The Sunday Mail
CREEPY costumes and spooky make-up were the order of the day at The Horsebox Bar, which played host to the Day of the Dead Halloween Party last Saturday.
Halloween is something people in Zimbabwe normally see in movies, but thanks to Fort Infinity, party lovers in Harare experienced the Halloween vibe first hand.
Since inception two years ago, the annual fete has been growing in popularity with many local merrymakers embracing this rather foreign form of celebration.
This year’s edition exceeded expectations, attracting large numbers despite the economic mayhem that the country is facing at the moment.
It seems the organisers did their homework when they opted to rope in South African superstar Timo ODV to headline the event as the artiste pulled off an exceptional performance on the night.
With local DJ Rob Macson having warmed up the stage, the main man came on stage at around 10pm and had an immediate impact with the majority of the crowd moving closer to the stage. Kicking off the set with his banger “Dancing Again”, Timo showcased his prowess behind the decks with a playlist that included popular sing-along tunes as well as recent productions.
After leaving the stage, the artiste stuck around and could be seen mingling, chatting and taking selfies with fans in the VIP Lounge.
The party continued way past midnight as several other local DJs, including Jono Mariani, kept the dancefloor buzzing.
Besides the music, the atmosphere was electric. Professional face painters and make-up artistes were busy transforming people’s faces into their desired Halloween looks with the most popular ones being zombies and skeletons. The majority of people at the event looked like they had just come off a Hollywood movie set.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail Society, Timo ODV said he was grateful to have been invited to be a part of this particular event.
“I don’t want to lie to you bro, I really had a great time tonight and the crowd was really wonderful. This party was amazing and I could feel the energy from the fans as I was playing, which is a memorable experience,” he said.
He added that while he did not shy away from experimenting with new material, he had put in a lot of work in coming up with a playlist that would satisfy his audience.
“This is my fourth time coming to Zimbabwe so I knew my boundary. I had an idea of what to include in my set. I wanted to balance the new tunes and the familiar ones so that was the formula I used tonight.”
Halloween is a celebration observed in a number of countries on October 31st, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day.
Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories and watching horror films.
