West Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) October 23, 2014 -- Each year, the City of West Hollywood hosts its elaborate Halloween Carnaval — one of the most unique Halloween gatherings in the world. With an estimated attendance of approximately 500,000 people, the Halloween Carnaval is the world’s largest Halloween festivity. Akin to Times Square in New York City on New Year’s Eve, it is one of Southern California’s largest events of any kind.
“Come for the costumes and stay for the fun,” said West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico. “Once again the world’s largest Halloween party will feature the most outlandish costumes, live music performances, dancing, prancing, and parading — and this year’s Queen of the Carnaval, Lisa Vanderpump. See you there!”
This year’s Halloween Carnaval will celebrate the Greek mythological figure Medusa. The Carnaval will take place on Friday, October 31, 2014 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Santa Monica Boulevard between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard. Children and pets are discouraged from attending because of dense crowds.
The City invites Carnaval-goers to get into the spirit of The Creative City and show-off costumes by uploading photos to social media sites with the hashtags #wehohalloween and #wehocarnaval. There will also be “Eventstigrammer” stations on the Carnaval route to capture photos for display at http://www.instagram.com/wehocarnaval.
West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico and members of the West Hollywood City Council will crown Lisa Vanderpump as Queen of the Carnaval. Past Carnaval Queens include Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Ricki Lake, Prince Poppycock, Chelsea Handler (and Chewy), and Frenchie Davis, among others. Lisa Vanderpump is known for her hit Bravo TV shows The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules, her time in Dancing with the Stars in 2013, as well as for her local restaurants SUR, PUMP, and Villa Blanca. The coronation ceremony will take place at 9:30 p.m. at the San Vicente Stage located at intersection of Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards.
Staged over a one-mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard/Historic Route 66, this year’s Halloween Carnaval will feature six zones of exceptional entertainment featuring performance artists, DJs, musical performers, dancers, contortionists, and aerialists who will entertain wildly dressed crowds for a five-hour one-of-a-kind experience.
The City of West Hollywood’s Halloween Carnaval was launched in 1987 and is rooted in the foundation of the City of West Hollywood’s diverse culture and community. The event has grown year-by-year into an annual gathering of phenomenal costumes, entertainment, culture, and self-expression with a myriad of observers, revelers, exhibitionists, and performers. Additional information is available as a PDF on the City’s website at Halloween Fun Facts.
Due to the Halloween Carnaval, there will be street closures in West Hollywood on Friday, October 31, 2014 and the morning of Saturday, November 1, 2014. Full street-closure information is available on the City’s website at Halloween Street Closures.
The City will suspend permit parking for the Halloween Carnaval from 11 a.m. on Friday, October 31, 2014 to 6 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2014. Parking meters will be enforced. Carnaval-goers are reminded to observe the boundaries of West Hollywood. Paid public parking will be available at lots throughout the City for a fee; lot information is posted on the City’s website page at Halloween Parking.
The City encourages Carnaval-goers to leave cars at home, to carpool, or to use public transportation. Metro offers a trip planner at http://www.metro.net.
A free, safe, and easy way to get to the Halloween Carnaval is The PickUp. On Friday, October 31, 2014, The PickUp will run approximately every 15 minutes on Santa Monica Boulevard and stop at all Metro stops between Sweetzer Avenue and Plummer Park (Fuller Avenue). PickUp service will run from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. The trolley will travel in a loop until 11 p.m.; then it will only travel eastbound from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. During the day, there will be an amended schedule and route for the Cityline shuttle.
For the first time, live streaming of the Halloween Carnaval will be made available via the web and on the City’s WehoTV channel. WehoTV programs are available to Time Warner Cable customers within the City of West Hollywood on channel 10. AT&T U-verse customers across Southern California can access WehoTV on channel 99. Programming will also be accessible at http://www.youtube.com/wehotv. Members of the media will be able to connect to a satellite link to access this broadcast-quality feed, as well.
West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval 2014 is sponsored by the City of West Hollywood and produced with Authentic, a West Hollywood-based branded entertainment and experiential marketing studio.
For more information about the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, please visit http://www.weho.org/halloween or call (323) 848-6503. To contact the City’s Public Information staff during the event, please call (213) 248-1391. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
Lisa Marie Belsanti, City of West Hollywood, http://www.weho.org, +1 323 848 6378, [email protected]
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