Halloween, to many, is more important than the other big fall and winter holidays. As such, it’s crucial that your Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Eve, or Dia de los Muertos (November 1 to 2) promotions go off without a hitch. There’s nothing scarier than putting time, labor, money and other resources into an event, only to open to your doors to a most terrifying vision: nobody in line.
To help you avoid such a horror, we present you with the following inspiring Halloween promotions. Cheers!
Haunted Homecoming & Forbidden Ball
When it comes to parties, Las Vegas nightclubs tend to go huge. Light located inside the Mandalay Bay will be celebrating Halloween for four days, starting on October 26 with Haunted Homecoming. DJ Mustard will provide the soundtrack, and he’ll do so on October 28 as well. J. Cole will be the host on October 29, and Disclosure will perform a special DJ set on Halloween itself. Of course, no promotion is complete without a catchy themed hashtag, and Light has certainly come up with a great one for Halloween: #Lightmare.
Stranger Things Halloween Weekender
Of course, Las Vegas isn’t the city with nightlife that lives by the “Go big, etc.” mantra. Los Angeles eatery and lounge EP & LP (yes, as in Extended Play and Long Play) will be hosting a Halloween celebration from Friday, October 28 through Monday, October 31. LP, the 4,000 square-foot rooftop lounge, will be the location of this Stranger Things-themed event* which features a Ouija board, ‘80s music, and three limited edition Stranger Things and ‘80s-inspired cocktails.
Guests can choose from the Winona Wallbanger (vodka, Galliano, blood orange, clove, cinnamon), Hawkins (Indiana Iced Tea House Spirit Blend, citrus, soda, vanilla, boba), and The Upside Down (house rum blend, Citron Sauvage, passion fruit, pineapple), all created by beverage director Adam Nystrom. Of course, guests are encouraged to come in costume, and they should expect one hell of a party. After all, DJ Grant Smillie (a renowned Australian house DJ) and Axwell (of Swedish Mafia fame) are two of the owners of EP & LP.
Stranger Things theme party
In what is perhaps a spooky coincidence, there’s another Stranger Things promotion* being held in Brooklyn. It may not be happening on Halloween weekend (the event has been scheduled for October 21 through October 23), but Stranger Things is the inspiration for this Halloween party which will take place at Lot 45. Guests will enjoy three evenings of ‘80s music, music from Stranger Things, trivia, Dungeons & Dragons, waffles, prizes for costumes, and giveaways (including a BMX giveaway).
A portion of the proceeds will go to Variety New York to support grassroots non-profit organizations in the Tri-State area whose programs use the arts as a catalyst to transform the lives of under-served children, and WOAR, a non-profit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose mission is to eliminate all forms of sexual violence through specialized treatment services, comprehensive prevention education programs, and advocacy for the rights of victims of sexual assault.
Return to Gotham
Holy Halloween hotspot, Batman! Skybar at Mondrian, located in LA, presents Return to Gotham on October 30 and 31. As most of you have probably guessed, the theme of this promotion is the Caped Crusader and his home of Gotham City. For two nights the Mondrian, located on the Sunset Strip, will be wrapped in digital projections to help it transform into Gotham City, and the theme will carry over at Skybar. Guests will experience Selina Kyle’s (Catwoman) “Hell Here” apartment, which will be dedicated to her 9 lives, The Penguin’s “Arctic World” lair, complete with frozen dance floor, and “Joker’s Paradise,” a trick-filled playground dedicated to the Crown Prince of Crime.
Scary Delicious
Want to give your guests the chance to literally face scary creepy crawlies? Then take a look at what V Wine Room in West Hollywood, CA, is doing on Halloween. The founder of Bugible, Aly Moore, will be partnering with V Wine Room founder Michael Consbruck to take guests on a Halloween journey that will make their skin crawl. Six boutique wines will be paired with crickets, mealworms, scorpions and ants, and a portion of the $60 ticket price will go to Little Herds, a nonprofit organization that educates people about the benefits of edible bugs. And here we though candy corn was scary…
Halloween
Possibly coining the phrase, The Headless Horseman in NYC will be offering guests a Halloween “exfearience” on October 29. This 18th century New England-themed bar and lounge known for craft beer, classic cocktails and gastropub fare may just be the best venue for a creepy but sexy soiree. After all, it isn’t every day that you have the chance to attend a Halloween party inside a Colonial tavern. Adding to the vibe are flaming lanterns and exposed wood beams, not to mention the lore of one of the greatest Halloween figures of all time: the infamous Headless Horseman.
Costumes are, of course, encouraged. There will be an open bar from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and guests will be treated to a live DJ performance.
Dia do los Muertos
Sons of Essex, the famed NYC speakeasy with a 1930s Prohibition feel, will be celebrating Dia de los Muertos a few days early. Music will be provided by a live DJ and guests will be treated to an open bar from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM. There are also several VIP ticket and bottle package options from which guests can choose. For example, general admission tickets are $20 but $5 more can score a fast pass which comes with front-of-line priority admission. Reserved seating comes in at $30, and bottle packages range from $355 to $1,600. The bottle packages serve groups of 4 to 14 and range from 1 bottle of vodka to 4 bottles of vodka and 2 bottles of Champagne.
What’s interesting is that guests are encouraged to come in costume…unless that costume is a clown. Sons of Essex indicates that the Dia de los Muertos dress code is “Halloween festive,” but that security will bar anyone from entering who arrives dressed as a clown. No creepy clown sightings at this party.
*We feel it is important to let our readers know that neither of the Stranger Things-themed parties mentioned here are associated with Netflix.