Category: PostEvents

Resident artist muralists Fotini Galanes, Julia Bottoms, Rachel Shelton, Tricia Butski, Max Collins, and Phyllis Thompson have contributed towards a public work of art at 714 Northland Avenue. The collective piece was created as part of the Albright-Knox’s Hervé Tullet: Shape and Color exhibition, via an artist residency program. The work was created at, and is featured across the street from, the Albright-Knox Northland site (the exhibition ran June 26–September 12, 2021). The mural is currently on display.

^ Fotini Galanes’s An End A Beginning, Julia Bottoms’s Heirloom, Rachel Shelton’s Adaptive Cycle, Tricia Butski’s Equally Distant, Max Collins’s Humboldt Parkway: Now & Then, and Phyllis Thompson’s Nurturer

 

Along with generating exposure for the artists, the initiative was also a way to introduce the canvas of Polytab to a broad regional audience, according the Albright-Knox. Polytab is “a nonwoven material that is easily transported and can be worked on in small pieces,” thus allowing public works of art to be painted off site, and then easily moved to more permanent locations. The material opens the doors to a lot more artists, who are able to work on the pieces at their respective studios. In this case, the artists were on full display at the AK Northland site, which allowed spectators to view the works in progress. The Polytab system is also great for the winter season, where artists can work inside, as they await warmer weather to install the completed murals. 

Douglas Jemal has closed on the purchase of the Simon Electric properties concentrated along Ellicott Street.  Jemal paid $5 million for the properties under the Jemals Simon LLC.  Plans call for a three-phase redevelopment effort that includes up to 600 apartments if his proposal for the City’s Mohawk Ramp is selected over two others.Simon Electric’s properties were first put up for sale in 2019. Despite strong interest, Simon never found the right deal. The holdings include seven buildings with 80,500 sq.ft. of space and a total 1.78 acres of property.

Plans call for 400 residential units and commercial space on the Simon sites and 200 units on the Mohawk Ramp site.  Ten percent of the units would be affordable. Development would occur in three phases over three years beginning with a two-level addition to the parking ramp and reuse of the Burns Building at 25 E. Huron Street with a new structure on the parking lot next to it along Ellicott Street.  Phase two includes 250 units along the east side of Ellicott Street north of E. Huron Street while preserving existing historic structures.

Jemal says he will move forward with his plans even if his proposal for the Mohawk Ramp site is rejected in favor of one of the two remaining competing plans.

Cornerstone Lofts’ condominiums are now for sale with prices starting in the low $200,000’s.  Located at 340 Bird Avenue, the adaptive reuse created twelve residences in the former  Bethlehem Presbyterian Church. Built in 1909, Bethlehem Church was the cornerstone of its community. Over a century later, the legacy of this landmark has been restored and brought to new life as Cornerstone Lofts.

The project offers a variety of spacious, open floor plans beaming with natural light and featuring original exposed brick, custom designed cabinetry, luxurious finishes, full appliance packages, and private parking.

“Neighboring Buffalo State, and just steps from the art galleries, restaurants, and shopping of the Elmwood Village, Cornerstone Lofts offers more than just a home,” said Robert Blake, Exclusive Agent for the project. “It offers atmosphere, culture, and community.”

“I believe my great-grandfather would have been amazed at how his architectural design has remained intact and has been adapted to be part of Buffalo 112 years after he designed the original structure” said Lucy Miller Haskins, great-granddaughter of Bethlehem Church architect Martin Miller. “He’d be proud that his design has stood the test of time and has been transformed with new life.”

The development preserves the history of the building and its surroundings. “To us, it was important to maintain the look and the feel while modernizing the building to meet today’s design standards, taste, and needs of the community” said Peter Hunt, Partner in Cornerstone Lofts. “Bringing something new to the ever-evolving Buffalo community, this project was designed and built with passion and with spirit for the next generation of Buffalonians.”

