By Jordan Bailey
Atlanta is bound to deliver fanciful and even ghoulish exploits whether from run-ins with the Walking Dead or the Vampire Diaries – and the Little 5 Points Halloween Festival and Parade was no disappointment. As one of the top ten Halloween events in the country close to 35,000 costume-clad people crept into Little 5 Saturday, Oct. 20th. Atlanta’s art and music district was full to the brim of superheroes, zombies, pirates and countless other characters rubbing elbows with one another as if in a proverbial mixing pot of a whimsical fiction. The sidewalk was a shared stage of Tim Burton and Stan Lee devotees making this year’s festival no lack of macabre and a thoroughly absorbing occasion.
For months leading up to the parade, sponsors prepare their themes, costumes and floats. A repeat favorite from years past is The Box Heroes Corps with a distinct garb made solely of painted boxes. Other sponsors like Seed and Feed Marching Abominable and even local theatre companies and restaurants participated in hopes of raising awareness, funds or just to have fun in the name of their vocation or cause.
The appeal of the Little 5 Halloween Festival and Parade only begins with the marching bands and floats that engulf the streets for two hours once a year. Celebrations began at noon and continued until 10 p.m. A few food trucks like Good Food Truck, Tastee Truck and King of Pops provided convenient snacks for festival-goers. The local establishments in the neighborhood like The Porter, The Vortex and Front Page News, among others, placated patrons’ palates with record-setting sales on Saturday.
An essential component of the Little 5 Halloween Festival is the artist market vendors. Locals like The Belligerent Monkey, Urbnpop and Monster Art Studio are just a few of the vendors who set up shop for this year’s exposition. The spaces for booths is competitive as the festival draws in such a diverse crowd of thousands, all excited to display or appreciate the artistry of playing dress-up.
Several stages around the neighborhood allowed local bands and emcees to stimulate the senses, which proved triumphant as thousands of people gyrated and cavorted well beyond nightfall. Findley Plaza hosted the Jagermeister Stage where dynamic Atlanta musicians like The Wayward Family Band and Death of Kings performed before and after the parade. On the other side of the neighborhood, the Dos Equis Stage in the Star Bar parking lot was host to groups like Wet Rainbow and Gun Party. For whatever taste in music, the festival-goer was sure to hear something to tap his or her toe to.
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