A favorable weather forecast and two years of cancellations have lead to brisk ticket sales for Elgin’s Nightmare on Chicago Street, which takes place downtown on Saturday.
After two years of being zombie-free, Elgin is preparing to be inundated with the undead Saturday. And city officials are pretty excited about it.
Setup is underway, and tickets are going fast for the 10th iteration of Nightmare on Chicago Street. The zombie-themed Halloween will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday in downtown Elgin. Kate O’Leary, Elgin’s special events coordinator, said that pre-event ticket sales are the highest they have ever had.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we sold out,” she said.
Only 15,000 tickets will be sold. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 the day of the event. They can be purchased at nightmareonchicagostreet.com/.
In addition to zombies roaming the streets, the event features three stages of live entertainment, bands, food and drinks, vendors, cage matches in the Thunderdome, live graffiti artists, a hookah lounge, a costume contest, and special guests such as horror movie host Svengoolie.
O’Leary said over 300 volunteers have been working on various aspects that go into staging the event.
“This has been my favorite event now for 10 years,” she said. “It’s a microcosm of all the things I enjoy about this work which is people coming together and creating art and making something fun for people to do.”
The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. It was initially scrapped again this year due to cost increases and shortages of supplies and labor. But public outcry caused led the city council to reconsider.
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A favorable weather forecast is in the offing, with almost no chance of rain and pleasant temperatures that could reach the low 70s.
“I don’t know what kind of magic powers we have with the weather,” O’Leary said. “But it looks like it’s gonna cooperate.”
While she was careful not to give away any surprises they have in store, O’Leary did say that organizers were focusing on “the city below the city” this year. She recommended keeping an eye out for sewer monsters.
She also recommends arriving early for available parking at the area parking decks. But satellite parking will be available at both Larkin and Elgin high schools, with buses running to and from the festival from 5:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m.
Despite the shortened planning timeline this year, O’Leary was optimistic the event would go off without a hitch. Between city staff, event employees and volunteers, they’ll have over 800 people working Saturday night.
“I’m so excited, but my anxiety has never been so high in trying to get everything squared away and ready to go,” she said.