Cornerstone Lofts are walking distance to Elmwood Avenue, Delaware Park, The Albright Knox Museum, and Burchfield Penney Art Center, and are minutes from downtown. Floor plans range from one to three bedrooms and are priced from $219,900 to $425,000.  Residences feature:

Private street-level entrances for each unit
Open-concept floor plans
Soaring ceilings: 18-feet in mezzanine units; 10-feet in garden-level units
Expansive windows bathing each unit with natural light
European-style custom cabinetry
Full stainless-steel appliance packages
Countertop-depth refrigerators
In-unit washer and dryer
Gas stoves
Original exposed brick
Luxurious bathroom and kitchen finishes
Private, fenced parking included with each unit

Get Connected: Robert Blake or Deacon Tasker, 716.321.HOME

 

This lush, riveting, award-winning film pits a family living off the grid against agents for social and environmental change, with consequences that threaten to tear the family apart. The setting is an urban wilderness on the edge of Bucharest, Romania, that evolved from a planned, Communist-era dam and failed real estate projects into Europe’s largest urban nature park.

Parents Gică and Nicolina, in back, with 7 of their 9 children. Later, an angry Gică asserts his authority: “I’m their father; I can kill them.”​

As the film opens with a group of young boys wending their way through tall weeds and paddling on a pond, it’s hard to believe what we’re seeing isn’t fiction.  These are some of the 9 children of Gică Enache and his wife, Niculina Nedelcu, who have made these abandoned 500 acres their home for 18 years. And it’s the unlikely journey of this Roma family—not Văcărești Nature Park, fascinating tale tho’ it is—that’s the subject of director and co-writer Radu Ciorniciuc’s provocative documentary.

 

Gică is the high-school-educated patriarch who once had an ordinary job (chemistry lab assistant) and then decided to live apart from “wicked civilization.” He and his wife fiercely protect their brood. “Hide the children,” they yell, when social workers approach their hut in the woods, threatening to take the children to orphanages or foster homes. Through Ciorniciuc’s lens, the lives of the siblings seem idyllic: grabbing swans with bare hands, swimming in the reservoir, catching fish at night, rolling around with each other at play, sleeping in the same bed. They’ve learned the life skills to survive in these fields, pools, and woods that nature has bequeathed them from abandoned industrial projects.

When the powers that be decide the land should be a nature park—and that the living situation of the children is “dangerous”—the battle lines are drawn between the Enaches and the government. Except the Enaches are not idealistic, ecologically sensitive Thoreaus. Perhaps sensing the fragility of his hold on the family, Gică seems to want to keep the children illiterate—into the stove goes a children’s book they’ve been given; they live in, and burn, garbage. And the government representatives are not all evil. Social agencies try to provide housing and education for the family after they’ve been forcefully re-settled in the city and a bulldozer arrives to remove the remains of their hut.

This “clash of civilizations” results in a sacrifice of this family’s way of life for what some will understand as a greater good: the nature park. The Enaches see themselves as stewards of the property. They’ve identified species living there that others have not. They know the land and would be able to communicate its secrets to tourists and visitors, and it’s clear that in a weak (and pathetic) moment, Gică imagines himself becoming a Park Ranger. But this is not enough to allow the Enaches to continue to live in a domain they’ve occupied for almost two decades. Even Britain’s Prince Charles, known for his support of environmental causes, gets in on the action, planting a tree so spindly that it stands in comic contrast to the willows Gică has planted, an offense to the way the Enaches have engaged and understood the terrain. In a poignant moment, Gică asks the Park Ranger if he can plant more willows. “The botanists will decide,” is the response. 

There are clashes within the family as well, as the Enaches try to adapt to the urban center that is just a multi-lane highway and concrete levee away from their old homestead. Oldest son Vali, who has kept the family fed with his night fishing (and by selling some of his catch), defies his father with his desire to be in, and of, the city. The next oldest teen, Rică, struggles in school with his letters and with phonics; humiliated and resentful, he wants to return to the wilderness life. An angry Gică asserts his authority: “I’m their father; I can kill them.”

