Things to do in Lansing Oct. 23–25: Rocky Horror with Barry Bostwick at the Wharton, a Michigan Avenue fall festival and East Lansing’s Great Pumpkin Walk

LANSING, Mich. — The last weekend before Halloween in the capital area mixes a cult-movie night with a famous guest, a free street festival on the Eastside and an afternoon of downtown trick-or-treating in East Lansing.

Here is the lineup for Oct. 23–25, according to the venues and organizers.

Friday, Oct. 23 — MSU Symphony Orchestra at the Wharton. The Michigan State University College of Music’s Symphony Orchestra plays “Tales, Dreams, and Catchy Tunes” at 7:30 p.m. in Cobb Great Hall. The program opens with a fanfare, adds Vivian Fung’s “Earworms” and closes with Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” according to the Wharton Center.

Saturday, Oct. 24 — Michigan Avenue Fall Festival. The Michigan Avenue Corridor Improvement Authority hosts a free festival on the 2000 block of East Michigan Avenue from noon to 7 p.m. The afternoon, until 5 p.m., brings bounce houses, face painting, hayrides, bubbles, pumpkin games, caramel apples and a beer tent, followed by live music from 5 to 7 p.m., courtesy of Stoopfest.

Sunday, Oct. 25, morning — Spooky Sprint. Runners in costume can take on a timed 5K, 10K or half marathon from Burchard Park, 220 E. Maple St. All three races start at 9 a.m., and registration is open on RunSignup.

Sunday, Oct. 25, afternoon — Great Pumpkin Walk. Downtown East Lansing’s free trick-or-treat runs from 1 to 4 p.m., with more than 30 businesses handing out candy, pumpkin decorating, entertainment and a 26-foot inflatable pumpkin, according to the city. Participating stops stretch along Grand River Avenue and nearby Albert Avenue, M.A.C. Avenue and Ann Street.

Sunday, Oct. 25, evening — “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with Barry Bostwick. The actor who played Brad Majors in the 1975 film joins the audience for a screening of a new 4K restoration at 7:30 p.m. in Cobb Great Hall. The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society performs as the live shadow cast, every ticket comes with a prop bag, and the night includes a costume contest, a display of film memorabilia and a tribute to Tim Curry. The film is rated R, and the Wharton lists the show for ages 18 and older.

Plan ahead. City trick-or-treating on Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31, is 6 to 8 p.m. in East Lansing’s neighborhoods, the city says.

Sources:
Wharton Center for Performing Arts, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show Spooktacular Tour,” accessed Oct. 19, 2026, https://www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-spooktacular-tour
Wharton Center for Performing Arts, “Symphony Orchestra: Tales, Dreams, and Catchy Tunes,” accessed Oct. 19, 2026, https://www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/symphony-orchestra-10-23
Pure Michigan, “Michigan Ave. Fall Festival,” accessed Oct. 19, 2026, https://www.michigan.org/event/michigan-ave-fall-festival
City of East Lansing, “Halloween Events,” accessed Oct. 19, 2026, https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/halloween
RunSignup, “Spooky Sprint- Lansing,” accessed Oct. 19, 2026, https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/Lansing/SpookySprintLansing; Downtown Lansing Inc., events calendar, https://www.downtownlansing.org/events
Photo: Chris Lark Photography, “Wharton Center for Performing Arts.tif,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wharton_Center_for_Performing_Arts.tif

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