Boston abounds with Halloween festivities

Free candy, scary movies, apple cider donuts, costumes … oh, the costumes ... and even pumpkin beer. Yes, believe it or not, pumpkin beer. Halloween is like a college-student’s Disneyland. But just like the real Disneyland (okay, actually, more like Epcot), all that joy comes with enormous pressure. Making the perfect plans for a Halloweekend of non-stop fun is no simple trick. As Friday the 31st draws nearer, the question on friends’ and frenemies’ lips -- so, what are you doing this weekend? -- will start to haunt you more than memories of last year’s shenanigans. Essay corrections and “Hocus Pocus” (1993) just won’t cut it this time, but don’t cry yet! The Daily Arts section is here to help, with a spooky (and hopefully unexpected) selection of off-the-Hill events that will keep you celebrating from the moment you don your first pair of kitty ears until long after the candy’s gone.

2014 Internet Cat Video Film Festival: The Berklee Performance Center will host a live event, compiling everything from the briefest of clips to short films -- all to do with cats. Produced by William Braden, the creator behind internet sensation “Henri, Le Chat Noir” (2007-2013),the festival will total around an hour and ten minutes of screen time. Is a cat video film festival an unorthodox way to celebrate All Hallows Eve? Perhaps. But, of the more than 85 videos in the lineup (that’s a lot of fur, people!), some are bound to feature black felines. Plus, science has proved watching cat videos is always a good idea. The 2014 Internet Cat Video Film Festival will take place at 136 Mass Ave., Boston, on Thursday, Oct. 30 for two screenings at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets cost $12 and can be purchased online.

Halloween Throw-Down: Revolutionary Snake Ensemble (RSE) will team up with Jon Bernhardt to give a Halloween night concert at Regattabar in downtown Boston. A “funk and street beat improvisational brass band,” RSE takes pride in creating a mix of original content and traditional influences with their music.Guest soloist Bernhardt will play the theremin, a touch-free electronic instrument, to fill the night with the appropriately Halloween-y sounds of things that go bump and beep in the night. Costumes are optional. Regattabar is located at the Charles Hotel, One Bennett Street, Cambridge.Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or by calling (697) 395-7757.

Beacon Hill with a BOO!: Continuing a decades-long tradition, Boston By Footwill take visitors on a 90 minute walking tour of Beacon Hill. The evening will include “stories of ghosts, murders and mayhem,” according to the group’s website.Beacon Hill with a BOO! delves into the history of the area as well as some of the darkest legends of Boston’s past, including a stop at the home of George Parkman, a doctor who was murdered in 1849. Beacon Hill with a BOO! will begin at 6 p.m. on Halloween night. Tickets cost $10 for Boston By Foot members and $20 for general attendees.

“Ether Dome” (2014): The Huntington Theatre Company recently extended the run of their production of “Ether Dome” due to popular demand! The play is based on the frighteningly true tale of doctors' 1846 discovery of ether as an anesthetic at Massachusetts General Hospital. Called “a twisted tale of medical advancement, cutthroat competition, and personal betrayal” by WBUR, “Ether Dome” is a hot ticket for sure. But tickets are going fast! To secure seats (or get on the waitlist) call the box office at (617) 266-0800 or visit the Huntington Theatre Company's website. Costs vary by seat, but student tickets are $15. Insider hint: there is still availability on Halloween night. The show starts at 8 p.m.