Festivalgoers enjoy showing off their costumes and listening to EDM music at the 2022 Haunted Music Fest. Credit: Nick Tavares
Get ready to do more than just the “Monster Mash” at this year’s Haunted Music Fest.
The ninth annual electronic dance music — also known as EDM — festival, hosted by local event management company Prime Social Group, returns to Columbus Friday. The festival will be held outdoors from 6 to 11 p.m., at KEMBA Live! with food, drinks, merch and headline artists deadmau5, Loud Luxury and Kaleena Zanders. Tickets are priced at $60 a person.
Jordan Canada, director of operations for Prime Social Group and one of the event’s main coordinators, said Haunted Fest has become a trademark event in the Columbus metropolitan area over Halloween weekend because it is one of the few events of its kind.
“This is the only Halloween event in the city, and really the state of Ohio, that’s doing a full-on music-festival-style event with internationally recognized musical artists,” Canada said. “Costumes and dressing up are a huge part of the electronic and festival communities, as well as everyone wanting to express themselves and let loose. Halloween is the perfect holiday for an EDM event.”
Canada said Haunted Fest has never been held at KEMBA Live! before, but the venue has proven to be a perfect fit thus far.
“We were in search of a new venue this year for a handful of reasons, and landed at KEMBA Live! due to their ability to easily host the artists we booked for this event,” Canada said. “We also saw the overall excitement they had for the event when we initially approached them about it, and we knew they would be the perfect partner to do this event with.”
Headline performer Zanders said she is traveling all the way from Los Angeles to perform at Haunted Fest for the first time ever, which has proven to be simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking.
“I love spooky season, and what better way to celebrate than playing an amazing festival?” Zanders said. “While getting into the mood of Halloween, I am looking forward to playing some of my harder unreleased songs.”
Zanders said her personal style as a musician is fitting for Haunted Fest, which only furthers her anticipation for the event.
“My sound is mainstage eclectic electronic music, bleeding genres from house to bass centered around vocals because I am a vocalist and DJ,” Zanders said. “I have never played Haunted Fest before but I am very excited.”
This year, Canada said the festival’s staff is taking a chance on Ohio’s unpredictable weather in order to host more performers and allow for more attendees.
“We went back and forth about the outdoor aspect,” Canada said. “We’re all acclimated to the infamous Ohio weather and are just hoping for the best.”
Canada said one of the event’s main components, a “silent disco,” will allow festivalgoers to listen to live music via headphones. The silent disco will take place in the indoor space at KEMBA Live! and will feature over a dozen local DJs, he said.
The party doesn’t cease when the festival concludes, Canada said. Headline performer Loud Luxury will host an official after-party at The Forum Columbus at 11 p.m., for anyone over the age of 21 who isn’t ready for the night to end.
More information about the event and tickets is available via the Haunted Fest website.
For tickets to the official after-party, visit tixr.com.
