There's nowhere better than Irvington in October

Driving the news: The Irvington Halloween Festival starts this weekend leading up to an all-day party Oct. 28 and the world's best trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Details: The (sold-out) masquerade ball kicks things off Saturday, followed by days of music, movies and lots of costumes, including:

• Sunday: A spooky organ concert at Our Lady of Lourdes.
• Monday: Irvington Family Movie Night, showing "Beetlejuice," at AMC Washington Square 12.
• Tuesday: Seance readings and horror movie shorts.
• Thursday: Spooky stories in Irving Circle Park.
• Oct. 24-27: Walking tours through Irvington's best Halloween decorations.

Meanwhile, a massive street fair featuring hundreds of vendors and live music takes over the heart of the neighborhood on Oct. 28.

• The day starts with the Vampire Run at 9:30am.
• The fair begins at 10am along Washington Street, Audubon Road and Bonna Avenue, with costume contests (for humans and dogs!) staggered throughout the day and a parade at 4:30pm.
• A kids zone will offer a free pumpkin carving contest at 1:30pm.
• Food trucks will be spread throughout the fair, and a beer garden will be on the northeast corner of Washington and Audubon.

Lindsey's pro tip: Bring cash and be prepared for a crowd. Last year, several vendors struggled to connect to Square or other methods to accept credit card or electronic payments, presumably because of too much activity in a small area.

The intrigue: If you want to really get to know the neighborhood and get into the holiday spirit, the Irvington Ghost Tour starts at 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays this month and offers a lot of local history within a supernatural framework.

The bottom line: If you like Halloween even a little bit, you should spend some time in Irvington.