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Happy Halloween Burlington! Mother Nature's serving up some genuine Halloween atmosphere today with fog, rain, and wind that'll have you questioning whether those creaking sounds are just the weather or something more sinister. The rain's coming and going throughout the day with your best window for staying dry around noon, but expect showers to return just as the trick-or-treaters hit the streets. Tonight's temperatures will drop into the 40s, but those 25 to 35 mph winds will make it feel colder. Bundle up those little ghosts and goblins because wind chills are heading toward freezing, maybe even by 6pm. The mountains above 2,000 feet might even see some snow, and Saturday stays chilly and cloudy with temperatures stuck in the 40s, though Sunday might finally tease us with some sunshine.

Burlington's pulling out all the stops for Halloween festivities, and honestly, the weather's almost doing us a favor by keeping things authentically spooky… kidding, I pray it stops raining! If you're looking to start early, you can get some permanent Halloween flash at Bellevue Tattoo, or catch a pretty important afternoon talk on “Who is Vermont For?” with Tinotenda Rutanhira of the VT Professionals of Color Network at 2pm. For a full-on experience, the Murder on the Disoriented Express dinner train departs at 4pm, an interactive "who dunnit" mystery over a three-course meal. Over in Winooski, Four Quarters is splitting the night: "The Haunt" is all-ages from 4-7pm with trick-or-treating and fire performers, before it flips to "The Web," a 21+, $20 party with pole performances and food trucks. For families, Pingala North Ave hosts a Kids Rave with DJ Cheetatah from 6 to 7:30pm, and The Rustics are playing free acoustic tunes at the St. John's Club. And of course, listen for Sambatucada's drummers; they're bringing their fifth annual Halloween parade through the Five Sisters neighborhood starting around 6:30pm (though I’m not sure if rain changes things)

Once the trick-or-treating winds down, the party options are massive. Foam Brewers' annual bash is back and free this year with an “I Want My BTV” theme celebrating classic MTV. For the big costume contests, Red Square's Fright Night is promising serious cash prizes, and The Last Stop in Winooski is holding its annual party with its own contest and no cover. For a different pace, The Venetian Soda Lounge hosts A Haunting Masquerade where masks are mandatory, or you can hit up Specs for their costume party with DJ Liv spinning records. If live music is your scene, the tribute bands are out: The Monkey House has Easy Cure (The Cure, obviously), The Machine (Pink Floyd) is at Higher Ground, and YYZeppelin (Rush/Zeppelin) is at Sparky's. Over at Lil's Standing Stone, a Misfits cover band is followed by live band karaoke with Barbacoa. You also have 90 Proof at The Old Post, and Sticks And Stones are at On Tap. Need a laugh between frights? Comedian Jimmy Carr is at The Flynn with his famous edgy comedy.

The weekend offers plenty of reasons to venture back out. Saturday is huge for shoppers: the Williston Craft Show is a massive affair with over 100 crafters, and there's also a multi-studio End of the Year Art Sale on Flynn Ave for original paintings and jewelry. Another great meet up can be found at the Williston Library Saturday at 12pm to discuss world happenings with one of our readers Charlene, the first Saturday of every month. Foodies, do not miss the annual Pie Breakfast at Heineberg Senior Center from 9 to 11am for unlimited homemade quiche and dessert pies for $15, all supporting the center's free food programs. If you're feeling competitive, there's a Cornhole Tournament at the University Mall or you can try glow-in-the-dark pickleball at The Pop in SoBu. Saturday night's music includes the Burlington Civic Symphony's fall concert at St. Mike's, local favorite Ryan Sweezey celebrating his album release at Foam, and the Dawn of the Edd 3 jamtronica show at Higher Ground. Sunday settles things down with the Vermont Choral Union's Mozart Requiem performed with period-correct 1780s instruments, which sounds incredible. You can also catch a screening of “Climate Emergency - Feedback Loops” at the First Unitarian Church, or if you're feeling punk, a local band needs extras for a music video shoot at Odd Fellows at 3pm (pizza included). I’ll round off by saying there’s way more to check out, so be sure to scroll through the full event list below.

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We’ve got an official Meetup group for Burlington! The city’s packed with things to do. Btown Brief highlights it, and Btown Brief IRL gets you out experiencing it with people.

Always a great turn out! Another coffee meetup this Saturday at 10am at Zero Gravity. It’s always great seeing familiar faces, and even better meeting new ones each week. We’ll chat about Vermont living, touch on a bit of local news, and share what’s worth checking out around town this weekend. Come hang, have a coffee, and join the conversation.

