Are you looking for something spooky to do this final weekend before Halloween? Do you have a killer costume that you think could win some serious cash prizes?
Head to “Nightmare in Navy Yard” at the Capital Turnaround this Saturday on M Street in Southeast D.C.
“It’s that time of year again, which is my favorite time of year, spooky season,” producer Edward Daniels told WTOP. “I’m really proud of this event. This is the fourth year of ‘Nightmare in Navy Yard.’ It’s continued to grow year after year, and I’m excited to get it into the Capital Turnaround this year. We’ve outgrown our old space and we have a brand new space that we will be decking out with all things lighting and special effects.”
Produced by Scorpio Entertainment and Party D.C., the spooky atmosphere will showcase dozens of state-of-the-art animatronics, fog, lasers and AtmosFX digital décor that Daniels spends months curating.
“We’ve got over 50 animatronics, we’ve got tons of inflatables,” Daniels said. “We have a 13-foot skeleton, we’ve got a 12-foot pumpkin skeleton. Everything is animated, every table is going to have something moving, maybe something moving under your table, you go to the restroom and there will be things moving under the stalls. We are building out this place to be a fun fantasy Halloween playland for the guests.”
The event features two dance floors with DJs spinning Halloween-themed tunes all night long.
“We have DJ Farrah Flosscett in the main hall on the main dance floor and DJ Monty, a Navy Yard favorite, on the theater stage,” Daniels said. “They both are local DJs, I always try to shine a spotlight on our local DJs. … You’re definitely gonna hear all of the Halloween classics, ‘Thriller,’ ‘Monster Mash,’ all that stuff. The DJs are going to be playing everything, spinning ’70s, ’80s, Motown, disco, EDM and pop music of course.”
Between dance moves, you can enjoy an open bar inside and food trucks outside.
“We have four trucks that will be right at the entrance … which is double what we had the past few years,” Daniels said. “We have the front lobby set up in a spooky, haunted way, so folks can go grab food, come right back inside and enjoy their food at the main entrance before heading into the tunnels to the rest of the party.”
Be sure to wear your best Halloween outfit to win cash prizes in the costume contest.
“The different categories are individuals, couples and groups of three or more,” Daniels said. “I’ve been impressed every single year with the makeup, the costuming, the lighting sometimes on the costumes. It’s a really cool thing to see what people come up with. What usually trends is what’s current in pop culture, so I’m expecting some Taylor Swift costumes, ‘Barbenheimer,’ all of the headlines from the year.”
Tickets are $55, but that includes five hours of an open bar, bringing Halloween fans flocking.
“It’s grown to become D.C.’s biggest Halloween party,” Daniels said. “We’re expecting about 1,000 guests this Saturday night. … I think what’s most impressive is just the demographic of the crowd. I really specialize in bringing a diverse group of folks to the dance floor, meaning we’ve got 20-year-olds partying next to 50-year-olds. They’re all happy and excited to be there and just ready to party their butts off.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
