Boo! The original Halloween (1978) had a $300,000 budget, including just $100 for Jamie Lee Curtis’s JCPenney wardrobe. Proof that a good scare doesn’t have to cost much. Neither do this weekend’s plans.
Fuquay has haunted trails, ghost tours and live wrestling, plus ClubWorx’s free fair and candy crawl. Thursday brings jazz, while Raleigh adds wine, beer and the State Fair.
First time here? Welcome in. Every Friday, we send the best things to eat, drink, hear, and do around Fuquay-Varina. Know someone who’d be into it? Send them this: subscribe here.
— First Sip Fuquay Team
THE SHORT LIST
Start Here: Your Weekend Lineup
If you only read one thing this week, make it this. The biggest stuff happening across town this week:
Haunted Trail | Saturday, October 17, 5:00–6:00 PM and 7:00–9:00 PM: A daylight Family Trail for young children, followed by Full Fright in the dark woods.
FV Ghost Tours 2026 | Friday, October 16, and Sunday, October 18, 6:30 PM: A one-hour downtown walk through Fuquay ghost stories, true crime, cryptids and local lore. Tickets start at $35.
Wellness Fair & Candy Crawl | Saturday, October 17, 8:00 AM–1:00 PM: Free InBody scans, training demonstrations, wellness vendors and a kids' candy crawl.
Raleigh Wine and Beer Festival | Saturday, October 17, noon–8 PM, City Plaza: International pours, food vendors and a costume contest. Free admission; $15 buys three wine samples or five beer samples.
DCW Fight or Fright | Saturday, October 17, 7:00 PM: Live pro wrestling at Anthony Porter I'M Possible Basketball Skill Lab, with Gangrel, Savannah Evans and Sirena Veil advertised. Doors open at 6:00; tickets start at $17.85.
SATURDAY
🎃 Fuquay has a Haunted Trail
Image Credit: First Sip Fuquay / Carroll Howard Johnson Park (Original photo edited)
Haunted Trail | Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park | Saturday, October 17, 5:00–6:00 PM and 7:00–9:00 PM
Fuquay's Haunted Trail gets two distinct runs through the same quarter-mile stretch of rocky paths, hills and bridges. The Family Trail runs from 5:00–6:00 PM while there is still daylight. Costumes are encouraged, and young children can interact with characters along the route. Full Fright begins at 7:00 PM, when the trail shifts to dark woods and unexpected scares. The Town does not recommend that version for children younger than 10, and children ages 10–12 should have an adult with them.
Do not drive directly to the trail. Park at South Park Community Center and take the shuttle, which begins running at 4:00 PM. You can also walk the Jeff Wells Trail from the Community Center, but the Town recommends a flashlight. Be in line by 5:30 for the Family Trail or 8:30 for Full Fright. Showing up at 8:58 with brave intentions will not improve the situation.
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
👻 A mile of downtown's darker stories
Image Credit: FV Ghost Tours
FV Ghost Tours 2026 | Track Record Vinyl | Friday, October 16, and Sunday, October 18, 6:30 PM | Tickets from $35
FV Ghost Tours leaves Track Record Vinyl for a one-hour, one-mile walk through downtown Fuquay-Varina. The route is built around local ghost stories, true crime, cryptids and lore rather than a line of actors waiting behind plywood walls. Friday and Sunday both have 6:30 PM departures during this issue's window.
Tickets start at $33.94. Give yourself enough time to park, check in and meet the group before it moves away from the record shop. It is an outdoor walking tour, so dress for the actual temperature and wear shoes chosen with pavement in mind. This is Fuquay history with the lights turned down, which feels appropriate for a town that already has two downtowns.
SATURDAY
🍬 A wellness check with candy on the side
Image Credit: ClubWorx
Wellness Fair & Candy Crawl | ClubWorx | Saturday, October 17, 8:00 AM–1:00 PM | Free
ClubWorx is opening its Wellness Fair & Candy Crawl to the entire community, not only gym members. Adults can meet local fitness and wellness vendors, watch group exercise and small-group training demonstrations, and get a free InBody scan. Kids have a separate assignment: follow the candy crawl and collect goodies along the way. The event is open to all ages.
Admission and the listed activities are free. The five-hour schedule leaves room for a quick visit or a longer look around the demonstrations. This is a rare Saturday plan where one member of the household can discuss conditioning while another methodically acquires sugar in the same building.
