Invitation to April Ghouls

☠️ 2026 HauntFest April Ghouls ☠️

When: April 11th - 12th, 2026

Where: Terrapin Beer Company

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Prepare for a freakishly fun weekend of frights, feasts, and fiends on April 11th and 12th, starting at 2 pm at the terrifying Terrapin (265 Newton Bridge Rd, Athens, GA 30607)... See your invitation for a list of many of the activities offered at this year’s event, including Live Classes by the famous hauntrepreneur, Leonard Pickel, extreme weightlifting, street magic from The Joker of New Orleans, and so much more. Undisguised humans discovered by our roaming ghouls may be eaten, so, for this ghoulish gathering, slide on your monster skins for our creepy costume contests, where you will have the chance to win some monstrous prizes. Boos, brews, and devilish dishes will be offered by our venomous vendors, such as poisonous potions, rotting morsels, and, of course, crocodile toes. There might also be tacos, gelato, shawarma, slushies, hot dogs, baked goodies, and other disgustingly human treats for those uncultured swines. To see a list and map of all vendors and links to their websites, visit the Georgia events page at hauntfest.net.

On Saturday, April 11th, immerse yourself in a world of the macabre. Peruse a market of 50+ vendors from 2 PM - 10 PM, with offerings such as miniature train rides, taxidermy, reptile encounters, themed jewelry, psychic & tarot readings, original horror literature, book signings, free pumpkin painting, fine arts, horrific crocheted items, candles, sculptures, pottery, podcasts, B-movies, vintage & gothic clothing, blacksmith items, and, for all the fraidy cats out there, kittens in Halloween costumes…  For vendor highlights, join our Facebook group, HauntFest Georgia, and follow our Instagram, @hauntfest.athens.

At 3:00 PM on Saturday, monster mash to the main stage, where one of our wonderful, sponsored artists (and vendor), Happycore Entertainment, will be performing. Also at 3:00 PM, participate in the Make N Take class, “Make a Creature Hand,” with none other than Leonard Pickel himself. At 4:00 PM, Sorta Spooky, a particularly deathly crew, whose cruiser is fit to chauffeur the dead, will be rocking the stage. Then, at 5:00 PM, Greylow, another generously sponsored band, will be making their HauntFest debut, while Leonard Pickel’s second Make N Take, “Make a Rusty Cauldron,” takes place. The Release of the Ghouls commences at 6:00 PM, which means the event will be bumped up a notch, as our monsters will be free to roam the festival! Parents and weak-kneed souls be advised. Ghoul-gone glow bracelets will be offered at the door for any who cannot fend for themselves…

At 6:30 PM, bang your head to our next sponsored band, To No Avail (but please keep it on – things got messy last year), with Terror Trivia shortly after. Teams of up to 6 are encouraged to join in on this game of horror knowledge, from movies to haunted places to serial killers! If you’re not into trivia, Leonard Pickel’s final Make N Take class, “Make Fake Glowing Coals,” will also be in motion, so choose your path wisely… Saturday’s headliner, Bad Guru, closes out the live music portion of the event starting at 8:00 PM, and at 9:00 PM, doors will open for anyone who is attending the DANCE PARTY ONLY. Get SHEETFACED at our Dead Man’s Party, from 10 PM to midnight on Saturday. Costumes are highly encouraged, and the event is suggested for ages 18+. Any attendees who purchased a general admission festival ticket is free to stay the entire duration!

From 9 - 9:30 PM, The Joker from New Orleans will blow your mind during a mind-reading and hypnosis show on the main stage. At 9:30 PM, Lady Death will call up any monsters who would like to compete in the HauntFest costume contest for a chance to win spooktacular prizes. At this time, Lady D. will also be announcing the winners of the HauntFest raffle, where patrons have the chance to win a basket of giftage from our generous vendors. To enter the raffle, you simply have to complete the vendor scavenger hunt, which is available at the ticket booth! You can score additional raffle tickets by completing other HauntFest scavenger hunts at the HauntFest merch booth. At midnight, we all cry and howl and return to our coffins to prepare for the next day ahead… GET OUT.

