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    HomeNewsOPINION - How to Reboot/Save West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval Forever

    OPINION – How to Reboot/Save West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval Forever

    As many of you have heard, our fun West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval has been cancelled for 2022 and it is not being recommended for 2023. I believe I have figured out a way to save our Halloween Carnaval so we can have it every year forever beginning next year in 2023.

    What is West Hollywood without our beloved Halloween Carnaval? Our city has been
    known for hosting this fun event since it first began in 1987, and has grown from a small community block party to a worldwide destination which boasts an attendance of up to 500,000 participants on Santa Monica Boulevard on Halloween night.

    In the 2022 West Hollywood city budget review, it says: “Halloween Carnival is a $2 million, one-night event. 60% of costs are directly for Public Safety. The City Council Events Subcommittee did not recommend including it in the two-year budget.”

    We can re-invent West Hollywood Halloween by doing something easy and clever. First we rope off the streets and charge an admission price of five dollars if you are in costume and ten dollars if you are not in costume.

    Then we add a competitive costume contest:

    • FIRST PRIZE BEST COSTUME: $10,000
    • SECOND PRIZE: $5000
    • THIRD PRIZE: $2500

    This sets the stage for many people to really go all out and come up with amazing
    costumes to compete.

    If we look at the numbers from previous years, we can make an educated guess of perhaps 200,000 coming next year to West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval 2023. So if 100,000 arrive in no costume to the largest Halloween event in the world they pay $10 each for admission, that equals $1,000.000. The other 100,000 that arrive in costume paying $5 that equals $500,000, so the city makes $1.5 million dollars in revenue off this Halloween event.

    Then the city and council cannot claim or complain that it is too costly. The numbers may be over 200,000 people coming to the event next year which means it may be a revenue making event for the first time in our city’s history.

    West Hollywood Halloween is saved!

    You’re welcome.

    2.9 14 votes
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    Jerome Cleary
    Jerome Cleary
    Jerome Cleary is a long time resident and former newspaper columnist for the West Hollywood Independent and was a blogger for AOL’s Patch for West Hollywood. He is a former member of the Lesbian and Gay Advisory board.

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    Skeith
    Skeith
    Offline
    11 months ago

    Get rid of it all together. It’s to dangerous now. I have almost been trampled to death several times at event. The LGBTQ community is hardly noticable as the active participants. It’s just an overblown LA event to make money. The event has seen it’s day. It got to big and forgot it’s origins. That being that a small group of people excluded from society created something from nothing and “craft and personal artistry” was a major component in it’s uniqueness. Now the event is taken over by big vinyl posters advertising beers, liquor and corporations. It’s to mainstream now.… Read more »

    WehoQueen
    WehoQueen
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    Reply to  Skeith
    11 months ago

    I disagree. It’s one of the things that used to make weho great. It’s a reason to get people here, to see it, who make come back when it’s not Halloween, and spend money here. There is no better advertising for the city. If it were in Griffith park, do you think there wouldn’t be corporate advertising? and what is so bad about corporations subsidizing community events? You are so out of touch. Sounds like as a bartender, you prefer to serve current alcoholics, rather than future alcoholics. I suggest you get to Palm Springs right away, and be sure… Read more »

    Enough!
    Enough!
    Offline
    11 months ago

    It was enjoyable when it was residents of West Hollywood spilling out into the street and having some fun, getting dressed up in costumes for Halloween. It has grown into a huge festival which does bring up safety concerns and due to those safety concerns a huge budget to protect people. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of people here. It’s gotten too big and it’s not about Halloween and costumes anymore it’s about drugs, drinking and trashing our city. And that is a shame.

    WehoQueen
    WehoQueen
    Offline
    Reply to  Enough!
    11 months ago

    We have been hearing the doom and gloom predictions for decades, and nothing significant has ever happened, no more and no less than any other big event anywhere. Maybe you should stay home and just watch tee vee, rather than go out and enjoy life on public streets where so many people get together, in safety, and have a good time, and bring lots of revenue, and future revenue to the city.

