Well, all you little ghouls and goblins, another Halloween has come and gone, and man, what an insane week of serious fun! The Halloween festivities kicked off in grand style with the Fetish and Fantasy Masquerade Ball at the Orleans Arena on the 25th. The party was indeed a big one, with literally thousands jamming the arena. It was almost too big.
How can a party be too big? Having it in such a large arena spreads it too thin. Everything is a hike. Gotta go to the bathroom? It's a 20-minute walk. Want to have a smoke? You have to go outside, another 20-minute voyage. And don't ask to have a seat. Stadium seating was the only game in town.
Still, Fetish and Fantasy was a real experience. I've heard that this year's masquerade ball was to be the last. Let's hope the huge numbers convince organizers to keep it around for future frights.
Friday, there was a mountain of events from which to choose. Prana had Masquerade in the Desert while Curve threw a Haunted Mansion. OPM had three nights of groovy fun, with topless DJ Portia Surreal on Thursday, porn star Mimi Miyagi and her starlets Friday, and none other than DJ Micro for Saturday.
Bikini's at the Rio brought in Kid Capri to spin away for its slamming Halloween bash. And Seven's Alesium Afterhours went with kings and queens. And that was just the tip of the pumpkin.
I started off with a trip to Mandalay Bay and House of Blues for a set from MixMag's No. 1 DJ in the world, Tiesto, not to mention adult actresses Briana Banks, Tawny Roberts and Mercedez (who stayed in the VIP room all night). It was Vivid Entertainment-Spundae's Porn Star Ball. Apparently porn and Halloween go together like peas and carrots. It was pretty crazy but fun. And that wasn't the case only at HOB. The whole of Mandalay was abuzz. The crowd outside Rumjungle was beyond chaotic. Plus, DC Comics, the guys who put out Batman and Superman, was sponsoring a big Halloween ball to go along with the Las Vegas Comicon—also at Mandalay.
My next stop was MGM Grand's Studio 54 for its Nightmare on 54th Street. I think there were as many people waiting outside as there were inside. The club was decked out in ghoulish fashion, with a giant, skull-decorated gateway.
The last leg for my Halloween odyssey took me to Drai's at the Barbary Coast for some serious after-hours fun. Everyone was still in costume, and the somewhat brighter lighting gave me a chance to really check out some of the outfits. People go all out for Halloween in Vegas. There was such a diverse mix of costumes that people-watching became half the fun of the evening. I can't wait for next October, because as this year proved, Las Vegas never disappoints on All Hallow's Eve.
Antonio Llapur is a wannabe porn star. E-mail him your club news at [email protected].