As someone who usually doesn’t like scary things, Halloween is actually one of my favorite holidays. Counterintuitive, you might say? Well, it isn’t always about horror movies and haunted trails. The things I love about Halloween are the costumes, glitter, and getting to choose what festival I want to go to. Production always puts in additional effort for Halloween festivals — roaming performers, movie-set makeovers, and spirited stage design. And, last but not least, the headliners always throw in some spooky music to contribute to the Halloween spirit .
Wondering what festivals are loaded with both music and horror? These are four of the best:
Escape Psycho Circus
Insomniac always goes the extra mile for their annual SoCal festival, Escape Psycho Circus. The event is known for its massive lineups, making it one of their more popular festivals. This year, the lineup features a lot of house and techno, so be prepared to dance the night away.
Lineup: Alesso, Anna, Borgore, Chris Lake, Claptone Deadmau5, Dillon Francis, Dubfire B3B Nicole Moudaber B3B Paco Osuna, Duke Dumont, Eric Prydz, Excision, Gorgon City B2B Nora en Pure, RL Grime, Timmy Trumpet, Valentino Khan + many others
Time: October 25-26, 5 PM – 2 AM
Location: San Bernardino, CA
Tickets: GA: Single-day starting at $130 // 2-day $210
VIP: Single-day starting at $220 // 2-day $350
Voodoo Festival
Voodoo has been at the top of my bucket list for a while, especially since the festival is located in the heart of New Orleans City Park. The 3-day event is a music and arts experience, and how can you say no to a 2-in-1? And they even have a discount for students. Sign me up.
Lineup: Bassnectar, Beck, Big Gigantic, Big Wild, Brandi Carlile, Guns N’ Roses, Jai Wolf, Post Malone, Rezz, Snails, The Glitch Mob, The National, Zhu
Time: October 25-27, 12 PM – 11 PM
Location: New Orleans, LA
Tickets: GA: Single-day starting at $80 // 3-day starting at $155
VIP: Single-day starting at $190 // 3-day starting at $450
Freaky Deaky
Two years ago, Freaky Deaky replaced Something Wicked as the main Halloween festival event in Texas. Regardless of what it’s called, it hasn’t changed the stacked lineups they always receive during this ghostly time. This year, some of the names include Borgore, Martin Garrix, and a B2B featuring Shiba San and Walker & Royce. They have also been blessed with a 2-hour sunset set from Fisher, so you know everyone will be losing it once the sun goes down.
Lineup: AC Slater, Armin van Buuren, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Borgore, Deorro, Fisher, Ganja White Night, Getter, Green Velvet, Kill the Noise, Lane 8, Malaa, Martin Garrix, Rezz, Shiba San B2B Walker & Royce, Simon Patterson, Steve Aoki, Tchami
Time: October 26-27, 2 PM – 12 AM (ends at 11 PM on Sunday)
Location: Houston, TX
Tickets: GA: Single-day starting at $95 // 2-day starting at $170
VIP: Single-day $145 // 3-day $260
Hard Day of the Dead
After a 3-year hiatus, Hard Day of the Dead finally returned to Los Angeles in 2018. The festival is back for its second consecutive year at the LA State Historic Park, and showcases a techno-heavy lineup. And for you older veterans, this beautiful festival is 21 and over.
Lineup: Dog Blood, The Martinez Brothers, Zhu, Tokimonsta, Damian Lazarus, Elohim, Justin Martin, 1788-L, Melé, Lauren Lane, Softest Hard, Josh Pan B2B X&G, Team B&L, Goddollars & Paradise, Rosa Pistola, John Bryars
Time: November 2, 2 PM – 11 PM
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Tickets: GA: $70
VIP: $140
Wynwood Fear Factory
Where: Mana Wynwood – Miami Florida
When: Fri Oct 25
Who: Illenium, Gareth Emery, Knife Party, Malaa, Droeloe, eDX, JVNA, Matt Medved, Luccio
The Cityfox Halloween Festival
Where: Avant Gardner, Brooklyn, New York
When: Saturday October 26
Who: Stimmin, Monolink, Gui Boratto, Lee Burridge, Bedouin, Art Department, and more
day of the deadmau5
deadmau5 is bringing his North American ‘cube v3 tour’ to Red Rocks on November 1 & 2 for ‘Day of the deadmau5’ shows. The original cube debuted at Coachella April 2010, catapulting deadmau5 to become one of the most in-demand live acts in the world, with its follow-up Cube 2.1 arriving in 2017 at the launch of his “lots of shows in a row tour.” cubev3 comes to life with a semitransparent look and deadmau5 custom content, making it the most complex production he has ever presented. Supporting on the bill are i_o, LIGHTS and Callie Reiff on November 1 with GETTER, LIGHTS and Callie Reiff on November 2.
When: Nov 1, 2
Where: Red Rocks
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Garden of Madness/Blood Manor
The NYC show marks the first time they are bringing this party to the United States for an exclusive one-off show with Knife Party, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Gianluca Vacci and Matt Medved as support. In addition to the over-the-top production, Garden Of Madness will also have a Haunted House from Blood Manor (www.bloodmanor.com) — a 10,000 sq ft pop up on premise with different rooms and actors dressed up to provide Halloween chills and thrills. Every ticket holder gets to experience it for free.
When: Nov 2
Where: NY Expo Center, Bronx NY
MK + Claptone Masquerade Montreal
Hot off his b2b performance with Diplo at the All My Friends in Los Angeles, global house music superstar MK (Marc Kinchen) touches down in Montreal for The Masquerade with Claptone at New City Gas on Halloween night.
When: Oct 31
Where: New City Gas, Montreal
