It’s January, which means a couple of things: It’s a New Year, and HAuNTcon is right around the corner. January 17-19, 2020 to be exact. It’s always the first Halloween Con every year, and it’s once again taking place in New Orleans alongside the Halloween & Party Expo.
What Is HAuNTcon?
HAuNTcon stands for the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow & Convention. While it’s geared more towards haunters –from home haunters to charities– and the haunt industry, it offers something for Halloween lovers in general too.
As they explain on their website: “… it’s an innovative experience where the haunt community creates the future of the industry.”
What’s at HAuNTcon?
There’s a lot of things to do at HAuNTcon, from sunup until long after the sun sets, such as:
- Haunt Education: They offer different “tracks,” which are workshops on a variety of subjects. You can learn about the business side of starting and operating a haunted attraction. There are classes for the scare actors. Hands on workshops teach everything from prop building to makeup techniques.
- Vendors: What’s a con without vendors? Find costumes, makeup, props, etc. There are even companies offering services to handle things associated with running a haunt (like marketing and processing payments).
- Behind-the-Scenes Haunted Tours: My friend Scott Morrow used to coordinate the bus tour that took people to tour the various haunted houses for HAuNTcon. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly last year. He loved this part, and it was always a sell out event. (2020 is no different.) This year’s tour hits Mississippi haunts. Tour goers will experience the Bernie Baxter Home Haunt tour, a lights on tour of Terror on the Coast, and a lights off tour of Trail of Terror.
- Friday Night Fashion Show: For the second year in a row they’re doing a fashion show with 70 plus exhibitors featuring new costumes, accessories and products live on stage!
- Costume Ball: Saturday night is reserved for the funnest networking event of the con. Even if you don’t want (or need) to network (because you’re just a Halloween lover), this event alone is worth it. It’s a chance to dress up in your Halloween best and see others all decked out in their spooky finery, too.
What Does HAuNTcon look like?
I found a video that gives you an idea of what this con is all about and what you can expect to see and find there:
Check-In
Have you ever been to this, or any other, Halloween con?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Can’t say that I’ve been to any Halloween cons. It does sound interesting, though!