A new adults-only spin on the Bradbury Science Museum’s Halloween happenings will take hold 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, expanding on the family-friendly High-Tech Halloween central to Los Alamos’ annual Trick-or-Treat on MainStreet. The inaugural event promises a dance party, food truck and horror movies for both the hardcore and faint-of-heart. Costumes are encouraged — the spookier the better.
The event marks the museum’s first Halloween catering to the 18-and-over crowd, and Museum Director Patrick Moore aims for the tradition to stick.
“We want Los Alamos’ young adults and the older crowd, too, to have options for entertainment into the evening hours,” Moore said. Moore grew up in Los Alamos and returned home in 2016 after career stints in Arizona and Florida. He joined the Lab as museum director in 2024.
Partygoers can dance to their own beat during the strobe light silent disco (don’t forget your headphones!)
Tickets to the event don’t have a fixed price; rather, attendees are asked to donate what they can at the door or online in advance. Proceeds will go to the Bradbury Science Museum Association, the museum’s nonprofit partner that helps bolster STEAM education in Northern New Mexico and beyond.
Kids’ trick-or-treating still front and center
The day before, Friday, Oct. 30, the Bradbury will open its doors from 4 to 6 p.m. during Los Alamos’ Trick-or-Treat on MainStreet, when a segment of downtown closes to vehicle traffic as costumed kids stroll the streets with local businesses and organizations handing out candy.
At this free event, kids can make massive bubbles in the Boo Bubbles station, check out the spooky Lightning Cave with black and fluorescent lighting, saunter through a cloud chamber donated by the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, create magic potions out of baking soda and colored vinegar, experience a wind tunnel with faux ghosts and bats — and more.
True to the Bradbury’s science-centric spirit, a robotic claw will hand out candy. The Children’s Museum of Santa Fe will also make a special appearance.
“Trick-or-Treat on MainStreet started with the museum more than 30 years ago,” Moore said. “We were the only ones doing it at the time. Now it’s a tried-and-true contribution to the community that we’re incredibly proud of.”
Join us if you dare — and help make the night at the museum a spooky success!
3 things NOT to bring
While everyone is welcome to High-Tech Halloween, not all things are! Please remember to keep these things at home — they are not allowed inside the museum.
- Pets or live animals of any kind.
- Weapons — neither real nor simulated are allowed (even if part of a costume).
- Alcohol.
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