(And Other Halloween Things to Make You Go Bump in the Night)
By CLIFF DUNN, DALE MADISON & THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT
On Wednesday, October 31, Wilton Drive will transform into the Street of Dreams, as the Rainbow Business Coalition of Greater Fort Lauderdale (RBC), producers of June’s wildly-successful Stonewall Summer Pride, present “Wicked Wilton 2012: FAIRY TALES.”
Get out! Get out!
From 3 p.m. to 3.a.m. on October 31, Wilton Drive will be closed from N.E. 21 Court to Five Points (near Gables Wilton Park and The Naked Grape).
Village of the (Hot) Damned
The festivities for Wicked Wilton 2012: Fairy Tales will commence at 6 p.m., when the Children of the Night take to the streets. The party continues until Midnight on the street and in the area businesses, and after Midnight, the party goes on in the local bars and nightclubs, many of which have extended their closing times until 3 a.m. (check with individual bars for extended hours of operation, if any).
Have You Checked the Children?
There will be events and costume contests held up and down the drive all night long, starting at 6 p.m. with a pet costume contest at Georgie’s Alibi hosted by Florida’s own Dame Edna.
Dress to kill—or be killed! —and strut your stiff—er, stuff, down the Boulevard of Lost Souls to these cranking competitions:
8:30 p.m. Rosie’s Bar and Grill (2449 Wilton Dr.)
8:45 p.m. Wilton’s Bier Garden (2245 Wilton Dr.)
9:15 p.m. New Moon (2440 Wilton Dr.)
9:45 p.m. Georgie’s Alibi (2266 Wilton Dr.)
10:15 p.m. Matty’s on the Drive (2426 Wilton Dr.)
10:45 p.m. Village Pub (2283 Wilton Dr.)
11:15 p.m. Bill’s Filling Station (2209 Wilton Dr.)
11:30 p.m. The Manor (2345 Wilton Dr.)
Feast of the Damned
The RBC “ferrying from the other side” food vendors and conjuring a “Spirits Station” on the Drive for the convenience of revelers as they make their way from nightclub to party to bar to contest.
Something Wicked This Way Comes…
The official Wicked Wilton Website features a pre-event, Online Costume Contest, where you can enter photos of yourself decked out in your Halloween best. To enter, visit wickedwilton.com. The winner, who will qualify for a cash prize, will be announced online on or before October 31.
“This year’s event is expected to draw nearly 9,500 attendees,” says Greg Hardy, the RBC’s point man in charge of bringing Wicked Wilton together. “We have costume contests up and down the Drive, food vendors, and outdoor bars. The City is very proud, as is the Pride Center,” he adds.
The Omens
During the run-up to Wicked Wilton, establishments in-and-around the Gayborhood will offer a week full of events, a VERY BRIEF list of which includes:
Bill’s Filling Station will hold their house contest—with a theme of “Zombie Land”—at Midnight on Saturday, October 27, with cash prizes for first, second and third places.
The Alibi’s Halloween contest—“Un-Enchanted Forest”—will take place on Sunday, October 28 at 9 p.m., with cash prizes for first second and third places.
The newly-opened Village Pub will have their new overhead doors open, with a 10’ x 20’ tent, as one owner said, “just in case of rain,” with a portable bar so that no one will have to wait. The owners are keeping their theme hush-hush.
The owners at the recently-unveiled Infinity Lounge are urging friends and customers to come in and create your own “Fairy Tale.” Enjoy their Halloween version of “Alice in Wonderland” with DJ Chuck Knowles, with hours from 3 p.m. until 2 a.m. and their expanded outdoor bar. As somebody said, “A sexy good time all night long.”
“Sports and Halloween” will be featured at Sidelines Sports Bar. This year, the staff laid down the gauntlet and challenged coworkers to a Haunted House decorating contest. Teams of employees have marked off a corner of the bar to design a sinister, scary, and spine-tingling scene for all, and customers will vote on the best display of Halloween creations while enjoying specials like their “Killer Kool-Aid.”
The People Under the Stairs
At Scandals Saloon, the boys have lots of plans. This year, Scandals will celebrate All Hallows Eve on Saturday night, October 27. Patrons should come out and see their favorite bartenders in their scariest costumes in an event decorated exclusively by Halloween City (check out halloweencity.com).
Scandals’ sister bar, The Stable, will feature “Lady Fancy and her Spooktacular,” also on Saturday, October 27, with a 9 p.m. show time. On Wednesday night, October 31, it’s Candy Cornhole and her “Halloween Camp Bingo,” with a Madonna Costume Contest (the winner will receive a premium liquor basket filled with Halloween goodies), and a ticket drawing for the November 19 Madonna show.
Paranormal Activity
Many of the venues up and down the Drive will feature live entertainment (check with individual bars for acts and show times). Extra parking has been arranged at various locations around Wilton Manors for a flat fee of $10, which will allow you to park for the duration of the festivities.
Wicked Wilton 2012: Fairy Tales is co-sponsored by The Pride Center at Equality Park—which is also Wicked Wilton’s beneficiary, receiving a portion of the proceeds—and by the City of Wilton Manors. Admission is free. For more information, visit wickedwilton.com, Facebook.com/wickedwilton, and Twitter @wickedwilton.
