It’s still April, and we’re about halfway to Halloween. And while I’m a little late to the party, Halfway to Halloween has kind of become a thing, some even go so far as to say it’s like what Christmas In July is to Christmas. While I don’t think it’s gotten that popular, here’s what I have found out about Halfway To Halloween.
Halfway to Halloween, also known as Halfoween, is typically celebrated around April 30th or May 1st, marking six months before October 31st. This unofficial holiday is a way to start the spooky season early, with some communities even having festivals to mark the occasion, and some in the entertainment industry using it as a way to tease some of their movies, music, events, etc. that will be on the way later this year..
Last year, Spirit Halloween marked Halfway To Halloween with a teaser video on their YouTube channel, posted on April 29. They used the occasion to promote some of the new items that would be debuting in their stores the following Fall. They also did something similar the year before, and I imagine have something else similar on the way for this year.
The Disney Parks blog also did something similar last year, promoting some of the Halloween events that would be coming to the parks in the Fall, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be revisiting that shortly.
There is a Halfway To Halloween Festival that will take place in Riverside California on May 2-4.
There is also a Halfway To Halloween Expo in Ann Arbor Michigan on May 10.
Frightreads Book Festival is presented a Halfway To Halloween event in Glen Burnie, Maryland April 26 at a mall with at least 60 Halloween vendors!
Blumhouse is celebrating Halfway To Halloween this year by re-releasing Meagan, Annabelle and Ma in theaters, coming out one after the other beginning on April 30.
Shudder’s annual Halfway to Halloween celebration returned in early April with a month-long programming lineup celebrating the halfway point to their “favorite day of the year”. The 2025 lineup includes “a killer selection of new original films and series”.
I don’t know of any particular music-related events, at least not yet, though there are some themed concerts taking place all over the U.S., but no music festivals, at least, none I’m aware of. But as far as music goes, I can tell you that Jennifer Nettles and Kevin Bacon have released a soundtrack to his new Amazon Prime series The Bondsman: Hell and Back (some of which you’ll hear on the Sounds of Halloween this Fall).
This seems like a good time to talk a little about the Sounds of Halloween.
For those who don’t know, the Sounds of Christmas becomes the Sounds of Halloween for the month of October. For those thirty-one days, we give "White Christmas" a rest, and delve into our library of songs for the spooky season.
Some of it is pretty obvious. Monster Mash. Purple People Eater. Songs about things you associate with Halloween - ghosts, monsters, werewolves, vampires and witches. Some are scary stories, and some are about candy or trick-or-treating.
I also include songs from scary movies and TV shows. Some of those are pretty creepy. And some are funny. Many are in-between.
While there are some kids' songs (like The Count from Sesame Street), a few of the songs do have bad language. And some of the themes of some songs are straight out of horror movies, and those probably aren't for little kids, either. I only say that so you’ll know that, for the month of October, parental guidance is suggested.
On the Sounds of Christmas, I play many versions of many songs, so you won't just hear Bing Crosby's version of "White Christmas". You'll hear lots of different singers and bands, old and new, offering their takes on that classic. And l do the same thing with the Halloween tunes. For example, I have around thirty versions of "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky" (though I may not get to all of them this year, as I try to separate songs and artists so you don't hear the same songs and same voices over and over).
During the Sounds of Halloween, you will hear from many of your favorite Christmas music singers and bands, including Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Mannheim Steamroller and even Bruce Springsteen!
There are songs about Killer Tomatoes, Black Magic Women and Haunted Houses. There are also songs about Alien Invasions, Invisible Men and over three dozen takes on "I Put A Spell On You" (I probably won't get to all of those, either).
And I play lots of Disney songs, from movie villains and from spooky shows on Disney Plus. I also have at least half a dozen songs from Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Since last October, I’ve added hundreds of new songs to the Sounds of Halloween library. And I’ve no doubt there will be more to come. There are lots of scary movies that will be coming out between now and then, and sometimes, not always but sometimes, those soundtracks usually have at least one or two spooky songs.
That’s not the only place to find new Halloween songs, of course, but that’s the only source that gives us particular release dates. Unlike Christmas music, there aren’t a lot of artists that put out Halloween themed albums (though last year we did get Spooky Jazz Volume 2 from Hannah Gill, and before that Danse Macabre from Duran Duran, and Voltaire’s latest The Last Halloween Party.
