Downtown Las Vegas is gearing up for a free Halloween bash on Saturday, October 31, when Fremont Street Experience turns its canopy into the backdrop for a nightlong costume party called Costumes Under The Canopy. The event promises live music, a silent spooky disco, food trucks and a costume contest with $8,500 in total cash prizes on the line.
According to Nevada Business, the free party will feature live entertainment, the silent disco and food trucks throughout the night. As KLAS 8 News Now reports, Fremont Street Experience is hosting the event in downtown Las Vegas, a stretch of the city that draws more than 24 million visitors a year, per the same Nevada Business account.
Live Music and Fire Performances Kick Off the Night
Alter Igor and his band will kick off the live entertainment at 8 p.m., the outlet's report states. Between musical sets, Flame Kissed Fire Arts will perform fire-dancing tricks and circus stunts to keep the crowd entertained before the main event.
Fremont Street Experience President and CEO Cliff Atkinson framed the night's energy simply: “Halloween at Fremont Street Experience is never subtle, and that's exactly how we like it.”
Costume Contest Brings Three Rounds and a $5,000 Top Prize
The costume contest begins at 10 p.m. on the 3rd Street Stage and will feature three rounds, the outlet's report notes. The first-place winner will take home $5,000, followed by $2,500 for second place and $1,000 for third place, bringing the total prize pool to $8,500.
Contestants must be 21 or older and register onsite from 7 to 9 p.m. at the 3rd Street Stage, with a valid ID required at registration, per the same account. The official Fremont Street Experience event page adds that the check-in table sits behind the 3rd Street Stage next to the D Hotel & Casino, and that costumes will be judged on originality, creativity and show-stopping impact.
Rules Ban Weapons and Offensive Imagery
Contest rules posted on Fremont Street Experience's 3rd Street calendar listing require costumes to be suitable for public viewing, prohibiting nudity, offensive imagery, hate symbols, excessive gore and other controversial or inappropriate themes. Real or replica weapons, including firearms and swords, are also barred as costume props. Registration for the contest is free, though the listing notes available spots may be limited.
Part of a Bigger Halloween Push Downtown
Costumes Under The Canopy arrives alongside Fremont Street Experience's broader Rock of Horror Halloweekend programming, which KTNV described in its 2023 report as an annual celebration, with flash mobs and nightly entertainment from Alter Igor on the First Street Stage. That lineup also included a production show called Wicked Dreams, featuring dancers and aerialists on the Third Street Stage, according to the station.
Some details around that separate Rock of Horror programming differ from what's reported for Costumes Under The Canopy. KTNV described a Halloween-night costume contest awarding $2,500 for first place, $1,000 for second and $500 for third, while Fremont Street Experience's own calendar listing gives Rock of Horror contest registration hours as 6 to 8:30 p.m. on October 31 — distinct from the 7 to 9 p.m. registration window reported for Costumes Under The Canopy. The official event page also describes a separate format in which a field of 30 contestants is narrowed to 15 and then to five finalists who compete for first, second and third place.
Confirmed judges so far include John Katsilometes, a columnist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and MoJoe Roberts, a morning host on Neon 93.1, according to KLAS.
