Looking for fun events? Top 5 things to do around Tallahassee

Boo! Don't be spooked but there's a scary amount of fun events happening over the next few days. Festival season is reaching a frenzy on Halloween weekend and Florida A&M celebrates Homecoming with its traditional parade on Saturday and game at 4 p.m. against Prairie View.

Florida State heads to Wake Forest for a noon game.

Bring your appetite for gyros, souvlaki and spanakopita to the Greek Food Festival this weekend. Catch the magnificent butterflies at the St. Marks 2023 Monarch Festival on Saturday. Next week, check out the spinning lights when the North Florida Fair opens on Thursday, Nov. 2.

We hope you already have tickets for Graham Nash, who is likely to bring the house down at a sold-out "Sixty Years" show at The Moon on Monday.

Here's a roundup of entertaining events around Tallahassee, culled from emails, the Council on Culture & Arts online listings and elsewhere.

Concert: Graham Nash will fill the house for '60 Years' tour at The Moon

1. Opa! Dance over to Greek Food Festival

The Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church, 1645 Philips Road, has been cooking up a storm and they are ready to dish up gryos, moussaka, baklava and more at the 2023 Greek Food Festival from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28.

Food is prepared by volunteers nearly every weekend leading up to the festival and many dishes are derived from old family recipes of parishioners. Wash it down with Greek wine, beer, or a glass of ouzo. This year’s entertainment lineup features performances by Greek dancers and a traditional Greek band. Children are the first to join in for some of the oldest dance traditions – from the Kalamatianos to the famous Zorba.

2. Catch the FAMU Homecoming parade

Florida A&M University's Homecoming 2023: The Experience runs through Oct 28 with the theme, “Forever Rattlers: A Timeless Tradition.”

This year’s Homecoming Concert at Al Lawson Multipurpose Center on Thursday, Oct. 26 features a lineup of Nardo Wick, Mariah the Scientist, and Toosii.

Homecoming activities kick into high gear on Friday, Oct. 27, with Homecoming Convocation at 10:10 a.m., followed by Homecoming Set Friday and FAMFest at the Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater. The Rattler Strike Band Festival is at 2 p.m. and the Greek Step Show begins at 6:30 p.m. at Al Lawson Multipurpose Center.

On Saturday, catch the Homecoming Parade at 8 a.m., which has more than 80 entries, in addition to marching bands and VIPs. The StrikeZone Tailgate returns at noon Saturday at the Pete Griffin Track ahead of the 4 p.m. kick off. The game’s theme: Homecoming, Breast Cancer Awareness.

3. Kick back at Field Day Music Festival

There's plenty to love about an afternoon of music, camaraderie, and giving back as the Field Day Music Festival Kickoff Party takes center stage at Lake Tribe Brewing Company, 3357 Garber Dr #4, from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. The prelude to Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month in November, will provide a platform for local talent. The heartbeat of the event will be performance by Field Day Music Festival Alum, Revival.

Indulge your taste buds in a culinary adventure as Rich Rob’s Philly Stop food truck. For eight years Lake Tribe Brewing Company has been a sponsor of the Field Day Music Festival, presented by The Judy Field Memorial Foundation.

4. Jazz the night away at Moon Over Maclay

The Joël C. Johnson Modern Jazz Sextet will be the headliner of the Annual Moon Over Maclay jazz concert. Watch the full moon rise over Lake Hall as the Friends of Maclay Gardens present the jazz concert at Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park, 3540 Thomasville Road, from 6-9 p.m. Sunday. Bring a blanket, lawn chairs, picnic supper, and beverages of your choice. Choose a place on the lawn in front of the Maclay house, relax under the moonlight and enjoy great music. Tickets are $25 for adults; $10 for students. Gates open at 5 p.m. Visit floridastateparks.org

Johnson’s band will feature an all-star lineup of Leon Anderson on drums, Michael Bakan on percussion, Bill Peterson on piano, José Serrano on bass, and David Detweiler on tenor saxophone. Leading off Moon Over Maclay will be The Jazz Bishops. This jazz quintet is led by drummer Nygel Anderson. Nygel has been studying under his father, drummer Leon Anderson, at Florida State University while obtaining his degree in jazz performance.

5. Flutter down to Monarch Butterfly Festival

The large orange and black monarch butterflies take advantage of cooler winds to head south to the Gulf coast and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on their migration to Mexico. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge will be hosting its Monarch Butterfly Festival from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct 28. Visitors will be able to able to witness the tagging of these delicate butterflies at the St. Marks Lighthouse, and can enjoy exhibits and demonstrations, learn about landscaping for butterflies and other pollinators, plus enjoy family-friendly interactive games, crafts, music, and food. Sorry, no pets please. Nature Store is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. $5 per car. Visit fws.gov.

Bonus event: FSU Opera goes big with 'Barber'

Florida State University's College of Music presents an innovative rendition of the classic production of “The Barber of Seville,” or “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” as the FSU Opera’s fall production. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 26-28 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29, in the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Tickets for “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, children and non-FSU students and $10 for FSU students with ID. For tickets or more information, visit tickets.music.fsu.edu.

