Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, but the weekend starts a day early. On Friday, Latinos of Montclair opens its Día de los Muertos community altar at Lackawanna Station with live mariachi and a kids’ storytime, and that night Suzanne Vega plays a career-spanning set at Outpost in the Burbs. Saturday belongs to costumes, with Latinos of Montclair taking over both floors of Porta for a salsa party with $1,000 on the line, and Jazzboat closes out Sunday at Montclair Brewery for a $5 cover. Here are the things to do in Montclair this weekend, October 30 through November 1.
Día de los Muertos Community Altar Opening Ceremony
Friday, October 30, 4 to 6:30 p.m. | Lackawanna Station, 1 Lackawanna Plaza | Free, all ages; RSVP requested
“Recordar es mantenerlos vivos,” reads the invitation from Latinos of Montclair: to remember is to keep them alive. Artists Adrián Viajero Román and Matthew Marroquin are building a public ofrenda, the altar families build to honor loved ones who have died, at Lackawanna Station. Anyone can add to it by bringing a photo, a memory or a marigold. Doors open at 4 p.m., with an opening program and live mariachi at 4:30, a Día de los Muertos storytime for kids at 5 and arts and crafts from 6. The altar stays up through November 2. Latinos of Montclair presents the ceremony with the Montclair Cultural Arts Advisory Committee, and while it is free, the nonprofit asks attendees to consider a donation when they RSVP on Eventbrite.
The Rocky Horror “That ’70s Show” at Montclair State
Friday, October 30, 7 to 9 p.m. | Student Center Ballrooms A, B and C, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave. | Open to Montclair State and Bloomfield College students only
Players, a student group under Montclair State’s Student Government Association, celebrates Halloween with its annual take on “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” this year as a ’70s throwback. The show raises money for the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, and organizers are asking attendees to donate. Students can get tickets on Eventbrite.
Suzanne Vega at Outpost in the Burbs
Friday, October 30, 8 p.m.; doors at 7 p.m. | First Congregational Church, 40 S. Fullerton Ave. | $50 general admission; $195 VIP (plus fees)
Suzanne Vega, the singer-songwriter who came up in the Greenwich Village folk clubs of the early 1980s, brings a career-spanning set to Outpost in the Burbs, the Montclair nonprofit built around music and volunteerism. Expect “Tom’s Diner,” “Luka” and “Marlene on the Wall” alongside songs from “Flying With Angels,” the album she released in May 2025. Her longtime guitarist Gerry Leonard, who has also played with David Bowie, and cellist Stephanie Winters join her onstage. The VIP package adds reserved seats in the first three rows, a visit to Vega’s soundcheck, a preshow Q&A and an autographed tour poster. Wheelchair-accessible and companion seats sell at the general admission price. The show starts promptly at 8 p.m., and all sales are final. Buy tickets through Outpost in the Burbs.
The Halloween Party of the Year at Porta
Saturday, October 31, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. | Porta, 499 Bloomfield Ave. | $25 presale, $35 at the door; $250 VIP table for four; 21 and older
Latinos of Montclair is billing this as the biggest Halloween party in the area, and the prize money backs up the pitch: $1,000 cash for best overall costume, a dinner-and-show package for best duo and gift cards for second and third place. The nonprofit takes over both floors of Porta, with a live salsa band upstairs and two DJs playing Latin, hip-hop, reggaeton, freestyle, dance and house. The first 50 guests get a free welcome cocktail, and Porta is serving a Halloween menu and cocktails for the night. Doors open upstairs at 8 p.m.; VIP seating and the Monk Room open at 9. Tickets are nonrefundable, and proceeds support Latinos of Montclair’s work. Get tickets on Eventbrite.
Jazzboat at Montclair Brewery
Sunday, November 1, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Montclair Brewery, 101 Walnut St. | $5 cover
Jazzboat returns to the Montclair Brewery stage for an early Sunday evening set. The local group moves between R&B, soul, bebop, straight-ahead swing and classic jazz, with the occasional curveball thrown in, according to the brewery. The $5 cover goes directly to the musicians. Details are on Eventbrite.
For the full list of upcoming events in Montclair, visit montclairpod.com/events.
Image credit: Latinos of Montclair
