Reno Halloween parties and events

This early Halloween party is ladies night and features a "True Blood" theme, with free cover for ladies, complimentary Skyy Vodka for parties of six or more and $1,000 in cash prizes for the best costumes — "True Blood" attire encouraged.

Many venues along Fourth Street are involved in this monthly bar-hopping event with different entertainment at each spot, including live music and art. October's event celebrates Halloween early and is a great way to get more use out of that perfect costume. The holiday fun includes bobbing for apples, a costume contest, haunted house and more. Enter the raffle by doing a silly trick. A $5 donations to the Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission gets you rides up and down the street (via pedal express cabs) and drink and food deals at the different spots. The event occurs with new theme and entertainment every second Thursday of the month.

Reno's own Utility Players comedy troupe presents a special show for Halloween -- it's a murder mystery party where the audience will enjoy the show (packed as always with hilarious improv comedy) and also must solve the crime. Now in their fifth season (which stretches into 2012), the Utility Players are one of Reno's best talents. Each show is packed with new jokes invented on the fly so every night is all new.

Wild 102.9's 11th annual Halloween party returns to Halloween weekend with all the usual freaky features. The prize pool for the costume contest is $5,000 in cash and prizes with awards going to most erotic female, most erotic pair and most unique. New extras this year include a naughty lounge, naughty photo booth and naughty cabanas. The event is sponsored by Feeney’s Halloween Warehouse on Plumb Lane. Note: Costumes are mandatory! You can't just come by and just people watch.

It's a loud night of rock at this Halloween concert with Del Mar (featuring Bud of Sublime), Them Sonsabitches, Livitz Livitz, and The Snobs, visiting from Sac. The best costume gets a free bar tab.

Alternative metal band Menmonic headlines this Halloween show with Strike Three and Tasty Red Snapper opening. There are drink specials all night and 2-for-1 drinks from 8 to 9 p.m.

Two nights of Halloween fun at the "Blood Brothers," with $1,500 in prizes given out each night -- Oct. 28 and Oct. 29 -- for scariest, more original and best group costumes. The Eldorado's wristband grants access to this venue's party, and Halloween fun at other casino bars.

Two nights of Halloween fun at BuBinga Lounge, with $1,500 in prizes given out each night -- Oct. 28 and Oct. 29 -- for sexist, best zombie and the freakiest costumes. The Eldorado's wristband grants access to this venue's party, and Halloween fun at other casino bars.

Amplified Entertainment throws its annual Halloween bash at the Knitting Factory with full bar and live Amplified DJs Kentot, Fredy G, and Boom. Costume contest sponsored by Naughty or Nice . There is $1,000 in cash and prizes for naughtiest nurse, scariest male and more creative couple. Advance tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Cal Neva, Knit, or Recycled Records in Reno or Naughty or Nice in Carson City.

The Reno Zombie Crawl is now in its fourth year and takes place Oct. 29, the Saturday closest to Halloween. Each participating bar will have a $2 or $3 drink special for zombies. To get the deals, free cover and entry into Zombie Crawl contests, purchase a map and bracelet for $5. Want more? $50 commemorative VIP cups waive the $5 entry fee, include 30 drinks (each a $5 value), change colors and support the American Red Cross with some of the proceeds. <a href="http://renozombiecrawl.com/vip/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Buy a VIP cup here</a>. Kicking things off before the crawl proper is a massive "Thriller" dance at CommRow that's all-ages and is part of a worldwide attempt to set a record for people dancing to "Thriller" at the same time. This part of the event is free, and people don't have to be on the crawl to participate.

Peppermill's annual Skin & Scare Ball returns to Edge with the theme "Inferno," which really means wear the costume you want, dance, enter contests and there might be more hellish decor than 2010. There is a total of $6,000 in cash prizes for costumes, with $2,500 for sexiest and scariest and another grand given out in smaller amounts for other favorite costumes.

Music, magic, masquerade and mayhem

The annual South Tahoe Halloween party takes place throughout the casino in the Blu and Opal lounges and the convention center. Expect a late night with party band Pop Fiction, drink specials late into the morning, go go dancers, body painting and a $10,000 prize pot for the costume contest.

Wurk's Halloween party is presented by Bass Union and features Helicopter Showdown, Samples, "local hip-hop legends" Who Cares, and Man Machine. Perhaps this will be Wurk's tradition since it's billed as the "first annual."

It's a big-screen, free showing of the " Rocky Horror Picture Show " on campus at UNR. The exhibition welcomes costumes and the audience is welcome to participate in talking back and singing along.

The $10 Halloween bar crawl will take you around the casino to its different bars and includes 10 drinks at six casino bars. Buy a ticket at any of the bars.

Halloween concert with Pinky Polanski and Candy Shop, and the Rocky Horror Pinky Show, Pinky's alter-ego with characters from the cult classic.

Taking place at both the Underground and the adjacent Tree House Lounge, this big hip-hop concert on Halloween weekend features 2 stages of entertainment, costume contest, go go dancers and more.

The Mo's Halloween party is hosted by the Late Night Party Girls and has hip-hop and electro spun by DJ Keenan. Cash prizes in the costume contest include $250 for both sexiest male and female, and best overall costume wins a season pass to Sierra at Tahoe.

A Halloween party on the actual day? Edge closes out its haunted weekend with a classic Halloween party on Oct. 31, including more cash prizes for the costume contest — $1,000 for most creative and sexiest, plus more cash for Edge's favorite costumes of the night.

Rock 104.5's 21-and-up Halloween party has performances by Boggan and City of August. The costume contest has $1,000 in cash prizes: $750 for best overall, $150 for sexiest and $100 for most creative.