It’s positively frightful. Even though summer temperatures are such that your neighborhood Waffle House could fry eggs in its parking lot, and kids are still running loose from the strictures of school, Halloween aficionados and retailers are already behaving as if it’s Oct. 31.
What’s being dubbed Summerween, a mashup of summer and Halloween, is bringing spooky skeletons and other decor — sometimes in pink and other warm-weather colors — to many stores. And with some Atlantans hosting Summerween-themed parties, Halloween, much like Christmas, has somehow crept months ahead on the calendar.
For many people, the trend is a welcome one. But for others, it’s a bit too early.
Joe Davich of Decatur recently visited his family in West Virginia and went to buy some lavender or light blue ribbon to spiff up his mom’s summer wreath. At a Michaels, he found, to his horror, a Halloween-style takeover of the front of the store.
“We’re in a heat wave, and you’re giving me pumpkins and skulls and black ribbons,” he said, not, well, buying it.
Davich has nothing against Halloween and said he enjoys the holiday. He just thinks having it take over aisles in summer is pushing it.
In a humorous “protest,” he posted a photo of the store’s Halloween merchandise display on his social media and added the caption, “Oh, come on!!!!”
Credit: Courtesy of Little 5 Points Cultural District
Credit: Courtesy of Little 5 Points Cultural District
Eerie events, activities to celebrate Summerween
Not everyone thinks Halloween creep is so horror-ible. If you’re one of those folks who just can’t wait for the holiday’s frightful fun, you’ll have plenty of events and activities in Atlanta to get you in the spirit.
Netherworld haunted house in Stone Mountain opens closer to Halloween, but, in the meantime, you can book one of its Escape the Netherworld escape room experiences. Themes include Haunted, which challenges players to send the Night Hag, a nightmarish creature that could curse your entire family, back to the Netherworld.
Credit: Courtesy of Escape the Netherworld
Credit: Courtesy of Escape the Netherworld
The popularity of escape rooms rises in the summer and starts to drop in late August, Netherworld co-founder Ben Armstrong said. He’s not sure if the rise in summertime spookiness is because of Summerween, but said he’s hearing that term more and more. He thinks part of its attraction, in addition to a general love for Halloween, is because after July 4th, we’ve passed the last major holiday we’ll have for a while and people are still wanting to have fun and celebrate.
“It is certainly fun for us because the crazy thing about the cycle of retail is that Halloween starts coming in so early, but before we even get to Halloween, Christmas rolls right over it,” Armstrong said. “It’s an interesting thing.”
Other metro Atlanta area events with Summerween tie-ins include the Little 5 Points Summer of Hell-O-Ween, which kicks off with a Monster Ball from 6:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Hudson Grille. DJ Novak and caveman band Mongo will provide entertainment, with revelers encouraged to wear costumes.
The event was previously held in October but was moved to the summer last year. “Last year, I was honestly surprised (and impressed!) by how many people showed up to the Monster Ball in full costume — despite the Georgia heat,” Kelly Stocks, president of the Little 5 Points Cultural District wrote in an email. “The creativity was wild.”
Tours of locations of spine-tingling TV shows, including “The Walking Dead” (in Senoia) and “The Vampire Diaries” (in Covington) can also add some spooky vibes to your Summerween. And some metro ghost tours, including one in Roswell, share their scary stories and chill-inducing landmarks year-round.
Credit: (Courtesy of Bath & Body Works)
Credit: (Courtesy of Bath & Body Works)
Think skeletons chilling out on pink pool inflatables
Playing to those who would like to give their homes a touch of Halloween in July, multiple retailers are jumping on the Summerween bandwagon.
Michaels has expanded its number of early Halloween offerings over past year in response to customer enthusiasm, according to chief merchandising officer Stacey Shively. Maybe you didn’t realize you need a pink iridescent ghost figure to put on a tabletop in the middle of July.
Credit: (Courtesy of Michaels)
Credit: (Courtesy of Michaels)
HomeGoods has also rolled out its Summerween collection, which includes traditional items such as white plastic skeletons but also Halloween merchandise radiating more summery vibes. These include skeleton figurines chilling out on round pink pool inflatables and ghosts floating out of a sand castle. T.J. Maxx has Summerween dish towels with images of friendly ghosts riding bicycles and enjoying a favorite dessert of summer, ice cream.
And if you need some Summerween candle holders or fragrances, Bath & Body Works has you covered — and then some. The store released its 70-plus piece Halloween-themed collection in early June, so you won’t have to go without Vampire Blood scent (which comes packaged in a coffin-shaped box) or the same fragrance in a candle with red-eyed bats adorning the jar. Other products include a Frankenstein’s Bakery luminary and a bubbling cauldron hand soap dispenser.
At other stores, including Chamblee’s Rainy Day Revival, Halloween items are on the shelves throughout the year, so you don’t even need to wait until summer.
Party like it’s Oct. 31
If the sudden profusion of early Halloween decor puts you in the mood to host a Summerween party, you’ll find plenty of tips on sites such as Pinterest.
Not shockingly, Netherworld’s Armstrong and his wife Laura already have hosted a Summerween party this year, combining it with a tiki theme.
“Our basement has a whole tiki home bar,” he explained, and the couple added a spooky overlay to it for the occasion. Guests attended in Halloween and tiki outfits, and the Armstrongs served food such as creepy-looking ladyfingers with almonds for fingernails.
The hosts gave their usual party drinks a Halloween twist, too, turning a Jungle Bird drink into a Jungle Bat with a slight variation in ingredients and adding bat ice cubes. A classic tiki drink called the Zombie received the full treatment with a button to press as a guest ordered one, triggering a groaning sound as a zombie arm extended into view.
Your setup may not be as elaborate as the Armstrongs’, but, ready or not, Summerween is happening for all who dare.
MORE INFORMATION
Monster Ball. 6:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Hudson Grille, 351 Moreland Ave. NE, Atlanta. little5pointsofficial.com/summer.
Escape the Netherworld. Various evening times and dates. $111 and up, includes up to three people. Reservations suggested, but open for walk-ins Friday starting at 6 p.m. and all day Saturday and Sunday, depending on availability. Four-hour advance booking required on Wednesdays and Thursdays (available 2-7 p.m.) and Fridays before 6 p.m. 1313 Netherworld Way, Stone Mountain. 404-999-3722, escapethenetherworld.com.
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