Popular venues offer spooky Halloween fun

Once largely ignored in China, the Western holiday Halloween is getting more traction every year, with parties that are spooky, sexy, beery or just good family fun. The Beijing and Shanghai listings below offer something for everyone:

Beijing

Oct 29

Pumpkin power

Get a head start on Halloween with Juice by Melissa, with a cold-pressed Pumpkin Spiced Rum cocktail. Buy one drink and you'll get a free pumpkin to carve in the shop. The person that carves the most creative pumpkin gets a chance to win a free hangover package to be delivered on Nov 1, after all that crazy Halloween partying.

6-10 pm; juicebymelissa.com; 130-4112-1556.

Oct 30

On-screen fright

Mas will be showing trashy '80s horror films Chopping Mall and Society at its third annual Scream Queens Halloween scary spectacular. (On Halloween night: Giallo music and specialty cocktails with a haunted-house theme.)

9 pm-late; 25 Beixinqiao Toutiao. 010-6405-4337.

Oct 31

Family-fun brunch

Feast restaurant at East Hotel Beijing is putting on a spooky good Halloween brunch especially for the kids. One boy and one girl every hour will win a best-costume prize. There will be trick-or-treat for candy and face-painting at the children's corner. Cost 238 yuan ($37) plus 15 percent service charge per person; children under 6 dine for free and children 6-11 are half priced.

11:30 am-3 pm; www.east-beijing.com/en/; 010-8414-9820.

Day of the Dead

Cantina Agave's Dead Sexy party is all about Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead). For this Mexican-themed party, put on your face paint and sexy outfit. (A makeup artist will be on hand to give you a sugar-skull transformation if you don't trust your own skills.) Sangria and beer will be 25 yuan each; DJ Jager Zhadan will be mixing it up.

7 pm-late; www.cantinaagave.com; 010-6416-5212.

Halloween feast

Want to avoid the crush around Sanlitun and the usual party haunts in Beijing? Head north to the Yongtaizhuang area and relax at Windy City Ballroom, where the 188-yuan set-meal options include porcupine prawns on salad greens, cranberry-brie-stuffed chicken and pumpkin-pie crumble with dolce de leche sauce. Pumpkin-carving, trick-or-treating and games - plus a free drink on arrival.

From 6pm; www.comfortfoodbeijing.com; 010-6299-3777.

Beery good fun

The Great Leap Brewing team has something different going at each location: Free beer for everyone that shows up in costume at #6. The biggest event, at #12, is the annual costume contest with prizes for the best get-ups. The evening's after party is at #45: 10 yuan from all pints of Imperial Pumpkin sold will be donated to the LGBT Center.

6 pm-2 am; www.greatleapbrewing.com.

Shanghai

Oct 31

Glampire Ball

The recently opened and drop-dead gorgeous Glam hosts the Glampire Ball, with plenty of animations and entertainment to keep you amused. Indulge in Champagne, which everybody knows is a vampire's second-favorite drink.

7 pm-1 am; www.m-restaurantgroup.com; 021-6329-3751.

Take a starring role

Join a raucous crowd of filmgoers in a screening of the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, courtesy of The Culture Trip Shanghai and My Place Ruin Bar, complete with traditional audience participation and props. Free admission; drink specials and giveaways are on offer, as well as prizes for best costume.

7 pm-late; shanghai@theculturetrip.com; 159-0054-9249.

A chance to fly high

Le Chat Noir, the rooftop garden terrace of 8Art Hotel on the Bund, offers a chance to dress up like ghouls, ghosts, vampires, zombies and anything else you can think of for its Halloween Cosplay party. The most creative costume can win 6,000 yuan worth of glider-flight training. There's a pumpkin-carving contest for the first 50 guests, and belly dancers who will teach the tricks of the trade. RSVP ticket price is 150 yuan (including two glasses of wine); 180 yuan at gate.

Get your ghost here

Where better to have a ghoulish Halloween than at a former abattoir? Organizers of this event at 1933 are claiming it will be 'Shanghai's biggest ghost town'.

7:33 pm-midnight; www.1933shanghai.com; 021-6501-1933.

China Daily