Halloween Comic Fest is today, October 27th, making it a very exciting weekend for comic book readers across North America. However, if you haven’t already heard of this unique holiday, then you are in luck. There’s still time to find out what this day is all about and get to your local comic book store in order to enjoy the celebration and snag some free comics. We’ve collected all of the essential details about Halloween Comic Fest below.

Reason for the Season

Halloween Comic Fest combines two holidays: Free Comic Book Day and Halloween. Like the former, it takes place at local comic book stores across North America and features a giveaway of free comics. Like the latter, it provides lots of spooky decorations, costumes, and a celebration of the fall season. Together these holidays, already favorites of the comic book community, combine to make for a very special event.

While some Halloween festivals can be too scary for little ones, Halloween Comic Fest is designed to be a family-friendly event with settings and comics that can appeal to all ages. Any person who arrives at a participating comic book store on Saturday should find an atmosphere and some new comics that are just the right amount of spooky.

Comic Book Ties

There’s a wide array of comics available at Halloween Comic Fest, including those in the standard, full-sized pamphlet format and some mini comics for younger readers. Parents should be sure to flip through any full-sized comics as some are oriented towards mature readers and might feature some particularly frightening art.

The complete collection of free comics represents dozens of publishers and a variety of styles and genres. It’s a perfect assembly for new readers to discover what comics might appeal to them or for current readers to find something new. One thing to keep in mind is that some stores have a limit on how many comics each customer can take for free, so be sure to scope out the list ahead of time before deciding on your Halloween reading material.

Special Events

Each store provides their own unique spin on Halloween Comic Fest. Some comic book shops offer Halloween-themed beverages while others make space for spooky games and other giveaways. If you’re interested in finding out what your shop will be serving up in addition to free comics, be sure to check with them ahead of time.

In addition to local flavor, there will also be a nationwide “Greatest Costume Contest Ever.” Anyone is eligible to enter in one of five categories (i.e. Superhero/Comics, Video Games, TV/Movie, Horror, or Original) of costume and win up to $500 in prizes. All you need to do for this is to follow this link to the Halloween Comic Fest page.

Where to Go?

If you’re not sure where your nearest local comic book store is or don’t know if they are participating in Halloween Comic Fest, that is an easy problem to solve. Just follow this link to find out where the nearest celebration is taking place and all of the important details like time and special events.

Once you know when and where your Halloween Comic Fest is this year, all that’s left to do is put the finishing touches on a costume and get ready to scoop up some free comics!