The Sixth Annual NYC Witches’ Masquerade Ball

Real-life witches gather tonight for performances by the Bastet Belly Dancers and Indian pop singer Shakti. There’s also an ancestral drum circle and midnight Samhain ritual, which involves the lifting of the veil and a spiral dance of souls. “We do it to welcome and say goodbye to the dead,” says Starr (of Charmed by Starr, one of the fest’s organizers).