2023 Schedule of events
CURIOUS CREATURES: AN ADDAMSFEST SCULTPING CLASS FOR CHILDREN
monday, august 28 - thursday, AUGUST 31
This August, we brought back our wildly popular opportunity for our youngest Addams-esque artists to have their art become part of this year's AddamsFest.
Cats, elephants and birds grace the art of both Charles Addams and Edward Gorey. But so do dragons, a boggerslosh, and other beasts of the night too terrifying to name. In this four-day workshop, instructors from Have a Nice Clay, a new ceramic and clay studio opening soon in Westfield, NJ, taught aspiring artists to create their own curious creatures in clay.
Finished works will be displayed alongside whimsical and wicked animals featured in original Charles Addams cartoons and Edward Gorey illustrations during AddamsFest’s art exhibit, WILD: The Curious Creatures of Charles Addams and Edward Gorey.
ADDAMS-INSPIRED MURALS
THROUGHOUT october
CENTRAL AVENUE UNDERPASS
Public murals breathe life, art and inspiration into their surrounding community. The Westfield Public Arts Commission unveiled the Central Avenue Mural Gallery in October, 2021. These murals showcase the work of local artists on both sides of the underpass on Central Avenue, providing a bright and colorful backdrop to revive and reimagine this public space. One entire span of the underpass features the theme Inspired by Addams, creating an indelible mark not just on the walls of the underpass, but on Westfield’s history.
Wicked Windows of Westfield
THROUGHOUT OCTOBER
DOWNTOWN WESTFIELD
The Wicked Windows of Westfield transforms Downtown Westfield’s storefronts into delightful Halloween displays. Look for some of Charles Addams’ favorite characters peering out from the windows, as well as spooky decorations on the street lamps and special appearances by the Addams Family themselves!
Sponsored by Jean Marie Morgan, Realtor
THE GALLERY ON ELM STREET
FRI/SAT/SUN, OCTOBER 13-29
122 ELM STREET
Step off the street into a wildly enchanting, drenched in surprise, designed to delight and disturb experience. The elaborate decorations serve as the backdrop for the incredible art on display in two exciting exhibits.
WILD
Charles Addams and Edward Gorey
Curious Creatures
The Addams Animal Menagerie
THE WILD WALK
PET COSTUME CONTEST AND ADOPTION EVENT
MOVED TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1:00 - 3:00
ATLANTIC MEDICAL GROUP
142 CENTRAL AVENUE
Calling all dogs, cats, and crocodiles (hey, this IS AddamsFest, after all)! Dress up Rover in their most frightening frock and join us for our pet parade and costume contest! While there, guests can meet their newest best friend at the pet adoption event, hosted by Wise Animal Rescue. It’s going to be a doggone good time!
wild about frankenstein
wednesday, october 18, 7:00
one westfield place preview center
76 elm street
AddamsFest continues its WILD theme with a talk about the horror genre’s most infamous monster. Join Ron MacCloskey, co-writer and co-producer of Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster, for a conversation about all things Frankenstein.
Sponsored by HBC | Streetworks Development.
Charlie’s Ale Garden
Saturday, October 21, 5:00 - 11:00
THE WESTFIELD ARMORY
500 rahway avenue
It wouldn’t be AddamsFest without Charlie’s Ale Garden at the Armory! The joint will be jumping with fantastic entertainment, including a great line-up of local bands and headliner Saved by the 90s. The most in-demand event of the season will once again feature beer and wine poured by Harvest Restaurant Group, as well as food for purchase from a variety of food trucks and the Wonder Game Area.
Presented by Premier Sponsor
Wonder Game Area, presented by Wonder
Sponsored, in part, by Alpha Fit Club, The Garage Gym, and Salad House
goth at the gallery
sunday, oCTOBER 29, 5:00
THE GALLERY ON ELM STREET
122 ELM STREET
For the first time, AddamsFest is partnering with Petunia Rocks to produce a fashion show to inspire the Wednesday or Enid in you. At this show full of woe, imbibe our themed refreshments, experience exclusive entertainment, and then soak in the main event as models showcase gothic outfits and accessories available for purchase.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY HOUSE ON MINDOWASKIN POND
THROUGHOUT OCTOBER
Be sure to take a photo of the floating Addams Family house on Mindowaskin Pond. Playing off a beloved Westfield tradition, this Halloween house is a nod to the replica of the Presbyterian Church that signals the holiday season in December.
