Día de los Muertos at TAM, Halloween deals, and Pentatonix at the Dome

Happy Halloween weekend, Tacoma. There is a free trunk-or-treat on Saturday, a free Día de los Muertos festival on Sunday, and plenty of indoor plans if you want them. Also: Narrows Bridge delays continue, property taxes are due Monday, and Election Day is Tuesday.

Community Events & Things to Do

• Halloween Bird Walk. Start Saturday, October 31 with a free guided walk from 9–11am at Point Defiance. Meet at the Lodge, 5715 Roberts Garden Drive. Drop-ins are welcome; costumes are optional. Be prepared for up to two miles on uneven, unpaved trails. Parks Tacoma details
• Tacoma City Ballet presents Dracula. The Pantages Theater hosts performances on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, both at 2pm; doors open at 1pm. The ballet features a live orchestra, and costumes are welcome. Everyone needs a ticket, including infants. Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway. Event and ticket information
• Live at the Eleanor: Bandit Improv Theater. The Reader, a tarot-themed improv show, comes to the Tacoma Armory’s Roosevelt Room on Saturday, October 31. Doors open at 7pm; the show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $24.54 including online fees. 1001 Yakima Ave. Tacoma Arts Live details and ticket link
• Adult Late Skate (18+). Sunday, November 1, 8:30–11pm at the Tacoma Armory, 1001 Yakima Ave. Admission is $15.41 including applicable fees. Session details and ticket link

For Families

• Trunk or Treat at LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Saturday, October 31, 3–7pm at 2702 E D St. This free community event has decorated trunks, family activities and food trucks. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older. Event and registration information
• 22nd Annual Día de los Muertos Festival. Tacoma Art Museum and Mi Centro host the celebration on Sunday, November 1, 10am–5pm, at 1701 Pacific Ave. Expect community altars, music, dance and hands-on art. Admission is free, but timed-entry registration is required. The festival welcomes all ages; the café and beer garden are 21+. Festival details and registration
• Family Fun Skate. Sunday, November 1, 1–6pm at the Tacoma Armory, 1001 Yakima Ave. All ages are welcome. Admission is $15.41 including applicable fees; skate rentals are $5. Session details and ticket link

Plan Ahead: November

A few November events worth planning for:

• Pentatonix: Christmas in the City Tour. Thursday, November 5, 7pm at the Tacoma Dome, 2727 E D St. Doors open at 6pm. Concert and ticket information
• Branch Out: Tree Share and Planting Event. Saturday, November 7 at the STAR Center, 3873 S 66th St. Free tree pickup runs 10am–1pm for residents of Hilltop, Eastside, South End and South Tacoma. The volunteer planting event runs 9am–1pm; sign up through the organizer. The earlier full-service tree-request period has closed. Tree share and volunteer details
• State of the Urban Forest. Tuesday, November 10, 7–9pm at 902 Market St. Tacoma Tree Foundation’s annual community report features Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello. Tickets are suggested at $25, with a custom-amount option. Program and ticket information

General Local News Roundup

• Free city services expo and hiring fair Friday. T-Town: City Services Expo and Trades & Hiring Fair is Friday, October 30, 10am–6pm at the Tacoma Dome, 2727 E D St. Explore city services, trades and job opportunities, plus hands-on activities and trunk-or-treating. A quieter sensory hour runs 3–4pm. T-Town details
• Narrows Bridge delays continue. Two westbound SR 16 lanes and the Jackson Avenue on-ramp are closed through November 8 for repairs. Two lanes remain open, with the HOV lane available to all vehicles. WSDOT warns of afternoon delays of an hour or more toward Gig Harbor. Route 100 is also detoured, with westbound stops on 6th Avenue between Mildred Street and Jackson Avenue, including Narrows Park & Ride, closed. WSDOT update · Pierce Transit detour
• State disputes federal voter list. Federal prosecutors said October 26 that more than 400 people on Washington’s voter rolls may be noncitizens and asked the state to set aside their ballots while citizenship is reviewed. In an October 28 response, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said a preliminary review found U.S. citizens on the list and that the information did not justify withholding registered voters’ ballots. These remain disputed allegations. Federal announcement · State response

