Southern California is home to numerous Halloween events, but I’d be hard-pressed to remember us ever having a large-scale Friday the 13th event. That changes next weekend when The Fear Fair takes over the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino, CA.
The three-day event, which made its debut in 2022 at the Rio in Las Vegas, offers So Cal horror fans something unique: The Fear Faire is part music festival and part immersive entertainment experience. And in So Cal, it will be roughly 50% larger than it was in Las Vegas.
“The biggest difference between us and everyone else is twofold,” says The Fear Faire Event Curator Denise Griffin. “First – the connection between alternative rock music and horror is only natural, and The Fear Faire has a full-blown music festival with over 20 bands across all three days. Second – we don’t consider ourselves a convention or a marketplace. Our inspiration for building this event was actually from the Renaissance Faire. Our goal is immersion and entertainment that can bring everyone horror, humor, and just… fun.”
And there is plenty of fun to be had across the three-day event. The Fear Faire has a packed schedule that spans two buildings that house areas like the “Wicked Concert Arena,” where Green Day cover band Green Today will headline on Saturday night and all of the bands will play throughout the weekend, and the “Dungeon Lounge” where a variety of shows will take place including a makeup battle and costume contest.
“Our performance schedule is jam-packed with entertainment across two main stages, and various pop-up shows; like flash mob dances, magic seances, freak shows, drag performances, and more,” shares Griffin. “We are confident that everyone will find something they love and will be able to fall into something to do, or they can nitpick and plan the whole weekend out. Each day brings a different theme, surprises, shows, and things to do.”
Over the weekend, The Fear Faire will also be holding a film festival. The event has curated over 75 horror films from around the world, most of which are shorts. The films will be played across three screens on a loop throughout the weekend, ensuring horror fans can see all of the films if they choose to. The three screens will be housed in a single location, with the audio fed into personal headsets, which each viewer will be able to tune to the screen of their choosing. This ensures no outside noise disturbs your viewing and creates a more relaxed atmosphere that makes it easier for viewers to come and go as they choose.
In addition to the shorts, the film festival will include three feature-length films, “Live Escape” from Carcass Studios on Saturday morning, “The Night Butcher” from the mind of Mr. J on Saturday night, and “Phoenix Incident” from PCB Productions on Sunday morning. Friday night attendees will have the opportunity to partake in a special screening that will include many of the filmmakers, with some traveling from as far as Brazil, Italy, and Spain for the event.
For those longing for the Halloween season, the event will even feature a La Llorona mini-haunt experience from Bellos Haunts and immersive experiences from Hall Of Shadows and Art’s Sideshow.
Tickets to The Feare Faire start at just $20, with both single-day and weekend passes available. For the full show lineup, more information, or to buy tickets, visit https://www.thefearfaire.com/
