Fort Lauderdale’s Halloween combines eerie local legends—like those at the Stranahan House Museum—with lively community events such as LauderBOO and Nightmare in the Park, offering costumes and fun for all. You won’t want to miss the season’s highlights, including Candlelight Halloween in Fort Lauderdale. It’s never too early to plan ahead, as spooky season arrives all too quickly.
Candlelight: An Evening of Haunted Classics
Tim Burton’s gothic imagination lives in every note of his collaborations with composer Danny Elfman. The “Nightmare Before Christmas” medley captures Jack Skellington’s journey from Halloween king to Christmas convert, while Charles Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette” provided Alfred Hitchcock with his signature television opening, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s “String Quartet No. 8” brings genuine classical horror through raw, unsettling textures.
These diverse pieces find unity through the string quartet’s remarkable adaptability. Classical masterpieces and pop culture anthems receive equal treatment from musicians who understand both technical precision and emotional storytelling. Their acoustic instruments create layers of sound that build and release tension with surgical accuracy, using sliding scales for creeping dread and sudden dynamic shifts for shocking jolts, all amplified by candlelight’s atmospheric magic.
Candlelight Halloween at The Sanctuary Church FTL
The Sanctuary Church FTL in Fort Lauderdale is transformed by the glow of thousands of candles, casting flickering shadows along its vaulted ceilings and intimate spaces, heightening the Halloween concert’s eerie elegance. The soft light accentuates the venue’s gothic charm and creates an immersive, magical atmosphere perfect for the season.
The 60-minute concert features haunting renditions of Tubular Bells (Theme from The Exorcist) by Mike Oldfield, Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, and Stranger Things (Theme) by S U R V I V E, performed by a string quartet. Doors open 30-45 minutes early, inviting guests to soak in the candlelit ambiance—and with these concerts among the most popular Halloween experiences, securing tickets early ensures you won’t miss out on the spooky magic.