Romania's Largest Halloween Festival Takes Place in Bucharest

Momchil Rusev, BTA Corr. Martina Gancheva

BTA Photo

Bucharest,

28.10.2023 11:48

(BTA)

The biggest Halloween festival in Romania (West Side Hallo Fest) takes place next to the biggest lake in Bucharest - Lacul Morii. The event opened on Friday and in the first hours gathered over 3,000 visitors dressed as zombies, vampires, werewolves, witches and ghosts.

"Your ticket in is your costume," urged festival organizers from Bucharest’s District 6 City Hall. A total of 42,100 square feet have been transformed into a fairy-tale set with 30 arches, places for "scary" photo shoots and a maze with 1,000 bales of straw.

Some 15 tons of pumpkins were used for the festival. Some are specially destined for the carving workshops where children and parents can make their own pumpkin lanterns for All Saints’ Day. The event also includes mask workshops and areas where children can play and paint their faces, a hair and make-up show, and a competition for the most attractive costume.

Another attraction is a dress made of 2,500 autumn leaves by 30 elderly residents of the 6th city district. It was inspired by the pattern of the dress in Guns N' Roses’s November Rain official video the video.

There will be live music at the festival. On Saturday and Sunday, Cargo - the biggest AC/DC tribute band in Romania - will take the stage.

A total of 50 vendors offer a variety of handmade items - jewelry, knitwear, candles, decorations, all Halloween-themed. Twenty food trucks offer culinary delicacies, also inspired by the holiday: roasted pumpkin-flavoured ice cream with biscuits and baked apple, pancakes with pumpkin jam and walnuts. The cotton candy comes in "terrifying" shapes.

There are also several old unused garages on the lakefront, painted black and decorated in a Halloween theme. They feature a display of paintings, photographs, a room with mirrors, and a trick-or-treating area.

Bucharest residents and visitors can visit the festival on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 10 pm. On October 28 they will have the opportunity to observe the last lunar eclipse of the year for free through a large telescope.

/MR/