It’s finally fall around here, and Halloween is popping up in bars around town, along with festivals, fundraisers and family-friendly fun. Whether dressing up or just having an excuse to get a good drink is your thing, these events have you covered.
Scotchtober
Cafe la Vie, the restaurant within Le Meridien St. Louis Clayton, returns with its signature fall beverage program, Scotchtober. Each week, guests joining Scotchtober happy hour can experience a new collection of labels through flights or individual pours. Select evenings will also feature beverage experts who can share insight into the spirits, their production and tasting notes. Scotchtober also includes a ticketed Glenfiddich dinner on Oct. 12 featuring four courses, each paired with a different Glenfiddich expression. Tickets are $99, plus tax and gratuity, for this 21+ event. The full menu and reservations can be found on OpenTable.
Tuesday through Thursday beginning Oct. 6 – 4-10 p.m., Cafe la Vie, 7730 Bonhomme Ave., Clayton, 314.863.0400, cafelaviestlouis.com
Maker Fest 2026
MADE Makerspace is hosting its first-ever fundraiser this fall. Maker Fest, co-presented with Bengelina Hospitality Group, brings together a diverse community of makers, artists and musicians. Guests will shop with local makers, enjoy food and drinks Del Bono, Nixta and Florentin, take part in raffles and grab bags, and experience interactive art, live music, and hands-on demonstrations throughout the evening. All proceeds from Maker Fest will help fund scholarships, entrepreneurship programs and access to creative tools at MADE Makerspace, a hub for the arts and community on Delmar. Tickets are $25 and include two food or drink tokens.
Oct. 2, 6-9 p.m. Maker’s Yard, 5232 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, madestl.com/makerfest
GroveCrawl
The inaugural GroveCrawl is a celebration from one Grove sign to the other on Manchester Avenue. Business owners have designed the event to encourage guests to explore the whole district. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 the day of and include a commemorative mug, drink discounts, live entertainment, neighborhood transportation and no-cover access to the Grove’s nightclubs. Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. is sponsoring $6 beer cans, Eight Track will have $8 signature cocktails at each location and Carbliss canned cocktails will be available for $6. Find tickets and the whole entertainment schedule on the GroveCrawl website.
Oct. 3 – 4-10 p.m. The Grove, Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, grovecrawl.com
Sauce Food Truck Friday
We’re sorry to say that this is 2026’s last Food Truck Friday, but we’re going out with a bang. Moon Valley is playing all evening long, and Tower Grove will be full of more than 20 food trucks, plus local drink and vendors. (Psst — keep reading to learn about Sauce’s next big event in Tower Grove Park.)
Oct. 2 – 3:30 p.m. to sundown, Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, saucemagazine.com
Wine & Food Holiday Festival
Kick off the holiday season in St. Louis with the annual Wine & Food Holiday Festival. The event supports local charities while showcasing wine and culinary talents from all over the Metro St. Louis area. This year, guests will enjoy wine and spirit tastings, food trucks, local vendors and live music. VIP ticket holders can participate in workshops like Sip Like a Sommelier and Paint & Sip, along with a Create the Best Cocktail Contest. Check out the different ticket tiers at the festival website.
Oct. 10 – noon to 8 p.m. Cortex Commons, 4270 Duncan Ave., St. Louis, wineandfoodholidayfestival.com
St. Raymond-St. Elizabeth Church Autumn Harvest Festival
The Autumn Harvest Festival at St. Raymond-St. Elizabeth Church is free and open to the public, a full-day of food, music and fall fun. For one day, visitors can feast on American and traditional Lebanese food, visit a whiskey bar and enjoy live music from DJ Jim Risk and the SappingTones. Kids can participate in a sucker pull for prizes, and adults can visit the raffle booth for their own winnings. Visit the parish website for more information.
