🎃 The spookiest Halloweekend plans

Happy Friday, Boston!

🗳️ This is the last time we’re gonna tell you to register to vote for the November election … because the deadline is Oct. 26. If you have a signature with the Mass. RMV, you can register online. If not, you can do it by mail using this form, or in-person at your local town clerk (among other places). 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• It’s always sunny in Boston

• A $1 bikeshare program

• Go B-Side! It’s our birthday!

Up first…

THINGS TO DO

The spookiest weekend plans

It’s one of the best “things to do” weekends of the year: Halloweekend. 

Whether you love a good scare, a good costume, or you’re just in it for the free candy, here are the Halloween activities to add to your social cal: 

🐶 Dress up your pup for a dog costume parade. Or live vicariously through everyone else’s cute dogs. Either way, on Saturday, you can head to JP or Downtown Crossing for their canine costume parades. Or you can make it an all-day event at Park-9’s Halloween party.

🎤 See a show with a spooky twist. This It’s a (Halloween) Date event is a live comedy dating show tonight … where both dates are wearing blindfolds. But if you can’t handle the second-hand first date jitters, hit up Lamplighter Brewing’s Hallo-Queen drag show, or this spooky season-themed stand up show at GrandTen Distillery.

👻 Catch some Salem vibes (minus the crowds). Start at Nightmare in the Navy Yard on Friday, featuring the city’s largest urban pumpkin patch, a scary movie lounge, music, and treats. Then, head to Boston’s Wicked Haunt Fest anytime this weekend for haunted houses and a beer garden. Finally, solve a Clue murder mystery IRL at this immersive “walking mystery” experience.

👗 Nab a last-minute costume. No judgment! The A.R.T. is back this weekend with another sale from its iconic costume vault (think: 20 years worth of costumes and props, all under $50). Or, hit up New England Open Markets’ last hoorah of the season on Saturday: the Halloween market.

🎬 Scream your way through a horror flick. If you can stomach 12 straight hours of horror (no joke), head to the Coolidge Corner Theatre on Saturday for its annual horror movie marathon. If you’re more of a “one and done” movie person, Fenway Park is playing “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” on the big screen the same night. Or stay in with these Globe-recommended streamable films.

🚢 Get scared … at sea. Believe it or not, that’s an option (for about $50). Tonight, not one, but two Halloween cruises are setting sail, with DJs and cocktails onboard. They both set sail at the same time from the same place, so TBH, just take your pick between this one aaand this one.

🥳 “Monster Mash” the night away. If you want to try your luck at a bar crawl … we’re not stopping you. But you can avoid the lines and chaos at this dance party at Sam Adams (which has no cover), Time Out’s bewitched Halloween bash, or the ICA’s swanky 80’s-themed Halloween party. They’re all on Saturday. 

🏋️ Trade your scares in for … sweat. If you’re gonna work out on Halloweekend, you might as well make it spooky. And this yoga and tarot reading sesh at Widowmaker sounds just right — plus, the ticket includes a beer!

🎃 Still want more? Boston.com put together a list of all of the Halloween parties this year.

TOGETHER WITH ROCHAMBEAU AND DOORDASH

A restaurant with a little ✨ je ne sais quois ✨

🇫🇷🥖 Steak, greens, bread, and endless fries for just $37? Say less! Swing by Rochambeau in Back Bay for French café vibes by day and lively brasserie energy by night. Whether it’s brunch, dinner, or a DoorDash order after a long day, Rochambeau’s hearty portions and Parisian atmosphere deliver a taste of France that hits the spot every time and gives you serious bang for your buck. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🌧️ Have you noticed it hasn’t rained in a minute? It seems like Mother Nature is trying to make up for last summer because over the past two months, Boston has seen just three days with measurable rainfall — and it’s not ending anytime soon. In fact, 69% of New England is experiencing dry or moderate drought-like conditions right now. Thankfully, this time of year, the drought conditions won’t impact local farmers too much, but they’ll likely shorten our leaf-peeping season. TBH, we’ll take that deal. 

