With Halloween just around the corner, Americans will flock to parties and events of all kinds, but not many can match the sheer scale and spectacle of themed dance music festivals that attract thousands of fans every year. As a resident of the West Coast myself, there’s plenty of buzz surrounding Escape Halloween in San Bernardino, CA, and even BOO Seattle, but perhaps one of the most unique experiences imaginable on the weekend of October 28-29 will be found down south in Texas. That’s right – we’re talking about this year’s edition of Freaky Deaky, put together by the legendary team behind Disco Donnie Presents. As we gear up for two nights of spook-tacular performances, costumes, and good weather (fingers crossed), here are a couple things we’re looking forward to the most.

New Location:

First and foremost, Freaky Deaky 2023 will shift locations from Houston to Austin, with the festival calling the Travis County Expo Center its new home. 128 acres of space means there will be plenty of room for a breathtakingly haunting multi-stage setup, complete with enough parking for 4,000 automobiles. Shuttles will provide a convenient transportation option spanning the north to south of the city for those who’d rather not take the wheel. Maybe I’m biased, but another factor not to be overlooked is Austin’s thriving nightlife scene, which holds a strong live music tradition and makes for a perfect setting for after parties. I’ve experienced everything from rock bands to dueling pianos during a night out in Austin, and I cannot be more excited for EDM to join the mix.

In addition, the new location is only about a 2.5 hour drive from Houston and a 1.5 hour drive from San Antonio, still making it within reach for plenty of Texans and long-time festival-goers. I was even able to convince my extremely busy friend attending medical school at UT Health San Antonio to make the drive up for the weekend, so there’s no excuses to miss out on getting tickets!

Bass & DnB Galore:

Freaky Deaky promises fans that it’ll offer “booming basslines to be heard for miles,” and we have not an ounce of doubt given this year’s stacked lineup of performing artists. Multi-genre acts such as Alison Wonderland and Zeds Dead will surely shine, while die-hard fans of Dubstep should be happy to see acts like Kai Wachi, Ray Volpe, and Ganja White Night. Bass House, one of my personal favorite subgenres at the moment, will also be well-represented with rising superstars Knock2 and Crankdat joining forces with the likes of Joyryde and Dr. Fresch. Of course, Knock2 is also known for his earth-shattering Trap tunes, and connoisseurs of the genre will also get to catch internationally-renowned Troyboi along with Rossy, who is known for her releases with Sable Valley and HARD Recs.

Drum and Bass has made quite the splash across the US recently and has shown no sign of slowing down. Freaky Deaky could not have made this more clear, with one of the most impressive batches of DnB artists of any festival this year. Be prepared for fast-tempoed sets from Dimension, Wilkinson, Kumarion, and Culture Shock to give you more of an adrenaline rush than any horror movie possibly could. Especially notable is Blanke’s Aeon:Mode project, which the talented multi-genre Australian artist has recently decided to spin off into an entirely net-new alias.

That being said, fans of other genres should have no fear, as Gryffin and Telykast will hold the fort down for melodic dance while UMEK and Sam Wolfe will deliver heart-pounding techno performances over the weekend.

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Amenities & Accessibility:

While free water stations and lockers are table stakes for festivals, we’re pleased to see that Freaky Deaky has gone above and beyond to also partner with OUTLET to offer on-site resources for mental health support. Mental health is a topic of huge importance to us at Neon Owl, with our latest Open Door Sessions event in Denver even hosting a mental health panel discussion and raising funds for mental health advocacy organization Bring Change 2 Mind.

Vendor Village, which will feature a wide array of rave and apparel retailers, also caught our attention. And last but certainly not least, the festival will come complete with accessibility-minded parking, restrooms, viewing platforms, and more. ADA parking, mobility accommodations, interpreters, and even medication storage are all available upon request. Properly-designed service animals are also permitted. Although weather can be uncontrollable and distances between stages variable, festival grounds should be flat and easy-to-navigate.

We hope you’re as excited for Freaky Deaky 2023 as we are, and cannot wait to experience all of the fiendish dance festivities for ourselves in less than a month’s time!