Do you remember New Year at kindergarten? Our parents diligently crafted us costumes of all sorts of fairy-tale heroes. I remember they made me little wings like a butterfly's, squeezed me into an unthinkable floral dress and pinned on a tiny plastic tiara with hairclips… And I — so pleased and proud — set off together with the other little animals, princesses and gnomes to the children's celebration. Even then our young company got a taste for "trash"-style entertainment. We gorged ourselves on cloying cakes, washing it all down with sweet fizzy pop, which made our heads spin and made us want to laugh. We danced in circles until we dropped, played "the brook" and tore around the hall. And it seemed there would be no end to it…. A good deal of time has passed since then, but inside every one of us there still lurks that unbridled craving for entertainment we so often indulged in as children.
In 1998 we spotted one strange American holiday — Halloween. And we categorically refused to think of it as "All Saints' Day". A role here was played by the costume balls popular in Russia in the 19th century. And as a result of the fusion of the Russian nobility and American folklore, a perfectly good Russian Halloween was born! This tradition is already more than seven years old — at the end of October each year, dozens of Halloweens are held all across Russia. And 2005 will be no exception. The pre-holiday commotion begins almost a month in advance, and so as not to torment myself with guesswork, I decided to find out what awaits us on the 28th and 29th of October in Moscow's finest nightclubs...?
This year the fervent propagandists of Halloween — Zeppelin Production — decided at their party to recreate Robert Rodriguez's immortal film "From Dusk Till Dawn", with all that follows from it.… On the atmosphere of horror and fear, Maria Tyumeneva:
The concept of your Halloween?
Our Halloween will be done in the style of the film "From Dusk Till Dawn". Accordingly, all the décor, all the performers, the atmosphere — everything just like Robert Rodriguez. We'll have a stage in the form of a bar counter, remember, like the Titty Twister. Truckers, bikers, vampire girls will be there too!
Who will you invite to play?
The band Tito and Tarantula is coming to us, led by the famous actor and musician Tito Larriva, who wrote the soundtrack to the film "From Dusk Till Dawn".
What do you expect from the coming celebration?
Fun and positivity!!!
How do you plan to surprise your guests?
There will definitely be surprises, but that's a secret — that's what makes them surprises…
What is Halloween for you — "All Saints' Day", a "Strange American Holiday" or a "Club New Year"?
For me, Halloween is a holiday of wishes coming true, of fun, joy and love for those around you."
The most unusual Halloween costume you've come across?
I can't recall off the top of my head… An Eve costume… a bride costume… actually there are lots of them, they're all out of the ordinary, all interesting. Each costume is dreamed up by a person to fit their own particular image, and it carries some semantic and emotional weight.
Your childhood fears?
Like all children, I was afraid of the dark and of the grey wolf who would come and carry me off."
Any advice for witches, vampires, ghouls and other evil spirits?
Prepare your costumes, prepare your mood and prepare an ocean of energy to pour out on the 29th of October at the Halloween that will take place at 25/27 Savinskaya Embankment.
Europe's main costume ball has been merged with the famous party series "Fuck Me I'm Famous". Accordingly, the creator of these parties and the author of 2005's biggest blockbuster "The World is Mine", David Guetta, will also come to "XIII" on the 29th of October. Dmitry Shalya told me what to expect from this Halloween:
The concept of your Halloween?
First and foremost, this will be a Halloween, and that's what the main emphasis should be on. We'll have a show, but not an ordinary show based on blood, pumpkins and vampires — rather a kind of mystical performance. The whole scenario is built on tension, on the atmosphere we'll create: when you walk in, you don't know what to expect, you don't know what will happen next, and that unsettles and even frightens you — that's the scenario.… What's more, not only the club itself will be used, but also the inner courtyard in front of the entrance; we'll cover it with an awning and set out gas lanterns so everyone's warm. Part of the show will unfold there too.
How do you plan to surprise your guests?
There'll be an absolute star, EMPRESS STAH. She's a girl with a shocking show…
Any advice for witches, vampires, ghouls and other evil spirits?
Be tolerant, don't suck too much blood — there should be enough for everyone.
What is Halloween for you — "All Saints' Day", a "Strange American Holiday" or a "Club New Year"?