City Government & Council News

• New property maintenance rules approved. Tacoma City Council passed Ordinance 29125 on October 27, updating the city’s standards and tools for addressing repeat violations. The code changes take effect January 1, 2027, but the expanded enforcement program cannot begin until at least nine months after Council approves dedicated implementation funding. City announcement

Weather & Seasonal Notes

Thursday, October 29 has a 30% chance of rain and a high near 50°F. Friday brings a 30% chance of rain, mainly before 11am, with a high near 51°F. Halloween is forecast to be partly sunny with a high near 51°F, followed by a partly cloudy night near 38°F. Sunday and Monday look partly sunny with highs near 52°F. Bring a warm layer for the evening. Latest NWS Tacoma forecast.

Clocks go back Sunday. Daylight saving time ends at 2am on November 1. Set manual clocks back one hour. NIST time-change details.

Food & Drink

• Musashi’s is open near UW Tacoma. The News Tribune reports that the Japanese restaurant is serving sushi rolls, teriyaki, rice bowls and bento boxes at 1740 Pacific Ave. Read more (The News Tribune)

Frugal Tacoma

• Free Thursday evening at Tacoma Art Museum. TAM offers free admission Thursdays from 5–8pm. On Thursday, October 29, the opening reception for Project NW: Eirik Johnson runs 6–8pm; it is free and requires no registration. 1701 Pacific Ave. Reception details
• CheapSk8 Wednesdays. The next session is Wednesday, November 4, 5:30–7:30pm at the Tacoma Armory, 1001 Yakima Ave. All ages are welcome. The $8 price includes skate rentals and applicable fees. November sessions are scheduled for the 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th. Session details and ticket link

Community Spotlight

Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room at Main Library, 1102 Tacoma Ave S, preserves photographs, maps, manuscripts, newspapers and oral histories from Tacoma and the wider region. For Archives Awareness Month, librarian Spencer Bowman and the staff shared favorite finds in an October 13 post, including a 1943 photograph of schoolchildren and historical correspondence. You can explore digitized materials from home; the Northwest Room also has its own visiting hours and research-appointment schedule.

See the staff’s selections · Collections, hours and appointments.

Sports

• Kraken on the road in Calgary Friday. The Seattle Kraken face the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday, October 30 at 5pm Pacific. Game details

Tacoma History

On November 7, 1940, at approximately 11am, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge twisted apart and plunged into the cold water below — just four months and seven days after its opening day on July 1, 1940. Workers had nicknamed it "Galloping Gertie" almost from the beginning for its tendency to ripple and sway in the wind, drawing joyriders from across the region who came specifically to feel the bridge undulate beneath their tires. On the morning of the collapse, sustained high winds set the span oscillating in a new and catastrophic way. Leonard Coatsworth, a Tacoma reporter, had to abandon his car and crawl on hands and knees to safety. The only fatality was Tubby, the dog trapped in Coatsworth’s car. No people died. The collapse was captured on film, became a textbook case in engineering failure, and changed how suspension bridges are designed across the world.

Read the full account at HistoryLink.org.

Deadlines & Public Notices

• Washington General Election — Tuesday, November 3. Return your ballot to an official drop box by 8pm on Election Day. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by November 3; with less than a week left, a drop box avoids postal delays. The online and mail registration deadline has passed, but eligible voters can register or update their information in person at a vote center through 8pm on Election Day, during its posted hours. Drop box locations · Vote center locations and hours
• Pierce County property taxes due Monday, November 2. If you pay your property taxes directly, the second-half deadline moves to November 2 this year because October 31 falls on a Saturday. Mailed payments must be postmarked by November 2. The county recommends mailing by Friday, October 30, or using its online or in-person payment options. County payment reminder
• Looking ahead: city budget hearing November 10. The second public hearing on Tacoma’s proposed 2027–2028 budget is Tuesday, November 10, after regular agenda items and no earlier than 5:15pm. Attend at the Municipal Building’s first-floor Council Chambers, 747 Market St., or use the remote participation details on the meeting page. Hearing resolution · Meeting and participation details

Before You Go

That is the week, Tacoma. If you have a neighborhood event coming up, hit reply and tell us. And if a neighbor would find this useful, forward it along — it is free.