Musician Woody Stulberg looks forward to wearing his Halloween costume to Cabarave: MadHaus III this weekend.

He says the event by RatHaus Productions as an “immersive nightclub experience with a theater twist.” Pop-up live performances include aerial silks, fire dancing, live music and performance painting, which take place around — and above — the audience.

Stulberg describes the atmosphere as “sensual” but also welcoming to all. Halloween costumes and audience participation are encouraged.

The shows take place this Friday and Saturday evening at Brother Justus Whiskey Company in Minneapolis. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the shows start at 8 p.m.

Greg Krausert of Austin, Minn. is also planning on wearing a Halloween costume this Saturday night when he attends a cabaret performance at the Austin Country Club by local drag performer Roxie Manacoochi.

Backed by a DJ, Manacoochi sings a range of styles from Cole Porter to Madonna to contemporary fare. She was named first runner up to Miss Gay Iowa USofA and is preparing to compete again this January.

“It’s unbelievable fun,” says Krausert of the show, recalling Manacoochi’s September performance, which kept the audience laughing and singing far beyond the scheduled run time. Saturday’s cabaret show starts at 7:30 p.m. 

Twin Cities filmmaker Peter Groynom is looking forward to attending the Twin Cities Film Fest, which continues with a full lineup of showings tonight, Friday and Saturday. 

The films play at the ShowPlace ICON Theatre in St Louis Park, and Groynom says this centralized location makes it easy to see multiple shows and also have a chance to connect with other filmmakers and enthusiasts.

The year’s festival has drawn about 70 films by local, national and international filmmakers. The films are also accessible to stream through the festival website.

Groynom appreciates how the festival spotlights diverse programming. On his watch list: a series of dramatic shorts called “American Tales” Friday at 2:30; a block of comedic shorts called “The Joke’s on Us” Saturday at 12:30 — both with filmmaker Q&As afterward; and a Saturday afternoon documentary, “Jimmy in Saigon,” which explores the life, romance and death of a queer veteran in Vietnam. External-Grid-scaled.jpg">Find the schedule here.