HAUNT YOUR HOUSE Decorating contest: day & night
HOUSE REGISTRATION OPENS sEPTEMBER 10
community voting opens october 12
The competition gets stiffer every year! To make the driving routes of the entries more manageable, and to take the competition to the next level, there will be two contests this year – one for daytime haunts, and one for haunts by night. Community members will tour the routes and vote for their favorites using an online map of participating homes from October 12 through October 29. Think your haunt has what it takes to win? Registration opens on Sunday, September 10, at 7:00 PM for the first 25 houses to enroll in each category.
Sponsored by The Mavins Group
Morticia & Gomez’s
MasQUERADE Ball
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 (of course), 8:00 - 11:00
THE JAMES WARD MANSION
169 EAST BROAD STREET
Prepare to be transported to an eccentric world of mischief and macabre. Join Morticia & Gomez Addams in high style to feast on Addams-inspired gourmet fare, sip smoldering libations, and dance the night away in an interactive setting. Perhaps the most elegantly odd event of AddamsFest, guests should dress to kill – or at least to maim.
Presented by Premier Sponsor
Libations provided by the House of Wine & Liquor
LANTERN cemetery TOURS AT THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF WESTFIELD
(canceled due to rain)
SATURDAY, october 14
tours run in 10-minute intervals, 5:00-6:30
While other kids his age were out frolicking with friends, a young Charles Addams spent his time hanging out in Westfield's oldest cemetery (of course he did). Take a lantern tour of these historic grounds, hosted by The Presbyterian Church of Westfield.
Addams Family Fun DAY
Sunday, october 15,
NEW TIME! 11:00 - 5:00
DOWNTOWN WESTFIELD
From Pugsley to Grandmama, there's something fun for everyone at Addams Family Fun Day. Head on over to Quimby Street in Downtown Westfield, which will be closed to cars for a day of family fun -- including Addams Family character visits, live performances, incredible displays by the Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, delightful bubble demonstrations, readings of Tonight, Tonight is Halloween by local author Peter Lyons, pumpkin decorating, activities with some of local merchants, and more.
Sponsored, in part, by Oceans Orthodontics and the Westfield Education Association.
SPELLBOUND: AN EVENING OF HYPNOSIS
thursday, october 19, 7:00
THE JAMES WARD MANSION
169 EAST BROAD street
You are getting creeeeppppyyyy. Hypnosis is said to bring on a relaxing dream-like state for its participants. But it also brings on smiles for those witnessing the hilarity! Whether you volunteer to be hypnotized or watch from the wings, you’re guaranteed an entertaining evening with hypnotist Karl Wirtz.
CHARLES ADDAMS HERITAGE TRAIL TOUR
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 11:00 -11:45
MEET AT THE CENTER FOR CREATIVITY AT THE RIALTO
250 EAST BROAD STREET, WESTFIELD
Charles Addams was just like any other kid who grew up in Westfield in the early 1900s…except when he wasn’t. Step back in time to see the sights of Westfield circa 1920 as you retrace Addams’ steps from his home to school, downtown, and even to the cemetery where he spent his lazy afternoons.
ANIMAL INSTINCTS: A GOREY AND ADDAMS DISCUSSION
WEDNESDAY, oCTOBER 25, 7:00
THE GALLERY ON ELM STREET
122 ELM STREET
Charles Addams and Edward Gorey shared more than just penchant for the peculiar. They also enjoyed a fondness for fur coats and a deep love of their animal companions (it’s complicated…). Join The Tee & Charles Addams Foundation’s Kevin Miserrocchi and The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust’s Will Baker as they delve into the unusual similarities and extreme differences between these two iconic artists.