This is a sponsored post. I received a free pass to the event in return for featuring it on my site. Opinions are my own.
My first Midwest Haunters Convention is in the books, and you can absolutely bet I will be returning to Chicago next year for some early summer Halloween fun!
If you aren’t already familiar, Midwest Haunters Convention (MHC) is an annual convention held in Chicagoland (Rosemont, right next door to O’Hare which is incredibly convenient) dedicated to haunters, haunt actors, haunt enthusiasts, and Halloween lovers. The event includes local haunt tours, the most robust list of seminars I’ve seen at a haunt con, a giant vendor floor, and even a costume ball complete with costume contest.
It’s like a little dose of Halloween in June. What more could you want?
MHC was my sixth Halloween/adjacent con and my third haunt con to visit. And while spots like Texas Haunters will always hold a special place in my heart, MHC was by far the best haunt-specific convention I’ve had the chance to visit as a Halloween lover.
Check it out with me as I recap everything I saw and did and tell you why it’s great for Halloween lovers!
Midwest Haunters Convention 2024
Hello, and welcome back to the Spooky Queen goes to cons! Who wouldn’t love sitting on a throne of skulls with these gorgeous creatures? 13th Floor always does it up right - so much so that I may never go back to one of their haunts out of sheer terror.
Anyway…welcome to Midwest Haunters Convention! I loved this tunnel with its changing lights we got to walk through every time we entered and exited the floor. It definitely added to the fun.
I started the day by making some new friends that like the night!
I do NOT want to see them in a haunt, but I always love original animatronics and characters in the bright lights to appreciate all the detail they have.
Fright Night Studios had some killer items. The aged skeletons were cool but…
…these guys were my personal favorite! I call them November 1 jack-o-lanterns. The way they looked naturally rotted was amazing, and they went FAST. Each time I walked by, less were on the table until they were gone.
I guess I only like gross things for Halloween if they’re pumpkins? Work by Mister Jimmy FX Creations.
You can always bet I’ll find the more feminine Halloween goodies in the crowd, like The Asylum Countess!
You may know I’m not one for clowns, typically, but I fell in LOVE with this ghoul! If I had a practical way to take her home, she probably would have made the trip.
Another fave find of mine that I DID make a purchase from is Chocolate Treasures out of Ohio! They had a full table of spooky treats. I loved the variety of options—and price points.
The cutest peppermint jack-o-lanterns!
And this chocolate lolly bar was to die for—literally.
I was THRILLED to bump into my friends, Don’t Be A Monster, who I worked with in 2019 and 2020. I genuinely thought we lost them to the pandemic, but they are back and looking for support to bring bullying-prevention assemblies to schools all over the country. Check them out!
Another friend I was thrilled to see: The Halloween Shirt Company! Always a fave, and you better believe I did some serious suitcase-stuffin’ damage at their booth. (Those clearance bins!)
I also loved scoping out their new-to-me cryptid designs!
After stopping by the RoxiSpice booth with Splash of Spooky, I’m trying to convince That Halloween Bro he needs these for his party. 😂
The drink dispensers were cool, but this was the real show-stopper for me:
Safe-to-drink bubbling drinks with dry ice! RoxiSpice has a machine that makes custom dry ice pucks for their cups. Then you drop a seal with small holes on top so the liquid can bubble, but the dry ice can’t escape and be ingested. It was ingenious, and I need one yesterday please.
CU Scared had a whole booth of amazing Halloween and horror metal signs. I loved how bright all the colors were.
This was another fun find for me because Merrill is just 30-40 minutes south of my parents’ house! Am I brave enough to visit The Haunted Sawmill?
Probs not. 😂 Sawmill almost certainly equals chainsaws galore.
But it was cool to see a tiny town I know so well represented in the haunt space!
And finally: there was a haunt on the vendor floor from Chicago Haunt Builders! I didn’t get a chance to check it out, but their exterior decor and mini cemetery were stunning.
Have you been to Midwest Haunters Convention?
I’d love to hear your favorite parts of the weekend in the comments! And if you have any questions about attending events like this as a Halloween lover, drop ‘em in and I’ll answer them in an upcoming Treats Not Tricks email and follow-up blog post.
Can’t wait for next year - save the date for June 6 - 8, 2025 and join me there!
