No U.S. city quite does “Oddtober” with as much ghoulish soul as Ypsilanti, Michigan does. Just 10 miles away from Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan campus, Ypsilanti (affectionately called “Ypsi” for short) has been celebrating a delightful renaissance of spook and circumstance in recent years.
Surrounded by rolling fields and farms, it’s a destination that’s already beloved by Michigan folks for its harvest season charms like pumpkin picking and hayrides. Now, thanks to the vibrant local creative scene, Ypsilanti’s also taken on Halloween as its chosen personality. Throughout the entire month of October, the city offers plenty of chances to wear costumes and celebrate Halloween differently with quirky artistry, community gatherings, and deliciously campy live entertainment.
Get a jump on autumn shopping
1. First Fridays Ypsilanti
The de facto kickoff of fall fever in Ypsilanti is the October 4th edition of the city’s beloved First Fridays event. On the first Friday of every month from April to December, Ypsilanti’s vibrant creative community of artists and entrepreneurs put together a self-guided walking tour of free arts-focused events and performances across the city. A diverse crowd of folks from across the Detroit and Ann Arbor metropolitan areas hit the streets for a mixed bag of creative and cultural programming—think art exhibition openings, movie nights, dancing lessons, and discounts at shops, bars and restaurants.
Since First Fridays began in 2013, the October edition has been a trick-or-treat pail of autumn and Halloween-themed happenings, for which locals are known to come out in costume. The complete list of participating locations and events is always released the week before First Fridays. Past October editions have seen Ypsi’s businesses bring out handmade, autumn-ready attire for sale, crops of weird and wonderful early Christmas gift shopping and live musical performances by local bands like Fangs and Twang (a trio singing roots rock about vamps and monsters) and The Gruesome Twosome (punk and psychobilly rock).
This October 2024 First Friday promises to be an even bigger affair, with October 4 seeing two separate Halloween-themed festivals and other events to coronate Ypsilanti’s witchy month.
Celebrate the DIY spirit of Halloween
2. Ypsi Freak Fest
October’s Ypsilanti First Friday goes off even wilder thanks to Ypsi Freak Fest (October 4–6). The offbeat weekend festival boasts a range of vendor stands catering to Halloween and the holiday’s scrappy, DIY spirit.
Local makers will turn out to sell handmade goods—art, zines and crafts, for example—and pre-loved antiques and clothing that will help you take Halloween parties and home design to another level.
Freaky vendors set up on the downtown shopping stretch of South Washington Street but also at Wyrd Byrd, a shop curating new and used collectors’ items including vinyl, films, books, and more. Meanwhile, Riverside Park and downtown establishments Ziggy’s (a cool live-music venue) and Regal Beagle (a dive bar) turn out live music, all-night dancing, and costume contests.
Drink up Hallows Eve–inspired nightlife
3. Holy Bones Festival
Ypsilanti’s evening entertainment takes a PG-13 twist with the crowd-favorite Holy Bones Festival. Now six years in the making, what started as a one-night Halloween market founded by a local visual artist has expanded into an entire fun weekend (October 4–5) with food pop-ups, shopping, and live shows.
The 2024 edition features a smorgasbord of over 80 booths showcasing the city’s creative prowess, from artisan food trucks and dessert vendors—the entire festival is solar-powered—to artists with dark, eccentric pieces for sale. Drag and burlesque shows add the signature camp factor that Holy Bones Festival is known for.
The festival’s entertainment roster brings out a diverse, inclusive mix of drag and burlesque performers from around Michigan, celebrating the individuality and self-expression that Halloween is ultimately all about. Two line-ups, the Holy Bones Drag Hour (PG-13 performances) and the Holy Bones After Dark (an 18+ show leaning more bold and provocative), cater to a wide audience.
Hitting the Holy Bones Festival as well as First Fridays and Ypsi Freak Fest all at once is entirely possible thanks to a special shuttle on October 4 and 5 between all three events. Tickets for Holy Bones cost $10, with all admissions and vendor fees donated to the Ypsilanti Performance Space.
Shop strange and outlandish treasures
4. This, That & The ODDer Things
For those who enjoy dabbling in the dark arts, spirituality, and maximalist design, This, That, and the ODDer Things will be a shoppers’ paradise.
Beyond an old-timey emerald facade and striped awning, owner, shopkeeper, and stylist Claire Broderick has curated an indulgent collection of eye candy spanning beauty, fashion, and decor. From glass-enclosed insect displays to gorgeous crystals and geodes, hanging antlers and showpiece lighting, the shop is shelved with items that speak to the soul of the unconventional.
Meanwhile, a vintage and antiques section comprises a constant revolving door of curios with a particular focus on Victorian pieces as well as art, portraits, and jewelry. Handmade skull masks, puppets, and pendants are some of what you might find in stock.
Go see a campy B-movie, performed on stage
5. It’s Alive! A Black Cat B-Movie Musical Parody
Rocky Horror Picture Show fans, get ready: Every Halloween, Ypsilanti’s Neighborhood Theatre Group (NTG) stages its own local cult classic, the Black Cat show. As with every NTG show, Black Cat is always a totally original production—what the group lovingly refers to as “theater from scratch”—from the dialogue right down to the costumes.
