Halloween falls on a Saturday this year for the first time since 2020, and Dave & Buster’s is giving friends every reason to summon their crew and make a night of it. Starting today, Dave & Buster’s locations nationwide are serving a limited-time Halloween menu of cocktails, food and desserts, alongside the debut of Escape Pod, a five-minute zombie escape game, and the Human Crane stocked with new Halloween prizes. The month builds to Saturday, Oct. 31, when participating locations host two ticketed parties: the Moonlight Mixer for adults and the Boo Bash for families.
Halloween has become one of the biggest social occasions of the year. Nearly three in four U.S. consumers (74%) plan to celebrate this year and total spending is expected to reach $13.5 billion, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual Halloween survey. For adults, the night is less about trick-or-treating than about getting together with friends over food and drinks.
“Halloween is one of the best reasons of the year for adults to dress up and get the whole crew together, and food and drinks are at the heart of the festivities,” said Jeremy Tucker, Chief Marketing Officer at Dave & Buster’s. “We are not inventing a reason to go out. We are showing up for a night people already plan to celebrate, with a menu that looks and tastes like Halloween and the kind of play you can’t get at a restaurant or a bar.”
A limited-time menu that looks and tastes like Halloween
The celebration starts at the table. The Halloween menu brings the spirit of the holiday to life through its icons (vampire fangs, a mad scientist’s syringe, a cauldron, ghostly glow in a glass) and its flavors, from candy-aisle chocolate and peanut butter to otherworldly heat. It is available for a limited time at Dave & Buster’s locations nationwide.
Beverage Offerings:
- Freak Show: A wickedly smooth mix of Crown Royal Whisky, vanilla, premium citrus sour and aromatic bitters, topped with a Freakshow Cabernet float and finished with a dried orange and vampire fangs.
- Bad Medicine: A concoction of Midori, pineapple passion fruit and premium citrus sour served with a cherry JELL-O shot syringe, just what the mad scientist ordered.
- The Possession: A spellbinding mix of Absolut Vodka, cherry, Sprite and premium citrus sour with shimmering luster dust, finished with a sugar rim, glowing ice cube and freeze-dried grape ice cream.
- Cauldron Cream Soda: A mocktail option, with an alcohol-free Halloween spin on a dirty soda with Fanta Orange, and vanilla, served in a marshmallow whip-lined glass.
Food Offerings:
- Summon the Fire Sauce: Turn up the heat with a fiery blend of buffalo spice and zesty chili lime. Try it on wings or cheesesticks, perfect for sharing, if you dare.
- Love at First Bite: Sink your fangs into layers of rich chocolate cake and creamy peanut butter mousse made with REESE’S® Peanut Butter Cups, finished with chocolate and caramel drizzles, and REESE’S® Mini Peanut Butter Cups.
- Funnel Cake Fries: A Halloween twist on the Dave & Buster’s favorite, topped with caramel drizzle, powdered sugar and festive sprinkles and served with whipped cream, chocolate and caramel for dipping.
Guests must be 21 or older to consume alcohol. Please drink responsibly.
Then the games begin
After the table comes the play. Escape Pod, making its debut at Dave & Buster’s, is a zombie escape room in game form: guests step inside with a friend and have five minutes to solve its challenges and escape the zombies. The Human Crane, the life-sized claw machine that turns the guest into the claw, has been restocked for the season at participating locations with new Halloween prizes, including inflatable potion bottles, skeletons, vampire fangs and black cats. Escape Pod joins a growing lineup of Dave & Buster’s all-new games that includes John Wick: Continental Pursuit, ICEE Slush Rush and Perfect Pump.
Saturday, Oct. 31: a night out for adults and a morning for families
On Halloween itself, Dave & Buster’s is keeping the celebration going all day with two ticketed events. Whether you’re a family looking to celebrate early or part of the late-night adult Halloween crowd, there’s something for everyone at Dave & Buster’s:
- Moonlight Mixer: From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., guests 18+ can celebrate with a Fright Bite Banquet, three hours of Unlimited Video Game Play, a Monster Mash playlist and costume contest. Tickets start at $24.99 per person, with the option to add up to two drink tickets for $11 each. Available at https://daveandbustershalloween.com/
- Boo Bash: Families can kick off Halloween at participating locations from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a Pancake Banquet, Monster Mash playlist, costume contest, pumpkin decorating and scavenger hunt. Tickets start at $21 per person, or $25.99 per person for the Pancake Banquet plus three hours of Unlimited Video Game Play and a $10 Power Card. Available at https://daveandbustershalloween.com/
Tickets for both parties are on sale now at daveandbustershalloween.com.
