With Halloween just around the corner, you’re trembling — with excitement, that is. Your costume’s good to go. You’ve got ample tricks up your sleeve. But — horrors! — you’re still sketchy on your plans. Never fear. These 13 parties will help you brew up some fun.
1. Creepfest ’07. If the basement haunted house at Enclave sends chills up your spine, never fear: The three-hour cocktail reception (9 p.m.-midnight) will calm your nerves. 9 p.m. Saturday. $30. 220 W. Chicago Ave. 312-654-0234. Tickets: chicagotwenty something.com.
2. Halloween Frenzy. With Metromix Rock ‘n’ Vote finalist White Hot Knife and other bands playing at Subterranean, it’s never been easier to cut a rug. 9:30 p.m. Saturday. $5. 2011 W. North Ave. 773-278-6600.
3. The Legendary Haunted House Music Bash. House music legend Lidell Townsell raises the roof at Congress Theater with a live performance (10 p.m.), and more than 15 DJs bring the party home. 8 p.m. Saturday. $25-$30. 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave. 708-536-8455. Tickets: ticketmaster.com.
4. Nocturna Halloween Ball. DJ Scary Lady Sarah, horror film clips and an onstage costume contest make this House of Blues party a bash of Gothic proportions. 11 p.m. Saturday. $10-$15 (18+). 329 N. Dearborn St. 312-923-2000. Tickets: ticketmaster.com.
5. Mix ‘n’ Mash Bash. With a cocktail reception (9 p.m.-midnight) and a costume contest featuring a $500 bar tab, there’s no better place to get monster smashed than Mix. 9 p.m. Saturday. $30. 2843 N. Halsted St. 773-528-7569.
6. Neon Barbie Halloween Party. Get dolled up for Halloween — big time. Light up the night at Rednofive with a neon Barbie fashion show presented by Mario Ink Bodypainting (1 a.m.) and pose for free pics in a life-sized Barbie box. Seriously. 10 p.m. Saturday. $20. 440 N. Halsted St. 312-733-6699.
7. X-ecutioner’s Ball VI. If you’re dressing to kill this Halloween, you may as well do it for a shot at $1,000 cash at Excalibur’s annual over-the-top bash. 7 p.m. Saturday. $10-$15. 632 N. Dearborn St. 312-266-1944.
8. RedEye/Metromix Halloween Bash. Our weekend bash at 10pin Bowling Lounge hits a strike with a costume contest featuring a five-day Cancun vacation for the best get-up. 9 p.m. Saturday. $35. 330 N. State St. 312-644-0100. Tickets: redeyechicago.com/events.
9. Double Door Halloween Bash. Everyone gets into costume at Double Door’s yearly bash — even the entertainment. Six costumed cover bands take the stage, including The Last Vegas as Alice Cooper, The Midnight Shows as Boy George and more. 9 p.m. Saturday. $12. Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-489-3160 or ticketmaster.com.
10. Sidetrack’s Halloween Party. If you don’t have the guts to march in the 11th Annual North Halsted Street Halloween Parade, watch it live on a jumbo screen (7:30 p.m.) and strut your stuff for a shot at $500 in Sidetrack’s annual costume contest (10 p.m.). 7 p.m. Oct. 31. No cover. 3349 N. Halsted St. 773-477-9189.
11. The Coffin Banger’s Monster Mash Party. This zombie costume party at new Near South Side music venue Reggie’s Rock Club brings it in spades with burlesque dancers, a dominatrix and a self-destructive act by “Happy the Human Pin Cushion” that you have to see to believe. 9 p.m. Oct. 31. $10-$15. 2109 S. State St. 847-345-4008.
12. Halloween Masque Bash. The Halloween party at Lumen is one of the few places in town you can sip Lucid Absinthe cocktails. Nothing like a mild hallucinogen to lift your spirits. 8 p.m. Oct. 31. $15-$20. 839 W. Fulton Market. 312-733-2222.
13. Metromix “Scareoke” Party. Our Halloween-night bash at Victory Liquors is the only karaoke contest in town where you’ll actually win prizes for having the worst voice. If the crooning is too much to bear, just drown it out bobbing for shots. 7 p.m. Oct. 31. No cover. 2610 N. Halsted St. 773-348-5600.
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