There are no easy answers here, just profound questions. To whom does the land belong? Are those who have been “stewards” of the land entitled to live on it?  What does it mean to head a family? Is illiteracy a trade-off for living off the land? Is it worth sacrificing a family’s way of life for the “greater good” of a nature park that will serve thousands? Is a bike path for the middle class more important than one, very large, poor, working-class family?

“Acasă, My Home” is beautifully crafted. The people speak for themselves: no voice-overs, no talking heads, no explanatory captions, no details during the credits of what happened “after” the film. It’s gorgeous, emotionally charged, and challenging.

Date: 2020

Acasă, My Home (“Acasă”) – Stars: 3.5 (out of 4)

Director: Radu Ciorniciuc

Starring: As themselves: the Enache family (father, Gică; mother, Niculina Nedelcu; older two sons, Vali and Rică, and 7 other children), Britain’s Prince Charles

Countries: Romania, Germany

Language: Romanian, subtitled in English

Other Awards: 23 wins, including best World Cinema Documentary Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, and 16 other nominations

Runtime: 86 minutes

Availability: For rent, streaming or purchase on multiple sites, including AppleTV, Amazon, Google Play and others; see JustWatch here.

Lead image: Four of the Enache boys on their idyllic (probably polluted) pond.

See all Five Cent Cine reviews by 2 Film Critics

This past March, I wrote about Canadian author A.A. Blair’s efforts to publish a book about Crystal Beach amusement park (1890-1989), titled Mystic of the Midway. At the time, the book was available on a preorder basis.

As a child of the 80’s, Blair’s connection with the Park allowed him to craft a spellbinding tale that will appeal to mid-grade readers (ages 7-11).

Now, Blair is in the process of promoting a virtual book launch that will take place on Sunday, October 17, from 2-3pm. The book launch will include a conversation with Blair and some of his friends, who were all fans of the iconic regionally-situated amusement park. 

“We’ll have Histria Books (the publisher) there to talk about their Histria Kids imprint, what they are looking for from authors, and what about Mystic of the Midway influenced their decision to publish the (fictional) story, explained Blair. We’ll also have a Crystal Beach historian, who will talk a little about the park’s history, what it meant to the community and some of the lore surrounding the park, and its ghosts. I’ll talk a little about the inspiration for the book and the publication journey, community support, etc. I’ll also do a reading. So I’m hoping there’s a little something for everyone. People who want to hear more about the story, people interested in the history of the park and folks interested in the publication process.”

histriabooks.com | info@mysticofthemidway.com

Plot:

After a horrible accident, Effie and her family speed away to their summer cottage to escape the tests and doctors’ appointments. The promise of a relaxing family getaway is short lived when Effie stumbles across a mystery that threatens to destroy her family.

Effie enlists the aide of her detective brother, Jimmy, along with her long time Crystal Beach friends Lydia and her mischievous little brother Sniff. As their investigation deepens Effie begins see and hear things that couldn’t be real.

Effie struggles to overcome self-doubt and the realization that her idyllic vacation spot isn’t what it seems to be. Trying not to lose faith, Effie embraces her new abilities hoping the whispers and signs will lead her and her friends to the answers they need to save her family.

We know you know about pumpkin spice lattes (“PSLs”), apple cider slushies, and apple cider donuts. While delicious, if you’re looking to breakaway from the basic autumnal treats, there are some places around Buffalo doing some incredibly fun, creative and downright unusual things with pumpkin spice and fall flavors. Here are the new fall menu items you can’t miss this season!

Pumpkin & Cream Brioche Bomb | Butter Block

The goods: Butter Block’s light and fluffy brioche dough is filled with the right mixture of pumpkin, warm spices and topped with brown-butter streusel.

Where: Butter Block, 426 Rhode Island St, Buffalo / butterblockshop.com

Pumpkin Spice Sweet Potato Fries | Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs

The goods: Hand cut sweet potato fries tossed in a warm five-spice blend and served with a side of sweet, creamy pumpkin butter.

