Nightmare On 19th Street Group Costume Contest

My partner always wanted to do a costume contest.  I thought they were pretty weak and run of the mill.  After some debate with Big, I came up with the idea of a "group" costume contest.   Get the lowdown and the faqs after the jump.

It occurred to me that there needed to be a costume contest that specifically targets 'groups' of people.  Some times friends will like to all dress up as Teletubbies, the Three Musketeers, or even just Sherlock Holmes and Watson.  We think there should special recognition for the people who not only got dressed up, but also coordinated it with one or more other people.

This Saturday night at Nightmare we're paying out $250, $150 and $50 for the best "group" costumes.  You're little group of two or more could pick up some real nice beer drinking money just for adding to the festive atmosphere of our park.  You don't even have to pay to get in.  All you have to do is show up at the main stage (you can't miss it) in costume, by 10:45.  At 11:00 we'll get everybody together and crown some winners.  Sounds rockin' doesn't it?

Here's some other info about Nightmare while we have you here:

• Nightmare on 19th Street is now in it's sixth year
• Nightmare is at 602 East 19th in the back parking lot of the amp.
• There are now FOUR attractions. Bloodmoon Manor-a more traditional haunted house, Dr. Nexum's Sanitarium-a medically themed attraction, the ancient cultures themed "The Lost City" and the new old west ghost town "Skull-Lick Texas"
• Nightmare will then be open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in October, the Sunday before Halloween and Halloween.
• We open the ticket booth at 7:30 each night and close it at 11:00 on Thursdays and at 11:30 on all other nights. Now, that doesn't mean we close at those times, that's just you last chance to get a ticket. We stay open until every who has purchased a wristband to go through the park. At the same time, the ticket booths open at 7:30, but we wait until it's full dark before admitting anyone to the attractions.
• Admission is $20 on Thursdays, $25 on all other days. THIS FRIDAY ON FMX'S 'SEIZE THE DEAL' YOU CAN GET HALF PRICE ($10) TICKETS GOOD FOR ANY THURSDAY. We also offer VIP tickets that allow you to go to the front of the line at all attractions.
• The suggest age is 12 and up. We believe that you know your kids better than us, if you think they can handle it, then younger ages are welcome.
• Nightmare is brought to you in part by "The RockShow" on FMX, Monster Energy, Pizza Hut, Culligan Water and Party City (your Nightmare wristband is good for a discount at Party City).
• We have armed sheriffs and bonded security on site.
• We DO NOT SERVE OR ALLOW alcoholic beverages in the park. We don't care what you do before you come to visit, we don't judge...we just want to be an alternative to bar hopping and not part of it.
• We do feature food, drink, and the coolest concessions you'll find anywhere with booths from "My Phat Tees" and "Zombie Peepshow".

ANSWERS TO MORE RANDOM QUESTIONS:

How scary is it? This is the number one question we get, and it's impossible to answer. It depends on what scares you and so on. We have had little kids just say 'cool' all the way through and we've had grown men and women actually loose control of their bowels (yes, poop themselves). We have coordinated with the Fire Marshal to make numerous exits available for both emergencies and chickens.

What should I wear? We're going to say evening gowns and tuxes. Not really, all that's important, and it's very important, is that you were comfortable shoes. The terrain can be a little rough in the Ghost Town, and some of the ramps in the other attractions are hard to negotiate in heals or flip-flops.

Do you have a phone number I can call for more questions? Sorry, that's one thing we do not have at this time, however, you were smart enough to get on a computer, email those questions here and we'll get back to you promptly!

How long does it take to go through all the attraction? It really depends on when you arrive and how many people are ahead of you. At peak times we put groups of up to six through at a rate of 25 seconds per group, so the lines move FAST! Generally coming out to Nightmare is a we consider to be an 'all-night' experience. Even if it only took you an hour to go through all the attractions you will be so tired from all of the adrenaline rushes that you are highly unlikely to want to do much afterwards. On a busy night, we'd say you'll probably be out for a couple hours or more.

What's the story with the "Group Costume Contest"? Well we noticed that buddies or couples like to occasionally dress in a theme. We've had a group of three or four "Ghostbusters" or a man and wife dressing like "Batman and Robin". On October 27th at 11 p.m. we will award a $250, $150 and $50 prize for the best "group costumes". There is no charge for entering, you don't even have to buy a wristband..you just need to show up at the main stage then.

Do you have group discounts or advanced ticket sales? You bet! Just head to the Nightmare page and we'll get you hooked up.

How many actors do you have out there? Sometimes more than 100. Sometimes a lot less. That's actually a beautiful thing, every time you come out it's a different experience. More actors can make it creepier, less actors can make it scarier. We also have an unbelievable makeup teen...we try to opt for killer makeup over masks.

What charity do you represent? Nightmare is not a charity run haunted house. We are a professional haunted house that (hopefully someday) is a for profit business. We do benefit many charities with donations of time, tickets and help with fundraising.

How can I be a part of Nightmare? Well, for the first time EVER we're going to have to ask you to wait until next year. And to be a part, just 'like' the Nightmare Facebook page. We put actor and other 'calls' on that page.

I went and no one was there, what did I do wrong? Well early in the evening it may be hard to see us. We are in the back of the Lone Star Events Center. We can sometimes have 1000 people on the premises and you wouldn't know it from the street. Drive straight through the front gate, stay to the right and you'll find us. Check out this little map and diagram below: