Howl-O-Ween Doggy Costume Contest at Gracie O'Malley's Edgewater

A costume contest where the public picks the winner

Gracie O'Malley's Edgewater, on N Clark Street, runs a Howl-O-Ween Doggy Costume Contest on Friday 30 October 2026, 6pm to 10pm.

How it works, per the bar's own event page: bring your dog in costume, have them photographed, and the photo is posted for the public to vote on. There are first, second and third places, and winners are announced on Saturday 31 October. Unlike some costume contests, nothing published says you have to be there when the winners are named.

What is not published

Where your dog will be. The page says to "bring them in" for a photo and stops there. That matters in Chicago, because a premises holding a retail food establishment licence may admit dogs only to a designated outdoor area with its own street entrance. This directory has not checked what licence any venue holds. Ask the bar where dogs can stand — why a Chicago bar can let your dog inside and a restaurant cannot explains the rule.

An entry fee, prize values, categories, or where the photos are posted. None is published. "No entry fee published" is not the same as free — call the number on this listing.

Provenance

Date, times, how to enter, public judging, three prizes and the 31 October announcement from Gracie O'Malley's own event page, published 1 October 2026 and read 14 October 2026. 30 October is a Friday in 2026, which matches. The listing retires itself after the winners are announced.

See Events and Meetups for the rest of the calendar.

Lost dog? Chicago Animal Care and Control at 2741 S Western is the city's open-admission shelter and the first place to look.