Playing for the Halloween Block Party means performing for one of the largest crowds in Athens, and this year DJs will have more opportunities to show off their skills.
The well-known Halloween celebration, which is set to take place Saturday Oct. 26, will feature a third stage in the parking lot between Lucky’s, 11 N. Court St., and Attractions Salon, 19 N. Court St., to help facilitate the costume contest and shine light on local DJs.
“When I was in college, you made something or you just went Uptown in what you normally wore and got (messed) up,” said Jonathan Holmberg, chairman of the Athens Clean and Safe Halloween Committee. “We want to push the costume aspect of it. … OU students have gone out of their way to dress up.”
Holmberg said he has been trying to pump up the costume contest for years but it has always been too cluttered on the main stage with artists and equipment and the crowd is always split with people interested in the music and people there to see the contest.
The new stage, sponsored by Four Loko, will hopefully streamline the costume contest process with entertainment in between announcements, Holmberg said.
“We never had the resources to make something like this happen,” said Brandon “DJ B-Funk” Thompson, DJ for the local electronic dance music group Dave Rave. “We were some of the first DJs to be on stage at Halloween … This year Four Loko reached out to us again about a costume contest and a side stage, so we were all about it.”
The company has been a sponsor of the event in the past, hanging “Lokoween” banners from stages, and this year it is increasing that presence by giving out free gear and prizes on the stage.
“It’s a way for us to have fun with the holiday,” said Leah Watkinson, Ohio representative of Phusion Projects, the creator of Four Loko. “Everyone is going to go out and have a good time with this contest. We’re working closely with the Clean and Safe Committee to make it a fun and responsible event.”
Having missed only four Athens Halloween celebrations since 1976, Holmberg said he has been working hard to make the block party safe and fun and has always tried to highlight local artists.
Holmberg said Athens bands including Uptowne Buddha, Manitoa and The Burning River Ramblers will make for a varied lineup that should attract a larger audience.
“I think you get a much more diverse crowd of people when you have different types of music in different styles,” Holmberg said. “If anything, I get complaints that ‘It’s not as wild as it used to be’ — well that’s a good thing. If the police are shutting it down at midnight with riot gear and horses like they did when I was going to school, then that’s a bad thing.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
@Wilbur_Hoffman