This year’s production, taking place from October 18-20 and 24-26, brings to life a B-movie parody. Hosted by Ghoulita Graves, a larger-than-life queen of cable access horror, It’s Alive! A Black Cat B-Movie Musical Parody promises to be a camp-tastic homage to the Golden Age of schlock cinema.
Set in 1957, at the height of Cold War paranoia, the show follows a wily Michigan scientist who embarks on a bizarre government mission: protecting American lawns from Sputnik. In this parallel world, the space satellite is actually part of a plan to annihilate one of the American family’s most prized possessions, its greenery. Little does he know, worse evils are about to be unleashed, like a radioactive monster and some truly terrible poetry.
Black Cat’s loyal fanbase dresses up every year, and you’ll want to join them.
Take a cemetery tour after dark
6. Highland Cemetery Evening Lantern Tours
“Oddtober” takes an ethereal turn during evening guided lantern-lit tours around the rugged grounds of Highland Cemetery. Led by local historian James Mann, who’s authored several books on Ypsilanti, the tours encompass a two-hour stroll around historic, atmospheric burial sites.
Lanterns provide a certain mystical quality to the experience, but they’re also a must for taking in the cemetery’s elegant turn-of-the-century architecture, as well as traipsing around the hilly, ravine scenery in the dark.
Along the way, Mann regales stories of past residents while winding around their final resting places. No need to reserve; just show up at the gate. Lanterns are even provided (though first-come, first serve). Tickets are $10, cash only.
Time-travel to an 80s-style arcade
7. Keystone Bar & Arcade
In downtown Ypsilanti, you’ll find a vintage venue perfect for living out an epic evening of Stranger Things cosplay. Hidden inside the basement of Bobcat Bonnie’s restaurant, Keystone Bar & Arcade will make you feel like you’re hanging out in your BFF’s rec room, if that rec room were also a 1980s arcade.
The underground haunt is packed with pinball and arcade games, plus crowd-pleasers like air hockey, darts, and pool. Meanwhile, comfy couches provide space for chilling, though the food and drinks here are certainly elevated from those of high-school ragers (think signature cocktails with homemade syrups, craft beer, and elevated pub snacks).
What certainly fits, though, is finding Ypsi’s cool, creative crowd unwinding here any night of the week. In October, Keystone hosts its usual weekly pub trivia nights, karaoke and dance parties, and spikes the calendar with Halloween-themed fun too: check their Instagram for more info.
Take an out-there art class
8. Twisted Things
Twisted Things, a retail space and artist collective, is a one-of-a-kind artists’ boutique and gift shop. Owned and operated by the artists themselves, the shop’s ethos is to provide a place for around 130 artists to work, sell, and learn from one another.
Twisted Things is a haven for those wanting to buy things unconventional, handcrafted, and imaginatively created through upcycling and other innovative art techniques: 3D printing, glassblowing, blacksmithing, and even taxidermy. There’s also almost 150 herbs stocked in a witchy apothecary for spell jars, poppets and smoke cleansing. Shop walls are adorned with an unedited mix of oddities and curiosities, selected for display by their makers. With close to 50 local artists contributing to an ever-changing inventory, there’s always something new. Plus, most sellers are more than happy to accept custom work requests.
If you want to move past browsing, you can also attend a class or discussion. Twisted Things offers surprising, and sometimes rather odd, art tutorials you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. For example: classes in bone cleaning and collecting to create wall pieces and other art; or recipe-led lessons in herbal craft to create incense, candles, herbal drinks, and organic cosmetics.
Go hard on Midwestern fun and games
9. Wiard’s Orchards
At Wiard’s Orchards, a smorgasbord of rural activities promises the perfect Midwest fall fantasy. Founded in 1837 by George Wiard, the fairgrounds and still-running cider mill are parts of a beloved Michigan retreat synonymous with family-friendly days of indulging in all things harvest season.
Generations of Michigan folks have fond memories of roaming around Wiard’s estate bursting with warm, rusty foliage. As per years of tradition, the most popular activities are visiting the cider mill, which goes into production (the old-fashioned way) every September and October; self-picking orchards of over 5,000 apple trees; and pumpkin patches where you can track down the perfectly sized jack-o’-lantern.
Wiard’s Country Fair also has a gigantic corn maze, wagon rides, and plenty of play areas with wooden swings and big ol’ straw bales for climbing. Meanwhile, the Country Store and Bakery is a must-visit for sweets and yummy souvenirs. Step into a checkered-tablecloth heaven of seasonal, on-site baked treats amidst a gorgeous oven-fresh aroma, including apple donuts, fritters, and pies, as well as a range of jams, caramel-dipped apples, and more.
Brave a haunted thrill park
10. Night Terrors
As the sun sets on Wiard’s pumpkin patches, a more sinister side descends across the estate. The historic orchards are also home to Night Terrors, a thrill park where a range of eerie autumn experiences are primed to test your fear factor and startle reflexes.
Each experience aims to inspire true terror with creepy, immersive storylines and a master class in fog, strobe lights, and other environmental tactics. The “Ultimate Haunted Barn” is an attraction designed for getting lost and losing hope of being found, while “The MindShaft” should definitely be avoided by anyone who suffers from claustrophobia. Meanwhile, the “Hayride of the Lost” takes you on a mysterious wagon journey through Wiard’s backwoods, braving strange noises and sensations and, finally, ending with the comfort of donuts and cider around a communal bonfire.
