On a weekend with multiple fandom events going on Midsummer Scream still managed to have their largest number of attendees in event history. Over 50,000 guests descended on the Long Beach Convention Center. Midsummer Scream first came on to the horror convention scene in 2016 and was created by David Markland. The convention has been every year since except during the years of 2020 and 2021 due the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was the first year Paul and I attended this con and it most definitely did not disappoint. Beyond just vendors and photo ops, there were many opportunities to make the convention experience immersive. The Hall of Shadows housed numerous haunts, mazes, and performances to see. Magic of the Jack o lanterns from Los Angeles provided a preview of their massive display for attendees to view. Magic of the Jack o lanterns starts on September 20th at both of their locations in Los Angeles and Denver. This experience includes thousands of hand carved pumpkins with varying themes such as pirates and dinosaurs.
The Casa Calaveras display was a unique experience. This display has you follow a family through the generations, explaining their cultural and familial traditions. Numerous displays of beautiful calaveras and flowers are used to tell this family story.
The Real Pizza Planet Truck and Art’s Sideshow, both of whom are regular con attendees, provided a haunt that included homages to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Toy Story.
If you prefer to hear panels and sit-down performances there were also several rooms that provided this. The most notable one that we attended was hosted by LeAnna Vamp, known for her podcast Let’s Get Spooky and YouTube channel, Vamp interviewed David Dastmalchian who provided insight into initially love of scary movies and information related to the comic books that he has written.
That Halloween Podcast hosted a live podcast as well that included cast members from Universal Studios Beetlejuice’s Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue ran from 1992-1999 (under various iterations and names). The original Bettlejuice and was on hand along with other cast members and producer of the show. Hearing their stories about being a part of this show and the positive impact it had on their careers, was a once in a life time story telling experience. These are the type of panels that make attending cons a real treat.
Beyond the panels, POSE photo opportunities, haunts, and presentations there was also a chance for interactive experiences through the make and take workshops. If Instagram worthy photos and making Tik Toks is your scene, Midsummer provides opportunities to make this happen through the numerous displays and cos players in attendance. Midsummer Scream cannot be summed up in one blog post. In order to cover its entirety this blog would need to be several pages long. I highly recommend checking out this convention if you want to experience one of the largest of these events. This is definitely the type of con that I recommend attending multiple days to optimize your experience, otherwise plan on being there from open to close on your selected day. If you attended Midsummer Scream this year or in the past, drop a few lines below to share your experience.
If you want to learn more about our experience at Midsummer Scream, check out the podcast episode that we did on it!
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