If you want to connect outside of coffee meet-ups, join the Telegram chat. It’s the easiest place to see what others are up to, share ideas, and make casual plans while I keep improving how these events run. Feedback is always welcome! It’s just a one-man team so any sounding boards are great.

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Vermont Will Pick Up the Tab for Food Stamps During the Shutdown

State leaders voted Wednesday to spend $6 million ensuring 65,000 low-income Vermonters keep receiving food benefits for November's first two weeks despite the federal shutdown. The Emergency Board initially debated whether to fund half or full benefits, but Democrats successfully argued that with high food prices and average benefits under $200 monthly, anything less than 100% would be devastating. The state also allocated $250,000 to Vermont Foodbank to help overwhelmed food shelves. Governor Scott stressed that USDA has made clear states won't be reimbursed, but acknowledged this is exactly why Vermont sets aside emergency funds.

Vermont and 24 Other States Sue Feds Over SNAP Benefits

Attorney General Charity Clark joined 24 states suing the federal government to prevent suspension of food benefits, marking her 32nd lawsuit against the Trump administration. The suit argues Congress has already set aside $6 billion in reserves for SNAP that USDA is illegally refusing to release. With 65,109 Vermonters receiving an average $194 monthly through 3SquaresVT, advocates warn any lapse could have dire consequences for individuals, strain food shelves, and harm retailers who accept electronic payments.

Intentional Growth Drives City's Economic Development Strategy

South Burlington adopted its first-ever Economic Development Strategic Plan, positioning itself as Vermont's economic laboratory with 20% of the region's jobs and emerging sectors in life sciences, clean manufacturing, and electric aviation. The plan, developed after engaging 100+ stakeholders, reveals a city growing twice as fast as Vermont overall with a younger demographic but facing serious challenges: median home values at $388,800 (four times median household income) and 47% of renters cost-burdened. The strategy focuses on climate-forward growth, with BETA Technologies anchoring aerospace innovation and opportunities in semiconductor manufacturing, while City Center emerges as a hub needing activation beyond just buildings.

Burlington Considers Improvements to Traffic Safety

Burlington officials are tackling the city's second-most dangerous intersection at Route 127/Plattsburgh Avenue, where 120 crashes have occurred since 2012. The Transportation Committee is considering blocking the right-turn slip lane to force traffic through the stoplight, a strategy that successfully reduced speeds on North Avenue. Additionally, the city proposes extending no-parking zones from 50 to 150 feet near intersections without sidewalks, though officials worry universal application would eliminate too much neighborhood parking, so they're starting with 18 streets and case-by-case expansion.

Green Mountain Job Retention Program Enters Third Year

The program released $845,000 to 169 graduates who stayed in Vermont for two years after graduating in 2023, with nearly half being UVM alumni. As Vermont faces an aging workforce crisis with 22% of the population over 65, this $5,000 stipend incentivizes young talent to remain, requiring full-time Vermont employment for two consecutive years. Program manager Michele Karode notes that for every Vermont-born UVM grad who stays, two out-of-state classmates also remain, adding 5,500 graduates to the workforce over five years. Applications for the third cohort close December 1st.

Blasting Starts Next Month in Wheeler Park

After a five-year legal battle ending at the Vermont Supreme Court, residents near Wheeler Nature Park received notices that blasting for a 32-unit development begins in November. The controversial project sits on 7 acres that the city traded to JAM Golf a decade ago for 21 acres, a deal residents now deeply regret despite 500+ petition signatures asking the city to buy it back. South Burlington recently adopted its first bedrock removal regulations limiting blasting to 8am-5pm, but neighbors like Jeanne Zagursky, whose home is closest to the development, see the coming noise as a grim reminder of a battle lost to protect the conserved park's trails and mountain views.

Burlington Airport Leader Outlines Plans for Terminal Expansion

BTV's director Nic Longo presented plans for a 25,000-square-foot timber terminal expansion featuring geothermal heating and rooftop solar, positioning the airport for sustainable growth while serving 1.4 million annual passengers. The presentation addressed community concerns about F-35 noise levels reaching 115-117 decibels over residential areas and the loss of JetBlue service, while reassuring residents that despite the government shutdown requiring unpaid work from air traffic controllers and TSA staff, the airport remains safe with its lean team of 55 employees managing a $1 billion asset.

