Lexington ScareFest guide: Celebrities, vendors, costume contests and everything horror
ScareFest Horror & Paranormal Convention creeps back into downtown Lexington Oct. 21-23 at Central Bank Center.
Expo operator Nicole Griffith calls it “the sinister side of Comic Con,” the annual comic and toy convention held in the spring.
What can I do or see at ScareFest?
There are a number of things to do on the schedule of events. Attendees can meet celebrities from horror movies, watch entertainment such as aerial artists and illusionists on three stages, visit and buy stuff from more than 370 booths and vendors or even get a tattoo.
Seminars and workshops will be offered on topics ranging from “Serial Killer Psychology” to how to apply makeup to create “cuts, bruises, scrapes, and burns.”
“You can learn how to do soul retrieval or what to do when monsters attack,” Griffith said. “It is dripping with entertainment.”
Admission to a horror film festival at LexLive is included with admission to the convention.
“Every year since we’ve owned it we’ve tried to offer new opportunities for families to get unique experiences that they don’t get anywhere else,” Griffith said.
What celebrities will be at ScareFest?
More than 60 celebrities from horror films, including Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger, and Kane Hodder and C.J. Graham, who both portrayed Jason in the “Friday the 13th” films, are coming to the convention.
Groups of cast members from several movies, including “The Return of the Living Dead,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4” and “Friday the 13th Part III” will be assembled.
A notable first-time to the convention is Robert Patrick, best-known as the villain T-1000 in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
There will be several vehicles made famous by spooky movies too, including a “Christine” car, “Jeepers Creepers” series truck and Scooby Doo and friends’ Mystery Machine van.
Can I get my picture taken with celebrities?
Yes. To have a professional photo taken, attendees can a buy ticket online for a photo op. Griffith said the celebrities set the prices, which generally range from $40 to hundreds of dollars for some cast group photos, according to the ScareFest website.
Some celebs also allow attendees to take their own selfies with them, and the prices for that will be posted at the individual’s table, Griffith said.
What can I buy at ScareFest?
Scores of vendors will be set up with all kinds of horror-related items, from macabre oddities to jewelry, crafts, costumes, toys, artwork and books.
“You will find things that you absolutely never imagined that existed,” Griffith said.
Is there a costume contest at ScareFest? And for kids?
There is a costume contest, and it’s open to the public. ScareFest’s Halloween Costume Extravaganza will be held at LexLive starting at 8 p.m. Saturday. Griffith said the contest includes a $500 prize.
There is a separate costume contest for kids at the convention on Sunday, which is Kids Day. Kids can also trick-or-treat the vendors and participate in trivia and scream contests that day.
How much are tickets to ScareFest?
Single-day admission is $25 Friday and Sunday and $30 Saturday. Two-day passes for admission Saturday and Sunday are $50, and three-day passes are $65.
The ScareFest website indicates that an additional fee will be applied to online ticket purchases. A promo code for first-time attendees is available on the website. Tickets can be bought online or at the door.
Kids 12 and under are free. Veterans and first responders get in free on Friday.
Bowl, throw axes, drink bourbon with celebrities
There are a number of special events happening around the convention, including Horror Trivia at LexLive Thursday night.
Attendees can buy tickets to join celebs for bowling at LexLive, axe-throwing at Battle Axes or a bourbon-tasting at Town Branch Distillery.
ScareFest also falls on the same weekend as Lexington’s Halloween Festival and Thriller Parade, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22, and Griffith said some cosplayers from the convention will be in attendance at that event.
Griffith said the events make this Saturday “the biggest day to celebrate Halloween in Lexington.”
