City seeking Frightful Feature ideas for Halloween Downtown

Community members are encouraged to create spooky installations for the annual celebration.

Halloween Downtown is returning to Eugene this October, and the City's Cultural Services division is reaching out to creative community members to make it grander and ghastlier than ever.

Last year's celebration increased the event's footprint to span more than a dozen blocks throughout Eugene's Downtown core and attracted over 11,000 visitors. That's a significant increase from the 5,000 visitors who attended in 2023. Led by Senior Downtown Events and Permit Coordinator David Dickinson and Production Coordinator Kerry Weeks, Cultural Services' Community Events team is building on that momentum to make this year's celebration even more engaging and interactive.

To provide a diverse variety of bountiful attractions, Dickinson and Weeks are asking for help from the city's artistic community.

"Eugene is a goldmine of creative talent and we're hoping to provide an opportunity for that talent to coalesce around," Dickinson said. "It's the ideas and talent of our local spooky artists that drive the energy of this event."

Anyone interested in creating a Frightful Feature installation for Halloween Downtown can submit their ideas by Aug. 25. These installations, which will be scattered throughout the event, are intended to entertain attendees and provide memorably eerie experiences.

"Imagine a superbly frightful haunted house that was disassembled room-by-room and redistributed around Downtown Eugene," Dickinson said. "That is what this event is like."

Performers, visual artists, make-up artists, installation artists, musicians, collaborating businesses and anyone else with a passion for the macabre are all encouraged to apply.

The Halloween Downtown website gives ideas for the kinds of installations creators could submit: "Spooky photo-op scenarios, frightful animatronics or sculptures, haunting musicians, convincingly possessed performances, creepy comedians or any horrific combination of art forms."

Weeks adds that there are no boundaries for the types of installations that will be considered, and they are looking forward to unique and original ideas.

"I find that the best submissions come when people are drawing from their own experience, and they have that deep connection of what they want to share," Weeks said. "Those are the ideas that usually shine bright."

For interested applicants who need assistance with their Frightful Feature submissions or are hoping to brainstorm ideas with fellow creatives, a public information session will be held 5:30 p.m. July 31 at Whirled Pies (199 W. 8th Ave.). Cultural Services staff will be present at this session to answer questions and help with the application process. It will also provide an opportunity for applicants to meet in a casual environment to collaborate and share ideas with each other.

Approved applicants will be responsible for setting up their Frightful Feature for Halloween Downtown on Oct. 25. Attendees will then cast votes for their favorite installation. In addition to receiving the coveted Candy Corn Crown and Candy Corn Scepter, winners will be invited to lead the 2026 Halloween Downtown Pet Parade and to present awards to next year's winners.

Weeks hopes this project will set a future precedent for focusing the event around local talent as it continues to grow.

"I see Halloween Downtown becoming a platform for artists to be as creative as possible to create a container that is safe and welcoming and creepy and fun," she said.

For more information, visit eugene-or.gov/5287/Halloween-Downtown-Call-to-Artists.