Eat and drink and be alarming at Columbus’ own Halloween fashion show.
Highball Halloween, the Short North Arts District’s annual Halloween fashion show – hosted by the Short North Alliance – returns to High Street this Saturday for the first time since 2019. The event will take place from 5-11 p.m. and will include live music, food and drinks and a costume contest, said the Short North Alliance’s executive director, Betsy Pandora.
In 2020, Highball Halloween was hosted as a virtual event, said Pandora. In 2021, people were still cautious about gathering, so the event was hosted on a much smaller scale at the intersections of Goodale Street and Park Street. This year, the event is returning to its original location at the intersections of High Street and Goodale Street.
“There is something so magical about High Street. It is the heartbeat of the city and we are really excited to return there this year,” Pandora said. “This year is the sweet 16 anniversary and it has grown into such a significant event in the community, which all started on High Street.”
Tickets start at $20 a person and all the money from the event goes back to the Short North Alliance, a non-profit organization that serves property and business owners of the Short North Arts District.
This year’s event includes performances from Anna and the Annaroids, performances from a local stage production of “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” beers from New Belgium and Bell’s breweries and not just ghostly spirits but also cocktails from Middle West Spirits.
“It’s a little bit like Mardi Gras,” Pandora said. “It’s a street festival. We shut down part of High Street and there is food and drinks and tons of music.”
The main event of the evening, the Costume Couture Fashion Show, features looks – one couture look and four ready-to-wear designs – from seven local designers, one of whom will win a $1,000 prize, said Pandora.
Columbus is the third-largest fashion capital in the country, said Pandora, and there is nothing quite like Highball Halloween anywhere else.
“The event is so special and unique. It is a place to be in costumes and to see others in costumes,” Pandora. “It is a place to see and be seen.”
More information about the event and tickets can be found here.
