Little Five Points Halloween Parade in Atlanta, GA

Little Five Points: one of the oldest historical neighborhoods and one-of-a-kind shopping plazas in Atlanta. On Halloween, it transforms into a phantasmagorical show of demons, witches, devils, and Wonder Women.

The festivities begin on Friday, October 16, from 6-10 PM; Stars of the Spook Show will be performing covers of classic punk songs ("Holiday in Cambodia," perhaps?); and Professor Morte's Silver Scream Spook Show will be displaying a horror masterpiece, along the lines of The Exorcist or Night of the Living Dead.

Throughout the day on October 17, Little Five Points (L5P) will be the place for Halloween entertainment and celebration. According to L5P Halloween, children's activities will take place in Davis Plaza from 12-5 PM, including face painting and candy-giving.

In Findley Plaza, you can come for all varieties of "eclectic entertainment," according to the homepage. On the second day, also keep an eye out for Tarot card readers and Henna tattoo artists (especially if the idea of permanent ink doesn't appeal to you).

The Parade Itself

The actual Halloween parade begins at 4 PM. It starts on Euclid Avenue, in the heart of L5P, and progresses up and around Moreland Avenue, ending at Druid Place. For those of you who have no idea where these streets are, the official site has its own map.

As with any Halloween parade, you never know what sorts of characters might show up. In the past, the event has seen its share of skeletons, zombies, witches, and warlocks; you're just as likely, however, to meet a Geisha or KISS' Gene Simmons (and these aren't purely hypothetical). If you check out the Flickr link from the event's main page, even you non-Atlantans can get a glimpse of the insanity from Moreland Avenue.

If you're from New York, in particular NYC, think of it as the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade on a miniature scale. Those residing in San Francisco or New Orleans would also probably be unsurprised by the L5P scene (in fact, they might laugh).

Since this occasion allows for a great amount of creativity, prizes are of course awarded to some of Atlanta's best handiwork: The Witch's Cup is awarded to the Best Float by a business in Little Five Points; the Raven's Crown goes to Best Independent Float; the Pennywise Prize goes to Best Walking Group; and the Golden Steering Wheel goes to Best Art Car. There will be a Judges' Review Stand in front of The Brewhouse on Moreland Avenue, where you can display your artwork.

Note: if you plan to participate as a group, go to L5PHalloween.com and fill out the entry form; otherwise your car/costume/float won't be eligible for any prizes.

Got Ideas?

Though your costume is, of course, entirely up to you, you may be stuck as far as coming up with something original. At an event such as this, homemade costumes (especially for the adults) definitely get more street cred than the store-bought versions.

Despite the fact that The Dark Knight is no longer in theaters, Batman characters remain ever-popular as costumes. The Heath Ledger version of the Joker is a particularly easy outfit to make (especially if you have a theater or vintage store in the neighborhood).

In one famous shot from the film, the Joker sits in a jail cell. His clothing, in this scene, consists of a purple "honeycomb"-patterned shirt covered by a dark green vest; a green tie to match the vest; purple striped pants; multicolored socks with patches of green, purple, black, and gold; and a pair of pointy brown dress shoes.

The Joker's face, of course, is painted pasty white, with bright red lipstick smeared across the mouth. To recreate the character's scars from the film, you can paint small streaks coming from the edges of the mouth. The Joker also wears heavy amounts of eyeliner on each eye, almost creating the effect of black eyes. The white face paint, in the movie version, is smeared and uneven in places, giving the impression that the Joker couldn't care less about his appearance. And his hair, famously, is green. If it's likely you'll get fired over dying your hair green permanently, sites such as BeWild.com sell temporary hair dyes just for the occasion.

For women, there are equally as many, if not more, ideas to show off at L5P. Try this concept on for size: Marla Singer from Fight Club is one of the sexiest characters from mainstream cinema.

Though actress Helena Bonham Carter is extremely skinny, particularly in that role, even plus-size women can pull off a customized version of the costume. The character wears dark-colored dresses, usually with spaghetti straps, and sometimes a feather boa. Her face, like the Joker's, is pale (though not pasty white). Her hair is very short, dark brown, and tied into knots, or simply disheveled. To top it all off, she wears dark eyeliner and heavy eye shadow, accentuating the depressing and cynical aspects of the character.

These, of course, are just suggestions. Little Five Points' Halloween Parade is entirely about creativity, so the more originality, the better! (I'm sure you didn't need an AC writer to tell you that).

Anyway, get to sewing now...and your work just might end up on Flickr.