It’s that spooky time of year again, so get your costume ready, practice your Monster Mash, head to your favorite music hotspot, and get downright ghoulish. There are more music-filled Halloween happenings than you can say boo at, so I’ve compiled a list so you can start planning now.

The festivities start this weekend with the Falls Fest that will take place in the center of Turners Falls on Saturday, Oct. 21. The Falls Fest is replacing the Great Falls Festival, aka Pumpkinfest, which ran for 12 years before ending last year. The afternoon event will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will take place along Avenue A and surrounding streets. Falls Fest is full of music, with many of the performers from the Turners Falls area.

Headliner and bluesman James Montgomery and his band will perform at Peskeompskut Park at 4:45 p.m. Montgomery, the great blues-harp player and singer, has been a frequent visitor to western Mass throughout his lengthy career. He has been a legendary figure in the blues music scene for over four decades and has shared the stage with such greats as Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Winter and Bonnie Raitt.

Also playing at the Park will be Curly Fingers Dupree at 1:15 p.m., and Trailer Park at 3 p.m.

Over at Spinner Park, the focus will be on acoustic music. The schedule is: Tommy Filiault at 1 p.m., Jenny Burtis at 1:50 p.m., Jim McCrae at 2:40 p.m., Adelaide Fay at 3:30 p.m., Burrie Jenkins at 4:20 p.m., and Kevin McCarthy and Bruce Richardson at 5:10 p.m.

The Rendezvous, at 78 3rd St., will feature jazz from the Wes Brown Trio at 2 p.m. and local hero Stella Kola at 6 p.m. The Rendezvous will also host a festival after-party with DJ Rorzor starting at 9:30 p.m.

The Shea Theater Arts Center will be busy throughout the day, including hosting a jam session at 6 p.m. and dancing with SpookAround at 7:30 p.m.

And the best part is that all this music is free. For more information visit: FallsFestTurners.com.

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You can also check out plenty of music at the Scarecrow Festival at Cushman Park in Bernardston this weekend (the schedule is on their Facebook page).

While those events are fall-time celebrations, let’s look at all the many Halloween Parties that are coming up.

The parties start on Saturday, Oct. 21, when the Wizard’s Castle presents the 26th annual Renaissance Costume Ball. Music will be provided by the funkiest band around, Shokazoba New World Funkestra. For those who know about the Wizard’s Castle, the fun begins at 8 p.m. The party is BYOB and potluck. There is a $20 suggested donation.

The Doc & Witch in Greenfield, which is the new name of the former Balkan Lounge, is hosting a pre-Hallowen bash on Friday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. The club’s new owners on Ames St. (around the corner from the People’s Pint) plan to present more entertainment, and they are off to a good start. Plunge Pool, a rock/metalcore band from Montague, provides the music for this party, and the band plans to release a new single on Halloween! Get your costumes ready for the costume party — prizes will be awarded. The event is free.

The Doc & Witch will host an actual Halloween party on Saturday, Oct 28, beginning at 8 p.m. DJ Greg Stewart will play scary good tunes. Raffles will occur each hour, and some witchy potions will be served. There is also no cover for this event.

Since Halloween is on a Tuesday this year, the majority of the Halloween shows will take place on Saturday, Oct. 28, with some venues like the Shea Theater Arts Center hosting two nights of memorable holiday-themed shows.

On Friday, Oct 27, the Misty Blues band returns to the Shea for a special Halloween show. Based in the Berkshires and led by vocalist Gina Coleman, Misty Blues performs blues music and some classic folk and rock tunes. Be sure to wear a costume, for there will be a costume contest. The Alex Rohan band opens.

On Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Shea, it’s the Neon Wave 80s Monster Bash. This show is an 80s-themed Halloween show featuring Neon Wave, a popular 80s new wave tribute band. The band covers the music of Blondie, Duran Duran, Madonna, the B-52’s, Culture Club, and your other favorites from that decade. This band is one of the best at capturing the ‘80s sound, and they have the look down, too. In keeping with the Holiday spirit, concertgoers are encouraged to wear their best 80s gear.

Both of these shows begin at 8 p.m. and are for all ages. Tickets can be purchased at sheatheater.org or the door.

Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield also hosts two nights of Halloween shows. The first, on Friday, Oct. 27 at 8:30 p.m., is Rage-O-Ween featuring Bombtrack: the Rage Against the Machine tribute band. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Then, on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m., it’s a full-out blast of a Halloween party with Jimmy Just Quit. The local band that covers all eras of rock music has become the go-to party band for Hawks & Reed. This show will have a costume contest, so come prepared to win. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets for both shows are available at hawksandreed.com

If there is a band to get people moving, it’s the Gaslight Tinkers, so it makes sense they will be playing the Hallowevening Happening at the Wendell Meeting House on 3 Morse Village Road on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Yet again, costumes are encouraged. Tickets are a sliding scale of $15 to $20.

Hitchcock Brewing Company in Bernardston is hosting its third annual costume party on Saturday the 28th at 6 p.m. The music will be provided by AfterGlo, serving up their classic rock tunes. There will be a costume contest judged by the staff at Hitchcock. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. There is no cover charge.

Classic rock cover band Lakeside Drive will be the party band at the Crazy Horse Bar and Grill at Berkshire East in Charlemont on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 8 p.m. to midnight. There will be a costume contest with cash prizes, and there is no cover charge.

For those who don’t mind a bit of a drive, all kinds of shows are happening in the surrounding towns.

Up in Brattleboro, there will be a fun, funky celebration at the Stone Church with the funk and soul sounds of West End Blend. As a bonus, JJ Slater and LexiWeege, who both recently released solo albums, will open the show. And they will be awarding some great prizes for costumes — the first prize is $500, the second prize is $200, and the third prize is two tickets to their New Year’s Eve show with Bella’s Bartok. Doors open at 8 p.m., music begins at 8:30 p.m.

Greenfield’s popular synth-pop duo Home Body will provide the soundtrack for a far-out Halloween party at the Dream Away Lodge in Beckett. This will be an outerspace-themed show called Lost in Space: Halloween Hustle with Home Body. This show is the first Halloween party the Lodge has hosted in three years, so you can bet they are going all out. There will be boozy cocktails, a light installation, a bonfire, a costume contest and much more. There will be limited tickets sold, so head to thedreamawaylodge.com and get yours now. You can purchase tickets that include a pre-party dinner or buy tickets for the Home Body show only. The music starts at 9 p.m.

It wouldn’t be Halloween without theaters showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Garden Theater in Greenfield will host a special showing of the 1975 cult classic on Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. This showing will be complete with a live shadow cast, an interactive pre-show, and audience participation. Last year, two showings of the movie sold out in advance, so get your tickets now at www.gardencinemas.net.

These are only a few suggestions to guarantee that you have the most spooktacular Halloween ever.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.