SUNDAY, OCT. 30, 2011 >>>

1. Tacoma Art Museum has partnered with Centro Latino and Proyecto MoLÉ once again to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) culminating with a free community festival Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Now in its seventh year, the free festival will feature music, live performances, food and several hands-on art-making activities.

2. Remember that ninth-grade production of Romeo and Juliet? Turned you off to Shakespeare forever, didn't it? Chaste kisses involving balconies and poorly coordinated swordplay - this is not what the Bard intended. See what Ballet Northwest can do for Shakespeare's most over-produced and under-thought-about play at 3 p.m. inside the Washington Center. It's drama with more spinning. But with a romance-themed silent auction at 2 p.m. OK. Good.

3. You know John Williams is the world's most famous film composer because you know who he is. We mean, name another film composer. You can't, which goes to show how insanely familiar this man's music is to so many people. At 3 and 6 p.m. the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association will perform the work of Williams and other movie theme composers when it tackles "A Night at the Movies Costume Concert" inside the Urban Grace Church. Yup, costume contests will be held at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Expect a plethora of Storm Troopers, members of the Rebel Alliance, Boba Fett, a Jedi, Luke Skywalker and (Wait for it. Wait for it!) Darth Vader.

4. What would all this Halloween talk be without perhaps the most classic (and bloodiest) Halloween-y performance of them all? Head over to see Tacoma City Ballet performance of Haunted Theatre: Backstage Tour and Eerie Dances at 5 p.m. inside the Merlino Arts Center, then go grab a "bite." The dance company will be sure to make a great impression (or is it a great mark?) on you.

5. The Toy Boat Theater continues its series of open readings with Dusk by local playwright Nick Stokes at 7 p.m. The two-actor performance tells a suspenseful, musical, surreal story of a man and woman lost in the wilderness.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Happy hours!