In the mood for something to send a shiver down your spine this October — and also make you fall down laughing? Look no further than Baba’s Cafe on Peaks Island.

Every Thursday night in October, Baba’s Cafe will be hosting “Widow’s Bay” watch parties as a way of engaging with the community and encouraging offseason tourism to the island. They’ll watch two episodes of the Emmy-winning Apple TV+ series a week, culminating in the show’s season finale just in time for Halloween weekend.

“(‘Widow’s Bay’) is a really fun show, and it’s been striking a chord with a lot of people in Maine seeking togetherness, community and a little bit of spookiness in October,” said Millie Hillman, winter manager and director of community engagement for Baba’s Cafe.

While the exact location of Widow’s Bay isn’t explicitly stated (although the island is implied to be located somewhere off the New England coast), Hillman chose the show because she sees similarities between the titular town, which exists under a centuries-old curse, and Peaks Island, including their shared “island quirk,” the spookiness of Peaks’ abandoned Battery Steele Fort, and even a few ghosts (Peaks Island offers a ghost tour in the fall).

Hillman originally conceived of the event as a neighborhood watch party, but a post on social media gained more traction than she expected. While she has some mild concerns over the cafe’s 40-person seating capacity, Hillman said that anyone is welcome to join the party.

2026 marks the first year that Baba’s Cafe has been open past Labor Day, and Hillman was brought on in part to coordinate events for the upcoming winter season. The cafe expects to be open year-round with limited hours from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. In addition to the watch parties, the cafe also offers acoustic music on Sunday afternoons and Spanish conversation hours on Friday afternoons.

Hillman hopes that events such as the “Widow’s Bay” watch parties will draw greater attention to the cafe and entice visitors to stay on Peaks Island for more than just a night.

“We want to show people that Peaks and the Casco Bay islands don’t just need to be a summer activity,” said Hillman. “There’s something really magical about coming out here in the fall and the winter, and experiencing all that Maine has to offer.”

IF YOU GO

“Widow’s Bay” watch party, 6-7:30 p.m. Thursdays in October, Baba’s Cafe, 79 Island Ave., Peaks Island, free to the public. Hillman advises visitors take the 5:35 p.m. Casco Bay Ferry to Peaks Island.