Fright Night is coming to the Garden Drive-In on Saturday, October 12, for a full day and night of music, arts, film, and fun centered around the Halloween season.
Photo Credit — Submitted
Alt-rock band out of Bloomsburg, Kitchen Teeth is among the live music performers for Fright Night at the Garden Drive-In.
Photo Credit — Submitted
Versatile Arts & Entertainment introduces the first-ever Fright Night Music & Arts Festival, inspired by a song Founder Asad Whitehead released of the same name.
Photo Credit — Submitted
HUNLOCK CREEK — Fright Night is a Halloween-themed arts festival coming to Garden Drive-In on Saturday, October 12, starting at 2:00 p.m. and carrying into the night — muahahaha!
This Halloween festival aims to highlight local creativity while having a ton of fun in the process! The first-ever Fright Night is organized by Versatile Arts & Entertainment, a group dedicated to providing platforms for independent artists and creatives. Their mission is to unite communities through events and programs like this.
“What we’re trying to do here is bridge the divide between music and Halloween,” said Founder of Versatile Arts & Entertainment, Asad Whitehead in a phone interview with The Weekender. “Everyone loves fall, everyone loves Halloween, but people don’t realize the impact art has on Halloween.”
Their main goal is combining film and arts culture to build a memorable community event that celebrates the spooky season. The day will feature a mix of live music from regional independent artists, as well as dance performances, creative vendors, exciting games, and a screening of a classic Halloween movie. After sundown, they’ll first play a family-friendly Halloween movie on the big screen, followed by an adult PG-13 Halloween film through 11:00 p.m.. Both titles will remain a surprise!
Fright Night aims to represent a variety of independent artists. Music genres will range from rap to R&B, from alternative to Afrobeats, and more. You may be in for some other tricks and treats as well! The main stage will host the headlining acts, then another small stage near the snack bar will open every hour with surprise acts including poetry, performance and other Halloween excitement.
To get that full-on fall movie theater vibe, Garden Drive-In snack bar will be open with a variety of delights like popcorn, cheesesteaks, ice cream, and everything your little autumn heart desires. There is no alcohol served at the drive-in.
Fright Night will also host fall-themed vendors for all sorts of goodies at their Halloween Vendor Marketplace. Expect arts and crafts, artistic displays, and unique offerings to make it an all-around creative event. For more activities, there will also be a costume contest, pumpkin carving contest, tarot & psychic readings, Halloween-themed games, and more!
Versatile Arts & Entertainment introduces the first-ever Fright Night Music & Arts Festival, inspired by a song Founder Asad Whitehead released of the same name.
Photo Credit — Submitted
Tickets ahead of the show are available for $10 online here.
Asad Whitehead, who goes by Kid Ace in the music scene and will also be performing at the festival with Baby Jai under the Versatile name, said he always wanted to evolve his song, “Fright Night” into a full-fledged event. That’s how he got the idea to collaborate with different companies and venues that share the same vision of Halloween. Well, this year that vision is coming to life at the Garden Drive-In!
“It’s my first time performing in this area since I moved away,” said Whitehead. “I met lots of good people and it’s all coming together. We want to get as many people involved as possible.”
Whitehead graduated from Hanover Area and received his bachelor’s degree from Monmouth University in 2024. During his time there, he worked with Live Nation and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to really got a feel for the entertainment industry. Through his diverse experiences, he became connected with the music scene and witnessed many festivals. He knew he wanted to throw one himself and why not right here in NEPA? Then, out on a hike, he saw the Garden Drive-In from across the mountain and just knew it was the ideal venue for a Halloween festival of the arts!
‘I’ve been going to the Garden Drive-In my whole life, so it was sort of a nostalgic thing,” said Whitehead. “The drive-in has a good place in people’s heart — where people saw their first Rated R movie or went with their friends in high school. It just fit the vibe perfectly.”
Whitehead took his idea to Ian Bell, owner of the Garden Drive-In, who was happy to host the inaugural October event on his grounds, especially as we head into colder nights for outdoor movies.
“We try to do a lot of stuff for the Halloween season at the drive-in,” said Owner Bell. ““Once school goes back, we try to get people to come in more for the weekends.” In addition to Fright Night, Garden Drive-In throws their annual “Trunk or Treat” on Saturday, October 26 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Robert Jones, a.k.a. Bobby Bonez drummer of Bloomsburg alt-rock band Kitchen Teeth, also helped facilitate this Halloween festival for Luzerne County and he’s looking forward to playing in it too! His band plays throughout the region and will be among the live music performers for the first-ever Fright Night.
“I’m a gigantic horror fan so we’re going to be dressing up most likely for this. I’m going to assume most of the bands will want to!” said Jones. Kitchen Teeth is currently hard at work on their second album and aims to release it in early 2025.
In addition to Versatile and Kitchen Teeth, other music on the bill will be No Dizz, 10nik, L Bands, Change, Bigz Money, Lil Cinco, Sounds by DJ Holla, and more. It’ll be a full day of scary good fun for music-lovers and Halloween lovers alike!
Fright Night, Garden Drive-In’s first-ever Halloween arts festival, comes to Hunlock Creek on Saturday, October 12, with entertainment, activities, vendors, and more from 2:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m.