On Sunday, you can expect similar shenanigans as on Saturday, such as the artist market from 2 PM - 8 PM, roaming scare actors, and more. At 3:00 PM, enjoy a sponsored performance by JQueue, as well as a FREE Leonard Pickel Seminar, “Cheap Scares: Maximum Fright Factor on a Budget,” followed by a costume contest at 3:30 PM. At 4:00 PM, boogie to a sponsored musical performance by The Geckos, and at 5:00 PM, jam to some funk by Garden Variety Band. 5:00 PM is also your FINAL opportunity to sit in on the FREE Leonard Pickel seminar, “Opening Your First Haunt.”

Prepare yourself for the Release of the Ghouls at 6:00 PM, followed by HauntFest’s final musical performance by Persona Machine at 6:30 PM. Also at this time, sign up for our last Terror Trivia, and make sure to have your Scavenger Hunts turned in for the raffle! As our closing act of the evening, HauntFest welcomes back The Joker of New Orleans to leave you bewildered and beguiled, starting at 7:30 PM.

Please broompool with as many as you can, and make sure you have a coffin readily available in case you seek eternal rest (consult your local coroner as necessary). It will be a boo-tiful, fun-feared weekend!

We hope to scare you there!

-HauntFest Team

☠️ Group Ticket Deals ☠️

GROUP DEALS!!

All sorts of animals stick together for each other’s company - a murder of crows, a cauldron of bats… Why shouldn’t you too? HauntFest encourages you to drag along any of your igors or evil counterparts (we know they don’t get out much). Get 25% off any admission type for buying 5 or more tickets at once, or get 50% off for 10 or more! Use code FIVEPLUS for 5+ or TENPLUS for 10+ at checkout to redeem.

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☠️ Leonard Pickel Class Options ☠️

Make a Creature Hand! - 3PM Sat

90min Make N Take $20 Material Cost

In this hands-on workshop, attendees will be instructed how to create a creepy creature hand using an easy and quick technique with Romex and cling wrap. When completed you can take your creation home with you. This class fits nicely with the “Make A Rusty Cauldron” and “Make Fake Glowing Coals” classes. Fee required, seating is limited.

Make a Rusty Cauldron! - 5PM Sat

60min Make N Take $20 Material Cost

In this hands-on workshop, attendees will be instructed on various quick and easy rusting techniques while turning a plastic cauldron into an old metal looking pot. When completed you can take your creation home with you, OR bring it to the “Make Fake Glowing Coals” class and add smoldering embers to your cauldron, OR to the “Make a Creature Hand” class and add a creepy fist to your cauldron. Fee required, seating is limited.

Make Fake Glowing Coals! - 7PM Sat

60min Make N Take $10 Material Cost

In this hands-on workshop, attendees will be instructed how to use spray foam and Christmas lights to create glowing embers for your campfire or oven scene. When completed you can take your creation home with you. This class fits nicely with the “Make A Rusty Cauldron” and “Make a Creature Hand” classes. Fee required, seating is limited.

Cheap Scares: Maximum Fright Factor on a Budget - 3PM Sun

60min Seminar - FREE

Darkness, Creativity, and Realism are the low budget Haunter’s best allies in the hunt for high fright! By utilizing these elements to the fullest, a simple home display can rival the patron satisfaction of even the biggest high budget professional attractions. In this lively interactive presentation, Haunting icon Leonard Pickel of Hauntrepreneurs, Themed Design and Consulting discusses proven scares and fright techniques that you can put into action at your Haunt without paying a sawed-off arm and a leg to do it! Check out Leonard's website at http://www.hauntrepreneurs.com

Opening Your First Haunt - 5PM Sun

60min Seminar - FREE

This session is a comprehensive overview of the various concerns relating to a “first time” October seasonal production, but even a well-established Halloween event will learn how to maximize profits while decreasing costs of building an operation a Haunted Event. In this all-day information filled interactive presentation, industry icon Leonard Pickel will share his 40 plus years’ experience in helping people get started in the haunt business. Chocked full of do’s and don’ts, tips and tricks on getting the attraction open, keeping it open and maximizing the money-making potential of a for-profit or charity Halloween Event. Topics include, business plans, location requirements, safety and code compliance, the multi-element approach, ticketing, attraction style, construction options, advertising, operations, and it answers the most frequently asked questions. “How big should the haunt be, how much should I charge, and how much will it cost?” This session is the perfect stage for attendees to build on from classes the rest of the weekend and will set the framework throughout their start up process. Check out Leonard's website at www. hauntrepreneurs.com or contact him at [email protected]

Happy Haunting

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See below for our April Ghouls Sinister Sponsors!