RALEIGH
🍷 An afternoon of international pours
Image Credit: Raleigh Beer and Wine Festival
Raleigh's International Wine & Beer Festival | City Plaza, Raleigh | Saturday, October 17, noon–8:00 PM | Free admission; tastings $15
City Plaza hosts international wine and beer tastings, food vendors, shopping and performances for the festival's fifth-year Oktoberfest edition. Admission is free, with drinks, tastings and food purchased separately. The organizer lists $15 for three 3-ounce wine samples or five 3-ounce beer samples.
A Halloween and Oktoberfest costume contest starts at 3:00 PM, and the festival also has People's Choice voting for favorite wines and beers. It's an eight-hour event, so you can make it an afternoon stop without committing your whole Saturday. The free-entry option means the tasting passport is a choice, not the price of getting through the door.
SATURDAY
🥊 Fight night in Fuquay
Image Credit: Dominant Championship
DCW Fight or Fright | Anthony Porter I'M Possible Basketball Skill Lab | Saturday, October 17, 7:00 PM | Tickets from $17.85
Dominant Championship Wrestling brings Fight or Fright to Fuquay with Gangrel, Savannah Evans and Sirena Veil among the advertised performers. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with a scheduled 7:00 PM bell time. The organizer notes the start could move to 7:30 depending on arrivals, so plan for 7:00 rather than treating that as extra time.
DCW is a Black-owned North Carolina promotion founded by AC Devine, a childhood cancer survivor who found encouragement in wrestling during treatment. Saturday's show is at 622 Lakestone Commons Avenue, and Eventbrite currently lists tickets from $17.85. It's an unusually direct way to turn a normal basketball-gym visit into a Halloween-weekend story. The card is subject to change.
LIVE TUNES
🎶 Your Weekend Music Calendar
Image Credit: George Berkley
Friday, October 16
George Berkley at Aviator TapHouse | 7:00–10:00 PM: An acoustic set to start the evening.
Infinity's End at Aviator Pizza Pub | 7:00 PM: A separate Friday set on the Pizza Pub stage.
Jam Biscuit at Aviator Hangar Bar Stage | 8:30–11:30 PM: Rock on the brewery campus for the later-night option.
Saturday, October 17
DW and the Spirit Kings at Aviator Pizza Pub | 7:00–10:00 PM: Rock at the Pizza Pub, separate from the show across Broad Street.
Derek Chase Allman at Aviator TapHouse | 7:00–10:00 PM: Rock and funk at the TapHouse.
Red Bear at Aviator Hangar Bar Stage | 8:00–11:00 PM: Rock in Saturday's latest listed local slot.
Sunday, October 18
Open Mic at Oaklyn Springs Brewery | 2:00–5:00 PM: Local musicians can bring a song or listen as performers rotate through the afternoon.
Jared Place at Aviator TapHouse | 2:00–5:00 PM: Pop and rock during an afternoon TapHouse set.
Rich Music School at McWally's | 3:00–6:00 PM: Students from the Fuquay music school perform during a family and community showcase.
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THE REST
Honorable mentions for the week
Cars & Coffee Fuquay | Saturday, October 17, 7:00–11:00 AM: Cars, trucks and motorcycles fill the Aviator campus lot. Coffee starts at 7:00, breakfast at 8:00 and admission is free.
UNC vs. Duke Watch Party | Saturday, October 17, 3:30 PM: McWally's puts the rivalry game on its large screens at kickoff.
North Carolina Down Syndrome Alliance Buddy Walk | Holly Springs, Sunday, October 18, 1:00–5:00 PM: The annual awareness walk and community gathering returns to Sugg Farm.
Rich Music School Live Performance | Sunday, October 18, 3:00–6:00 PM: Students perform a three-hour family and community showcase at McWally's.
New in town: Level 6 Training & All Time Performance PT | Wednesday, October 21, 4:00–5:00 PM: The two businesses share a ribbon cutting at 301 S. Main Street in downtown Fuquay. Meet the owners and staff; RSVP is welcome but not required.
Cardio with Purpose | Wednesday, October 21, 10:30 AM and 5:30 PM: A hands-on workshop on heart-rate zones, conditioning methods and practical intervals. Admission is $20 for members and $30 for non-members.
Alternative '80s Night at Track Record | Thursday, October 22, 6:00–9:00 PM: Logan spins new wave, electronic, punk and 2-tone selections at the vinyl shop and listening lounge. This is a record-spinning night, rather than a live-band performance.
Explore S'more | Apex, Thursday, October 22, 5:30–7:30 PM: Outdoor nature games, education activities and campfire s'mores at Apex Nature Park.
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