All photos courtesy of Creep It Real OC
The real reason I skipped out on Midsummer Scream this year? I wanted to go to Creep It Real OC instead!
I’ve been mixing it up this year, trying new-to-me events (like Midwest Haunters Convention), and it’s been a blast.
And I’m hoping Creep It Real OC will be the same.
From friends who vend or attend, I’ve heard this is one of their very favorite events for the atmosphere. Creep It Real is hosted at the Heritage Museum of Orange County, and the 2024 event takes place Saturday, Sept. 14 from 1 - 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
If you’ve never been or seen photos, the museum is an outdoor 12-acre culture, history, and events center that features a historic plaza with several buildings from the 1890s along with floral gardens and citrus groves. It looks stunning.
Creep It Real is entirely outdoors, highly decorated, and is meant to immerse you in a different Halloween world every year.
This year’s theme? Nostalgia.
The entire event is set to conjure up memories of Halloween in the 80s and 90s — and as an elder Millennial, this was MY TIME for Halloween. I can’t wait to relive it.
The major focus of Creep It Real is on the vendors, but there is still plenty to see and do.
Here’s what I’m most excited to see during my first visit.
What I’m Excited to See at Creep it Real OC 2024
1. Live Music
As a former good groupie, I love live music. And this is a feature I think I’ve only seen one other time (Texas Haunters, summer 2022) at a Halloween event.
Creep It Real will host three sets per day from dark pop artist Kitty Antix (Saturday) and LA punk group Radioactive Chicken Heads (Sunday).
I think this will be a fun way to add a little energy, take a little break, and hopefully hear some killer covers of Halloween classics.
2. Panels
Yes, Creep It Real has panels! Not many, mind you — the main focus is on supporting their small biz vendors — but the ones they DO have this year are perfectly in line with the theme.
Saturday, actors Jason Alisharan and Eddie Tyclus Robinson of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” will join series co-creator and director D.J. MacHale for a discussion about the series — specifically an episode called “The Tale of the Midnight Madness.” The trio will also be on hand for meet & greet and photo ops. MORE HERE.
Then on Sunday, Creep It Real will pay homage to “The Nightmare Before Christmas” with a panel featuring Chris Sarandon, the voice of Jack Skellington, and Ken Page, the voice of Oogie Boogie. Both will also be available all weekend for photo and autograph ops. MORE HERE.
3. Photo Ops
Whether intentional or not, you better believe I’m going to get my influencer photo ops on all over the Heritage Museum! Many of the homes are decorated for Halloween for this event. I can’t wait to see it all in person and feel like I’m living in a real-life Halloweentown.
4. The Museum Grounds
And on that note, after sitting on the social media sidelines for the last few years, I’m also super excited to see the museum grounds in-person. The houses look stunning, and I fear the whole place is going to feel like my own Halloweenified Stars Hollow that I’ll never want to leave. (Pray now for my friends who’ll have to drag me away at the end of the day…)
5. The Vendors
DUH! The real reason I’m stoked to go to this event is to shop! Some old faves, like Backstitch Bruja, The Punkin Shop, and Black Thorn LA will all be there. I’m dying to meet Christopher Cox, the artist behind new-to-me October Rds.
I’m also looking forward to finding new spooky small businesses to love as well as enjoy some of the tricks and treats for the local food vendors. (I’ve heard they might have pumpkin beer?)
But the thing I’m most excited for?
The Punkin Shop will exclusively be selling physical copies of this year’s magazine at the event!
EEK!
Lauren will have a limited number as we test this out to see how it does, but if you’ll be there, be sure to stop by and grab a copy if you haven’t ordered one already.
What are your must-sees at Creep It Real OC 2024?
If you’ve been before, let me know what I shouldn’t miss.
And if you see me there, come say hi! As always, I’ll have some of my glow-in-the-dark Ghostie Girl stickers AND By Pumpkin’s Light stickers. (Both printed with StickerApp.)
See you in Orange County this September!