A Club New Year.
The most unusual Halloween costume you've come across?
I saw people who dressed up as a caterpillar, about six of them, and in that costume they tried to travel from bar to bar. But the problem was that the first person kept drinking, and a certain ambush befell the tail; in the end the caterpillar fell apart…, but the idea was a good one.
Your childhood fears?
I was afraid of the film "Beauty and the Beast". I don't even know how it ended, because I always covered my eyes, just to be safe.
Your adult fears?
I'm afraid of Halloween! I'm afraid there'll be a huge crowd and that once again I won't get to celebrate it properly and will have to work instead…
At "Gaudi" on the 29th of October they decided to throw a real worldwide gathering of freaks, called Freak International. The organisers were guided by the idea that "A freak isn't just a costume, it's a state of mind"! As a result, the very, very merriest folk were invited: the London promo group NagNagNag, which includes Johnny Slut & Jojo de Freg; the New York pop star Keoki, better known to the wider public as a character in the film Party Monster with Macaulay Culkin and in the cartoon The Simpsons; as well as DJ Takeshi Whado from Japan and the party's special guest, Tasty Team. The host of the evening is the legendary Russian freak-performer Vladik Mamyshev-Monroe. Mila answered our curious questions:
What do you expect from the coming celebration?
Joy, madness, freedom of thought — freedom of image…
How do you plan to surprise your guests?
The club will be specially decorated, and a great many interesting guests are coming to us.
What is Halloween for you — "All Saints' Day", a "Strange American Holiday" or a "Club New Year"?
First and foremost, an event. And otherwise — it's a night-time carnival party.
The most unusual Halloween costume you've come across?
Yes, I remember: around 1999, probably, there were three people who put on a costume of a three-headed serpent (Zmey Gorynych). How exactly they moved about remains a mystery to me to this day.
Your childhood fears?
I was afraid of the dark…
Your adult fears?
I'm afraid of terrorists.
Any advice for witches, vampires, ghouls and other evil spirits?
Light bonfires outside!
Despite the fact that Halloween at Fabrique will run for two days in a row, the main action will unfold on Friday. The well-known member of "Masters At Work" Kenny Dope will play his set amid the setting of an extraordinary fairy-tale castle with a mysterious forest, enigmatic tree stumps and wondrous inhabitants. Guests will be able to enter Fabrique not through the traditional main entrance, but through a fairy-tale archway leading into the abandoned courtyard of the castle. Everyone who comes in the costume of a fairy-forest character will get into the club completely free! Katya told me about the special features of the upcoming celebration:
The concept of your Halloween?
Our Halloween will be aimed at transforming the club; we'll use a playing-card theme, that is, upstairs there'll be a house of cards, we'll dress all the staff as cards too (jacks, queens, kings, etc.), and downstairs we'll set up a knight's castle. We'll also use the "global" summer terrace — a palace courtyard will appear there with exits to a graveyard, and that place, actually, will play the most active role. Our Halloween will run for two days; on the night of the 28th to 29th of October, at two in the morning, Kenny Dope will take to the turntables, and on the night of the 30th of October the DJs Yastreb, Koreets, Mendes and Shevtsov will play their sets.
What is Halloween for you — "All Saints' Day", a "Strange American Holiday" or a "Club New Year"?
For us it's on a par with the club's birthday or New Year, that is, it's one of the most colourful holidays; at Fabrique, in fact, it comes off best of all. But personally for me, it's most likely a strange American holiday, because it's somehow altogether sinister…
The most unusual Halloween costume you've come across?
In 2004 a woman came to us all in green — I think she was a wagtail, an utterly insane character — and with her was a man dressed as Shrek, also all green; the two of them looked wonderful together!
Your adult fears?
Well, I don't know, uhhh…, I'm afraid of snakes and spiders. I'm not afraid of anything else!
Any advice for witches, vampires, ghouls and other evil spirits?
Everyone be at Fabrique on time, at 12.00!
