What will you be doing for Halloween? If you haven’t made plans, FestPop has six festival suggestions that will haunt your mind, engage you with your childhood fears, and excite you will the best in music.
Something Wicked | Houston, TX | Oct. 25 – Oct. 26
Something Wicked this way comes. Is Houston ready for two nights of terror before Halloween occurs? Haunting the Sam Houston Race Park, Something Wicked will feed your devilish side with sets from world-renowned talent, pristine sound system, themed stage production, and spooky performers. With Kaskade, Bassnectar, Martin Garrix, and A-Trak among others on the bill, the event is too good to pass; so why not celebrate a week before Halloween? With over four stages hosting some of the industry’s best talent, Something Wicked gives other Halloween-themed festivals a run for their money. For more information on the festival, visit http://somethingwicked.com/.
Escape: All Hallows Eve| San Bernardino, CA | Oct. 31 – Nov. 1
Insomniac Events is going back to the basics with a re-branded Halloween event, Escape: All Hallows Eve. While still maintaining the essence of the dark wonderland vibe, Escape is re-haunting Insomniac’s old venue, The NOS Event Center in San Bernardino. As Southern California’s biggest Halloween EDM festival, Escape will feature a landscape of mazes, scare-actors and performers, and six bone-chilling stages featuring the talents of Afrojack, Adventure Club, Oliver Heldens, Dash Berlin, and more. Alice’s House of Horror is not for the faint of heart, so enter if you dare to experience your childhood nightmares right before your eyes. Step into The Looking Glass, a 3D treat for the eyes and a wicked trick for your mind. Like other Insomniac festivals, Escape will host a range of art installations, art cars, and interactive performers who roam the grounds that was once populated by Wonderland fanatics. For more information on the festival, visit http://www.escapeallhallowseve.com/.
FreakNight | Seattle, WA | Oct. 31 – Nov. 1
FreakNight is Seattle’s circus-themed electronic festival complete with some of the industry’s top artists, with Kaskade and Tiesto headlining the festival, as well as a plethora of interactive activities and performances. With aerialists, stilt walkers, jugglers, and contortionists, the festival presents a real freak show to enhance your festival experience. Pumpkin carving and a costume contest complements its two-day musical escapade with DJs including Art Department, Dillon Francis, Carl Cox, Nervo, tyDi, Zeds Dead, and more. As the largest and longest running electronic music festival in the Northwest, FreakNight is bound to be a successful, horrific adventure ideal for any party goer; hopefully you’re not coulrophobic. If you are, beware…For more information on the festival, visit http://www.freaknightfestival.com/.
Nightmare Festival | Baltimore, MD | Oct. 31 – Nov. 2
Now in its fourth year, Nightmare Festival returns October 31 through November 2 to celebrate three days of music in the hauntingly-enchanted woods of Camp Ramblewood. With several haunted walks between three stages, the festival is the ideal event to celebrate Halloween. After all, Nightmare Festival takes place in the woods, overlooking the Susquehanna River in Maryland. If its location doesn’t send chills down your spine, than the festival’s lineup of DJs and performers will. While the festival does not host world-renown DJs like Hardwell, Deadmau5, or Kaskade, it does feature plenty of exciting up-and-coming/old-school artists that, in my opinion, are well worth the trip; artists like Super8 and Tab, Christian Martin, Russ Liquid, Jaytech, and Christopher Lawrence will bring a diverse collection of sounds that is sure to excite anyone at this festival. For more information on the festival, visit http://www.nightmare-festival.com/.
VooDoo Experience | New Orleans, LA | Oct. 31 – Nov. 2
Worship the music at VooDoo, a music and arts experience held at the New Orleans City Park in Louisiana. With an array of musical talent and genres, VooDoo is perfect for anyone to attend who wants to experience something more than an electronic music festival. With Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, Outkast, and Big Freedia among electronic music DJs on the schedule, VooDoo is the Coachella of the south where you can experience the finest of southern hospitality with a marketplace of southern food, activities, and art. For more information on the festival, visit http://worshipthemusic.com/.
HARD: Day of the Dead | Pomona, CA | Nov. 1 – Nov. 2
One of the biggest parties in Southern California keeps on getting bigger. HARD: Day of the Dead features a lineup boasting with artists any electronic music fan is excited to see. If Deadmau5 vs. Eric Prydz (OMG!), Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ set!), Pretty Lights (Live!), Booka Shade (Live!) and Audien (Live!) doesn’t make you scream in excitement, we don’t know what will. Crowd favorites Calvin Harris, Zedd, Diplo and Bassnectar will play at the Pomona Fairplex, giving you a great start to November. Although the event takes place after Halloween, and isn’t really Halloween-themed, the music festival will still provide one of the best production any festival will have. Don’t forget to leave your kandi at home! For more information on the festival, visit http://www.harddayofthedead.com/.
[Cover Photo: SF Rave Area/ Insomniac Events]
Written by FestPop Senior Staff Writer
Chris Hong
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