An unseasonably warm and muggy night didn’t stop hundreds of local witches from casting a spell to create some fun Friday evening.
Main Street Hanford hosted its annual Witches Night Out event, which promotes local downtown businesses while also providing a spooky night of Halloween-themed fun.
“It’s lots of fun, checking out all the hats and the costumes. They’re all different. Just seeing the ladies have fun with friends, it’s a fun night,” said Janie Lucio, an employee of Emma’s Bridal Shop, located at 121 W. 7th St. “It’s a great thing that Hanford does.”
Emma’s Bridal was participating in the event for the second year since opening in early 2021. Lucio said the turnout is good for business, as it brought in new people who may not normally visit the shop.
Nearly 30 businesses participated in a Yellow Brick Road-like trail that led ticket-holders across downtown looking for goodies, prizes and drink refills. About 1,200 tickets sold out earlier this month in a matter of minutes for the increasingly popular event.
The night began at the front of the Old Courthouse, where ticket-holders lined up to receive their goodie bags and event maps, which listed each of the participating businesses and where to find them.
Natasha Thompson stood in line around 6 p.m. with her friends, saying, “I am a huge fan and I know we’re going to have a great time. We’re here to make chaos reign.”
Witches and warlocks dressed for the occasion to celebrate the spooky season as they made their way through downtown.
This year, the event blocked off sections of Irwin, Seventh and Douty streets to make way for live music, food trucks and a beer garden. The after-party started at 8 p.m. on Seventh Steet with music by Bazmati.
On the other end of the strip, a band called the Exes performed on Irwin Street in front of their parked Volkswagen Bus, which served as a fully capable sound machine.
“We’re going to play some spooky [stuff],” guitarist Fernando said to the audience of witchy revelers.
Mike and Kim McMahon have attended every single Witches Night Out, they said.
“The only year we haven’t gone was due to the pandemic,” when they skipped a year, Kim said. “I’ve dressed up each time, too.”
Kim was dressed as Sarah Sanderson and Mike was dressed as Billy Butcherson, characters from the Disney cult classic “Hocus Pocus.”
Witch costumes, worn by nearly everyone in attendance, ranged from the traditional green-skinned variety to the folkloric, the Pagan, the cute, scary, sexy — and everything in between.
While the event certainly held its appeal for the adult audience, little witches could be seen enjoying the celebrations throughout night, as well. Olivia and Sophia Logan, ages 4 and 6, were with their mother as they enjoyed the festivities.
Oliva said she loved all the spooky-themed treats. Sophia said she liked walking around and seeing all the fun costumes.
