Enjoy Halloween Creepies and Crawlies…

…Emphasis on the crawl-ies! Halloween bar crawls have become increasingly popular. Whether zombie-themed or simply costumed, more and more towns and cities are offering these “spirited” celebrations for adults during the Halloween holiday.

By Peg Cameron Gill Calling all guys and ghouls, vino vampires, draft beer Draculas, or other sorts of creepy craft cocktail creatures, you’re certain to find kindred spirits on a Halloween bar crawl.  Many towns and cities offer these crawls — in fact, both St Louis and Kansas City offer official ones. No matter which end of I-70 you’re close to, you’re just a hop, sip, and a throw away from a spooktacular time. In St. Louis, you can pay and party on Saturday, October. 28, starting at 4 PM. If you’re a really serious celebrant of Halloween, you can opt to pay once and drink, party, and crawl for 3 days October 21, 27, and 28! In KC, on Saturday, October 28, get costumed and crawl from  5–11 PM. Or, like in St. Louis, pay once and drink, party, and crawl for 3 days October 21, 27, and 28!! In Kansas City, all October and November-born witches and warlocks can message the crawl event organizers on Facebook or Instagram and get free tickets!

For either event, you’ll be given a wristband and access to a digital crawl map.  Everything you need will be on it, as well as the food and or drink specials the participating places are providing. Once considered a kids’ holiday, Halloween has become more popular among adults. Experts say that’s because traditional markers of adulthood have become less clear and less attainable. Sociologists tell us if you want to understand a culture, look at its holidays. Christmas gift-giving rituals shed light on how we manage social relationships. According to CNN, the shift from children’s holiday to adult holiday can be traced to the 1970s, when Halloween street festivals in several US gay neighborhoods began to transform into adult parties featuring lavish and over-the-top costumes. In the mid-1980s, Halloween grew even more popular with adults, thanks to the Coors Brewing Company, and its ad campaign featuring TV horror host Elvira. The marketing ploy helped make the ghoulish night a “beer holiday” ala Superbowl Sunday and St. Pat’s. Bottom line? Halloween has become a sweet and profitable holiday for all kinds of retailers and businesses – bar none. And we’re not talking candy bars!  Read about the popular Mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos, which happens right after Halloween. Contrary to what many people  think, it is not Mexican Halloween! For hundreds more events, visit Missouri Life’s Event Calendar.