ComicFest, Dia de Los Muertos, Jambo Mama and more for a spooky weekend

The spirit is among us. The nights are getting shorter. The hoodie sweaters and cardigans are out. The chill is here to stay, finding its way into our bones. The darker side of the year comes with funky jazz at the Delaware Art Museum, the Halloween ComicFest at Amalgam, CultureFest!’s Dia de Los Muertos Festival, East Passyunk hosts a spooky Saturday, and A Novel Idea helps launch a book for the musical witches in all of us.

Have a spooktacular weekend!

Raye Jones Avery and Adagio at the Delaware Art Museum

Wilmington’s own Raye Jones Avery and Adagio are set for a jazz performance at the Delaware Art Museum on Thursday, October 24 at 8pm. The performance is a celebration of the release of Avery’s latest album Between. Avery’s multi-genre style blends sounds similar to Stevie Wonder, John Legend, and the Beatles, and she was the 2019 recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Arts. Pick up tickets online.

Halloween ComicFest at Amalgam

The annual Halloween ComicFest is back at Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, 2578 Frankford Avenue, this Saturday from 8am-8pm. Join in for a day of free comics, family-friendly activities, cosplay, crafty vendors, and discounts on comics and more.

Witches' Dance book launch

On Saturday at 7pm, A Novel Idea on Passyunk hosts Erin Eileen Almond as she launches her book Witches’ Dance. The book follows Hilda Greer and her love for the violin and finds herself paired with her idol, prodigy virtuoso Phillip Manns. But their fate together ends with one of their worlds shattered completely.

CultureFest! Dia de Los Muertos Festival

The Penn Museum will host its 8th annual CultureFest! Dia de los Muertos Festival on Saturday, October 26 from 10am-5pm. Experience traditions of Mexican culture with musical and dance performances, face-painting, puppetry, storytelling, sugar skulls, and arts and crafts. Attendants are encouraged to bring a photo to remember the passing of a loved one for the festival’s centerpiece. Check out a full list of events online.

East Passyunk Fall Fest and Spooky Saturday

East Passyunk gets spooktacular for an afternoon of free, family-friendly activities on Saturday, October 26 from 11am-4pm. From around the Singing Fountain and down the avenue, the festival is full with costume contests, pumpkin decorating, arts and crafts, storytime reading, scarecrow scavenger hunt, and more. Live music, cocktails, and vendors will be there for the grown-ups, too.

Jambo Mama Africa

On Sunday, October 27 at 2pm, celebrate the African and African-American oral tradtion with storytelling from the Philadelphia ensemble group Keepers of the Culture at the Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street. The event is free and open to all ages.