of which could be yours). Search your name online today to uncover forgotten savings accounts, uncashed checks, and more. It’s quick, easy, and could help fund your Halloween plans. 

🪧 Boston showed OUT for Saturday’s “No Kings” protest. And we’re not just talking about these wild signs: Over 100,000 people gathered on the Common to protest President Trump’s administration and ICE’s immigration crackdown. Just look at this crowd! Boston’s protest, which was one of over 100 in Mass., and 2,600 across the county, saw speakers like Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Seth Moulton, plus “headliner” Mayor Michelle Wu, who absolutely went off, saying Trump and his admin “mistake cruelty for greatness, and chaos for power.”

👑 Gov. Healey is officially one of the popular kids. According to new polling from Morning Consult, Healey has cracked the top 10 list of the nation’s most popular governors with a 59% approval rating and 29% disapproval rating. Those figures put her ahead of several high-profile Democrats like Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and California’s Gavin Newsom, but weren’t quite enough to edge out Vermont’s Phil Scott, who took No. 1 with 75% approval. The survey doesn’t delve into exactly why voters like Healey, but heading into a reelection year, she’ll take the W.

💅 Downtown Crossing got a MAJOR glow-up. Enter: Color Flows, a new free interactive pop-up that’s transforming DTX’s Winter Street into a safer, more engaging pedestrian space through Nov. 16. You can stop by anytime to catch new art installations, games, food, and live performances, but keep your eyes out for a series of one-off events. Think: Family fest on Oct. 25 (including the iconic Doggone Halloween Pet Parade), and a block party on Nov. 15. Here’s all the info!

🍂 The MBTA is entering its ~fall girl era~. On Oct. 25, the commuter rail will put on its first-ever Fall Rail Ride. Here’s the deal: At 9:15 a.m., a special train will leave from North Station with stops at Porter, West Concord, and Wachusett. Riders can bring their bikes and hop off at West Concord for a guided ride on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, or at Wachusett for a free shuttle to the mountain’s annual AppleFest celebration. Tickets are $20, and they’ll drop here TODAY at 11 a.m.

🌠 Watch literal stars fall from the sky. A.k.a the Orionid meteor shower. The shower is peaking on Oct. 21, which means that’ll be the best time to see these STUNNING falling fireballs. Pro tip: Head out between midnight and sunrise for the best views.

🌯 Score Boston lunch under $5. Big news for office workers: Anna’s Taqueria is celebrating its new Downtown Crossing location on Oct. 21 by dishing out its legendary “super” burritos for just $3.50 (the OG 1995 price).

🀄 Take up a new hot girl hobby. Yeah, we’re talking about Mahjong. Aeronaut puts on a Wednesday tile club with Hong Kong-style play (and beer) for beginners and pros alike. Here’s a tutorial!

🏒 Watch the Bruins get their groove back. Or so we hope. But win or lose, these ~$70 tickets to see them play against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 23 are a great deal.

💋 Dip your toe into cuffing season. With these two single mingle parties: On Oct. 23, a queer, human scavenger hunt at Dani’s Queer bar, and on Oct. 24, a *chaotic* singles party at Moxie Downtown. Sounds like lOooOoove to us.

🥟 Eat your weight in dumplings. It’s that time of year again: Mei Mei Dumplings is back with another all-you-can-eat buffet on Oct. 24, starring a bottomless pit of their signature dumplings and sauces.

🎃 Kick off Halloweek with a spooky show. Specifically, Assembly Row’s free outdoor showing of “Halloweentown” on Oct. 24, complete with popcorn and bevs from The Lawn Bar. 

🔮 Get psyched. Live psychic readings meet improv comedy. What could go wrong? You can find out at The Rockwell’s Psyched Out comedy show Oct. 24.

Someone needs to give Dunkin’s social team a raise … AGAIN. Last year, Dunkin’ introduced us to Spidey D, the Halloween-themed spider-shaped doughnut that basically broke the internet with a series of WILD memes. 

This year, he’s BACK and more unhinged than ever. Not only is he posting even SPICIER memes, but he’s asking people to eat him on the Dunkin’ app, popping up in Times Square, and he even fully took over Dunkin’s Salem location with purple slime.

Unsurprisingly, the internet LOVES him. So when Dunkin’ dropped a line of Spidey D merch (including a “daddy” T-shirt, plushies, a gold chain, and even a … suggestive straw buddy), it instantly sold out. 

— Written by Gia Orsino, Emily Schario, and Claire Nicholas

🍩 Thanks for reading! You dropped this, king ➡️👑

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the Massachusetts State Treasury, for supporting local journalism and helping residents reclaim what’s rightfully theirs.

🚣 The results are in: We got you this time, B-Siders. Though 58% of you guessed the name for the rower in the back of the boat is a coxswain, the coxswain doesn’t technically row, so it was kind of a trick question. The correct answer was the stroke. 

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].