Where: Frank Gourmet Hots Dogs, 707 Kenmore Ave, Kenmore / findfranknow.com

Pumpkin Spice Burger | Big Ditch Brewing

The goods: Pumpkin spice seasoned burger with arugula, gingered honey aioli, sliced tomato, served with hand cut fries.

Where: Big Ditch, 55 E. Huron St, Buffalo / bigditchbrewing.com

Apple Crisp Pizza | Jay’s Artisan Pizza

The goods: A Detroit-style square pie with a blend of cheeses, apples, strudel crunch, housemade caramel and whipped cream.

Where: Jay’s Artisan Pizzeria, 2872 Delaware Ave, Kenmore / jaysartisan.com

Apple Crisp Waffle | Wonder Coffeehouse

The goods: Honeycrisp apple slices, caramel, granola and cinnamon on Wonder’s house-made, from-scratch Liege waffles.

Where: 323 Ganson St, Buffalo / wondercoffeehouse.com

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Milkshake | Hertel Avenue Poutine & Cream

The goods: This pumpkin spice cheesecake milkshake from Hertel Avenue Poutine & Cream is served in a huge mason jar and even includes a pumpkin to take home!

Where: 1488 Hertel Ave, Buffalo / eatpoutine.com

Harvest Pie | Foibles Coffee & Pie

The goods: Filled with summer squash, rutabaga, potatoes, fresh garlic and caramelized onion. Comes with or without smoked gouda.

Where: 172 Rhode Island St, Buffalo / foiblescafe.com

Pumpkin Seed Brunch Tartine | Britesmith Brewing

The goods: Toasted sourdough, whipped ricotta, sliced prosciutto, thyme infused blood oranges, toasted pumpkin seeds, Castlevetrano extra virgin olive oil, basil, served with a side salad.

Where: Britesmith Brewing, 5611 Main St, Williamsville / britesmithbrewing.com

Pumpkin Everything | Blue Eyed Baker

The goods: Pumpkin spice cakelettes, pumpkin brioche rolls, pumpkin spice donuts, pumpkin croissants, and a fall themed 6-inch cake.

Where: Blue Eyed Baker, 33 Elm St, East Aurora / blueyedbaker.net

Oktoberfest Specials | Hofbrauhaus Buffalo

The goods: Throughout Oktoberfest, enjoy Hofbrauhaus Buffalo’s traditional German meals including Knuspriger Schweinebauch (crispy pork belly served with our Dunkel beer gravy, creamy stewed bacon onion Napa cabbage and potato dumpling), Knusprige Schweinshax’n (crispy pork shank served with potato dumpling, green cabbage bacon salad, and dark beer gravy), and Germknödel mit Vanillesosse (steamed yeast dumpling filled with plum jam, served with vanilla sauce and poppyseed).

Where: Hofbrauhaus Buffalo, 190 Scott St, Buffalo / hofbrauhausbuffalo.com

BONUS | Pumpkin Spice Wings

The goods: Yup, Frank’s is getting a little basic this football season with crispy baked wings coated in Frank’s RedHot original seasoning and pumpkin pie spice. Finish ‘em off with a maple syrup glaze for the ultimate in sweet-hot deliciousness.

Where: Your house! Recipe here: franksredhot.com

The post Buffalo Treats That Take Pumpkin Spice to a New Level appeared first on Visit Buffalo Niagara.

THE BASICS:  Sara Davis Buechner plays Saint-Saens’ (say “san-saws”) Piano Concerto No. 2 in the first half while Mahler’s Symphony Number 4 fills the second half of the program at Kleinhans Music Hall.  Concert repeats this Sunday, October 10, at 2:30.  Kleinhans Music Hall is located at “3 Symphony Circle” Buffalo, 14201 where Porter Avenue, Richmond Avenue, North Street and Wadsworth meet at a traffic circle. Visit www.bpo.org or call 716-885-5000.  Ask about special season ticket deals for students.