I should also mention that I haven’t just been adding new releases, to either the Halloween library or the Christmas library. I’ve discovered, and in some cases re-discovered, songs from seasons past.
For example, since we’re talking mostly about the Sounds of Halloween, I just recently came across covers of “I Put A Spell On You” from Cliff Beach and Judith Owens (not together).
I found covers of “Wicked Game” by four different artists, and three versions of “The Phantom of The Opera”, and covers of “I Want Candy”, I Want To Be Evil” and a version of “Ghostbusters” performed by Bruce Springsteen (no, really).
And it’s not just covers, I also came across Geoff Castelucci’s “The Loch Ness Monster”, “Halloween Face” from Widespread Panic and Gal Gadot’s song from the new Snow White movie.
And I also find new songs from some of the artists that are so kind as to advertise and support the Sounds of Christmas, like David Arkenstone’s “The Fog” and David Browning’s “Haunted Hearts”.
I’m sure there’s lots more to come.
Of course, your mileage may vary. Some of the songs I mentioned, and others from the movies or artists that I didn’t mention, might evoke that Halloween type of feeling for you. Or they might not.
And again, this is all my opinion. I run the Sounds of Christmas the same way. There are some songs I just don’t play, that just don’t feel like they fit - that they’re particularly Christmassy to me. Other people may not feel the same way about those same songs. And that’s okay. We all connect with different kinds of music in different kinds of ways. Similar to how we celebrate holidays.
As I mentioned, the Sounds of Halloween happens from October 1 through October 31, and the new season of the Sounds of Christmas begins on November 1. And this year, for the first time, in celebration of Halfway To Halloween, I’m mixing in some small samples of what you’ll hear in October when we switch to the Sounds of Halloween. Not a major change in programming, just once every hour or so, a little taste of Halloween music. That will happen all day on April 30 and May 1. I figured since I do have our annual Christmas In July event on the way, the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z, I should do a little something to celebrate Halfway To Halloween.
I’m really excited about the Sounds of Halloween coming in October and the new season of the Sounds of Christmas (which starts on November 1), and I hope you’ll be able to spend at least part of both of those seasons with us!
May you always believe in Santa Claus! And the Great Pumpkin!
Ken
Halfway to Halloween, also known as Halfoween, is typically celebrated around April 30th or May 1st, marking six months before October 31st. This unofficial holiday is a way to start the spooky season early, with some communities even having festivals to mark the occasion, and some in the entertainment industry using it as a way to tease some of their movies, music, events, etc. that will be on the way later this year..
Last year, Spirit Halloween marked Halfway To Halloween with a teaser video on their YouTube channel, posted on April 29. They used the occasion to promote some of the new items that would be debuting in their stores the following Fall. They also did something similar the year before, and I imagine have something else similar on the way for this year.
The Disney Parks blog also did something similar last year, promoting some of the Halloween events that would be coming to the parks in the Fall, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be revisiting that shortly.
There is a Halfway To Halloween Festival that will take place in Riverside California on May 2-4.
There is also a Halfway To Halloween Expo in Ann Arbor Michigan on May 10.
Frightreads Book Festival is presented a Halfway To Halloween event in Glen Burnie, Maryland April 26 at a mall with at least 60 Halloween vendors!
Blumhouse is celebrating Halfway To Halloween this year by re-releasing Meagan, Annabelle and Ma in theaters, coming out one after the other beginning on April 30.
Shudder’s annual Halfway to Halloween celebration returned in early April with a month-long programming lineup celebrating the halfway point to their “favorite day of the year”. The 2025 lineup includes “a killer selection of new original films and series”.
I don’t know of any particular music-related events, at least not yet, though there are some themed concerts taking place all over the U.S., but no music festivals, at least, none I’m aware of. But as far as music goes, I can tell you that Jennifer Nettles and Kevin Bacon have released a soundtrack to his new Amazon Prime series The Bondsman: Hell and Back (some of which you’ll hear on the Sounds of Halloween this Fall).
This seems like a good time to talk a little about the Sounds of Halloween.
For those who don’t know, the Sounds of Christmas becomes the Sounds of Halloween for the month of October. For those thirty-one days, we give "White Christmas" a rest, and delve into our library of songs for the spooky season.
