Halloween falls on Monday this year, which means there will be plenty of tricks and treats in the days leading up to Oct. 31.
There are several ways to celebrate the holiday that do not involve spending a small fortune on candy, digging pieces of straw out from your socks or recycling that Las Vegas-era Elvis Costume you have been wearing to the company party for the last nine years.
Here are five alternative ways to have fun this weekend in the Lehigh Valley:
Black & Blue and beer all over
There is a reason this Easton restaurant and pub has become a year-round haunting spot for regulars. On Saturday, guests are encouraged to get their drink -- or grub -- on in costume. Fair warning: There is a good chance those who do not come dressed in Halloween attire will be ridiculed for such an erroneous decision.
Halloween ComicFest
Saturday is national Halloween ComicFest. Pick up free Halloween ComicFest comic books at participating Lehigh Valley comic book shops, including such titles as "Afterlife with Archie," "Darth Vader: Doctor Aphra," "Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn," "Harrow County" and "Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: You Choose.".
Participating area stores are: Sackers Collectibles, 106 S. Third St., Easton; JAF Comics, 224 Nazareth Pike (Route 191), Bethlehem; The Portal Comics and Games, 321 Woodlawn Ave., Bethlehem Township; The Encounter, 811 Union Blvd., Allentown; 2nd & Charles, 2590 MacArthur Road, Whitehall; and Cloud City Games, 5661 Hamilton Blvd. Suite 1, Allentown.
Screen screams
Sing along to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Emmaus Theatre, 19 S. Fourth St., Emmaus, and 11:30 p.m. Friday at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Tickets cost $8 for Emmaus Theatre and $7.50-$10 for SteelStacks.
Allentown's Civic Theatre, 527 N. 19th St., Allentown, on Friday will screen Carrie, followed by The Ring on Saturday and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission costs $6-$10. Show times for Carrie and The Ring are 10 p.m.
4.) 'Crawl-O-Ween'
Bethlehem's SouthSide Arts District on Friday will host its "Crawl-O-Ween" pub crawl, starting at 8 p.m.
The crawl will include stops at Bonn Place Brewing Company, Southside 313 Bar & Grille, Molly's Irish Grille & Sports Pub, Sotto Santi and Tally Ho. There will be drink specials and themed cocktails at participating stops. And there will be a costume contest.
Oh. My. Gourd.
Carve pumpkins while enjoying a cold pint or two Saturday at Porters' Pub, 700 Northampton St., Easton. Porters' will supply the carving tools, pumpkins and beer. The rest is up to you. Remember: Carve responsibly. Winners of the annual Contest will be announced at 11 p.m.
Additionally, Connexions Gallery and Taste of Easton will host its "Oh My Gourd: Carving Social" event, 2 p.m. Saturday. Spend the afternoon prep your pumpkins and gourds while socializing with friends and neighbors. Tickets cost $40. Connexions is located at 213 Northampton St.