Best Halloween Parties In San Francisco
Halloween in San Francisco is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Each of the following parties caters to the variety of tastes trick-or-treaters seek. Whether it may be a haunted hotel or a risqué rendezvous, it is time to get your costumes on!
Nightmare on Van Ness
The Regency Building
1300 Van Ness Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94109
(818) 534-6314
www.nightmareonvanness.com
Date: Saturday, October 27
Dance under the chandeliers dangling like spiders from golden decorated ceilings at The Regency Building nightclub as a live concert, including a performance by Too Short and the Sexy Go-Go Dancers, rocks the stage and a party develops. A haunted house-themed upstairs and lower level infested with cobwebs offer a Halloween party for everyone at $35 for general-admission tickets and $75 for VIP and open bar. While costumes are required, a cash prize will be given to the person donning the best disguise. Get your ticket early before this monster bash sells out. No tickets will be sold at the door or to anyone under 21.
Ghost Ship
Treasure Island, Hangar 3
San Francisco, CA 94130
www.ghostshiphalloween.com
Date: Saturday, October 27
If you party at Burning Man each year, this is the Halloween bash for you. Enter an 80,000-foot hangar converted into a post-apocalyptic world including a giant space ship surrounded by wandering zombies walking through blown-up buildings and wastelands. Get your groove on in one of the sound areas featuring one of 40 DJs and bands. The lineup includes the Space Cowboys, SunsetSF, Pink Mammoth, The Janky Barge, Hookahdome, The Slayers Club and Seismic. Grab some headphones and join in the silent disco. Art installations, such as Ryan Fredricks' work, in addition to art by other local artists will be featured throughout the party. This Burning Man-inspired event will be bringing some art back from the desert, such as its well-known ArtCars. Prepare for puppets in addition to a world created by thousands of hours delivered by hundreds of volunteers and a collaboration with the Cardboard Institute of Technology. Tickets sell out each year so buy yours two to three weeks in advance. Tickets are now $40-$50.
Masquerotica
San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center
635 8th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
www.masquerotica.com
Date: Saturday, October 20
Welcome to the second annual Masquerotica experience, a party filled with mini worlds catering to the several parts of the underground artistic and sensual community. As this party takes on its own energy, walk from a room decorated in a rich red for a bordello vibe into another decorated with fabric and beds. Each zone will have its own music and feel. One area will have a light bondage demo for the fetish crowd amidst a room with industrial flavor and an opulent setting. There will be something for everyone from the outrageous to the minimally sexy. While a costume is not required, party goers can't get in without showing that a good effort has been made to be a participant of this event.
The Haunted Ball
891 Beach St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
www.donovansf.com
Date: Saturday, October 27th
For more than a decade, The Haunted Ball has entertained Halloween party goers with captivating settings. Join thousands of fashion-forward people dressed as muscular super heros, sexy cartoon characters, angels, naughty school girls and cats as you stroll through Ana Mandara at Ghirardelli Square, one of San Francisco's landmarks. Enjoy the theatrical performances as you make your way through a plethora of spiderwebs, goblins, creepy witches and tormenting devil decorations. General-admission tickets are $49-$79 and VIP tickets are $199-$399 depending on the date of purchase. Prizes will go to best costume, sexiest costume, scariest costume, best couple costume and best group costume.
Haunted W
Hotel W
181 3rd St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 573-0740
www.sfnightlife.com
Date: Saturday, October 27
A Halloween party for San Francisco's chic is created as Hotel W's lower level is converted into the Haunted W. Join the bash as two dance floors offer top 40 music, house music and a special appearance by DJ Nathan Scott from XIV in Los Angeles. Early-bird admission is $40, general admission is $60, VIP open bar is $100 and an entourage of five is $150. Bring your costume.
Kristina Ruiz-Healy is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.
