By Tucker Harris
Put on your best costumes and get ready for a haunted Halloween full of live music, contests and activities for all ages. With events brought back from last year such as the Annual Run to the Pub presented by Moving Mountains Fitness, Haunted Peaks Window Display Competition, and Haunted Peaks Geocache Mystery to new traditions like the Mini Monster Mash and the Haunted Peaks Concert Pub Crawl, Big Sky Town Center is bringing the spookiest events to Big Sky for three days of Halloween celebrations. As a reminder, due to the high transmission rate of COVID-19 in Gallatin County, many events will be scaled back or virtual. Masking, social distancing, and sanitizing are highly recommended when attending any indoor events or larger gatherings.
See below for the full 2021 Halloween Lineup:
Saturday, Oct. 23
Great Pumpkin Giveaway Fire Pit Park | 12-4 p.m.
Get your pumpkins at the Great Pumpkin Giveaway this year while giving back to the Big Sky Community Food Bank as part of their largest food drive all year. Donate five cans for your prized pumpkin from the Fire Pit Park. Limit to three pumpkins per family.
Get spooky all weekend long Oct. 29-31
Haunted Peaks Window Display Competition
Store fronts will partake in Big Sky’s tradition of decorating Town Center businesses’ windows in the spookiest fashion. In addition to the Town Center’s judges, there will be a people’s choice winner. Be sure to stop in to any of the participating businesses and cast your vote at the ballot box by the checkout counter by 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30. The most creative and haunting decorations will be announced on Halloween, Sunday, Oct. 31.
2021 Haunted Peaks Geocache Mystery
Solve the three-day haunted mystery in the Haunted Peaks Geocache Mystery event. Follow the clues around town with your phone to win prizes all weekend long. There are 10 spots available to sign your team up by messaging Big Sky Town Center on Facebook or Instagram to register your team, get your first clue, and solve the horrifying Dirtbag mystery.
Virtual Horror Film Festival
Stay at home next to your lit jack-o-lantern and enjoy three days of a curated horror film playlist fit for all ages. Films will be curated by local cinephile horror fanatics featuring both family friendly and more mature content.
Friday, Oct. 29
Haunted Peaks Kickoff Party
Tips Up | 9 p.m.
Haunted beats by local legends DJ Jenn-N-Juice and TAKEaCHANCE will start the weekend at the Haunted Peaks Kickoff. Wear your best costume for a chance to win $100 cash, $100 gift card and other prize packs from local businesses.
Saturday, Oct. 30
2nd Annual Run to the Pub
Moving Mountains | 1pm
Wear your favorite costume and get ready to brave a 5k of terror with fun Halloween-themed challenges. Pick up and registration will be at Moving Mountains, ending at 12:15 p.m. before being shuttled to the golf course to start the race. After the race, enjoy live music, food and beverages, and a costume contest at Beehive Brewery starting at 2 p.m. Register online here.
Haunted House
Haas Builders, 223 Town Center Ave. | 3-9 p.m.
Enter if you dare. The spine-tingling haunted house hosted by Haas Builders and benefitting Big Sky Discovery Academy will feature poltergeists, vampires, werewolves, and more. This event is donation-based with concessions pre- and post-haunted house.
Haunted Peaks Concert Pub Crawl: Featuring Shakewell Town Center & Tips Up | 2 p.m.-1 a.m.
Keep the day going in your best costumes and join the Haunted Peaks Concert Pub Crawl with local businesses in the Town Center providing live music by local artists and spooky specials. Presented by Lone Mountain Land Company and Big Sky Real Estate, the final stop will be at Tips Up with a concert headlined by Shakewell, a 6-piece funk, neo-soul and rock ’n’ roll band.
Pub Crawl Schedule:
- 2-5 p.m. | Beehive Basin Brewery | Tom Marino
- 5-7 p.m. | ACRE Kitchen | Wes Urbaniak
- 8-10 p.m. | Pinky G’s Pizza | Josh “The Saxman” Zaldonis
- 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. | Tips Up | Shakewell
Sunday, Oct. 31
Pumpkin King and Queen Carving Competition
Fire Pit Park | 12-1 p.m.
Put your pumpkin carving skills to the test. Bring your carved pumpkins with battery-operated lights to the Fire Pit Park for the King and Queen Pumpkin Carving Competition. Judges will crown the Pumpkin King and Queen at 1 p.m. Winners will receive prize packs from local Big Sky businesses.
Mini Monster Mash
Fire Pit Park | 1-2 p.m.
Little ghosts, supermen, princesses and more: come gather at the Fire Pit Park for the Mini Monster Mash costume contest and trick or treat. There will be fun prizes, candy bags ready for pick-up, and a spooky kid-friendly curated Halloween playlist for kids to dance around the fire pit in their favorite Halloween costumes.
Yappy Hour
Fire Pit Park | 2-4 p.m.
Dress your pet up in their favorite Halloween costume and join The Rocks Tasting Room for a happy hour and treats to help raise awareness for RUFF Montana, a local nonprofit that provides vital veterinary care to the underserved members of our community. Celebrity judges will give out prizes for the best costumes on your four-legged friends.
Dia De Los Meuertos Celebration
Fire Pit Park | 2-4 p.m.
Come together to build ofrendas, light candles, face paint, and more to celebrate Day of the Dead and the memories of our departed loved ones at the Fire Pit Park. Brenda Leanos Chavez, teacher at Morningstar Learning Center, Gladys Guerrero Ramirez, co-owner of Beehive Cleaning, and Renata Sanchez, Spanish resource liaison at Big Sky School District in partnership with Town Center Owners Association and Arts Council of Big Sky have all planned this event as a way for our local Latinx community members to share their traditions with the Big Sky community.