Oct. 17 – noon to 9 p.m., St. Raymond-St. Elizabeth Church, 1420 Sappington Road, Crestwood, 314.968,0760, stelizabethhungary.org
Sauce Magazine’s Harvest Festival
If you thought Food Truck Friday was fun, wait until you see Harvest Fest. This single-day event features a diverse lineup of local makers, handcraft artisans, gourmet food trucks, craft breweries and live music, all in the heart of Tower Grove Park. Ghost Kitchen will be providing the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers tunes while Big Mike Aguirre and The Blu City All Stars will have a more soulful, R&B sound. Come to eat, shop and celebrate the season during this event that’s fun for the whole family.
Oct. 18 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, saucemagazine.com
Black Lagoon
Black Lagoon, the Halloween pop-up that hits dozens of cities across the country, returns to Platypus this fall. Along with immersive decor that will take over Platypus’s identity for the season, Black Lagoon also features an exclusive cocktail menu, combining theatrical presentations with ingredient-driven recipes inspired by the spirit of the season. This year, some of those cocktails include the Moon Shadow, an eerie take on an espresso martini; Abyssa’s Obsession, featuring Pumpkin-Infused Kraken Black & Gold Spiced Rums in this spooky season take on the classic piña colada; and the Bone Temple, a fall-inspired margarita.
Through Oct. 31 – Platypus, 4501 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.449.0905 blacklagoonpopup.com
The Haunting
The minds behind Christmas pop-ups Miracle and Sippin’ Santa have a twisted new venture — The Haunting, a Halloween pop-up bar inspired by haunted houses, vintage Halloween decorations and ghost stories. Signature drinks will include concoctions like the Clown Pear-anoia, featuring mezcal, aperitif wine, French bitter, pear, fennel, yogurt and lemon; the Severed Sun, with bourbon, amaro, elderflower, sage, ginger, grapefruit and lambrusco; the Tangled Web, with vodka, ube, passion fruit, vanilla, lemon and prosecco foam, along with many others. The Pumpkin Payback shot even comes with its own collectible shot glass. Reservations can be made on the Planter’s House Tock site.
Oct. 1-31 – Planter’s House, 1000 Mississippi Ave., St. Louis, 314.696.2603, thehauntingpopup.com
Fright at the Museum
Every floor of the City Museum is full of mystifying oddities and curiosities this October, from Jack-O-Lanterns to spiders to creeping, crawling creations. All ages are encouraged to dress their best and experience activities such as fireside shows at Doc Terminus’s Odditorium, Not-So-Spooky Stories and the Haunted Harmony Circus. The adults-only City Nights Costume Ball is Oct. 9 and features live entertainment all night. On Oct. 23, do the Time Warp again during an interactive, late-night screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show. And when Halloween finally ends, City Museum still celebrates with their annual Pumpkin Throwdown on Nov. 1, where guests are invited to throw their old pumpkins, squashes or gourds off the side of the building. Check out the City Museum website for all the details on dates, times, tickets and info about specialty food and drink, like the Vampire Bar.
Through Nov. 1 – City Museum, 750 N. 16th St., St. Louis, 314.231.2489, citymuseum.org
Jack’s Lighted Trail
The seasonal favorite is back. Jack’s Lighted Trail, a half-mile Halloween trip featuring giant pumpkins, illuminated displays, photo ops and interactive surprises among the cornstalks has some new features this year. The Windmill Speakeasy is tucked away, waiting for guests to order this year’s signature drink, the Drink Me Potion. Jack’s After Dark, for adults only, takes place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 and includes a cocktail and light-up glasses or a necklace for each guest. Costume Night is fun for the whole family on Oct. 29 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; each child will receive a Halloween treat bag to enjoy while they explore the trail. Get tickets in advance and find the whole trail schedule on the Eckert’s website.
Through Oct. 30 – Eckert’s Farm, 951 S. Green Mount Road, Belleville, 800.745.0513, eckerts.com
Nightmare Bar
The nationwide pop-up Nightmare Bar has partnered with Smirnoff Ice for its return to St. Louis, promising an immersive experience that’s part bar, part Halloween party. Your ticket gets you 90 minutes of interactive games and challenges, music, photo ops and access to a seasonal cocktail menu, all themed after classic horror movies. Costumes are strongly-encouraged for this 21+ event.
Oct. 3-31 – The Attic Music Bar, 4247 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, feverup.com/m/740596