Hyper Hygienic Halloween. We're all for doing scary stuff on Halloween, but when it comes to something as real-life scary as the coronavirus, caution is of the utmost importance. This event at the MSA Annex is a chance to celebrate in person at a spacious,17,000-square foot venue. There will be group seating and individual seating available; performances by DJHerm, Thomas B, SET and Flam Chen; and a Tucson Thrift Shop costume contest. The event is certified by the Pima County Health Department, and only 100 tickets are available! 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento. $20.
Guatemalan Crafts Sale. This annual trunk sale at Tohono Chul has gone virtual this year. Colorful shawls, beaded jewelry, handwoven textiles, purses and much more are a perfect way to add a splash of color to your home—or maybe to get your holiday shopping started. The handcrafted items all come from small cottage villages in Guatemala, from artisan families who have passed these skills down over generations. The gorgeous craftsmanship, along with the fact that many of the items are made of recycled or repurposed materials, mean you won't want to miss this event! Thursday, Oct. 29 to Saturday, Oct. 31.
Trunk or Treat Classic Car Show. It wouldn't be Halloween without a trunk or treat, would it? And it wouldn't be 2020 without masks and social distancing, right? So, what better way to celebrate Halloween 2020 than with a combination of both over at Little Anthony's Diner? The kids can enjoy some family-friendly and safe trick-or-treating, and both kids and adults can enter the costume contest! Are you dressing up as the Tiger King or a murder hornet, or are you going with the "dumpster fire" costume to reflect 2020 as a whole? 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct.31. Little Anthony's Diner, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Free.
Carve-Con 2020. Frightvision is a new series of books for middle schoolers drawn from the action-packed, just-scary-enough tradition of the classic Goosebumps books. Throughout October, the folks behind the books have been hosting spooky, family-friendly virtual events. The big finale is this Friday, in which 8- to 12-year-olds who entered a short story contest will have their work read aloud by published authors! Check out their website for a link to the event and for printable and downloadable Halloween activities, if you're still looking for something to do from home on Saturday night. 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Free.
Costumes & Critters. Halloween looks different this year, but hopefully anyone who wants to wear a costume has already decided to wear a costume anyway, whether they have somewhere to wear it or not. It is sort of extra fun when you have somewhere to wear it, though, right? Head over to the Reid Park Zoo for some socially distanced fun! Kids can visit animals and take fun photos at sets like Skeletown and Pumpkin Pallooza. Or check out the zoo's extended hours if you want to explore the colorful lighted paths and displays. Capacity is limited, and they're doing timed entry for the extended hours, so buy tickets in advance! 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, through Saturday, Oct. 31. Daytime hours are free with zoo admission Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court.
Hocus Pocus & Beetlejuice at the Drive-In. Look, you're probably going to be staying in to watch these movies on Halloween anyway. Why not make the night just a little spookier and more special by viewing them at the Cactus Drive-In Theatre? Gates open at 4:30 p.m., and Hocus Pocus starts at 6:30 p.m., so you have plenty of time to get there early for a good parking spot. They're doing an optional trunk or treat in a designated parking area if you want to bring candy and decorate your car. If you want to skip, just drive straight through to the parking area for the movie. 6:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Cactus Drive-In Theatre. $20 to $40.
Wild Dogs First Annual Trunk Or Treat. If your biggest complaint about other trunk or treat events is that there aren't enough free hot dogs, then we have the perfect event for you. Bring candy and costumes if you'd like, maintain social distancing and get ready to eat well. They've got limited free hot dogs for kids and Sonoran dogs for the adults. Bring friends and family down for a truly Tucson Halloween. 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Wild Dogs, 116 S. Kolb Road. Free.
El Sueño. The Etherton Gallery's latest exhibition, on display through January, features the work of photographers Tom Kiefer and Alejandro Cartagena, as well as a selection of Mexican Folk Retablos. Tom Kiefer, who works part-time as a janitor at a U.S. border processing station, gathers personal items left behind by migrants—ranging from combs to condoms to rosaries to wallets—and photographs them for his ongoing series, El Sueño Americano. Alejandro Cartagena recovers family photos from landfills outside Mexico City, then removes or rearranges the most crucial parts, like faces, with a blade. Cartagena calls it a reflection of how, in Latin America's social and political crises, "we have become no one." Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. Etherton Gallery, 135 S. Sixth Ave.
Artemis Books and the Well-Meaning Man. The Etcetera series over at Live Theatre Workshop is a chance to explore avant-garde and new styles of theatre, featuring original and community-based works. See if the plot of this show sounds... familiar. Regina (Reggie) runs a femme-centric feminist bookstore, a safe haven for self expression, queer people and womxn of all kinds. But when the boss of Artemis Books leaves, Reggie has to work with a new hire: straight, white cisgender JJ. There are workplace romances! There is existential dread! There is a chance to ponder questions like, "Does colonialism ever stop?" Come see the virtual performance on YouTube. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. $10.
Hansel & Gretel. If you haven't seen a show at Red Herring Puppets yet, you're missing out. Founder Lisa Aimee Sturz has 40 years of experience in puppetry, for clients like Walt Disney Imagineering, Jim Henson Productions and Lucasfilm. This show, starring handcrafted marionettes, brings this wonderfully creepy fairytale to life just in time for Halloween. Follow the siblings out of the frying pan and into the fire when they escape from their evil stepmother, only to fall into the clutches of an evil witch. Of course, you know the rest. But you've never seen it like this before. Reservations and masks are both required! 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Outdoor stairwell at the Tucson Mall (lower level between REI and H&M), 4500 N. Oracle Road.
