With October 31 falling on a holiday this year (thanks, Martin Luther!), pumpkin-happy Berliners can turn the next week’s Halloween celebration into their own edition of Christmas.
On Thursday, walk through the doors and join the outcasts, the forbidden and the dead as The House of the Red Doors: Halloween (photo) opens the gates to The Other Side. Be sure to dress up, otherwise the devilish doormen will banish you – and with rooms like “The Slaughter House Bar”, “The Blood Room” and “The Cell”, you don’t want to stay out. The line-up is filled with performers like Bishop Black and Evilyn Frantic as well as DJs like Distant Echoes and Jacob Phono. Oct 26, 23.00, Zur wilden Renate, Friedrichshain
If you’re not ready to pull on your grandmother’s wedding dress or drench yourself in fake blood but still want a party, you should head to The Mystical Island on Friday. Treptow’s leafy Insel der Jugend will transform into the ideal horror movie setting, with special light installations to enjoy from the rooftop terrace of the cultural centre as Katermukke DJ Lee Jokes (among others) fire up the floors. Oct 27, 22.00, Insel der Jugend, Alt-Treptow
Or why not let others do the dressing up? Thrown by local music zine The Chop, the Halloweird – Cover Band Extravaganza is your chance to almost see all the star acts you didn’t know you want to see. Six Berlin bands will impersonate musical heroes from the last six decades, including Areamann giving new life to Aerosmith’s “heavy metal” and Fenster taking care of Gwen Stefani and No Doubt. Costumed guests will receive a free shot. Oct 27, 21.00, Marie-Antoinette, Mitte
Halloween doesn’t exactly rhyme with technology. However, that’s not stopping Factory Berlin from having their very own Tech Halloween Party on Friday. Don’t expect lectures on trick-or-treating apps or holograms of Frankenstein or Dracula, but rather a good old-school party with the Berlin tech community. Makeup artists will be there to transform you from bespectacled tie-guy to roiling maniac in no time. Oct 27, 21.00, Factory Berlin, Mitte
Given the plethora of Friday options, you might be excused for being a bit tired come Saturday. If not, get on your dancing shoes, dress up (maybe even as a communist) and head to Kino International’s Horror Show & Club Experience. The iconic cinema will go full Halloween on four floors with live performances, DJs and horror walks. Oct 28, 22.00, Kino International, Mitte
Or maybe you just want to stick the finger to the Americanisation of the All Hallow’s Eve and spend a day carving some Jack-O’-Lanterns? Swing by the Berlin Botanical Gardens for a family-friendly celebration. Oct 29, 11-18, Botanical Gardens, Dahlem
Seeing as Halloween collides with Reformationstag (a holiday in Berlin this year, for once!) Monday is all set for partying until the clock strikes 12 and beyond. Spend it at your friendly neighbourhood record shop with DJs Gin Sonic & Simo Alienslut at Wowsville’s Halloween Party. Dance the night away and drink special Halloween cocktails. Oct 30, 20.00, Wowsville Bar, Kreuzberg
And now it’s finally Halloween. Put a cap on the last days’ escapades with someone who dresses up more than just once a year. Pansy Presents: Halloween will turn the reigning queen’s weekly drag night into an unforgettably deadly show, complete with costume contest and (hopefully) tons of singing. Oct 31, 21.00, Monster Ronson’s Ichiban Karaoke, Friedrichshain
After these intense days of splatter, gore and dancing, you need somewhere to relax. Why not head to the movies? At Ladenkino, the Final Girls Berlin Halloween Bash (Oct 31, 20:30) serves up all the female-directed horror shorts you can stomach, while the zombie film festival The Rising of the Undead presents a murderer’s row of brain-dead indie flicks at Moviemento. Definitely the best way to cure your horror abstinence. Oct 30-Nov 2, Kino Moviemento, Kreuzberg