Halloween

Another Reason Athens Is Better

originally published October 25, 2006

There are, no doubt, pertinent criticisms of Athens' permissive society where 30-year-olds act like and live the life of 20-year-olds, and so do some 40- and 50-year-olds. But there are times when what can seem like a flaw presents itself as a great strength, and so it is every October. Downtown floods with ghouls, monsters, celebrity icons, historical figures and pop culture references. Go downtown and watch the masses, even if you choose not to join in (but you're no fun!).

Flagpole provides a public service and urges you and your friends, when choosing an outfit, to avoid being "clever." Costumes that require explanation are the worst, and the explanation, sadly, is usually followed by a smug and self-assured pause in which the explainer waits, Emeril Lagasse-like, for what they feel is well-deserved adulation and praise. For instance, the man with small boxes of Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes applied to a body suit, knives protruding from each carton. This man is a "Cereal Killer." Har har, right? Or there's the woman wearing a negligee as well as glasses and a goatee. She is the "Freudian Slip." These are tired and easy, but no worse offenses than the attention-hungry media reference. Do you know someone who will be dressing as John Karr, the man who confessed to murdering JonBenét Ramsey, but didn't? This person needs your intervention, as does whoever plans to dress as Steve Irwin with a stingray stuck to his chest. Oooh, shocking? No, predictable, and as boring as it was in 2003 to dress as a tiger-mauled Roy Horn. And then there's the feminine fallback of prefacing any costume with "sexy." Sexy zombie? Yep. Sexy devil? Yeah. Sexy kitty cat? Sure. Sexy beaver? Hey now…

But if there are a handful of things you should avoid (see above), then there is one thing you should definitely not, and that's downtown Athens on Halloween. Go! Go! What more can we say?

Well, we can say this: as to the perpetual question of whether Halloween festivities take place on the preceding Saturday or on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 31 itself, the answer's a little bit of both. There will be spooky-type things going on Saturday, Oct. 28, but the majority of the town will do the right thing and celebrate Halloween on, y'know, Halloween. Take a look at what our advertisers in this week's issue have to offer to discern what your favorite watering hole or, um, dancing hole has planned. Check Flagpole's Out There! section for events for grown-ups and kids, and the ABC section for music-related goings-on. And go have some damn fun! There's an election coming up in a week - you may need good times to look back on.

Chris Hassiotis