Runtime: 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission

As pianist David Buechner, this weekend’s featured soloist was a bronze medalist at the Tchaikovsky Competition (the Mount Everest of piano competitions) and performed far and wide.  Then, after transitioning to Sara Davis Buechner, booking agents wouldn’t take her calls.  That’s all well-documented in many interviews and speaking engagements with Ms. Buechner, who describes herself as “a proud transgender woman.”

In these more enlightened times of embracing LGBTQ artists, it’s still a hard truth that, to quote a 2013 NPR piece,  “progress on LGBT issues, at least in the American classical music community, still stops at the LGB part of that equation….”

Get ready to be blown away.

So while she’s been in Buffalo before (most recently performing Beethoven’s 3rd piano concerto in 2018) and also at Chautauqua, if you’ve never seen her play the piano (or heard her on our local station WNED Classical) then get ready to be blown away.  What do I mean by that?  The 19th century composer Camille Saint-Saens is best known for his “Carnival of the Animals,” a work featuring two pianos, and you’ll swear if you go to the encore presentation of the concert this afternoon that you’re hearing those two pianos. No, just one, but what a pianist.  Delicate filigrees here, pounding chords there.

When the dynamic French Canadian pianist Alain Lefèvre visited Buffalo on two separate occasions, the piano began to move, literally, down-stage.  Technicians have since figured out how to prevent that, and that’s a good thing, because I thought, if that’s ever going to happen again, it’s now.  And talking about “move” or, as classical musicians would say it “con moto,” my last review noted that conductor Falletta took Beethoven’s 5th at the new standard ultra-fast tempo.  Well, as fast as Falletta conducts, Buechner was giving the orchestra a run for its money!

One last word on the Saint-Saens.  If you’re not familiar with his five piano concertos, but you do know Chopin and Rachmaninoff, then think maybe of Chopin in the right hand and Rachmaninoff in the left.  Or think of the words to the Tennessee Ernie Ford song “Sixteen Tons” – “I’ve got one fist of iron, the other of steel, if the right don’t getcha, then the left one will.”

After 18 months, the world has slowly been waking up, and the BPO is back at Kleinhans.

So after 18 months, the world has slowly been waking up, and the BPO is back at Kleinhans (by the way, you need your Vax card and you have to wear your mask for the entire performance) but what I had missed is the spontaneous leap to the feet audience reaction.  Well, now I can check that off my “to do” list for 2021.  Following the Saint-Saens, the encore, perhaps in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (see more on that below), was a piece called “Catalana” by Spanish composer Federico Longas.

JoAnn Falletta is particularly adept at any early 20th century music.

JoAnn Falletta, a student of Leonard Bernstein, who is credited with starting the modern audience love of composer Gustav Mahler, has always been deeply involved in his music.  She’s particularly adept at any early 20th century music, whether it’s Maurice Ravel or Richard Strauss, Marcel Tyberg or Florent Schmitt, but her love of Mahler is deep and, once again, it showed.  How deep?  Usually she conducts entire hour-long Mahler symphonies from memory, without a score, so I was a little surprised to see the score on her podium, until I remembered that, in the fourth and final movement, there is a soprano soloist.  She once told me that her self-imposed rule is, if there’s a soloist, she always has the score in front of her, “just in case.”

The soloist, guest artist soprano Maeve Hoglund, blended perfectly with the orchestra, singing the child’s vision of heaven.  Her voice is round and soft and in fact she has sung the role of “Gretel” in the Humperdinck opera “Hansel und Gretel” so she was an inspired choice.

Kleinhans Music Hall has legendary acoustics.  Pianist Van Cliburn told me it’s because of all the wood.  Well, whatever the reason, Falletta used that to the utmost because Mahler loved to use all the different instruments of the orchestra in exciting combinations.  When you attend this afternoon, there is no sound system in the world that can deliver that intimate and at the same time infinite sound-scape.

