Celebs in Disguise!
Weekend
4th Annual Capitale Halloween Masquerade Ball
Diddy, Nicky Hilton, Heidi Klum, Karolina Kurkova, and Zac Posen have graced past guest lists so ladies, think twice before donning those Olsen twin outfits. Not only may you be upstaged by the real thing, but the ball is co-hosted by It-girl boy-toy Scott Sartiano who knows the difference between Mary-Kate and Ashley, never mind some impertinent impostor. (This ghoulish bash is one of the few times a year that Capitale is open to the public.)
• Capitale, 130 Bowery, between Grand and Broome Sts., 212-334-5500.
• Oct. 29, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.
• $30 in advance; $50 at the door; online tickets.
Halloween
GBH and Girls & Boys Halloween Bash
Great British House soirees consistently attract rock’s legendary pedigree: Sean Lennon, Gordy from BLOC Party, Andy Rourke from the Smiths, and Keith Richards’ daughters Theodora and Alexandra. Tonight is likely to be no different. With special guest DJs Andy Bell (Erasure) and Paddy Boom (The Scissor Sisters) spinning, expect to see your indie iPod playlist personified and in costume.
• Lotus, 409 W. 14th St. between Ninth and Tenth Aves., 212-243-4420.
• Oct. 31, 9 p.m.
• $10.
Only in New York
Weekend
Motherfucker Halloween Horror
MOFO parties have been a downtown staple since 2000, and this annual bash is their most anticipated—and their most out there. Club kids take a penchant for Ricky’s makeup to the extreme with elaborate, eye-popping costumes; NYU undergrads put studies aside for a night of polysexual, rock-n-roll debauchery. This year’s theme, the 30th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, promises to blur the gender lines even more than usual. Take your cue from tranny DJ Michael T and Justine D as they dictate the dance floor with glam, punk and industrial as Black Cat Burlesque triggers pheromones with artful stripteases inspired by scream-worthy B-movies. Even with all this stimuli, you’ll need to re-fuel during the Red Bull and vodka open bar from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. if you plan to last until the after-hours creepy costume contest.
• Roxy, 515 W. 18th St, between Tenth and Eleventh Aves., 212-645-5156.
• Oct. 28, 10 p.m.
• $15; $20.
Halloween
Village Halloween Costume Ball
Now in its 28th year, this ball isn’t simply a masquerade. It’s a one-night festival. There’ll be non-stop entertainment from the likes of Penny Arcade, Zero Boy, Hot Lavender Swing Band, and The Killer Dancing Girls (pictured); paranormal predictions from a Wiccan psychic, a numerologist and an aura reader; and an internationally flavored buffet. Outside, the entertainment continues as stilt-walkers and fire-eaters compete for your attention with the torch-lit, Medieval ritual The Red and Black Masque. True to TNC’s agit-prop esthetic, the costume contest has a political slant: Moet & Chandon champagne and season tickets are awarded to “Most Appointed Crony” and “Most Bo-Toxic.” Formalwear or freaky wear required.
• Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., at 10th St., 212-254-1109.
• Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m.
• $20.
The Mega Club
Weekend
Danny Tenaglia at Spirit
Calling all house heads! New York’s club scene is making a comeback this fall. Appropriately, superstar DJ Danny Tenaglia has returned to awaken Spirit’s dancing souls. The king of the house remix—think any club version of a Madonna/Whitney/Britney track—takes over the turntables with a rare appearance that’s actually just one in a trio of notable guest mixmasters this weekend. (Lee Burridge runs B.E.D.’s dance floor on Oct. 29; Richie Hawtin spins at Cielo on the 30th.) Tenaglia is the hot ticket, however, especially if you think your costume might snag you the $1000 first prize.
• Spirit, 530 W. 27th St., between Tenth and Eleventh Aves., 212-268-9477.
• Oct. 28, 11 p.m.
• $40.
Halloween
Halloween at Webster Hell
At the Village Halloween Parade’s official after-party, an elaborate ceremony with a virgin sacrifice prepares the way for the arrival of the Demon Queen and her scantily clad dancers. To quell your fears, there’s an open bar from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.; to fatten your wallet, there’s a $5,000 cash prize for the best costume. A Michael Jackson retrospective guarantees the night will be a thriller.
• Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St., between Third and Fourth Aves., 212-353-1600.
• Oct. 31, 8 p.m.
• $25; $80; $420.
The Goth Rock Show
Weekend
Slipknot
As far as wardrobe goes, Halloween is just another day for the masked metalheads of Slipknot. This nine-man shock-rock band is known as much for its raise-the-dead look and violent onstage antics as it is for its alternative rap-metal. Fans, affectionately referred to as “Maggots,” can be equally over-the-top. (Expect a bruise or two in the mosh pit.) Since this holiday marks the ninth anniversary of their self-released debut Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. and the band drops a live CD next month, you’ll undoubtedly be hearing classic tracks like “Wait and Bleed” and “People = Shit.”
• Nokia Theatre Times Square, 1515 Broadway, at 44th St., 212-930-1950
• Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.
• $41.
Halloween
Drop Dead Festival
Last year’s three-day showcase of psychobilly, goth, death rock and horror punk at the Knitting Factory was such a hit that this year they’ve added a fourth day and a second venue. More than 65 acts (many indebted to The Misfits) take the stage, but the real draw is Monday night, when punk goddess Nina Hagen gives a rare stateside performance at the abandoned church-turned-nightclub, Avalon. Sharing the bill will be the eccentrically theatrical band Cinema Strange and the eerily dapper World Inferno Friendship Society.
• Avalon, 47 W. 20th St., at Sixth Ave., 212-807-7780
• Oct. 31, 7 p.m.
• $35; $100.
The Low-Budget Costume Party
Weekend
Motor City Bar
Tonight’s the night when hardcore fans get to become the stars they adore. At this bar celebrating Detroit Rock City, the impersonations span from the elaborate to the reverential to the twisted. Guess who wins? Last year’s top honors went to a guy dressed as Rick Allen, the one-armed drummer from Def Leppard. This year perhaps someone will come as a geriatric Mick Jagger with a walker. Drink specials run until last call at 4 a.m.
• 127 Ludlow St., between Rivington and Delancey Sts.; 212-358-1595.
• Oct. 28, 10 p.m.
• Free.
Halloween
Doc Holliday’s
“How naked can you get?” is the un-stated but apparent question at Doc Holliday’s Sexiest Costume Contest. Last year’s winner constructed a trashy anti-outfit of used Lay’s potato chip bags; another contestant wore nothing but clear balloons to simulate a bubble bath. $600 in prize money is doled out but most of the female competitors–dressed as catwomen or naughty nurses—are happy enough winning free beer or being treated to a $3 Michelob pint, the special which lasts all night.
• 141 Ave. A, at 9th St., 212-979-0312.
• Oct. 31, midnight.
• Free.
On the Cusp
Alegria Halloween 2
Is it on the weekend or isn’t it? The festivities at Alegria, the periodic circuit party at Crobar, begin Sunday night but last well into Monday morning. In honor of the Little Shop of Horrors theme, the Chelsea boys are likely to be showing enough bare flesh to drive a man-eating plant crazy.
• Crobar, 530 W. 28th St., between Tenth and Eleventh Aves., 212-629-9000.
• Oct. 30, 8 p.m.-8 a.m.
• $50 in advance; $60 at door; online tickets.