→ Ghost Tours, Mazes, Haunted Houses

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→ Apple and Pumpkin Picking

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→ Vintage Stores for Costume Shopping

→ Send in Your Pumpkin Carving Photos!

Want more to do? Check out our Nightlife Guides section, full of roundups on happy hours, free activities, music, bottomless brunches, and more.

In concert, Of Montreal plays it straight with their music. Everything else? Well . . . that gets kind of strange.

Last night at the 9:30 Club, the Athens-based band brought its eclectic brand of psychedelic dance music to the stage along with three giant projection screens, a rotating centerpiece, four dancer/actors, and enough costume changes to warrant the production of a play.

Kevin Barnes, the lead singer and mastermind behind Of Montreal, was carried onto the stage in a large golden-screened square carried by four dancers clad in matching puffy, gold body suits. Like David Bowie’s stage persona, Ziggy Stardust, much of the concert centered around Barnes’s glam-rock alter ego, Georgie Fruit. The album Skeletal Lamping, to be released October 21, is based around the character: a cross-dressing ex-con from the 1970s funk band Arousal.

After taking quite some time to step back into the limelight, Maxwell is doing his best to satiate dedicated fans, even if that means scheduling a third show at DAR Constitution Hall—tickets to the first two are nearly sold out. His third consecutive performance will be on Wednesday, November 19. Tickets ($59.50 to $175) go on sale Friday at 10 AM; find available seating for all three shows here.

UK-based folk group Noah and the Whale, which recently released its debut album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, will perform at the Black Cat on Tuesday, December 2. Tickets ($12) go on sale Friday at 5 PM.

The one and only Gina Chersevani.

You’ve read about cocktail guru Gina Chersevani. You’ve seen Chersevani in action. Now, you can enroll in a series of cocktail classes to be taught by Chersevani herself.

“Basically it’s a happy hour with me,” says the always animated Chersevani. “We’ll make the cocktails together and then sit back, drink and grab a bite.”

The idea for the classes, which start October 15 and run almost every other Wednesday through December 17 at EatBar, came, Chersevani explains, from her patrons: “People kept asking me how to make certain drinks, and I’d get e-mails asking for recipes. I’ve taken cooking classes and know how useful they can be, so I just wanted to help people out.”

Classes will have a specific theme, some focusing on certain spirits (“The Showdown: Gin vs. Vodka”) and others on holiday drinks (“Witches’ Brew” and “New Year’s Cocktails to Remember All Year,” for example). Additionally, snacks meant to be paired with the cocktails will be prepared by executive chef Andrew Markert.

You may also be interested in... Halloween Parties | Happy Hour Finder | Oktoberfest Events | How to Have Fun for Free in Washington

Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Thursday, October 9: The Rock and Roll Hotel is hosting the SAFE & Sound benefit concert this evening. Former Georgie James member Laura Burhenn, Olivia & the Housemates, Lode Runner, and the Spiritual Machine will all be performing, and proceeds from the concert will benefit Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment (SAFE). Great music for a good cause? We’re so there.

It’s Second Thursday Art Night at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, and tonight’s theme is archaeology. There will be a lecture about historical preservation, a reception for the exhibit “Revealed Histories,” and an exhibit on discovering and examining the lives of our predecessors. From 6 to 9; free.

A fall chill is in the air, so—sadly—that means the end of the International Club of DC’s rooftop happy hour at the Embassy Row Hilton. Celebrate the last one of the year with great city views and drink specials. RSVP at internationalclubdc.com. From 6:30 to 9:30; $5.

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Although it’s known for its party materials, Party America (18036 Mateny Rd., Germantown; 301-515-8980) also has many options for costumes and materials for all ages.

Backstage (545 Eighth St., SE; 202-544-5744), on Capitol Hill, is DC’s theatrical superstore, with costumes and accessories for all ages.

Costumes Creative (9168 Brookville Rd., Silver Spring; 301-587-6275) has extended its hours this month to allow shoppers more time to choose from more than 15,000 costumes in stock.

Saturdays and Sundays, October 4 through November 2: Fright Fest
On Saturdays, Sundays, and Halloween night, Six Flags America becomes a haunted playground. Arrive early for trick-or-treating and rides, and stay until dark to ride haunted versions of the coasters. Only children are permitted to wear costumes, masks, and face paint, while all others will be asked to remove costumes before entering.

Thursday, October 23, through Sunday, October 26: Boo at the Zoo
The tenth annual Halloween festival invites costumed guests to trick-or-treat at the National Zoo. Children ages two to 12 can enjoy candy, snacks, animal encounters, and more. Tickets are required and sell out quickly. Members (with a six-ticket limit) pay $15, nonmembers $25, children under age two free; 5:30 to 8:30 PM.