Patio Pumpkin Painting Party

Boxcar Bar and Arcade is hosting a Patio Pumpkin Painting Party on Saturday, October 17, from 3 PM to 7 PM. It's exactly what it sounds like: you get to paint your own jack-o'-lantern on the patio, and they're pairing it with Halloween cocktails and swag giveaways throughout the afternoon. If you're looking for a low-stakes way to get into the spirit before the actual holiday hits, this is a good spot to start.

For those who haven't spent much time there, Boxcar is in Raleigh's Warehouse District, and it's built around a revolving collection of games that run from retro classics to more modern titles. You'll find pinball machines, console games, air hockey, skeeball, and foosball alongside craft and draft beer and a full bar. It's the kind of place where you can spend an hour on a single machine or bounce around the room, and the pumpkin painting fits right into that mix—you can work on your pumpkin and then step away for a game of skeeball or a drink.

If you're planning to make a day of it, it's worth knowing that Boxcar keeps a steady round of free events and tournaments going throughout the week: air hockey on Mondays, beer pong on Wednesdays, and skeeball on Thursdays, with drink discounts that change by the day. There's also a second location over in Durham on Foster Street, so if you're coming from that side of the Triangle, you've probably seen the setup before.

The painting party itself is free, and it runs from 3 PM to 7 PM on Saturday, October 17, at Boxcar Bar and Arcade, 330 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601.