UP NEXT:  A free classical concert called Celebración de la Guitarra featuring Hispanic composers and performers and lots of guitar music, Tuesday October 12, at 7:00 p.m.  (Yes it’s free, but bring your proof of vaccination and wear a mask).  Then, wrapping up Hispanic Heritage Month, it’s a BPO Pops concert “Tango Caliente” on October 16 and the next BPO Classics concert features the BPO concertmaster, violinist Nikki Chooi, playing Brahms on a Saturday-Sunday series, October 23-24.

Sneakers are getting to be a big business in Buffalo. I’m not talking about the everyday styles that you see at the mall, I’m talking about serious sneaker culture, where stores are buying, selling, and trading super unique, rare, and in some cases, fairly pricey kicks.

One of the newest sneaker shops to open is Ground Control, owned and operated by Mike Gates. Mike unleashed Ground Control this weekend, on a street that he says is “alive, with the perfect demographic.”

DJ Philly Bee
Sugar Bomb Bakery

On opening day (Saturday, October 9), Mike held a grand opening celebration that included beats by DJ Philly Bee, and cupcakes made by his wife, who happens to own Sugar Bomb Bakery. Mike also unveiled his merchandise, featuring a wall of kickass sneaks.

Now, if you’re not familiar with sneaker culture – ie., you’re not a ‘sneakerhead’ – then there are a few things that you should know. First, you can’t just walk into a shop like Ground Control and ask to try on different sizes of sneakers.

What you see on the wall… is what you get. Furthermore, a few of the highly prized ‘pumped up kicks’ are shrink-wrapped, meaning that not a single person has ever laid their hands on the actual objects of desire. That’s right, you will find zero biscuits or maypops on Mike’s wall… and if you’re lucky, you will walk away with a score, but only if the shoe fits.

“We’re all about high fashion street culture,” Mike told me. “Blended with Buffalo culture – we’re always looking for local brands (clothing, accessories). I’m still in the process of building inventory. That means that I’m looking to network with people here in Buffalo. Our motto is ‘We are the culture.’ It’s important to let people know who you are. Style is a weapon!”

Mike Gates

The next time that you’re out and about ‘shoepping’ (yup, that’s a term), looking for your grail, I highly suggest that you pay a visit to Ground Control. The shop is pretty sweet, and Mike is a great addition to the street. He’s in it to win it. But even more than that, he’s all about connecting with other people in the local fashion and footwear scene. It’s always nice to hear that a business owner is looking out for the best interests of his or her city.

Ground Control | 569 Elmwood Avenue | Buffalo NY 14222 | Facebook | Instagram

THE BASICS:  This is the WNY premiere of Shirley Lauro’s 2006 stylistic, female-centric memory-drama of the Third Reich.  Produced by the Brazen Faced Varlets company, NIGHT plays on the main stage at Alleyway Theatre, weekends through Oct. 24th.  Varlet co-founder Lara Haberberger directs a cast of five.  The play, with its single ten minute intermission, runs a full 2 ½ hours.

THUMBNAIL SKETCH:   In ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, we follow the lives of four young German Gentile women, first as teens and subsequently young adults, through the dark days of Nazi ascent and rule.  The action unfolds in a series of dreamlike vignettes that become progressively darker, more nightmarish as Hitler tightens his grip on the Fatherland.  A fifth woman, older, plays a variety of authoritarian figures, the Fraus.  She is the poster-woman for the Nazi regime, and, as the action proceeds, her roles grow progressively more powerful and menacing.  The young women, faced with extraordinary, heartbreaking choices, succumb to the New Order in variable degrees, and in so doing, their lives are changed forever.

THE PLAY, THE PLAYERS AND THE PRODUCTION:  Playwright Lauro looks for a fresh take on a very well worked-over historical period.The play is based on her interviews of German Gentile women, similar to the ones we meet here.  The approach takes a bit of getting used to, but I think it works.  That said, the non-representational quality of the piece, with its bobbing and weaving through multiple lives, did pose some problems for me.   Things are made worse by the fact that several important characters and relationships are only referenced.  Staying “up to speed” was sometimes quite difficult.  There is very little in the way of real stage action, and very little leavening humor.  Some of the interior stories are truly depressing. The evening does not fly by.

