If you go out in public, remember to follow social distancing guidelines (at least six feet between you and anyone else), wash hands often and thoroughly, and wear a face mask.

Believe it or not, some people just aren’t into Halloween. A horror we know, but in the spirit of inclusivity, we’ve put together a list of weekend picks filled with both All Hallow’s Eve frivolity and normal candy-free fun. Looking for a list that just screams with seasonal spookiness? Check out our Halloween happenings list. 

Halloween with the Symphony

Nothing sets the mood quite like music. So, embrace the last days of this spooky season with some Halloween-themed music, courtesy of the Houston Symphony. Things kick of this Friday with Haunted Halloween POPS, a concert of spine-tingling classics, including Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt composition-turned-pop-culture catchall, “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” and music from Bernard Herrmann's iconic Psycho score. If you’re spending Halloween itself with your little monsters, try the Symphony’s Ghosts, Ghouls & Goblins, a family-friendly Halloween concert featuring tunes from kid-approved films like Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Haunted Halloween POPS, Oct 30–Nov 1; Ghosts, Ghouls & Goblins, Oct 31. $20 each. Online. More info and tickets at houstonsymphony.org. 

A Virtual Conversation with author Max Brooks

In the opening event of this year’s Jewish Book & Arts Festival, which runs virtually November 1–22, Max Brooks, bestselling author of apocalyptic horror novel World War Z, will discuss his latest book. Part supernatural thriller, part investigation, Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre, transforms the Bigfoot legend into a story unlike anything you’ve read or heard before. First zombies, now Sasquatch. What will Brooks take on next? Werewolves? Mermaids? Anything but vampires.

Nov 1. From $10. Online. More info and tickets at erjcchouston.org.

ROCO Connections: Musical & Literary Ofrenda

The opening concert of ROCO’s new Connection series features the world premiere of former Public Enemy producer-turned classical composer Kerwin Young’s “Coming Forth by Day.” The piece, inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead, follows the journey of the soul through seven miniatures. Serving as Roco’s annual Día de los Muertos celebration, the concert is presented in collaboration with MECA, which hosts its 20th annual Día de los Muerrtos festival on Saturday and Sunday, and Grupo de Teatro Índigo, which will perform its annual Day of the Dead play, Calavera con Calavera, following the concert.

Nov 1. Free. Online. More info and streaming at roco.org.

Stephanie Syjuco: The Visible Invisible

Using the long-considered artistically “neutral colors” of gray white, black, and green, San Francisco-based artist Stephanie Syjuco examines concepts of citizenry, immigration, and identity in the U.S., revealing how these innocuous hues are used to control, abuse, and project biases onto others. Several of the Philippines native’s works are featured across the UH campus, both in the Blaffer and in the M.D. Anderson Library, as well as the atrium of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design.

Thru Jan 9, 2021. Free (time slots must be reserved). Blaffer Art Museum, 4173 Elgin St.713-743-9521. More info and reservations at blafferartmuseum.org.    

Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life

Tap into your inner scientist (or mad scientist, since it’s still Halloween) and learn all about the inner workings of the human body in Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The third exhibition in the highly popular Body World series, features more than 100 preserved human specimens explores the life cycle from birth through death.

Thru May 31, 2021. From $21. Houston Museum of Natural Science, 5555 Hermann Park Dr. 713-639-4629. More info and tickets at hmns.org.