Despite the fact that Halloween at club First will take place on Friday, the 28th of October, the party promises to be full of promise: the club's veranda will turn into a deserted, mysterious Sicilian town with an enigmatic Catholic cemetery, and the club's interior will appear before guests as a gloomy Gothic temple, where, as tradition has it, every gangster showdown is crowned by a bloody vendetta. The centrepiece of the designers' idea will be the half-ruined altar of the temple and the coffin of Don Corleone (the stage), to whose body, according to the event's concept, the club's guests are meant to come and pay their last respects. Throughout the night an extended show programme is planned, featuring the best go-go dancers and the DJs Lupin, Shevtsov, Smesh and Dan. On all the club's screens a specially prepared video sequence will be broadcast, using fragments of the most popular mafia films. Vsevolod spoke about his own perception of Halloween:
How do you plan to surprise your guests?
We ordered from the Dolce & Gabbana factory a clothing line, First fashion for Cosa Nostra party, specially for our Halloween. And there'll be décor made by specialists from Hollywood. I think we'll surprise people with that.
What do you expect from the coming celebration?
Satisfaction.
The most unusual Halloween costume you've come across?
It was a drunken hare. Aaand stupid OMON riot-troopers storming the club.
Your childhood fears?
Clowns and sexual maniacs.
Your adult fears?
People in dark glasses in a nightclub.
Any advice for witches, vampires, ghouls and other evil spirits?
Be stylish!
On the night of the 29th to 30th of October, on Ordzhonikidze Street at three in the morning, something thrilling and mysterious will begin…. Alexey told me about a Halloween in the style of De La Guarda:
The theme/design of your Halloween?
Our design is handled by a specialist from Petersburg who did "The Forts". We'll do everything in red-and-black tones with red lighting, set out pumpkins — so the concept is: red — black — pumpkins…
Who will you invite to play?
The "fattest" line-up will be playing — that's Laurent Garnier, the DJs List, Spy.der and Fish.
How do you plan to surprise your guests?
Let that stay hidden until the last minute, but I can say there'll be lots of special effects.
What do you expect from the coming celebration?
We're looking forward to a celebration. I think everyone will have fun. The music will be very good, and our sound is the best. The venue is the best, big, there'll be room for everyone. A big celebration is expected, because what will be happening at Gaudi or somewhere else will be a fairly commercial affair. But ours is more of a homely party for our own crowd (we'll make a VIP for friends). And, to cover part of the costs, outside people will be invited who'll pay for entry.
What is Halloween for you — "All Saints' Day", a "Strange American Holiday" or a "Club New Year"?
Most likely a Club New Year. As a kind of event, a holiday for everyone, a holiday for our own crowd — everyone dresses up, everyone has fun!
The most unusual Halloween costume you've come across?
It was several years ago at the House of Scientists. Right after the terrorist attack in America on September 11th. I remember it was the costume of the year: on the person's head towered a two-metre construction in the form of two towers with a plane between them, mounted on some kind of hinges. It was harsh, of course, but quite original.
Your adult fears?
I'm not afraid of anything, I have a reduced sense of danger…
Any advice for witches, vampires, ghouls and other evil spirits?
When the sun rises, turn back into normal people — or else stay this way for the rest of your lives.
A very original Halloween will take place at club "Gorod"; Nyura revealed its secrets to me:
The concept of your Halloween?
We're continuing the ANTI HALLOWEEN party series that we began last year. This year the party will be called HelloQueen. On this night of magic and transformations, a princess's kiss can turn a terrible monster into a handsome prince.
Who will be playing?
Duck, Air, Chizh, Muza.
How do you plan to surprise your guests?
A vast array of plans. I won't reveal the secrets just yet.
What do you expect from the coming celebration?
A celebration! For us and our friends.
What is Halloween for you — "All Saints' Day", a "Strange American Holiday" or a "Club New Year"?
A Club New Year.
The most unusual Halloween costume you've come across?
Well, probably the most unforgettable costume in the whole history of the capital's club life — Mr. Ptyuch's costume (2002 or 2003, I don't remember): a ballerina costume, white leggings, a bodysuit and a tutu!!! The best!
Your childhood fears?
A fear of growing up.
Your adult fears?
I'm afraid of lapsing into a second childhood.
Any advice for witches, vampires, ghouls and other evil spirits?
May every monster find its princess this night.
