Nightmare Festival Preview

This Halloween, B.A.D.A.S.S. Raves will be throwing the 3rd annual Nightmare Festival near Baltimore, MD. This will be my second year going and I’m super excited. If you didn’t catch the info about Nightmare in my Ultimate Halloween Festival Guide, a quick summary of the Festival info is below along with the lineup.

• Website: http://www.nightmare-festival.com
• Location: Baltimore, MD
• Travel time from Phoenix, AZ: 4 hour airplane trip (2,278 miles)
• Ticket price: GA two-day pass: $130 (camping included)
• Gloving allowed: YES, encouraged.
• Kandi allowed: YES, encouraged.
• Camelback allowed: YES, if empty upon entry.

Nightmare Festival is thrown by a company local to the DC/Maryland/Virginia area called B.A.D.A.S.S. Raves. The company started with throwing warehouse parties like Psychedelic Dreamscape and Psychedelic Nightmare. When they realized that their parties outgrew their spaces, it led to the decision to which create small festivals out of them. According to B.A.D.A.S.S, “there is a lot of good energy that occurs when you take people out of a stuffy club or warehouse and let them spread out and enjoy the combination of nature with music and art”.

I’ve personally been to tons of B.A.D.A.S.S. events, and my favorite one so far has been Nightmare Festival. Because it is a smaller festival, there is a really intimate vibe and by the end of the festival you’ve pretty much met at least half of the people there and made tons of new friends. I don’t think I’ve ever been to another event with such a family feeling.

The coolest thing about Nightmare Festival is it has more to offer than just a killer lineup. There are also tons of food and item vendors as well as a wide range of activities and areas to interact with the other patrons.

Here is a list of some of the activities/areas that will be available to everyone at the festival..

ZENDO LOUNGE: Need a safe space to clear your mind? The Zendo Lounge is an area for you to relax and get away from the overstimulation that can happen at most festivals. Chill out either by yourself or with friends in our comfy mattresses while listening to psychedelic, ambient music. You can also find Saturday daytime activities here as well as “Horror Business”

NIGHT CIRCUS: Find your way between stages by traveling through the Night Circus. This is a haunted exhibit that has been handcrafted by Rania, owner of The Haunted Garden.

HORROR BUSINESS: Catch some of your favorite B-rate horror flicks in the comfort of the Zendo Lounge at 1AM Nightly. Got someone you want to Netflix & chill with? Bring a blanket, pillows, some snacks and cuddle up.

DANCE & OBJECT MANIPULATION SEMINARS: The famous Dark Matter squad will be teaching various methods of dance from finger digits to tutting. Poi, hooping and staff manipulation are also included in these seminars. Seminars are located at the amphitheater stage on the northeast side of the pool. If there is inclement weather the seminars will be moved into the Zendo Lounge (Pavilion)

SPOOKY THEME CAMPS: Theme camps are created by our patrons as a way to express their creativity. We expect anywhere from ten to fifteen well-decorated theme camps. A theme camp is always open for the public to enjoy and explore, often hosting at least 1 activity which we will list in our guide booklet, downloadable via email to those who purchased tickets.

LAZERGLOW INTERACTIVE HALLOWEEN EXPERIENCE: The famous clothing vendor will be hosting a special experience jam packed with extra lasers and activities based around Halloween.

Most people that go to Nightmare return for more the next year since so many lasting friendships and memories are created there. I got on Facebook and asked people on the Nightmare Festival event wall what they’re most excited for this year, and this is what I was told…

Dustin Spencer: “Seeing bear grillz and keys n krates throw down!”

James Medved: “Seeing you and all my friends and fam! And figure again, and to finally actually catch keys and krates”

David Tristan Coombs: “Bass music, FIGURE! Shuffling with my friends!!!”

Nick Hatfield: “Seeing how they decorate! Camping with the friends, and all the shenanigans and adventures during the day before the music!”

Brandon Wooldridge: “After seeing Prototype two years ago at Big DubFestival , he destroyed it. So I’d have to say him along with the Bass music of Fawks , and who could not be excited to see the King of Monsters, FiGuRe”

Brianna Neptune: “I’m most excited to be spending the weekend with my fiancé because nightmare is where we met”

Cj Johnson: “Bear GRILLZ”

I’m just as excited as everyone else to see what Nightmare Festival will bring this year. The one thing I’m pretty sure of this year sunny but cool weather, so if you do decide to go, make sure to wear layers as it will get pretty chilly at night! It’s not really a big deal though, since both stages at Nightmare this year will be indoors and heated. Most people dress up for this show, and if you want to stay warm here, onesies are generally the way to go.