Muerto-ween

It’s only fitting that in 2016, the year that we lost David Bowie and Prince (among countless others), and Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for president of the United States, Halloween falls on a Monday. A Monday. If there’s a silver lining to be found, it’s in the fact that a Monday holiday means early celebrations will be going on all weekend long, and Día de Los Muertos does it right in the first place with three days of celebration no matter what the calendar dictates. Check out events around town this week:

Kick it off with the Old School Halloween Party on Friday, October 28, at 9 p.m. at Momo in Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub (2708 J Street). DJ Illest will be spinning ’80s and ’90s hip-hop and R&B all night, so grab a buddy and bust out your Kris Kross costumes. Admission is $10 and you must be 21 or older. Visit www.harlows.com for more info.

On Saturday, October 29, the Calaveras & Corn Fall Festival will be taking place at Casa de Espanol (1101 R Street) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For the kiddos there will be carnival games, hayrides, a costume contest, a pumpkin patch and a not-so-scary Día de Los Muertos-themed haunted house; for the grown ups there will be food from MASA Taco Kitchen and beer from Track 7 Brewing Co.; you can also stick around for the Mezcal Cantina Experience from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., which will involve drinking mezcal, obviously, and listening to live music from Crosswinds. Admission is free; check out www.facebook.com/events/
867469750021464 to find out more. Across town on Saturday as well as Sunday, the Latino Center of Art and Culture hosts its big annual El Panteon de Sacramento Día de Los Muertos, wherein 60 colorful altars and memorials will be on display on the block of J and 20th streets. Check it out between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. either day; visit www.lrgp.org to find out more.

The California Auto Museum (2200 Front Street) will be hosting Shannon McCabe’s Vampire Ball on Saturday, October 29, which is a Lost Boys-themed party that will go from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and feature the Cure cover band Just Like Heaven. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through www.shannonmccabe.com.