With so many treating Halloween as nothing more meaningful than an excuse to party till dawn in a half-assed superhero costume, it’s safe to say the holiday has drifted far from its historical roots.
Nevertheless, by virtue of its relationship to various traditions honoring the dead – as well as to ancient festivals marking the onset of the “darker half” of the year, a transitional moment when the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead were thought to become porous – Halloween also conjures up images of the underworld, and by association, notions of Satan, witchcraft, and other dark forces.
It's Halloween week and the witches are gathering to conjure up some heavy sights and sounds to awaken the ghosts of NYC/LES.
Sabbathwitch
Kembra Pfahler
Steph Paynes
Tracy City
The Buzz & The Hum
Guest DJ: Tony Mann
Celebrating drum goddess Leesa Harrington-Squyres born under the sign Samhain.
Starts at 8 p.m.
Ticket price: "Pay What You Witch"
THE DOCTOR IS IN…SANE!
Gore-hungry East Village tricksters (and their parents) will bear witness to an insane doctor’s gruesome medical malpractice. On Oct. 31, the window of Exit9 Gift Emporium will be converted into an operating amphitheater as the demented doctor performs live surgery before your very eyes.
For 365 days a year, rats are the stuff nightmares are made of for New Yorkers. The theme at this year's spooky Halloween adventure garden is Rats, because whether they rule or horrify, they're a part of living in NYC.
At this costume party, bring your whole family, as there'll be mystic fortune telling, face painting and thrilling coffin rides. At 5:30 pm there will be live music by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra.
Oh! And try not to get trapped in the Rat Race Maze, where we are trying to teach people to stay away from the corporate rat race.