Theater: Naomi Rose-Mock dives into eerie duality of 'Jekyll & Hyde' for Halloween

Halloween-y events

"The Creature from the Black Lagoon": Creature feature at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at All Saints Cinema, 118 1/2 Railroad Ave., presented by The Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation in partnership with The Tallahassee Film Society. Tickets are $8. Visit tallahasseefilms.com. You can also see the monochromatic world of ancient nightmares at 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at Wakulla Springs State Park, 465 Wakulla Park Drive; floridastateparks.org. Bring your lawn chair, blanket and bug-spray. Meet at the waterfront. Free with paid park entry.

Dog-O-Ween: Puppies strut their Halloween costumes at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, when Star 98.9 Presents the 35th Annual “Dog-O-Ween” contest at Tom Brown Park. Your dressed up dog could win up to $100. Judging starts at noon. Entries fees $10 per dog (cash only). Dog must have vaccinations.

FSU Flying High Circus Halloween Shows: Enjoy a Halloween tradition under the Big Top! 7 p.m. Oct.. 17-28. Reserved seats $21 for adult, $16 for children; general admission is $15 for adults, $11 for children.

"Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical": Director Naomi Rose-Mock leans into the historic setting of the Monticello Opera House, with its gothic sensibility that lends itself to the macabre, creating poignant and eerie moments within the show. Presented by the Monticello Opera House, the show runs at 8 p.m. Oct. 27-Nov. 5, with Sunday Matinees at 2 p.m. at Monticello Opera House, 185 West Washington St. , Monticello. Tickets are $15 - $27. Visit monticellooperahouse.org.

Halloween Symphony Spooktacular! Tallahassee Symphony brings the spooky music for a free concert from 6-9 p.m. Friday at Adderley Amphitheatre in Cascades Park with conductor Alexander Jimenez, with trick-or-treating, costumes, games, food, and a ghoulishly good concert. Trick-or-treating starts at 6 p.m., music starts at 7 p.m. Visit tallahasseesymphony.org.

Terror of Tallahassee: Be prepared to be scared on this "hardcore Halloween" tour! The spooky house will be operating Oct. 26-31; Nov. 4; various times; 1408 Lake Bradford Road. Tickets $25-$40. terroroftallahassee.com.

Thrills and Gills and Spooky Specimens: 5-8 p.m., Oct. 28, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab, 222 Clark Drive, Panacea; facebook.com/GulfSpecimenAquarium.

Zoobilee: Scary fun night, 7-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, Tallahassee Museum, 3945 Museum Drive; tallahasseemuseum.org, featuring. Featuring music from The Brown Goose, food from top-rated local restaurants, and an open bar. Proceeds from Zoobilee support the Museum’s education, preservation, and conservation services. Costumes are encouraged. $45 in advance until 5 p.m. day of event, $50 at the door. Must be 21+ years of age to attend.

OTHER EVENTS

Blue Tavern: Happy hour with Jack Quine, 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at Blue Tavern, 1206 N. Monroe St., followed at 8 p.m. LCP birthday bash with Lee C. Payton & Friends. Expect the usual band of merrymakers and an assortment of original tunes, favorites, and of course Grateful Dead covers. $10 cover. 4th Saturday Old Time Jam, 4-6 p.m., followed at 8 p.m. with Halloween Party with movies and more. Free admission all night long – Halloween Bar Crawl drink specials. Costumes strongly encouraged, with prizes. Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" on the big screen, outside if weather permits. Live music provided by Larry McCraw, Jenn Taylor, Dave Murphy, Andrew Falls. Halloween Songs from the Bone Orchard: 5-10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct., 31, Join Frank Lindamood, The Little Mercies, Hepzibah Jones, and more for some spooky tunes, murder ballads & other cheery reminders of the season. Free admission all night – music from 5-10. Bring a can or box of non-perishable food items. Happy hour with Isabel Ruano 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, followed at 8 p.m. by Open Mic Night. Happy hour from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, with Bramble's Bluegrass Jam, followed at 8 p.m. in celebration of the pan-Latin American festival of Dia de los Muertos, welcome Tallahassee's Grupo Classico, an extraordinary group of young musicians and researchers specializing in the Mexican mariachi tradition. Grupo Classico's members hail from various Latinx communities throughout the US, and met at Florida State's College of Music. Cover $5.

Greats Oaks Pub at Southwood: BabyGray, the multi-talented group of Bobby Kennedy and Michelle Milligan, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. Their music spans the decades and reaches all audiences. The outside patio under the oaks is perfect this time of year. No cover. Call 850-942-4653 to reserve.

LeMoyne Arts: Women Among Us: Portraits of Strength, Part II, exhibit on view through Oct. 28 and 125 N. Gadsden St.

Have an event coming up? Email details to limelight@tallahassee.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Top 5 things to do around Tallahassee this weekend