Elsewhere Splits Halloween Across Two Wild Nights
Bushwick's Elsewhere hosts a queer Halloween kickoff October 29 then Major League DJz on the 31st
Elsewhere is not doing one Halloween party this year. The Bushwick mega-venue is doing two, and the bills are strong enough to make a case for both.
Thursday, October 29 belongs to Out & Abt, the queer-focused club night throwing a special Halloween edition to kick off the spooky weekend. Then Halloween night itself, Saturday, October 31, the whole building transforms for Elsewhere Halloween, split across two programs that run deep into the night.
The venue has the square footage to pull this off. Three stories of dancefloors and stages at 599 Johnson Avenue let Elsewhere program like a festival rather than a club. On the 31st, the Hall hosts a live bill starting around 7pm with Cannelle, EQ making their NYC debut, Tommy Fleece and Corridos Ketamina. Then the full-venue club program takes over at 10:30pm with Major League DJz headlining, plus SAIDAH, D Stone, Ariel Lights and Sissy Elliott.
The venue has the square footage to pull this off.
Two Nights, Two Temperaments
The split is smart. Thursday's Out & Abt night is the insider's pick, a queer party with a Halloween theme for the crowd that plans its costume in August. Saturday is the main event, bigger, louder, built for the Halloween-night masses. Together they cover the whole weekend without cannibalizing each other, and they give the venue's regulars a reason to come twice.
Major League DJz are the headline that makes Saturday move. The South African act is one of the best-known names in amapiano, the log-drum-driven house sound. An amapiano headliner on Halloween night in Bushwick tells you everything about where Elsewhere's bookings live. Not the obvious EDM names. The sounds that are actually moving the underground right now. Secret NYC's Halloween roundup makes the case for doing both nights.
The live bill earlier in the evening is its own draw. EQ's NYC debut, Cannelle's raw energy, Tommy Fleece and Corridos Ketamina bring a band-driven chaos that most Halloween lineups skip entirely. It is a reminder that Elsewhere calls itself an arts space as well as a club, and programs like one. The 7pm start time means you can catch the bands, eat somewhere on Johnson Avenue, and come back for the club program on a separate ticket.
The Room Rules
Elsewhere runs a tight ship on the practicals. Tickets for the 31st start at $33.33 before fees for the live show in the Hall, which is 16 and over, and $46.67 for the club night. The club runs from 10:30pm until close and is strictly 21 and over. Everyone needs a scannable US government photo ID or a foreign passport. No photos of IDs. No exceptions.
The zero-tolerance policy on harassment is stated upfront and meant. Elsewhere has built its reputation as much on how the room feels as on who is playing, and Halloween, with its costumes and chaos, is when that matters most.
For a borough with no shortage of Halloween options, from the underground marathons to the big outdoor closers, Elsewhere's two-night split is the most complete offer on the calendar. A queer kickoff for the heads. A full-venue blowout for the night itself. Pick your poison, or do both.
Pick your poison, or do both.
