Event preview: Festival of the Dead
The air is crisp, pumpkin spice is back in our lives, and there’s something spooky going around… and no, it’s not the dreaded autumn cold and flu season. I’m talking about the Festival of the Dead. Europe’s weirdest weekenders just got even weirder.
Festival of the Dead was founded in London in 2015 by Nathan Reed. Nathan is the guy who came up with The Big Freshers Icebreaker event concept, as well as Festival Of The Dead, Spring Break Amsterdam, Budafest, and The Festival Of Light. That’s a pretty impressive portfolio. It started off as a one-off event, bringing the best of underground & offbeat entertainment to the stage in a ghoulish get-up that the masses went absolutely crazy for. Since 2015, it has grown into a global community of artists, influencers, creators, performers and fans, all united by one passion; the passion for the dark, the occult, and the mystical.
Credit: Festival of the Dead
The Festival of the Dead specialises in all-year-round spooky rock orchestras, but over the Halloween period they really step it up a notch with Halloween Returns. Halloween Returns is a freaky blend of circus, carnival and clubbing, set to a soundtrack spanning rock, indie, bass, d’n’b, house & industrial techno performed by our DJ’s & live band. Except gigantic props that are so lifelike they’re almost real, magical scenery that’ll trip you out after one too many Jager bombs, unreal performers that come off of the stage and into the crowds. This is immersive clubbing at its best.
The coolest part is that they’re going all over the country to bring you their Halloween delights. Kind of like trick or treating, but on a much larger scale… this travelling circus will take to the stage in Birmingham, London, Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham, York, Stoke, even Torquay… so there’s no excuse to miss out. Check out everything they have to offer, plus a whole host of other events across the UK and Europe, here.
Credit: Festival of the Dead
Words by Rebecca Clayton