City Officials See Promise in Scott's Burlington Safety Plan

Governor Scott and Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak unveiled a 14-point public safety plan offering state police patrols, a pretrial supervision program for repeat offenders, and a UVM Medical Center mobile addiction treatment van. The plan includes both accountability measures like requiring service providers to call police when clients are violent and compassionate responses like expanded drug treatment. While details on costs and duration remain vague, officials are optimistic about initiatives like the special "accountability court" docket already operating to reduce case backlogs. However, the plan notably lacks strategies for Burlington's homelessness crisis, with no provisions for shelter capacity or encampment management.

Nonprofit's Cop Campaign Launches to Boost Force

Building Burlington's Future launched a recruitment video featuring Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak and current officers promoting the Burlington Police Department's $15,000 recruitment bonus and starting salaries of $74,415-$81,030. The campaign comes as BPD intensifies recruitment amid national staffing shortages, with a new three-year union contract offering enhanced benefits like improved shift differentials and wellness incentives. BBF executive director Sam Donnelly praised the governor and mayor's joint public safety plan as "exactly what we need right now," pledging the nonprofit's support for implementation.

COTS Unveils Expanded Shelter in Downtown Burlington

COTS will open a 56-bed shelter at 58 Pearl Street in early November, expanding from their current 36-bed Church Street location after raising $2 million mostly from private donations. The transformed former Social Security office features dorm-style bunk rooms, storage lockers, a dine-in kitchen, and meeting spaces, all painted in calming sage green with warm wood accents. While this adds 20 beds just in time for winter, Burlington still faces a severe shortage with an estimated 300 people sleeping rough and no city plans for a low-barrier warming shelter this winter. Last year, the Waystation successfully moved 61 people into permanent housing.

It was a big week for UVM Athletics, headlined by a historic achievement on the turf. The Field Hockey team defeated Maine 4-1 on Thursday to clinch the No. 1 seed and a share of their first-ever America East regular season title. After a scoreless first half, the Catamounts erupted with four goals to secure the victory. "The fight, the intention, and the execution was on point today," said head coach Kate Pfeifer. The win guarantees UVM will host its first-ever America East semifinal game next Tuesday.

On the hardwood, both basketball teams gave fans a thrilling preview of the season ahead with come-from-behind exhibition victories. The Men's Basketball team survived a nail-biter against Saint Anselm, 80-78, in a game that saw 20 lead changes. TJ Hurley was the offensive catalyst, pouring in 34 points, while a thunderous fast-break dunk from Momo Nkugwa energized the Catamount comeback.

The Women's Basketball team provided a dominant defensive showcase in their 68-34 exhibition win over Saint Michael’s. Senior Jadyn Weltz impressed in her debut, leading the team with 13 points. "For the most part, most possessions we were pretty decent," said head coach Alisa Kresge, who was pleased with the defensive effort that held the Purple Knights to just 18 points in the first half.

On the road, Women's Soccer showed its resilience with a 2-1 second-half comeback victory against UAlbany. After falling behind 1-0, Della Weir netted the equalizer in the 47th minute. The game-winner came just eight minutes later when Aubrey Bough headed in a long-range free kick from Kennedy Bridget.

Friday, October 31, 2025 (Halloween)

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Sunday, November 2, 2025

Put out the newest Wednesday edition! Let me know what you think and if I should adjust. I have plans for a rotation of Food Deal highlights, Poll Questions, Top Reddit Posts, Volunteer Opportunities, Reader Photos, Restaurant Spotlights, Small Business Features, and Btown Explained (quick local deep dive). Or Dine Out Review, Podcast Pick, Pet of the Week (adoptable to user submitted), new local Job Highlights, a Burlington Throwback Photo or Fact, and a quick Burlington Game like “Spot That Location”, VT crossword, or unscramble popular Burlington terms.

Here are some of my favorite btownbrief links:

Full list of 202+ activities to do at anytime is always waiting here when you need a plan: 202+ Things to Do

Full list of restaurant reviews here.

Soon to be updated with even more Burlington food deals. View the full list of food & drink deals here.

Whether you're braving the weather for candy collection or settling in somewhere warm with live music tonight, stay safe out there. The weekend's looking packed with everything from pie breakfasts to Pink Floyd tributes so pace yourselves. And remember, if the wind knocks over your decorations tonight, just tell everyone it was part of the effect.

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**Dropping tasteful merch for the Btown Brief VERY soon, stay tuned!**