There’s plenty to do — and an extra hour — this Halloween
Halloween already is one of the most popular party nights of the year, but 2009 promises to be one of the biggest ever.
It takes place on a Saturday, so no worries about overdoing it since there’s no work the next day. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, which means we “fall back” an hour. Meaning, well, one more extra hour in the day to party — or sleep.
“I think it can only help,” said Rich Shea, events manager for HiBall Events. “I think it’s a good thing. I don’t think we’ve gotten this much tailwind on Halloween before.”
HiBall is the brains behind the annual Halloween party at the Clarendon Ballroom in Arlington. This year, there will be two events: A Monster Jam in the afternoon, followed by the Monster Bash in the evening. Both events will have live music and a costume contest.
“We can’t make the place bigger, so we made it a second thing,” said Shea, citing increased demand for the event.
While trick-or-treating with kids means going door to door for candy, there’s an adult version in D.C. that involves going bar to bar. The Nightmare on M Street involves 15 bars in the West End part of the city, with multiple registration points. For the price of a ticket — it increases the closer to Halloween and peaks at $20 for on-site registration — partygoers receive a wristband that entitles them to drink discounts at the participating watering holes. The event starts in the midafternoon Saturday.
“It definitely helps,” said Ashley Bruno, an events coordinator for Lindy Promotions, which puts on Nightmare on M Street. “Most people don’t have to work. Absolutely the attendance will be great.”
While Halloween still is for children, when the sun goes down, it’s the adults’ turn to play.
“I think it’s definitely for both,” said Bruno. “It allows adults to go back to their childhoods.”
Shea believes the reasons more and more adults are into Halloween is those adults were once children going door to door and carving pumpkins.
“Halloween used to be for kids,” said Shea. “Those kids grew up to be adults.”
Shea said he finds having a large number of people dressed up in silly costumes brings out a positive side in the population.
“One reason I like Halloween, it’s that the people are more friendly,” he said, pointing out that playing dress up breaks down barriers and lets people loosen up.
And it’s those costumes that really make group Halloween events memorable, growing more creative each year.
“What I’ve seen in the last few years, people try to do current things,” said Shea, who has probably seen it all. “I’m always amazed. It’s impressive.”