The cast is clearly up to the challenge; this is a very capable, all-of-a-piece ensemble.

*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)

ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.

TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.

THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.

FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.

FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!

The Witches Ball at Statler City is back and ready to offer you “A Bloody Good Time” on Saturday, October 30 from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Buffalo’s best immersive Halloween experience features dozens of the most ‘bloody brilliant’ local artists, actors, drag queens, musicians, DJs, psychics, mediums, and more shockingly good performers for one night only!

Dance the night away, see your future, voyeur the macabre, and enjoy the music all night long. It’d be hell to miss it!

This year is an homage to the 1970s and 80s British Invasion known as the New Wave movement which featured humorous, dark, romantic, and quirky pop sounds with electronic synth and a distinctive punky style. Think of Icons like Blondie, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Boy George, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Tears for Fears, and more…

The Haçienda Room

Mind the Gap when you enter from the Genesee Street entrance, across from the Convention Center where you will be immediately transported back to London’s famous underground scene. This year the hallway has been turned into a ‘Madchester’ styled club packed with DJs spinning new and old techno beats. Charlie Abbott will lead the night with Katie Bknd, Greg Howze aka DJ Twist, Satellite of Love feat. Ellen Degenerate & McGroove. Stop by BKind City Pop-Up, take your photo in front of the Balloon Brother’s Selfie Station, and dance your way into the night.

Covent Garden Courtyard

The Center Courtyard will look more like a traditional European square, with stilt walkers, LED Hoopers, magicians, roaming characters provided by Alleyway Theatre, and more, including a premiere by Buffalo drag artist, Fallon Angel, who will perform a silhouette show.

Walk our Black Carpet and have your photo taken to be automatically entered into our Virtual Costume Contest. All photos will be posted after the event to our Facebook Page. Winners will be selected and win cool local prizes and experiences.

Stop by the BFLO Hydration tent to regroup, top yourself off, and prevent a wicked hangover!

Boom Boom Room with DJ Nicholas Picholas

In our Golden Ballroom, DJ+VJ Nicholas Picholas will be spinning original vinyl all night long, as well as projecting vintage Music Videos and Horror Movies.

Navigate Buffalo Art Movement‘s first ever Art Mural Maze sponsored by Hyatt’s All Things Creative. Eight artists have been tasked to create original works of art exclusively for the 2021 Witches Ball. Snap a pic of yourself in front of this interactive exhibit and tag your friends and our local artists.

Blitz Club with Reflex Productions

Swirling up a storm first will be Rabbit Jaw in our Blitz Club room. The night will be hosted by DJ CrespoBeats and feature a dazzling floor show with the sassy and seductive neo burlesque troupe, Eye Candy Vixens. Next up, the gorgeous and hypnotic queens in Dragged Out with Jayme Coxx.: Fishnell Twain, Christian Gaye, and Damsel ‘N’ Disdress. Topping off the night will be Mark Marinaccio and Blitz Kids playing in the style of your favorite Brit Rockers like Queen, David Bowie, Tears for Fears, Culture Club, and more!

ALL ACCESS UPSTAIRS

Upstairs, all are welcome to dance the night away at SE2 Silent Disco  feat. Scafetta holding court on the Mezzanine Level.

Psychic Lounge (ALL NIGHT) presented by supernatural historian & author, Mason Winfield is a treasured feature of the annual Witches Ball. Visit our Psychic Lounge newly located on the second floor, Georgian Ballroom where guests can sneak away from the festive mayhem to catch a moment of counsel from the other world. A handful of readers and psychic mediums will be waiting for you in the Victorian-styled Georgian Ballroom to offer their insights. It will be a perfect night for a visit with the other side.

Meet & Greet with author, historian, and local legend Mason Winfield. If you’re nice, he might spin you a bone-chilling haunted tale!

