If you were jealous of all the fun the kids were having last weekend at Naper Settlement’s All Hallows Eve at the Naper Settlement, this weekend there’s a Halloween event just for grownups.
Howlin’ at the Moon will be scaring up a spooky good time from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, at the Naperville history museum campus. The event is limited to 21-and-older crowd, costs $25 and requires an ID to enter.
“Howlin’ at the Moon is our Halloween bash for adults,” Naper Settlement spokeswoman Denise Wilt said. “It has a ton of mind-blowing sideshow performances, we have a really exciting lineup of live music this year, (and) we also encourage guests to dress up because we have a costume contest. The event features tons of food and alcoholic beverages for sale.
“Leave the kids at home and have a fun night out with your friends,” she said.
The costume contest is a nightly feature and prizes are awarded to the top three contestants on both nights.
“There are a lot of people who get pretty excited for the costume contest,” she said. “This event started in 2021 and every year I have seen better and better costumes. Everyone is so talented. So many people create their own costumes. A lot of people really get into it, which is great.”
Despite being relatively new, Howlin’ at the Moon has become one of the history museum’s premier events, she said.
“Adults like to get into the Halloween spirit too; it’s not just for kids,” she said. “We provide an area for adults to have their Halloween fun. We have spooky attractions and activities for them too.”
Several features from All Hallows Eve will make a return appearance, including the 800-square-foot Screams from the Unknown Outdoor Haunt attraction, which features eye-catching animatronics.
The 15-foot-high werewolf and gargoyle sculptures created by Naperville artist Paul Kuhn will be on hand for people to pose for photos with and the dark arts gallery with eerie photos and other creepy works will be open. Pinot’s Palette will again offer black light painting.
Sideshow performer Kazimir the Hungry will be back this weekend too, entertaining the crowds with his sword swallowing, glass eating and bed of nails walk, she said. There will also be a contortionist and fire dancers.
A Moonlight Market will have six vendors selling Halloween-themed wares like bath bombs, jewelry and other unusual handmade creations, Wilt said.
“People can shop for a lot of unique items,” she said.
The musical acts were carefully curated and include Friday headliners High Fade performing from 8 to 10 p.m. They’re a funk and disco trio from Edinburgh, Scotland. Opening at 5:15 p.m. is the multigenre rock band Fresh Hops from Northwest Indiana.
On Saturday, the Colorado-based Kyle Hollingsworth Band takes the stage from 8 to 10 p.m. Kyle Hollingsworth is the keyboard player for the long-running jam band, the String Cheese Incident.
Family Groove Company of Chicago will open the evening at 5:15 p.m. playing jazz-funk-rock fusion.
“We’re really excited to welcome the Kyle Hollingsworth Band,” Wilt said. “He’ll perform a special Halloween set for Howlin’ at the Moon.”
The music is a big draw for some folks, she said.
“People come because they love the spooky aspect and they want a Halloween event just for adults,” she said. “And there are some people who come because they really like the live music that we have. We have a really exciting musical lineup.”
The BOOZe Bar will be selling beer, wine and tequila seltzers and a Food Truck Graveyard will offer a variety of items for sale, including pizza, ribs, kettle corn and empanadas.
“It’s got a mixture of everything for all different types of audiences, from the live music to the performers,” Wilt said. “It’s a fun night out to celebrate Halloween with your friends.”
For more information or to buy tickets, go to NaperSettlement.org/Howlin.
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