    A Misguided Decision
    A Misguided Decision
    Offline
    11 months ago

    The bigger issue here is that city government made a “budget decision” without regarding the impact on its small businesses (which are the backbone of WeHo). In short, cancelling Halloween takes a large amount of our businesses’ annual income away- not to mention what the fracturing of Pride across the city has done to these very same businesses. These local businesses are already striking back and pushing to bring Halloween back with or without the council’s backing. Some WeHo City Council candidates support bringing Halloween back, and it’s worth researching which ones they are. The above isn’t a bad idea,… Read more »

    Daniel L.P.
    Daniel L.P.
    Offline
    11 months ago

    There are far more important things to worry about and raise money for than having a grand Halloween party. How about charge the $5 and use that money to feed the hungry instead. The things people waste time on is amazing to me.

    Jimmy palmieri
    Jimmy palmieri
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    Reply to  Daniel L.P.
    11 months ago

    Just an fyi…..we have many nutrition services to feed those that are food insecure. From delivered meals, to congregate meals. Then there is Calfresh which has proven to be a lifesaver for some folks.

    WehoQueen
    WehoQueen
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    Reply to  Daniel L.P.
    11 months ago

    A lot of people are fed up paying for the homeless, who made bad life choices. Are you saying no one is allowed to have any fun anymore until we throw more good money at the never ending homeless? No one is hungry who doesn’t want to be hungry. There are dozens of programs to get food into mouths. Actually your comment is the most selfish and evil I’ve read in a long time.

    Zra
    Zra
    Offline
    Reply to  WehoQueen
    11 months ago

    HIS comment is? Wow. All homeless “made bad choices”. “No one is hungry who doesn’t want to be hungry.” Talk about selfish and evil.

    WehoQueen
    WehoQueen
    Offline
    11 months ago

    Finally at least some kind of proposal that may work. We know what the city is currently doing isn’t working, so time to try something new. There will be naysayers, like the previous Commenters. I note they only criticized and didnt offer their solution. So typical of West Hollywood. I do agree to get rid of the expensive stages that caters to the dancing drug addicts. Halloween is what makes out city famous and desirable. How sad the city is doing everything they can to get rid of a gem. Maybe it’s time to stop catering to the homeless and… Read more »

    Ron
    Ron
    Offline
    11 months ago

    Another exclusive event for those who have money to pay. No way. Pass. You’re welcome.

    WehoQueen
    WehoQueen
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    Reply to  Ron
    11 months ago

    If the trash from Riverside doesn’t have $5 for a fantastic evening of cheap fun in weho, they can go to the free Halloween event in Riverside and cry with disappointment.

    Daniel L.P.
    Daniel L.P.
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    Reply to  WehoQueen
    11 months ago

    Trash from Riverside. That doesn’t sound racist at all.

    WehoQueen
    WehoQueen
    Offline
    Reply to  Daniel L.P.
    11 months ago

    Since when does the word “trash” have a racist connotation? Sorry you weren’t clever enough to get that I was referring to the out of towners, (“trash”), who come to our free event, who possibly don’t even spend any money here, then leave. They are getting a free ride. I love the people who just criticize others who have proposals and ideas, who offer no proposal of their own. Just nasty criticism, completely unjustified.

    Zra
    Zra
    Offline
    Reply to  WehoQueen
    11 months ago

    “Trash from Riverside”. I don’t know how trolls sleep at night.

    Curtis
    Curtis
    Offline
    Reply to  Ron
    11 months ago

    It works for the Off Sunset Festival in Silver Lake, all of the Pride festivals……and for the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco

    TheyThemThot
    TheyThemThot
    Offline
    11 months ago

    This would never work. You’d have to make the footprint smaller if you’re going to shut block side streets to charge an entrance fee. Can’t imagine every cross street being blocked off, not to mention the potential of lines forming into neighborhoods. A smaller footprint means less money, so raising 1 million is wishful thinking. They could make an event that pays for itself, but if we learned anything from Weho pride, is that too is wishful thinking. It’s good to have this discussion, but it will never work.

    Tom Smart
    Tom Smart
    Offline
    11 months ago

    The city paid a company a lot of money to coordinate the night which is ridiculous. Big flashy stages with expensive sound/lighting gear aren’t needed. Close down the streets, provide security/police let people enjoy the night. Allow food trucks to roll in and provide food, which all keeps street closures and set up to a minimum. No need to spend insane money. It’s likely the city believes there’s potential for a dangerous person or persons to injure (or potentially worse) the masses, but are we supposed to stop gathering and living altogether out of fear? Bring it back.

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