⛺ Mass. and Cass encampments are gone, but some issues are sticking around. At a City Council meeting on Tuesday, residents and officials didn’t hold back about the fallout of Mayor Michelle Wu’s Mass. and Cass encampment clearing last year. Many said that taking down the encampment, the epicenter of the city’s homeless, opioid, and mental health crises, has dispersed the problems into other areas of the city, and called for officials to crack down. Meanwhile, city officials explained Boston’s new, more individualized approach to the issue, and cited data showing drops in crime. 

🚲 If you’ve ever accidently taken a $30 Bluebike ride … you’ll want to hear this. Metro Mobility is a new, Cambridge-based bikeshare that’s offering all-day e-bike rentals for just a buck. The company’s goal is to provide cheap, reliable transit for low-income people, including students. But even if you don’t qualify (you can apply through its app), rentals only cost $12 a day. Right now, you can find the bikes in Dorchester, Mattapan, downtown Boston, and more.

⚾ 20 years ago, a curse was broken. A.k.a. The iconic 2004 Red Sox’ World Series W, which, besides being a pretty miraculous run in and of itself, also ended an 86-year drought for the team. On Sunday, it’ll have been 20 years, and needless to say, Globe and Boston.com readers and writers are in their feels. You can read the reflections of a Boston sportswriter or from Globe readers on what the series meant to them, or check out what members of the winning team are doing now (one is a successful singer-songwriter, apparently).

THINGS TO DO

Non-Halloweekend plans

🍁 Soak in peak season by boat. We were today-years old when we learned there’s a fall foliage river cruise on the Charles. And according to this foliage map, we’re almost at peak. Translation: Book that boat ticket!

📚 Bookworms, unite! Friendly reminder that the iconic Boston Book Festival kicks off today. You can listen in on interesting chats with famous authors, jam to live music, and, of course, enjoy some books. Bonus: It’s free!

🖼️ Stay up past your bedtime at the MFA. Boston’s iconic art museum is open till 1 a.m. tonight for its hip-hop-themed MFA Late Nites event, equipped with dancing and DJs, art-making, activities, shopping, and more.

🍻 Salud to Latino brewmasters. Saturday = Contigofest’s Latino Beer Fest at Roundhead Brewing in Hyde Park. Your ticket to a two-hour session connects you with brewers pouring unlimited samples of 20+ beers.

🍿 Binge the best documentaries in town. It’s your last chance to catch the GlobeDocs Film Fest this weekend. Head to the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge through Sunday for this sweet lineup of flicks.

POP QUIZ!

👀 How many subscribers does B-Side have?

ONE LAST THING

Go, B-Side! It’s our birthday!

It appears that a B-Side b-day shoutout is in order … for us. We’re two years old! AH!

We launched B-Side in 2022 to inform, connect, and entertain Bostonians with local stories they need and want to know — think of us as your informed friends! And we hope that by reading B-Side, you too have become the in-the-know friend in your circle, debriefing the group chat on everything from the ballot questions to the new bar in town.

Now, we just have one request for our special day:

If you're one of our incredible readers, keep spreading the B-Side gospel by referring a friend below — over 2,700 of you already have! And if you’re a brand looking to support the community and tell your story to our amazing (like, really amazing) readers, drop our GM, Andrew, a line at [email protected]. 

Stay tuned for a fun present we’ve been working on just for YOU later this year … :)

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

😭 Thanks for reading! WE LOVE YOU ALL AND COULDN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! <3

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsors, Rochambeau and DoorDash, for supporting local journalism and bringing top-tier dining experiences to Boston.

🍄 The results are in: 62% of B-Siders are leaning toward voting “yes” on ballot question 4, with another 30% leaning “no.” One reader said: “Am I hallucinating or could this help a lot of people?”

📝 Correction: An earlier version of this newsletter incorrectly stated Contigofest’s Latino Beer Fest will be at Roundhouse Brewing in Roslindale. It will be at Roundhead Brewing in Hyde Park. We apologize for the error!

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