Some of it is pretty obvious. Monster Mash. Purple People Eater. Songs about things you associate with Halloween - ghosts, monsters, werewolves, vampires and witches. Some are scary stories, and some are about candy or trick-or-treating.
I also include songs from scary movies and TV shows. Some of those are pretty creepy. And some are funny. Many are in-between.
While there are some kids' songs (like The Count from Sesame Street), a few of the songs do have bad language. And some of the themes of some songs are straight out of horror movies, and those probably aren't for little kids, either. I only say that so you’ll know that, for the month of October, parental guidance is suggested.
On the Sounds of Christmas, I play many versions of many songs, so you won't just hear Bing Crosby's version of "White Christmas". You'll hear lots of different singers and bands, old and new, offering their takes on that classic. And l do the same thing with the Halloween tunes. For example, I have around thirty versions of "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky" (though I may not get to all of them this year, as I try to separate songs and artists so you don't hear the same songs and same voices over and over).
During the Sounds of Halloween, you will hear from many of your favorite Christmas music singers and bands, including Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Mannheim Steamroller and even Bruce Springsteen!
There are songs about Killer Tomatoes, Black Magic Women and Haunted Houses. There are also songs about Alien Invasions, Invisible Men and over three dozen takes on "I Put A Spell On You" (I probably won't get to all of those, either).
And I play lots of Disney songs, from movie villains and from spooky shows on Disney Plus. I also have at least half a dozen songs from Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Since last October, I’ve added hundreds of new songs to the Sounds of Halloween library. And I’ve no doubt there will be more to come. There are lots of scary movies that will be coming out between now and then, and sometimes, not always but sometimes, those soundtracks usually have at least one or two spooky songs.
That’s not the only place to find new Halloween songs, of course, but that’s the only source that gives us particular release dates. Unlike Christmas music, there aren’t a lot of artists that put out Halloween themed albums (though last year we did get Spooky Jazz Volume 2 from Hannah Gill, and before that Danse Macabre from Duran Duran, and Voltaire’s latest The Last Halloween Party.
I should also mention that I haven’t just been adding new releases, to either the Halloween library or the Christmas library. I’ve discovered, and in some cases re-discovered, songs from seasons past.
For example, since we’re talking mostly about the Sounds of Halloween, I just recently came across covers of “I Put A Spell On You” from Cliff Beach and Judith Owens (not together).
I found covers of “Wicked Game” by four different artists, and three versions of “The Phantom of The Opera”, and covers of “I Want Candy”, I Want To Be Evil” and a version of “Ghostbusters” performed by Bruce Springsteen (no, really).
And it’s not just covers, I also came across Geoff Castelucci’s “The Loch Ness Monster”, “Halloween Face” from Widespread Panic and Gal Gadot’s song from the new Snow White movie.
And I also find new songs from some of the artists that are so kind as to advertise and support the Sounds of Christmas, like David Arkenstone’s “The Fog” and David Browning’s “Haunted Hearts”.
I’m sure there’s lots more to come.
Of course, your mileage may vary. Some of the songs I mentioned, and others from the movies or artists that I didn’t mention, might evoke that Halloween type of feeling for you. Or they might not.
And again, this is all my opinion. I run the Sounds of Christmas the same way. There are some songs I just don’t play, that just don’t feel like they fit - that they’re particularly Christmassy to me. Other people may not feel the same way about those same songs. And that’s okay. We all connect with different kinds of music in different kinds of ways. Similar to how we celebrate holidays.
As I mentioned, the Sounds of Halloween happens from October 1 through October 31, and the new season of the Sounds of Christmas begins on November 1. And this year, for the first time, in celebration of Halfway To Halloween, I’m mixing in some small samples of what you’ll hear in October when we switch to the Sounds of Halloween. Not a major change in programming, just once every hour or so, a little taste of Halloween music. That will happen all day on April 30 and May 1. I figured since I do have our annual Christmas In July event on the way, the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z, I should do a little something to celebrate Halfway To Halloween.
I’m really excited about the Sounds of Halloween coming in October and the new season of the Sounds of Christmas (which starts on November 1), and I hope you’ll be able to spend at least part of both of those seasons with us!
May you always believe in Santa Claus! And the Great Pumpkin!
Ken
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