Halloween is more than just a party,” says Winfield. “It’s also a prime night to go within and try to reach back to the ancestors. The two avenues really do belong together. The Witches Ball is one of the few events you will ever attend at which you can experience them both.

Visit the Psychic Lounge while Mercury is in Retrograde, and learn what awaits you in 2022 and beyond!

Virtual Costume Contest | 8 PM to MIDNIGHT

Photography by Vincent Berbano + Addison Schoonmaker

Walk our Black Carpet and get your photo taken to be automatically entered into our virtual costume contest. All photos will be uploaded LIVE to The Witches Ball Facebook page (@witchesballbuffalo) and automatically entered into our Virtual Costume Contest. Categories include:

Best Overall Costume | Best Group Costume | Best Couples Costume | Best Mask
People’s Choice – the committee will choose 5 individuals whose costumes go above and beyond and open them up for virtual voting – 24 hours to vote. Voting will open Monday AM and run for 24 hours. Winners will be announced via @witchesballbuffalo Facebook page and should contact us to claim their prize.

Over $1,000 in prizes provided by 20+ local businesses. Start planning those costumes!

VIP Lobby Bar

This year, the VIP experience is posher than ever. Our special guests will be hosted in the Lobby Bar which features a full stocked bar, a carving station, hors d’oeuvres, soft lighting, and leather couches to evoke the feeling of haunting another realm in style! This will obviously mean a restricted number of tickets will be sold for VIP. We expect to sell out fast. Hurry, these tickets will be nicked in no time.

THE LINE-UP

Music + DJs
Nicholas Picholas | SE2 Silent Disco feat. Scafetta | Charlie Abbott | DJ CrespoBeats | Katie Bknd | Greg Howze aka DJ Twist | Satellite of Love feat. Ellen Degenerate & McGroove | Mark Marinaccio and Blitz Kids | Rabbit Jaw

Experiences
Virtual Costume Contest | BFLO Hydration | Living Dead Girls Live Podcast | Bkindcity Pop-Up | Mason Winfield’s Psychic Lounge
Buffalo Art Movement Maze Sponsored by Hyatt’s All Things Creative

Entertainment
Roaming Characters | Pop-Up Dance | Alleyway Theatre | Dragged Out with Jayme Coxx, feat. Fishnell Twain, Christian Gaye, and Damsel ‘N’ Disdress | Eye Candy Vixens, a neo-burlesque troupe | Balloon Brothers | Magician Joe Maxwell | Backwards Burlesque with Fallon Angel | Showstarters Entertainment feat. Hoopers, Stilt Walkers, and Go-Go Dancers  | and more…

Organizers
Buffalo Rising | Reflex Productions | CP Abbott Photo | Nico Nostro Photography | Nickel City Renegade Roller Derby | Buffalo Pro Audio | Daniel Lendzian | Mariah Toledo | Buffalo Pro Audio | Beloved Entertainment | Zoe Oleshansky Graphic Design | SE2 Silent Disco

Sponsors
Statler City | BFLO Hydration | Buffalo Art Movement |  CJ Sound |  Hyatt’s All Things Creative

The Witches Ball | A Bloody Good Time
Saturday, October 30, 2021 @ Statler City | Buffalo, NY
$45 per ticket | $50 at the door
VIP | $165 – Will sell out!

Sign up for a jolly, gory night at witchesballbuffalo.com

Please enter through the Genesee Street doors. The Delaware doors will be EXIT ONLY. This event is for ages 21 & up. Must have a valid form of ID to enter. Proof of Covid-19 vaccination is not required at this time. All patrons are highly encouraged to wear masks unless eating or drinking regardless of vaccination status. If you have experienced symptoms, you should self-isolate and contact your doctor. This policy is subject to change. Email witchesballbuffalo@gmail.com with any inquiries.

Photos from past events:

Photography by Vincent Berbano, Addison Schoonmaker, Nico Nostro, and Charlie Abbott