Halloween

The Florida Philharmonic kicks off its third season with a concert celebrating the mystery, magic and macabre of Halloween with a program titled “Masquerade: Symphony of Shadows.”The concert features well-known works by composers from the Romantic Era along with more contemporary pieces by Emmy award-winning composer Anthony DiLorenzo. We’ll get a preview in a conversation with Maestro Richard Stoelzel and Concertmaster Ming Gao.

If you aren't looking for scary movie figures or chainsaws this Halloween season, Sloughwitched might be your best bet to still have a spooky SWFL experience.

Although the heat says otherwise, fall is officially here as well as its festivities. Lee County Parks and Recreation have scheduled a plethora of activities that capture the autumn season and the Halloween spirit.

MM Brands is hosting “Costume Swap for a Cause,” a free community Halloween costume exchange. Families can bring gently used Halloween costumes and exchange them for another at no cost, or just take one.

Florida is the land of sunshine and good vibes, but when the sun goes down on Downtown Fort Myers, something ghastly takes over.

This October, the Alliance for the Arts will transform the Foulds Theatre into a terrifying maze of disorienting corridors filled with twisted clowns and theatrical carnage. To bring this terrifying vision to life, the Alliance is holding open auditions for a variety of roles, including performers for a horror-filled one-act play, iconic villain cosplay appearances, and a charismatic emcee to guide guests through nightly "frightivities" that will take place over 13 consecutive nights.

This season will be Theatre Conspiracy’s last in Southwest Florida. Founder and Producing Artistic Director Bill Taylor has announced a lineup of 11 blockbuster shows for its farewell tour. Since the company is no longer at the Alliance for the Arts, it has arranged to stage this season’s shows in the Off Broadway Palm, Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium and The Laboratory Theater of Florida.

It’s that time again - carved pumpkins, falling leaves, and costumed kids demanding candy from strangers – it’s Halloween! Or, as it was once called, All Hallows’ Eve. But how did it all begin?

To mitigate the risk of accidents, doctors say pedestrians and drivers should stay alert and exercise extra caution. Wearing safe costumes and avoiding open flames for decorations are also must-dos.

Every holiday has its back-story and a bit of history – many also have associations with the wild things around us. Halloween is a holiday rich in lore of wild things – such as bats and spiders --and domesticated plants and animals such as pumpkins, rutabagas, and black cats. Rutabagas? Learn the connection as this week’s Wild Things celebrates those wild and not so wild connections in the lore and history of Halloween.