Halloween convention for ‘weirdos’ and ‘outcasts’ returns
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POCATELLO – A convention that celebrates the Halloween season and the horror genre more broadly is returning to the Gate City.
On Saturday, DarknessCon Snake River will be held in Pocatello at the Red Lion Hotel at 1555 Pocatello Creek Road, and it has workshops and activities scheduled throughout the day. In a news release, the convention is described as “a full day of horror, Halloween, cosplay, paranormal exploration, alternative arts, and entertainment,” and its organizers told EastIdahoNews.com that people who don’t know exactly where they fit in can find a place there.
“We are that event for the outcasts or the weirdos. Those are our people. That’s us in a nutshell. If you don’t have a place to hang out and go, we’re the place for you no matter who you are,” said organizer Michael Evelane.
DarknessCon began six years ago in Boise, then expanded to Denver, Colorado, before expanding to Pocatello last year. This year, DarknessCon is also being held in Salt Lake City, Utah, Reno, Nevada and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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What put Pocatello on the organizers’ radars initially was a recommendation from Evelane’s mother, who’s a resident of the city.
“She asked me to come on out … and that’s kind of when we fell in love with Pocatello,” Evelane said. “It’s a nice little, very quiet town … and Pocatello really seems to like Halloween.”
The convention was held at the Mountain View Event Center last year, and while it drew around 1,000 people, Evelane said they decided to change locations this year so the layout wouldn’t be as spread out.
“We’d rather have that kind of cozy, tight-knit feeling,” Evelane said.
Below is a full schedule of the event’s free activities and workshops. More information about each item can be found on the DarknessCon website.
- 9 a.m. – Registration Opens
- 10 a.m. – Macabre Market Opens
- 10 a.m. – Convention Opens
- 11 a.m. – Trending Terrors
- 12 p.m. – Author Doug Owen presents: Unholy Encounters
- 1 p.m. – The Ladies of Horror
- 2 p.m. – Gourmet to Gore: making Disgustingly Delicious Treats
- 3 p.m. – DarknessCon LIVE!
- 3 p.m. – Get Started with embroidery!
- 4 p.m. – Cosplay & Costume Speed Dating (18+)
- 5 p.m. – Costume Contest
- 6 p.m. – Market Closes
- 6 p.m. – Convention Closes
- 9 p.m. – Zombie Prom (18+)
DarknessCon also offers activities for which tickets are sold separately.
- 10 a.m. – Gothic Floral Crown Class ($30)
- 12 p.m. – Corpsing ($30)
- 2 p.m. – Wand Making Class ($25)
- 4 p.m. – FRANKENSTUFFIES ($25)
With this full schedule, Evelane said the organizers try to hold a wide variety of workshops and activities, so that everyone who appreciates Halloween can find something they’re interested in.
“One thing that DarknessCon always strives to be is that no matter who you are or what you enjoy, we try to have something there,” Evelane said.